7.14.25 Religious freedom in Africa, the fight with the Fed, and an overlooked Bible translation

Summary

The World and Everything In It – Episode 7.14.25 Summary

Release Date: July 14, 2025

Overview

In Episode 7.14.25 of The World and Everything In It, hosted by Jenny Ruff and Nick Eicher of WORLD Radio, listeners are presented with a comprehensive exploration of pressing global issues. The episode delves into religious freedom challenges in Africa, significant news events such as the church shooting in Lexington, Kentucky, and severe flooding in Texas, alongside in-depth discussions on geopolitical tensions in Gaza, economic sanctions on Russia, and a historical look at an obscure Bible translation. The podcast masterfully intertwines news reporting with expert analysis, enriched by poignant quotes and personal stories that underscore the human impact of these events.

---

News Highlights

1. Lexington Church Shooting (00:58 – 02:19)

The episode opens with a harrowing account of a tragic event in Lexington, Kentucky. Reporter Mark Mellinger details the sequence of events leading to the loss of two lives at Richmond Road Baptist Church.

• Incident Summary:

  • A gunman confronted and shot a state trooper during a traffic stop near Lexington’s airport on Sunday morning.
  • The perpetrator then carjacked a vehicle, leading him to Richmond Road Baptist Church where he killed two women (ages 72 and 32) and critically injured two others before being fatally shot by police at the scene.

• Authorities’ Statement:

  • Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers indicated a possible connection between the gunman and individuals at the church.

• Community Impact:

  • David Trimble poignantly remarked, “Sometimes things happen. We just don't have a reason why. But we're going to be here for the people of Lexington” (01:36).

2. Texas Flooding (02:19 – 03:32)

The discussion transitions to the severe weather conditions in Central Texas, which disrupted ongoing search and rescue operations following the devastating July 4th floods.

• Flood Impact:

  • The floods resulted in at least 129 fatalities and left approximately 170 individuals missing.
  • Roughly 100 homes were damaged, and numerous rescues were conducted across several counties.

• Federal Response Criticism:

  • Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem disputed a New York Times report suggesting federal response shortcomings due to FEMA’s understaffed call centers, asserting, “That's not true” (03:20).

• Expert Commentary:

  • Danny DeWalt, Executive Director of the SUDRO Global Justice Institute, criticized the administration’s claims, emphasizing the necessity for accurate reporting (03:32).

3. Ceasefire Talks in Gaza (03:32 – 04:20)

The episode examines the stalled ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, highlighting the mutual accusations hindering progress.

• Negotiation Breakdown:

  • Both parties blame each other for the impasse, primarily over the redeployment location of Israeli military forces post-ceasefire.

• Israeli Prime Minister’s Stance:

  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, conveyed through an interpreter, stated, “We accepted the deal. And what does it want? It wants to stay in Gaza. It wants us to leave so it can rearm and attack us again and again. I will not accept that” (04:06 – 04:20).

4. Airstrike in Gaza (04:20 – 05:05)

An unintended casualty of the conflict is highlighted through an Israeli airstrike that tragically resulted in the death of six children at Al Awda Hospital in Gaza.

5. Economic Sanctions on Russia (05:05 – 25:59)

The conversation shifts to burgeoning support for imposing stringent economic sanctions on Russia, spearheaded by bipartisan efforts in the U.S. Senate.

• Legislative Actions:

  • Senators propose a bill threatening 500% tariffs on Russian exports, including gas, oil, and uranium, urging passage within the month.

• President Trump's Critique of the Fed:

  • The episode features an intense segment known as the "Monday Money Beat," where financial analyst David Bonson discusses President Trump's escalating criticism of Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell.

• Key Quotes:

  • David Bonson remarks, “They're trying to set the stage to either terminate him or get him to resign. It’s completely bogus and disingenuous” (19:50).
  • Trump’s aggressive stance is echoed as handlers speculate potential replacements for Powell, signaling political maneuvers that could destabilize Fed independence.

• Tax and Spending Laws:

  • A surprising legislative provision dubbed “Trump accounts” is scrutinized. This policy mandates a $1,000 federal investment for every newborn U.S. citizen, sparking debate over its efficacy and ideological undertones.

• Bonson’s Analysis:

  • “This is just another government program. I just think as a matter of first principles, this is outside of the scope of government and particularly federal government” (23:40).

6. Secret Service Failings in Trump Assassination Attempt (05:19 – 06:53)

The episode revisits the assassination attempt on President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, highlighting a report from the Government Accountability Office that exposes significant lapses in the Secret Service’s protocol.

• Report Findings:

  • Secret Service agents were aware of potential threats 10 days prior but failed to act, and essential surveillance equipment was non-operational.

