← The World and Everything In It
The World and Everything In It
7.29.25 Iranian Christians detained, Epstein and Obama investigations, and appealing to England’s Christian past
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- [00:05]
Mary Reichert
Good morning. New legal twists in the Jeffrey Epstein saga and renewed debate over Russian interference in the 2016 election.
- [00:14]
Myrna Brown
It's time to go after people.
- [00:16]
Kent Covington
We'll talk about it with a former prosecutor. Also, what immigration enforcement means for Iranian Christians claiming asylum. And a fresh voice in Christian pop music unafraid to sing about the hard stuff.
- [00:30]
Mary Claire
I definitely struggle with just who is this speaking to me? Is it me? Is it the Lord, Is it the enemy? And it's just kind of a dance between that and my mind sometimes.
- [00:39]
Kent Covington
And a conservative British lawmaker makes a bold appeal to preserve the country's Christian Heritage.
- [00:51]
Mary Reichert
It's Tuesday, July 29th. This is the world and everything in it. From listener supported World Radio, I'm Mary Reichert.
- [00:58]
Kent Covington
And I'm Myrna Brown. Good morning.
- [01:02]
Mary Reichert
Up next, Kent Covington has today.
- [01:06]
Bobby Higdon
President Trump says he intends to shorten the 50 day deadline he gave Russia's Vladimir Putin to reach a peace deal with Ukraine.
- [01:13]
Myrna Brown
I'm gonna make a new deadline of.
- [01:16]
Danny Krueger
About 10, 10 or 12 days from today. There's no reason.
- [01:22]
Bobby Higdon
The president says he sees no point in giving the Kremlin until early September when there is, in his words, no progress being made. And he added that he is disappointed in Putin.
- [01:32]
Myrna Brown
I'm not so interested in talking anymore.
- [01:34]
Danny Krueger
He's, he talks. We have such nice conversations, such respectful and nice conversations.
- [01:40]
Myrna Brown
And then people die the following night in a, with a missile going into a town and hitting, I mean, recently.
- [01:47]
Danny Krueger
I guess the nursing home, but they hit other things. Whatever they hit, people die.
- [01:51]
Bobby Higdon
Trump has said that once the deadline expires, the United States will implement secondary tariffs on countries that do business with Moscow. That could further isolate Russia and deal a heavy blow to its economy. Trump's remarks came as he spoke alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland. The two leaders met on Monday on a range of issues, including the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The prime minister told reporters it's an absolute catastrophe.
- [02:20]
Danny Krueger
Nobody wants to see that. So we've got to get to that ceasefire. And thank you, Mr. President, for leading on that.
- [02:27]
Bobby Higdon
For his part, President Trump said the US Is sending food and supplies to Israel for civilians in Gaza, and he expects Israel to take it from there.
- [02:36]
Myrna Brown
I want them to make sure they get the food. I want to make sure they get the food.
- [02:40]
Danny Krueger
Every ounce of food I think you want, because that food isn't being delivered.
- [02:46]
Bobby Higdon
Also in Scotland one day, European Union Trade Commissioner Mauro Shefcevic said a new trade agreement between the US and the EU is a big win for both sides.
- [02:56]
Danny Krueger
If I were to sum up this EU US Agreement in one sentence, I would say it brings renewed stability and opens door to strategic collaboration.
- [03:08]
Bobby Higdon
Meantime in Sweden, U.S. and Chinese officials met Monday in Stockholm in a push to extend a trade truce that is set to expire two weeks from today. They're hoping to buy more time to reach a wide ranging trade agreement. Negotiators met for more than five hours. Republican Senator Tom Cotton said the president has been on a hot streak closing trade deals with the eu, Japan and Indonesia.
- [03:32]
Danny Krueger
Of course, the difference there is that.
- [03:33]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
Those are all friendly allied countries or the European Union itself. China is an adversary.