• Senate Homeland Security Committee Chair Rand Paul’s Critique:

  • “There was a cascade of errors. It was just one error after another” (06:13).

• Agency Reforms:

  • The new head of the Secret Service claims substantive reforms have been implemented to prevent future security breaches.

---

Legal Docket: Religious Freedom in Africa (07:05 – 18:25)

In the Legal Docket segment, the podcast explores the dire state of religious freedom in Africa, particularly focusing on Nigeria, where Christians face severe persecution.

Case Study: Deborah Yakubu and Rhoda Jatao (08:24 – 09:55)

• Deborah Yakubu’s Lynching:

  • Sean Nelson, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom International, recounts the tragic death of Deborah Yakubu, a Christian university student in Sokoto State, Nigeria. Her WhatsApp posts praising Jesus and criticizing Muslim morning prayers incited a violent mob that stoned her to death and set her body ablaze (08:24 – 09:02).

• Rhoda Jatao’s Persecution:

  • Ten days later, Rhoda Jatao condemns the mob attack on social media but is arrested and charged with blasphemy. After a prolonged legal battle, she was acquitted in December 2024, emerging as a symbol of religious freedom despite enduring 19 months in prison (09:09 – 09:38).

International Religious Freedom Summit (10:17 – 11:32)

• Summit Overview:

  • Approximately 300 Christian, Muslim, and minority faith leaders convened in Africa to strategize on safeguarding religious freedoms.

• Defining Religious Freedom:

  • Nelson emphasizes that true religious freedom encompasses fundamental God-given rights, not merely the ability to practice or express beliefs without government interference (10:45 – 11:08).

• Limitations and Misuse:

  • David Trimble clarifies that religious freedom does not legitimize persecutory acts, outlining that such abuses cannot be sheltered under the guise of religious liberty (11:08 – 11:32).

Strategies to Combat Persecution (11:32 – 16:43)

• Regulating Religious Activities:

  • African governments have attempted to curb abuses through stringent regulations requiring churches to fulfill burdensome legal criteria before operating. Nelson argues for enforcing existing criminal laws instead of imposing additional regulatory burdens (11:52 – 12:44).

• Adopting a Religious Freedom Charter:

  • Nelson advocates for African nations to adopt charters akin to South Africa’s 2010 model, which clarifies religious rights and responsibilities, complemented by educational programs to counteract extremist ideologies like Sharia criminal law courts (13:13 – 14:03).

• Personal Narratives:

  • Mubarak Bala shares his harrowing experience of leaving Islam, facing imprisonment, and enduring threats from extremist groups. His ongoing legal battles highlight the persistent challenges in securing justice for persecuted individuals (14:03 – 16:20).

• Global Impact and Advocacy:

  • Danny DeWalt of the SUDRO Global Justice Institute underscores the global interconnectedness of religious freedom issues, emphasizing that abuses in Africa resonate worldwide (16:29 – 16:53).

• Diverse Faith Perspectives:

  • David Trimble of the Religious Freedom Institute highlights the importance of respecting diverse truth claims while ensuring everyone’s right to seek spiritual truth remains protected (17:20 – 17:57).

---

Monday Money Beat: The Fed and the White House Tensions (19:00 – 26:12)

In this segment, financial analyst David Bonson discusses the escalating tensions between the White House and Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell, focusing on the administration's criticism over cost overruns in the Fed’s headquarters renovation.

• Administration’s Critique:

  • The White House accuses Powell of mismanaging funds, a move seen by Bonson as a “pretextual manipulation” aimed at forcing Powell’s resignation or termination (19:50 – 20:00).

• Market Implications:

  • Bonson expresses concern over the undermining of the Fed’s independence, noting, “I think markets care about the process. I think all of us will care about the process very much for years to come if this is successful in undermining the process” (21:45).

• Potential Leadership Changes:

  • Speculation arises around potential replacements for Powell, including Scott Besant, Kevin Warsh, and Kevin Hassett, each bringing distinct expertise and political ramifications (22:12 – 23:11).

• Trump Accounts Proposal:

  • The episode scrutinizes the introduction of “Trump accounts,” a policy allocating $1,000 to every newborn American. Bonson criticizes the initiative as government overreach and questions its sustainability and ideological motivations (23:40 – 25:59).

---

World History Book: The Overlooked Taverner Bible (26:43 – 33:02)

Concluding the episode, Paul Butler presents a fascinating historical exploration of Richard Taverner and his obscure Bible translation, shedding light on a lesser-known contributor to English Bible literature.