- [03:39]
Bobby Higdon
Cotton, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the US has had a number of objectives in negotiations with Beijing.
- [03:46]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
We want them to open up their markets. We want them to quit using things like critical minerals or other items to try to get leverage over the United States politically at the same time, while we need to build up our own capacity to produce those critical items so they can't have that leverage over us.
- [04:01]
Bobby Higdon
American officials say those objectives are a matter of national security. US Officials are hoping to lay the groundwork for a high level summit between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this year. Both sides remain far apart on core issues like overproduction in China's steel and electric vehicle sectors and US Limits on advanced tech exports. A Michigan prosecutor has filed a terrorism charge against a man accused of stabbing 11 people at a Walmart over the weekend. Prosecutor Noel Mogenberg says the rarely used terrorism charge fits in this case because the attack was intended to, quote, put fear in the entire community.
- [04:43]
Mary Reichert
Clearly this is one of the most serious crimes that someone can commit in.
- [04:49]
Bobby Higdon
The state of Michigan and it has.
- [04:51]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
A huge impact on public safety.
- [04:54]
Bobby Higdon
The 42 year old suspect, Bradford Grilley, also faces 11 counts of assault with intent to murder. Local law enforcement is praising the actions of citizens who stepped in to stop the attacker. This recording captures the moment when a man armed with a concealed handgun intervened. The suspect was reportedly homeless with a history of substance abuse and mental illness. Meantime in New York City, at least four people are dead after a gunman opened fire inside a Manhattan office building. Authorities say a 27 year old man walked into the building, which houses the headquarters of the NFL and major financial firms among others, and opened fire with a rifle. He reportedly shot and killed an off duty police officer and two civilians before taking his own life. Others were injured. The FBI and NYPD are investigating. That came hours after a gunman opened fire outside of a casino in Reno, Nevada, apparently shooting at random, killing three people. A security guard shot and wounded the gunman, who is now in custody. That incident is also under investigation. I'm Kent Covington. And straight ahead, the Department of Justice, the Jeffrey Epstein files and 2016 election interview, interference claims. Plus, a member of Parliament calls England back to its Christian roots. This IS THE WORLD and everything in it.
- [06:38]
Mary Reichert
It's Tuesday, the 29th of July. So glad to have you along for today's edition of THE WORLD and Everything In It. Good morning. I'm Mary Reichert.
- [06:46]
Kent Covington
And I'm Myrna Brow. First up, a new twist in the long running Jeffrey Epstein saga. Yesterday, Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime associate and a convicted sex Trafficker asked the U.S. supreme Court to overturn her conviction. She says she was wrongfully found guilty of helping Epstein sexually exploit underage girls, asserting legal errors and unfair treatment during her trial.
- [07:16]
Mary Reichert
The filing comes days after senior officials in the Department of Justice met with Maxwell in her Tallahassee prison. When asked about that meeting, President Trump called ongoing interest in the Epstein case a witch hunt. He then pivoted to declassified documents from 2016, claiming the Obama administration knew there was no Russian interference in the US Election system, but chose to mislead the public anyway.
- [07:42]
Danny Krueger
This was treason. This was every word you can think of.
- [07:47]
Myrna Brown
They tried to steal the election.
- [07:49]
Danny Krueger
They tried to obfuscate the election.
- [07:52]
Kent Covington
Joining us now is Bobby Higdon, a veteran of federal law enforcement with decades of experience. He now practices law privately. During his government service, he served as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina and spent 24 years as Assistant U.S. attorney before that.
- [08:11]
Mary Reichert
Well, Bobby, good morning.
- [08:13]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
Good morning, Mary.
- [08:14]
Mary Reichert
Well, let's start with the 2016 story. The Russian collusion intelligence fiction appeared to be settled back in 2023 when the Durham report showed there was partisanship in the FBI. So I wonder, does the recent release of documents from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard change anything about how we analyze 2016?
- [08:36]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
Well, I'm not sure whether it does or not. You know, what it certainly does is add to the body of evidence that some will have access to. And what she's doing as she is surfacing those materials, I think she said it was about 200 pages of documents that were previously classified, and she's provided those to the Justice Department to incorporate into this review that we thought was settled at one time that revealed partisan conduct by the FBI. It'll be up to prosecutors and investigators to then evaluate that evidence. And the attorney general set up a task force to review it. She didn't say to investigate or prosecute. But she said review, which is sort of a preliminary step to see is there merit, merit to it. And if there is, if it shows criminal activity, then they can move to the stage of opening an investigation and then conducting that investigation. So I think the answer is we don't know yet.
- [09:28]
Mary Reichert
Well, President Trump says that President Obama and some officials may have committed treason. And you're saying we might have to find out. But I do wonder, how would the Supreme Court's decision in Trump v. US affect any investigations or prosecutions? I mean, that ruling gave President Trump absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for acts done within his core constitutional authority, among other things.
- [09:53]
Myrna Brown
Right?
- [09:53]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
No, I think you've crystallized exactly what the main legal issue would be as to President Obama. Presidents by necessity are given broad authority and the Supreme Court really affirmed that and further expanded it and defined it in that ruling. And so I think that it would be a very tall hurdle to get over to prosecute a former president for actions that were taken in the course of their official duties. And that it would be a good argument that ordering an intelligence review for whatever reason would fall within the scope of that. I think what would be an interesting question is there are obviously a lot of other individuals involved that may or may not have the benefit of any type of immunity in conducting their official business. And many of those are people that we've seen in the media over the last few years making certain statements about the state of intelligence related to Russian collusion, Russian involvement in our elections. And so I suspect there'll be a much broader review that won't just focus on President Obama, but would focus on those that were serving in his administration and dealing with this issue.
- [10:53]
Mary Reichert
Well, let's talk about Ghislaine Maxwell's appeal to the U.S. supreme Court. Now, what is her argument?
- [10:58]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
Well, she, she advanced, I think, four basic arguments. She was trying to take advantage of the non prosecution agreement that Jeffrey Epstein had several years ago with the Southern District of Florida and alleged that it was improper to prosecute her. The trial court and the appellate court in the Second Circuit threw that out. She also alleged that the statute of limitations that was applicable to her case had expired and could not be extended by this. The statute that was passed that they were relying on. The lower court rejected that argument. She asked for a new trial because she said that some of the jurors answers to questions during voir dire, which is the time period during the trial when you're selecting jurors, were improperly handled. And then she Also said that at the time of questions being asked by the jury as they were deliberating her case, that the judge's answers modified the indictment. What they call is constructive modification. In other words, the judge changed the charges by answering those questions. Now, the, the trial judge rejected all of that. The, the Second Circuit rejected all of that. And we'll see if the Supreme Court even accepts her case, let alone decides her case. But that's really essentially what's pending before the Supreme Court for a decision right now as they determine whether they'll take her case.
- [12:15]
Mary Reichert
Which of those, if any, do you think are her strongest or weakest arguments?
- [12:20]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
Well, I think, frankly that most of these arguments are not very strong ones. I think that the issue of the non prosecution agreement would be governed by the terms of the agreement. Statute of limitations is a matter of looking at the statute and seeing whether or not any of the activity that's alleged and in this case there was a conspiracy which would give broad scope to the charges. If any of those activities fall within the limitations period, then you can prosecute her. Judges are given very wide latitude in dealing with jurors, and you have to look at what is said to the jury in the context of the entire trial. So I'll be. If the Supreme Court takes the case, let alone decides in her favor.
- [12:55]
Mary Reichert
Are there any other aspects of these stories that you think warrant more discussion, either Russian collusion or the Epstein files?