• Richard Taverner’s Contribution:

  • Taverner, a Greek scholar and supporter of the Reformation, produced a significant but overlooked English Bible translation in the 16th century. Unlike contemporaries such as Tyndale and Coverdale, his work did not gain widespread recognition due to the simultaneous release of the Church of England’s authorized Great Bible (27:07 – 29:04).

• Challenges and Legacy:

  • Taverner’s Bible, characterized by its bold printing and absence of verse markings, struggled to compete with the Great Bible, which enjoyed royal endorsement and mandatory distribution (29:04 – 30:30).
  • Despite its initial obscurity, Taverner’s Bible saw renewed interest in the early 1550s and was republished in 1551, yet it remained largely unappreciated in mainstream biblical scholarship (30:54 – 31:16).

• Historical Significance:

  • Viner and Trimble highlight the Taverner Bible’s role in the evolution of English Bible translations, emphasizing its contribution to theological discourse and linguistic development despite its limited impact (31:36 – 33:02).

---

Conclusion

Episode 7.14.25 of The World and Everything In It offers a rich tapestry of current events, legal battles for religious freedom, economic tensions, and historical insights. Through meticulous reporting and expert analysis, the podcast not only informs but also fosters a deeper understanding of the intricate interplay between global affairs and individual liberties. Notable moments, such as Sean Nelson’s recounting of Deborah Yakubu’s persecution (08:24) and David Bonson’s critique of the Fed-White House dynamics (19:50), provide listeners with poignant reflections on justice, freedom, and governance. This episode stands as a testament to WORLD Radio’s commitment to delivering nuanced and impactful journalism.

Transcript

[Jenny Ruff]

Good morning. Today on legal docket in some pockets of the world, religious liberty is an extremely high stakes matter.

[Sean Nelson]

They gathered at least 50 people. They found her hiding in a closet, pulled her out and they stoned her.

[Nick Eicher]

Also today, the Monday money beat. The White House turns up the heat on the Fed. David Bonson standing by to talk about the politics behind the pressure and the world history book today. The of an often overlooked Bible translation.

[Wesley Viner]

It was the first time anyone had ever asked me about a Taverner Bible.

[Jenny Ruff]

It's Monday, July 14th. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Jenny Ruff.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Eicher. Good morning.

[Jenny Ruff]

Up next, Mark Mellinger with today's news.

[Mark Mellinger]

Two women are dead after a gunman opened fire at a church in Lexington, Kentucky, Sunday. Here's how it all unfolded. According to police, the gunman got into a confrontation with and shot a state trooper during a traffic stop near Lexington's airport Sunday morning, then carjacked a vehicle which he drove to Richmond Road Baptist Church. There he shot and killed two women, ages 72 and 32, and wounded two other victims, one critically. The the trooper who was shot is in stable condition. Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers.

[David Trimble]

Sometimes things happen.

[Nick Eicher]

We just don't have a reason why. But we're going to be here for the people of Lexington.

[Mark Mellinger]

Police shot and killed the gunman at the scene. Chief Weathers says there's evidence the gunman might have had a connection to people at the church. In Central Texas, heavy rain forced crews to temporarily suspend search and rescue efforts along the Guadalupe River Sunday. It was the first time a fresh round of severe weather paused the search for victims of the horrific July 4th flooding. Colt Lee was one of the thousands of volunteer searchers waiting it out. There's a possibility that the erosion can, you know, move some things around and.

[Danny DeWalt]

Make some things more discoverable that might not have been.

[Nick Eicher]

But generally speaking, it is just a hindrance at the moment, you know, because.

[Mark Mellinger]

It does pause everything. By late afternoon, teams in part of the area got the all clear to resume their search efforts. The July 4th floor killed at least 129 people and left at least 170 still missing. Sunday's round of severe weather damaged about 100 homes and forced the rescues of dozens of people across several counties. U.S. homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is pushing back on the New York Times report of a shortcoming in the federal response to Texas July 4th floods. The report found only about 16% of calls to female. The federal emergency Management Agency were answered on July 7, three days after the fatal floods, because contractors at the phone bank had been laid off when a Federal contract expired July 5. Noem claims that's not true, telling NBC's Meet the Press, those phone banks were.

[Danny DeWalt]

Staffed, contracts were in place, and those.

[Jenny Ruff]

People were in those call centers, and.

[Danny DeWalt]

They were picking up the phone and answering these calls from these individuals. So that report needs to be. I'm not certain it's accurate.

[Mark Mellinger]

Noem insists cost cutting did not hamper the federal response and says any criticism is an attempt to politicize the tragedy. Ceasefire talks on the war in Gaza have stalled after several days of negotiations in Qatar. Israel and Hamas are now blaming one another for holding up a deal. The main sticking point appears to be where the Israeli military would redeploy once a ceasefire takes effect. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking in Hebrew, translated into English through an interpreter.