- [13:02]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
Well, I think what is fascinating about the Maxwell case is the decision by the Justice Department to interview her in recent days. The Deputy Attorney General spent nine hours with her. And let me just pause there and tell you, for the Deputy Attorney General of the United States to interview any witness is unusual because the Deputy Attorney General does not generally involve himself or herself in the individual workings of a specific criminal case. It's not to say it's improper, it's just unusual. But this is a very high profile case and a very important case. And so they granted Ms. Maxwell limited immunity called use immunity, or in some districts it's called Queen for a day, where you get to talk about your own criminal activity and that of others without harming your case. You're given immunity for the conversation and, and the content of that conversation that you have on that day. And that's what they granted to her, even though she has been convicted at trial, which makes it unusual in terms of timing. Even though she has an appeal pending, which makes it unusual in terms of timing. As a prosecutor who worked these types of cases for, you know, nearly three decades, I could count on one hand the number of times I even interviewed an individual after they've been convicted at trial. That type of benefit is usually extended to someone who's agreed to plead guilty and wants to cooperate with you and earn a reduction in their sentence. I'm sure that her goal, if they use her as a cooperator, is to achieve a reduction in her sentence. But of course, the government has a significant interest in determining what is the full scope of evidence and who else was involved, if anyone. And we know there were many people involved in the criminal activity she was a part of. So it be very interesting to see how this plays out. But what occurred in the last few days is very unusual.
- [14:46]
Mary Reichert
Well, that's clarifying. Thank you. Bobby Higdon is a former assistant US Attorney now in private practice. Thanks so much.
- [14:54]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
Thank you, Mary.
- [14:59]
Kent Covington
Coming up next on THE WORLD and everything in it, Iranian Christians at risk of deportation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement currently detains nearly 60,000 immigrants in facilities across the U.S. while about a third have criminal convictions. The majority, more than 70%, do not, among them religious minorities fleeing persecution in their home countries.
- [15:27]
Mary Reichert
Last month, ICE agents arrested several Iranian Christians in Los Angeles. Some have already been denied religious asylum. And now their pastor is on a mission to get Washington's attention. World reporter Carolina Lumeta reports.
- [15:41]
Carolina Lumeta
Pastor Ara Tarosian visited the nation's capital for the first time last week, but not as a tourist.
- [15:48]
Michael Tate
I'm kind of looking for that last ship in my life.
- [15:53]
Carolina Lumeta
He held black and white printed signs outside the White House gates. They read, Christian refugees are not criminals and ICE stop deporting Iranian Christians.
- [16:03]
Michael Tate
I'm trying to send this message through anybody to President Trump because President Trump in many speech says, I know and I'm aware that Christians in Middle east are threatened horribly. But what about inside of country? Domestic persecution? I felt this is domestic persecution for Christian.
- [16:27]
Carolina Lumeta
Iranian Christian Terosian pastors Cornerstone Church in West Los Angeles, a congregation that worships in English, Spanish and Farsi. He and his wife fled religious persecution in Iran in 2010. Now many of his congregants are worried their path to do the same has been taken away.
- [16:44]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
Why are you taking him?
- [16:46]
Carolina Lumeta
On June 24, Tirosian received a call from one of his congregants, Marjan. Customs and Border Patrol agents were detaining her husband, Reza outside their apartment.
- [16:55]
Michael Tate
I'm his pastor.
- [16:56]
Bobby Higdon
He has a warrant, sir.
- [16:58]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
Correct.
- [16:58]
Danny Krueger
For what? He's being arrested for immigration.
- [17:01]
Michael Tate
He's asylum seeker.
- [17:03]
Myrna Brown
It doesn't matter, sir. Are we just following orders?
- [17:04]
Carolina Lumeta
He tarosian told officers the couple arrived through the CBP1 app. They had temporary legal status under religious asylum. But the Trump administration shut down the app. Ray's wife ran outside. Officers began arresting her and she had a panic attack.
- [17:20]
Danny Krueger
Why are you doing this?