[Nick Eicher]

We accepted the deal.

[Wesley Viner]

Hamas rejected it.

[Nick Eicher]

And what does it want? It wants to stay in Gaza. It wants us to leave so it.

[Wesley Viner]

Can rearm and attack us again and again. I will not accept that.

[Mark Mellinger]

Meantime, Israel acknowledges an airstrike targeting an Islamic Jihad terrorist in Gaza went wrong Sunday. Video from the scene shows multiple casualties, including children. Al Awda Hospital in Gaza says six children were killed in the strike. The idea of imposing tough new economic sanctions on Russia is gaining steam on Capitol Hill. Senators from both parties are working on a bill applying new pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine or face 500% tariffs on exports like gas, oil and uranium. The Senate hopes to pass the bill this month. Over on the House side, when asked if he would bring it to the floor, Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News, I would.

[Nick Eicher]

I think there's a big appetite for that in the House as well. I think tough sanctions are called for. Vladimir Putin has shown an unwillingness to work with President Trump to bring an end to this unjust war. We gotta talk tough and we gotta act tough. That's what he responds to. He's a bully.

[Mark Mellinger]

Trump says he wants to make some changes to the proposed penalties in the Russia sanctions bill, and he still wants to continue peace talks. About this comes as the president considers approving new funding for Ukraine for the first time since taking office in January, one year after the assassination attempt on President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. A new government report reveals the depth of the Secret Service's failings that day. The report from the Government Accountability Office shows Secret Service officials knew 10 days before the rally in Butler that Trump's life might be in danger, but did not share that information with their own teammates working the rally. Also, the Secret Service's air surveillance drone was not flying that day. It was broken, and the lightly trained operator didn't know how to fix it, Senate Homeland Security Committee Chair Rand Paul tells CBS's Face the Nation.

[Danny DeWalt]

There was a cascade of errors. It was just one error after another. When we talked to the people in charge of security, everybody pointed a finger at someone else.

[Mark Mellinger]

The new head of the Secret Service says the agency has made substantive reforms over the last year to address the security lapses. In Butler, I'm Mark Mellinger. Straight ahead, pursuing justice for persecuted Christians in Africa. And later, what's at the root of President Trump's intensified criticism of the Fed chair in the Monday money beat. This is the WORLD and Everything in it.

[Nick Eicher]

It's Monday, the 14th of July. Glad to have you along for today's edition of the World and Everything In It. Good morning. I'm Nick Iger.

[Jenny Ruff]

And I'm Jenny Ruff. Time now for legal docket. Every U.S. supreme Court term, some of the most controversial cases center on religious freedom, protecting an individual's right to believe, practice and express his or her belief in God without government interference.

[Nick Eicher]

Here are a few examples of government interference. The supreme court remedied in 2022, a high school's preventing a football coach from praying on the field after games in 2023, a post office refusing to accommodate a Christian mailman's observance of the Lord's Day. Most recently, the state of Wisconsin's denying a religious exemption to Catholic charities.

[Jenny Ruff]

But protecting religious freedom isn't just a concern in America. It's a worldwide problem. And in many places, it's not just loss of freedom, but loss of life, as in Africa.

[Sean Nelson]

So Deborah was lynched on May 12th of 2022.

[Jenny Ruff]

Sean Nelson is an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom International. He's talking about Deborah Yakubu, a Christian who lived in a Muslim majority area of Nigeria. That's a country on the west side of the continent.

[Sean Nelson]

She was a university student at a school in Sohkoto State.

[Jenny Ruff]

Yakuba was killed for messages she posted on WhatsApp that offended some of her classmates. In one, she gave praise to Jesus when a student asked her how she did so well on her examination. On another, she asked her classmates to stop calling for Muslim morning prayers on the app because the chat was supposed to be about schoolwork.

[Sean Nelson]

And they gathered a mob together of about at least 50 people. They found her hiding in a closet. They pulled her out and they Stoned her to death and then lit her body on fire.

[Jenny Ruff]

Ten days later, another Christian, Rhoda Jatao, shared a post on social media condemning the mob attack.

[Sean Nelson]

Her neighborhood was ransacked. She was immediately arrested. She was put into jail for 19 months, and she was accused of blasphemy.

[Jenny Ruff]

Meaning she'd insulted Islam. Jatao, a mother of five, became one of Nelson's clients. He worked with lawyers on the ground in Nigeria to defend her in court. The trial took over a year, but In December of 2024, she was found not guilty. Nelson says she stayed humble throughout the ordeal.

[Sean Nelson]

She was telling me that while she was in prison, she actually, she was in a women's prison. She actually started a Bible study group with the other women who there in the prison with her. And she's just been a big symbol for religious freedom within Nigeria and around the world.

[Jenny Ruff]

There has yet to be any justice for Deborah Yakubu's murder.

[Nick Eicher]

Nelson represents Christians who face persecution like this in Africa, and not only Christians. He represents people of many different religions, like Muslims or those of minority faiths who are also being persecuted. And whether it's a severe act of violence or something less than that, lawyers are making an effort to stop these human rights abuses.

[Jenny Ruff]

So today, let's head overseas to learn more about those legal efforts. A few weeks ago, about 300 Christians, Muslims, and leaders of minority faiths gathered in Africa for an international religious freedom summit. The goal? To find leaders, legal solutions, and other ways to help people practice faith without fear and to secure religious freedom.

[Nick Eicher]

Let's begin by defining what genuine religious freedom is. It's more than just the freedom to believe or to attend church or to pray or even express a belief or unpopular opinion on social media.

[Sean Nelson]

We're talking about God given fundamental freedoms that every single person on earth has. Every single person is made in the image of God.

[Nick Eicher]

But religious freedom has limitations. For instance, those of one faith who persecute another cannot claim an act of persecution is the exercise of freedom. You can't hide behind religious liberty to justify committing crimes like the religious motivations behind the violence of terror groups. There's a firm line there. ADF Attorney Nelson it doesn't allow you.

[Sean Nelson]

To kill and burn and shoot and maim other people. It doesn't allow you to destroy other people's churches. It doesn't allow you to silence other people. And you do see that, unfortunately, in many places within Africa and around the world.

[Nick Eicher]

One way African countries have tried to curb such abuses is by regulating religious activity, namely the enacting of burdensome laws intended to regulate regulate churches, like requiring a church to obtain a certain number of signatures or to pay money or formally to register before opening its doors, even a small home church in a rural community. Or to take another example, government approval.

[Sean Nelson]

Of religious leaders, saying that pastors, any moms, have to be licensed by government approved outlets.

[Nick Eicher]

The thinking is that with more government oversight, there will be fewer abuses. But Nelson says this is not the way to go. Instead, the government should enforce criminal laws already in place. That's the solution. Hold people who commit crimes accountable for committing crimes.

[Sean Nelson]

There are already laws on the books that make it illegal to commit fraud, that make it illegal to incite people to commit violence, to do violent, harmful practices against people. Ensuring that the rule of law is enforced and that there are speedy resolutions to those kinds of issues when people have violations committed against them that they can go to an agency or court that will hear them and will give them a fair shake.

[Jenny Ruff]

Another solution, Nelson encourages African governments to adopt a religious freedom charter. South Africa did so in 2010. Such a document can build upon the guarantees of religious freedom established in a country's constitution, clarify the rights and responsibilities. Educational programs help too. And working to stop the spread of sharia criminal law courts. Such courts apply Islamic law to cases and have aggressive corporal punishments like cutting off a person's hands for theft and.

[Sean Nelson]

The blasphemy law, which says that anybody who insults the Quran shall be put to death.

[Jenny Ruff]

Finally, Nelson says too many Muslim majority communities overlook violence against those who convert to Christianity or simply leave the Islamic faith. Mubarakbala is one of them.

[Mubarak Bala]

I was born in Nigeria, Mubarakbala.

[Jenny Ruff]

As a boy, he attended a Muslim only school. He was forbidden from playing with a neighborhood peer who was Christian.

[Mubarak Bala]

This is how I was brought up, a Muslim, with an expectation that I dedicate my life to the religion of Islam.

[Jenny Ruff]

But the older he got, Islam's teachings began to bother him.

[Mubarak Bala]

And I didn't really subscribe to the doctrine about jihad, about killings, about intolerance.

[Nick Eicher]

By the time he got to his 20s, he was no longer a practicing Muslim.

[Mubarak Bala]

And I haven't believed for a long time.

[Nick Eicher]

When he told his family he'd left Islam, his parents thought he'd gone mad and took him to a psychiatric hospital. He was 28 years old. When Bala was released, he continued to use social media to speak out against Islam, especially against Boko Haram, one of the deadliest jihadi groups.

[Jenny Ruff]

In 2020, plainclothes police officers showed up at Bala's door with guns. He was Jailed and pressured to return to Islam, Bala's jailers told him if he would stop his social media posts and convert back, he would be given a job and a Muslim wife. But if he did not, the jailers.