- [17:22]
Michael Tate
Why are you doing this?
- [17:24]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
Why are you doing this?
- [17:24]
Danny Krueger
You want to be arrested as well?
- [17:26]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
You'll be under arrested?
- [17:27]
Michael Tate
Yeah, I'm a US citizen.
- [17:28]
Danny Krueger
Arrest me.
- [17:29]
Carolina Lumeta
One day earlier, agents arrested another couple in Tarosian's church along with their three year old daughter. Majeed and Sarah were attending their monthly hearing at the county immigration court. The family was moved to an ICE detention facility in Texas. Tarosian flew to Washington, hoping to prevent their deportation.
- [17:47]
Michael Tate
I'm in fasting and praying that Lord will open some door for me to speak. It was last minute decision. I said this is my last shot and my people is in prison right now.
- [18:01]
Carolina Lumeta
Tarosian advises his congregants to comply with all immigration laws and to attend all their court hearings. But he says the national conversation over immigration often overlooks refugees who do follow a legal pathway.
- [18:14]
Michael Tate
So I think US Needs big reform in immigration to find some way and safe way to bring persecuted Christians and minority to this country and people that really their life is danger.
- [18:29]
Carolina Lumeta
Open doors International rates Iran, one of the worst countries for religious persecution. Leaders govern the Islamic Republic. According to Sharia law, anyone who evangelizes for another religion may serve a prison sentence up to 10 years. Muslims who convert to Christianity can receive the death penalty, and that's driven many to escape the country and claim asylum. Last month, U.S. officials deported 11 Iranian Christians to Panama. Leaders there have given them six months to find another country to accept their asylum claim.
- [19:00]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
And if they return to Iran, then, you know, everybody knows the result, right? Why we should allow that to happen.
- [19:07]
Carolina Lumeta
Mohamed El Senussi is a commissioner with the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, also called Userf. Their annual report recommended that Congress reauthorize the Lautenberg program, which creates a more streamlined way for religious minorities to flee to the United States. It was first enacted in 1990 to resettle Jewish people fleeing the Soviet Union. Then it was expanded to include several religious minorities in Iran.
- [19:32]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
Since 1990, the program has saved approximately 30,000 people from the Iranian government severe religious persecutions.
- [19:44]
Carolina Lumeta
It's the same program that allowed Tarosian to arrive in the US but it requires yearly congressional reauthorization. That was put on hold in January when President Trump paused all admittance for.
- [19:55]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
Refugees because, you know, this is one of our fundamental values in this country is to protect religious freedom. So that's why we want to make sure that they are not returned to Iran where they can face persecution.
- [20:11]
Carolina Lumeta
In Washington, Pastor Terosian worked with Christian refugee organization World Relief to schedule meetings with lawmakers and he says he also spoke with White House faith office director Paula White Kane. He returned to Los Angeles on Thursday. Then two days later, Majeed and Sarah return to church in West Los Angeles with their three year old daughter. On Sunday, the adults will wear ankle monitors for the next two months until their court hearing. Meanwhile, Marjan has been detained at an ice facility three hours outside Los Angeles and she has a court hearing today. Her husband Reza was taken to New Mexico, but has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.
- [20:48]
Michael Tate
America should be a refuge for people that they don't have safety in their countries. That's why I came to America. I had lots of opportunity to be in different countries, but I choose America because I believe America is one of the safest country and there is freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and land of opportunity.
- [21:09]
Carolina Lumeta
Reporting for world I'm Carolina Lumeta in Washington.
- [21:11]
Bobby Higdon
Washington. Additional support comes From Nicaea Conference 2025, a historic gathering of church leaders from every inhabited continent. More@nicaeaconference.com from Water's Edge Kingdom Investments, personal investments that build churches 5.05% APY on a three month term watersedge.com invest and from Ambassadors Impact Network, providing faith driven entrepreneurs the opportunity to apply for funding that aligns with their values. More at Ambassador.