[Mubarak Bala]

Now told me, if I don't convert to Islam, then it's up to me. I'll be killed in that jail. I was, I wasn't putting my name is Mubarak. And so Muslims people would assume I'm a Muslim. So if I don't pray or if I open my mouth and I say I'm not a believer, then I'm the one putting myself in trouble.

[Nick Eicher]

So he went through the motions to save his life. After sitting in jail for two years, his court date finally arrived. He was formally charged with insulting Islam and inciting a disturbance through online posts. The judge initially sentenced him to 40 years in prison, but through a series of appeals, his sentence was eventually reduced to five. He was released in 2024.

[Jenny Ruff]

Today, he calls himself an atheist with a conscience. Bala's court battles continue. His appeal is now pending before Nigeria's Supreme Court, where he's trying to hold his abductors accountable.

[Mubarak Bala]

If I win, then it means a lot of people should go to jail and I would be paid compensation. But there has never been an arrest of anyone that vowed or announced that I should be killed or I'm supposed to die.

[Jenny Ruff]

But prosecuting these types of bad actors has proved difficult. Africa may seem like a far off corner of the world.

[Danny DeWalt]

We are, as Americans, often remarkably, living in a bubble. To think that what happens in Africa doesn't impact us.

[Jenny Ruff]

Danny DeWalt is the executive director of the SUDRO Global Justice Institute.

[Danny DeWalt]

It impacts the globe.

[Jenny Ruff]

The Institute is another ally in securing religious freedoms in Africa. And in the decades he's worked on these issues, DeWalt's seen how the relationship goes both ways.

[Danny DeWalt]

Crossing cultures, crossing oceans, crossing borders upon invitation from one another, and sharing our lives, sharing our shared values and coming together. The power of friendship, in my experience, is actually the thing that moves the needle in the world.

[Jenny Ruff]

Still, I wondered how difficult it might be for people of completely different faiths to be on the same page about religious freedom.

[David Trimble]

Religious freedom doesn't mean that all truth claims are equal.

[Jenny Ruff]

David Trimble is the president of the Religious Freedom Institute, a nonprofit that works to protect religious freedom around the globe. He also attended the conference.

[David Trimble]

So when we come together, we're going to have differences. Religious freedom doesn't mean that all truth claims are valid. I don't have to validate your truth claims. And you don't have to validate mind. But what religious freedom does mean is that every man, woman, boy and girl has the right to seek ultimate meaning and truth in God.

[Nick Eicher]

And they're free to do that. That's what we're here to defend.

[Jenny Ruff]

And that's the week's legal docket.

[David Trimble]

Additional support comes from Nicaea Conference, a.

[Nick Eicher]

Once in a lifetime gathering to honor our one Lord, remember our one faith.

[David Trimble]

And proclaim our one gospel.

[Nick Eicher]

Nicaea Conference.

[Jenny Ruff]

Next up on the World and everything in it, the Monday Money beat.

[Nick Eicher]

It's time now to talk business, markets and the economy with financial analyst and advisor David Bonson. David heads up the wealth management firm, the Bonson Group, and he is here now. Good morning, David.

[Danny DeWalt]

Well, good morning, Nick. Good to be with you.

[Nick Eicher]

Well, David, tensions between the White House and the Fed Chairman Jay Powell seem to have hit the boiling over point. The administration now taking its criticism well beyond the level of policy disagreement. It's pointing to cost overruns in the Federal Reserve's headquarters renovation, and they're laying that, of course, at the feet of Jay Powell, suggesting he's mismanaging. So do you see this as a more serious attempt to push Powell out or is it just political posturing to increase the pressure on him to cut interest rates?

[Danny DeWalt]

Well, they're certainly trying to set the stage to either terminate him or get him to resign. It's, of course, completely bogus and disingenuous about this issue of cost overruns on the project. So it's sort of a pretextual manipulation and it's really quite concerning. The hard part is that I'm in agreement with the administration that I believe the Fed should be cutting rates and that the reasons being offered are not satisfactory. The problem is that it is not the administration's call to make. And we have laws that do not allow the executive branch to terminate the Federal Reserve chair because they disagree with monetary policy policy. So you have to decide if you care about the process or not. And I think markets care about the process. I think all of us will care about the process very much for years to come if this is successful in undermining the process. And yet the irony is that the underlying issue is actually one I think the president's right about, but going about it all of the wrong ways right now, including this, this highly disingenuous attempt to stir the thing with the renovations on the building. So I am watching carefully, and at this point, I'm not sure that their path is going to be to actually dare to terminate him as much as trying to force a resignation. Chairman Powell said he won't do it. But there is a human sense in which you start to wonder, is this really worth it? If I were Chairman Powell, would I want to go through this agonizing process? So it's a vulnerable time right now, no question.