- [22:14]
Mary Reichert
Okay, so you've heard of busting moves, but what about busting balloons? Serial Guinness record breaker David Rush and his friend Jonathan Hannon just popped 10 balloons between the sides of their hips in record time. First, first the prep. Take off that jewelry like rings.
- [22:31]
Mary Claire
Ah.
- [22:33]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
Whoa.
- [22:33]
Mary Reichert
Yeah, I know what he means. Then the countdown.
- [22:36]
Mary Claire
3, 2, 1, go.
- [22:42]
Mary Reichert
Now the record to beat. 17 seconds. And it just goes to show you persistence pays off.
- [22:48]
Myrna Brown
Got it in just over seven seconds.
- [22:50]
Mary Reichert
Seven seconds. Now, the record still has to be verified, but you might add, why someone would even do this.
- [22:56]
Kent Covington
Well, the answer's timeless, Mary, because it's there.
- [23:00]
Mary Reichert
Competitive people. It's the world and everything in it. Today is Tuesday, July 29th. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning. I'm Mary Reichert.
- [23:25]
Kent Covington
And I'm Myrna Brown. Coming next on the World and everything in it, a newcomer to Nashville's music scene with deep roots in Christian music, artist Mary Claire recently debuted her first full length album. She'd racked up impressive streaming numbers before.
- [23:42]
Mary Reichert
That in a conversation with World's music critic Arsenio Orteza, Marie Claire talks about the creative process and how the recent Michael Tate scandal affected her.
- [23:54]
Myrna Brown
Mary Claire Brickell's album Enough feels unusually confident for the debut of a 21 year old. Marie Claire completed a degree in commercial music and songwriting in May, but she'd already begun making Like a Pro. Her first single, Heaven in the Way, actually came out two years ago when the idea of an entire album was just a twinkle in her eye.
- [24:17]
Mary Claire
There's still so much I want to say. It's so much harder now with Seven in the Way.
- [24:28]
Myrna Brown
Mary Claire's father runs a music management company whose clients include the Christian artists Mercy Me Caine and Micah Tyler. So she has seen the music business up close. I asked her about that experience and how it helped put her on her path.
- [24:44]
Mary Claire
I was able to get a front row seat to what it's like to be an artist performing and I kind of developed a love for that at a very young age, especially being in a place like Music City. It was just music 247 for me and I really loved it.
- [24:57]
Myrna Brown
One specific advantage of having connections in a place such as Music City, that's Nashville for those not in the know is that Mary Claire got to meet and know influential insiders. One of them was the two time Grammy winning producer Ted Taylor. As a business associate of her father's, he recognized Mary Claire's talent and helped develop her songwriting from the time she was a teen. Not surprisingly, he also ended up playing a crucial role in determining the final shapes taken by Enough's 14 songs. It was Marie Claire herself, however, who insisted on including the album's only cover song.
- [25:38]
Mary Claire
You'll never find no way on earth to gain peace of mind Take your troubles to the chapel get down on your knees and pray.
- [25:56]
Myrna Brown
I asked her why she chose to include a 1960s Elvis Presley hit on an otherwise contemporary pop album.
- [26:03]
Mary Claire
That's just been one of my favorite hymns growing up. My grandpa had it on the Elvis vinyl I pray the Lord that I'll.
- [26:12]
Pastor Ara Tarosian
Grow stronger.
- [26:16]
Mary Claire
As I live from day to day. I just always loved the idea of just a hymn that talks about crying with the Lord because a lot of the hymns I listened to growing up were very grand and, you know, Amazing Grace and How great Thou Art.
- [26:32]
Myrna Brown
Another industry pro who helped out was the Los Angeles based singer, songwriter and vocal producer Julia Ross. According to Marie Claire, it was Ross who contributed one of the album's most disarmingly straightforward lines. It comes from the song Pieces Ruthie's song. I asked Mary Claire to elaborate on where the weight of the world is as light as your heart is, came from and what it means to her.
- [27:04]
Mary Claire
That was written by Julia Ross, and she has sisters. She's the youngest, though. And I wrote this for my sister and I just wanted to give her a reminder that, you know, no matter what happens, don't let it weigh you down. And whenever Julia heard that, she wrote that line down and I said, well, what does that mean? And she said, it's just what you said. You know, the world can be heavy, but as long as you can not let it weigh you down, you're gonna be okay.
- [27:29]
Myrna Brown
Another one of Enough's More attention getting songs is Voices do all this convers. Mary Claire told me that Voices also has something to do with the weight of the world.
- [27:59]
Mary Claire
Whenever hard things happen to me, I struggle with the truth sometimes. And my vision can get clouded by, you know, the circumstances of everyday life. And I really try to figure out what the truth is. And honestly, just trying to read my Bible more. That's the truth. And I definitely struggle with just, you know, who is this speaking to me? Is it me? Is it the Lord? Is it the enemy? And it's just kind of a dance between that and my mind sometimes.
- [28:24]
Myrna Brown
I spoke to Mary Claire about one week after news broke regarding the sex and drug scandal involving the former newsboy and DC Talk member Michael Tate. Although she's just starting her career, I wanted to know whether she was developing any insights about the dark side of fame as a Christian artist in light of the Tate story.
- [28:43]
Mary Claire
My mission as an artist is to show people of all ages that you can be a Christian and you can follow God and you can also admit that, you know, you have hard days, but the best thing to do is to be honest with yourself and the Lord and your fan base. I think you owe it to them to let them know where you are and to not put on this facade of. Of, you know, I'm this great Christian artist and, you know, I love the Lord and I never sin. And that's kind of the vibe that I get from some Christian artists sometimes.
- [29:11]
Myrna Brown
That's not to suggest that Marie Claire's debut doesn't have songs that represent the positive aspects of being a believer. It does. In fact, the album's opening number represents those positive aspects quite well.
- [29:23]
Mary Claire
Great Is your love say it all the time I will never need more. Cause I'm yours and you are mine.
- [29:34]
Myrna Brown
The song is yous Love, it's one of enough's singles and it has been featured on the Christian music playlists of Amazon, Spotify and Pandora. It's also one of the reasons that Mary Claire's music has already received more than 5 million streams. So although her debut album is called Enough, it looks as if it will leave people wanting more. I'm Arsenio Orteza.
- [30:17]
Kent Covington
Today is Tuesday, July 29th. Good morning. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Myrna Brown.
- [30:26]
Mary Reichert
And I'm Mary Reichard. Earlier this month, a Conservative member of the British Parliament delivered a powerful speech before the House of Commons to a nearly empty chamber. While his colleagues may have missed the speech in person, the video has been viewed nearly 4 million times on X. Some some are saying it could become the spark for a Christian counter revolution in the uk.
- [30:51]
Kent Covington
In the speech he briefly outlines the history of Christianity in the uk, specifically the importance of the Church of England, and calls the nation to return to its roots. As we end today's program, here are a few highlights from the address, edited to fit the available time. Here now is Member of Parliament Danny Krueger. From July 17 this month, the Church.