[Nick Eicher]

Yeah, David. And maybe what makes this seem so serious now is we're hearing names put forward of those who might replace Powell if he's pressured out or fired. There's been speculation now Scott Besant could be in line as a possible replacement for Powell. But Besant's background seems a lot more suited to his current post as Treasury Secretary then as Fed Chairman. But what do you make of all this? What does it signal?

[Danny DeWalt]

Well, I certainly would far rather have him at treasury, and I believe he would rather be at treasury, and I think the President would rather have him at Treasury. What I think is going on there is the president is signaling to a couple of the other people that are in his ear interested in the position. Both of them named Kevin, Kevin Warsh, my old colleague from Morgan Stanley, who has been a Fed governor before. Before and someone I think very highly of, and Kevin Hassett, the National Economic Council director, National Review guy, and someone I've known very well for a long time. It was not my impression, candidly, that Kevin Hassett would be interested in the position going into the Trump 2.0 term. But the word now is that Kevin Hassett is interested in being Fed Chair. I know that Kevin Warsh is interested, and I think Secretary Bessen's name being thrown out is President Trump's sort of palace intrigue way of keeping the two Kevins on their toes.

[Nick Eicher]

Well, David, before we go buried in the new tax and spending laws, kind of a surprise provision, so called Trump accounts. And I think I'm somewhat surprised they didn't call them the big beautiful baby bonds. But starting this year, every newborn US citizen gets $1,000 put into a federal investment is the thinking behind that. And could it make a meaningful impact on long term investing habits? Do you want to comment on that?

[Danny DeWalt]

Well, I don't really want to comment on it, but I'm going to because it's important. But it's so disappointing to me that anyone on the right would be defending the idea of this sort of redistribution whereby we're using taxpayer money, and of course it is borrowed taxpayer money because of the debt situation to go essentially give money to people and then to say we're going to do it for three years and then stop When President Trump's term ends. This is another one of these provisions that we're scoring the cost based on what the law says, which is that it's going to sunset in four years. And I just want to know who believes they're really going to let it sunset in four years. George McGovern ran for president 1972 on this idea that we would give everybody $1,000 when they were born. And Richard Nixon pummeled him in that election. And the right wing argument against it at the time was the government shouldn't be in the business of giving people other people's money. And now the argument for it is by doing this, you're getting all these extra years of compounding and you're going into the market and you're going to get much better returns than you'd get with something else. Well, this wasn't written to replace Social Security. This is just another government program. I don't particularly care for calling it Trump accounts. President Trump isn't paying for this. We're paying for it. The taxpayers are paying for it. So it's not a Trump account, it's a taxpayer account. So this is an odd part of the legislation. It had support from majority Republican senators. I've talked with Senator Ted Cruz about this and his defense of it is, even though I don't believe the government should be in the business of doing it, this is going to cost less than other things will cost in the future because we're getting the money into the market, getting a big return. And it's an anti poverty program that is going to be more useful in the future. I think there's merit, I should say, to some of those pragmatic arguments. But I just think as a matter of first principles, this is outside of the scope of government and particularly federal government.

[Nick Eicher]

All right. David Bonson, founder, managing partner and chief investment officer at the Bonson Group. He writes regularly for World opinions [e-mail] David, thanks so much. We'll see you next week.

[Danny DeWalt]

Thanks so much, Nick.

[Nick Eicher]

Today is Monday, July 14th. Good morning. This is the world and everything in it. From listener supported World Radio. I'm Nick Iger.

[Jenny Ruff]

And I'm Jenny Ruff. 450 years ago today, a renowned Greek scholar and Bible translator dies. Of his most well known work is an English translation of the Bible. But few have heard of it today because it was quickly replaced the same year by the Church of England's first authorized version. Here's World's Paul Butler with the world history book.

[David Trimble]

The list of well known Bible translators is pretty short. You've likely heard of John Wycliffe and William Tyndale. Perhaps you're familiar with Miles Coverdale and John Rogers, but have you ever heard of Richard Taverner? Until a week ago, I hadn't. So I reached out to an expert.

[Wesley Viner]

When you emailed about this Bible, it was the first time anyone had ever asked me about a Taverner Bible. But I don't think that's insignificant.

[David Trimble]

Wesley Viner is an early modern curator at the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C. the museum has a first edition of the Taverner Bible in its collection, though it's not on public display.

[Wesley Viner]

Like all of the other Bibles during that time. It's a revision of the English translations that came before it. So it's a revision of the Matthew Bible, which is self revision of Coverdale, which is a revision of tyndale.