- [31:17]
Danny Krueger
Is the chaplain to the nation. And through the parish system in which every square inch of England has its local church and its local priest, we are all members. We all belong. And so when I speak of the Church of England today, I am not speaking about the internal politics of the Anglican sect. I speak of the common creed of our country, the official religion of the English and the British nation and the institution which, older than the monarchy, much older than Parliament, is the institution that made this country. And it's no surprise that both the Church and the country itself are in a bad way, divided internally, confused, badly led. The Church is riven by deep disputes over doctrine and governance and literally leaderless, with even the process of choosing the next Archbishop of Canterbury unclear, confused and contended. And the country itself reflects this unclear in its doctrines and its governance. Profoundly precarious, chronically exposed to threats from without and within, at risk economically, culturally, socially and I would say, morally. Madam Deputy Speaker, Last month, in the space of three days, in one infamous week, this House authorised the killing of unborn children of nine month old babies and it passed a bill to allow the killing of the elderly and disabled. We gave our consent to the greatest crime, the killing of the weak, the most defenceless human beings. It was a great sin. In the reaction to these votes and all around us, in reaction to the state of the country and the world, something else is happening. There is a great hunger in society for a better way of living. And I want to use this opportunity to explain what that better way is and why we here in England have the means to follow it. The Western model was forged and refined in England over a thousand years, from the 9th to the 19th centuries. So what is that model? It is simply this. That power should arrange itself for the benefit of all the people under it, and specifically for the poorest and weakest. That the law is there to protect the ordinary person against the abuse of power. That every individual has equal dignity and freedom, including, crucially, the freedom of conscience, of religion and belief. Making space for other religions under the Christian shield, a secular space, indeed itself a Christian concept, meaningful only in a Christian world. And so, through all these long years, from the time of Alfred to the time of Victoria, it was assumed that a nation was a community of common worship and that our community, this country, worshipped the Christian God. Then, in the 20th century, another idea arose. That it is possible for a country to be neutral about God. That the public space, the public square, was empty of any metaphysics. That the route to freedom lay through the desert of materialism, individual reason, no hell below us, above us, only sky. That idea was wrong because we have found that in the the absence of the Christian God, we do not have pluralism and tolerance. Everyone being nice to each other in a godless world. And there are two religions moving into the space that Christianity has been ejected from. One is Islam, but it's the other religion that worries me even more. And this other religion is a hybrid of old and new ideas and it doesn't have a proper name. And I don't think Woke does justice to its serious is a combination of ancient paganism and Christian heresies and the cult of modernism all mashed up into a deeply mistaken, deeply dangerous ideology of power, hostile to the essential objects of our affections and our loyalties, which are families, communities and nations. And explicitly, most passionately, it is hostile to Christianity as the wellspring of the West. Now we can no longer pretend, as they did in the 20 20th century, that we can be neutral or indifferent about God, that the public square is a godless desert. The fact is that the strong gods are back and we have to choose which God to worship. And I suggest we worship the God who came in the weakest form, Jesus Christ. This God is a jealous God. It's him or nothing. And we have to own our Christian story or we have to repudiate it. And not to own it is to repudiate it. And to repudiate Christianity is not only to sever ourselves from our past, but it is to cut off the source of all the things that we value now and that we need in the future. Freedom, tolerance, individual dignity and human rights. A wind is blowing. A storm is coming. And when it hits, we are going to learn if our house is built on rock or on sand. But we have been here before. The reformers of the 11th and the 16th centuries, the Puritans in the 17th century, the evangelicals in the 19th century century, all brought this country back from the edge, from idolatry or error or just plain indifference, and from all the social and political crises that indifference to Christianity brought about. And they each, in their generation, restored this country to itself. And a new restoration is needed now. Revival of the faith, a recovery of Christian politics, a refounding of this nation on the teachings that Alfred made the basis of the common law of England all those centuries ago. This is a mission for the church under its next leader, whoever that is. It's a mission for this place and for us, its members. And it's a mission for our whole country. The route to a prosperous modernity founded on respect for human dignity, responsibility for the created world and the worship of God.
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Mary Reichert
Tomorrow never gets the promise and pitfalls of artificial intelligence in the public square. That's on Washington Wednesday and a world tour special report on the church in Iran. That and more tomorrow. I'm Mary Reichert.
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Kent Covington
And I'm Myrna Brown. 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 song. Thomas writes, good and upright is the Lord, therefore he instructs sinners in the way he leads the humble in what is right and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. Verses 8 through 10 of Psalm 25. Go now in grace and peace.