[David Trimble]

From the 1530s to about 1611, there are quite a few English Bible projects, each translator building on the work of others, updating certain passages to better reflect the meaning of the original languages. Many also insert their own translator notes or biblical commentary.

[Wesley Viner]

Bible translations kind of explode in the 16th century. They really take off. And beginning with the Tyndale Bible through the King James Bible in 1611, you have this series of very, very famous English Bibles. So you go From Tyndale in 1525, 26 to the Coverdale Bible, the Matthew Bible, the Great Bible, the Bishop's Bible, on and on and on, and eventually you get to the King James Bible. And the Taverner Bible fits in that time period, but it's not really mentioned or talked about a whole lot.

[David Trimble]

Richard Tavener was a Greek scholar who worked privately for Thomas Cromwell and was appointed to the King's service. Taverner promoted the Reformation in England and produced many religious texts besides his Bible translation, including catechisms, commentaries and observations from the Scriptures.

[Wesley Viner]

These biblical scholars and linguists are experimenting with the English language, trying to figure out how best to express the ideas that they see in Greek and Hebrew in English. Sometimes they're inventing new words, they're inventing new phrases, new idioms, they're adopting words from other languages when they can't find words that make sense to them in English.

[David Trimble]

It takes a lot of time, work and resources to publish a bible in the 16th century. And Tavener's large pulpit Bible might have had a longer lasting legacy in the English speaking world if it weren't for King Henry VIII and his great Bible that came out the same year.

[Wesley Viner]

The church of England's attempt to have a single authorized, authoritative Bible translation which will exist throughout the church in England. Everyone will be using the same thing.

[David Trimble]

So the great Bible has the crown and the Church of England behind it, and its use becomes mandatory, meaning guaranteed distribution. Plus, King Henry VIII's Bible was overseen by the well known biblical scholar Miles Coverdale. He had published the first complete English translation of the Bible just a few years earlier, based largely on William Tyndale's work. So it's easy to see why Tavener's Bible doesn't have much of a chance. It's kind of like an independent film trying to find screens the same weekend as a blockbuster.

[Wesley Viner]

And so the ill fate of poor Richard Tavener. His edition is sort of blotted out from the history books. And in fact, if you read sort of bibliographic senses of English Bibles, they'll usually have some line about the Tavernor Bible that says something like it exerted zero influence on subsequent English Bible translations. It's not true that it just disappeared into a dustbin somewhere. It was still there. People were still using it.

[David Trimble]

Even with the widespread use of the great Bible, Taverner's Bible is revised and republished in 1551, or at least the New Testament portion of it.

[Wesley Viner]

It does pop up after Edward takes the English Throne. There's sort of a renewed interest in English Bibles. In the late 1540s and early 1550s.

[David Trimble]

The Museum of the Bible has digitized a handful of pages of the 1551 Taverner Bible. The old style bold printing is striking, with a lot of text on every page. There are chapter headings, but no verse markings. There is very little artwork. The wording is foreign to modern ears, yet familiar.

[Wesley Viner]

In the beginning created God, heaven and earth. The earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the deep. And the spirit of God was born upon the waters. And God said, let there be light. And there was light, and God saw the light that it was good.

[David Trimble]

Richard Taverner and his Bible fall out of favor during the reign of Catholic Queen Mary. But Taverner re emerges when Queen Elizabeth ascends the throne in 1558. He preaches regularly at St. Mary's Church in Oxford, even becoming high sheriff for Oxfordshire before his death on July 14, 1575. In every field, there are hall of famers and headliners who get most of the attention. But there are countless others diligently doing their part in the shadows, off the beaten path and in obscurity, People like Richard Tavener.

[Wesley Viner]

Each of them plays their own unique role in this sort of, you know, millennia long story of the Christian church and the Bible and its transmission over time and its translation. And it's spread around the world. That sequence of Bibles that shaped the church's theology, its ecclesiology, its relationship with the world, its understanding of politics. Seeing how different copies, different manuscripts, different editions, different translations affect that narrative, that progress in unexpected ways is, I think, very interesting.

[David Trimble]

That's this week's world history book. I'm Paul Butler with assistance from Emma Eicher.

[Nick Eicher]

Tomorrow, a battlefield assessment of the ongoing war in Ukraine. And we'll meet a specialized farmer whose primary crop is available only a few weeks a year. But there is plenty to do year round to make ends meet. That and more tomorrow. I'm Nick Icker.

[Jenny Ruff]

And I'm Jenny Ruff. The world and everything in it comes to you from World Radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires. The Bible says, but I have trusted in your steadfast love. My heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me. Psalm, chapter 13, verses 5 and 6. Go now in grace and peace.