9.10.25 Washington Wednesday, protecting Egypt’s oldest monastery, and faith and fun with Bananaball

Summary

The World and Everything in It – Episode Summary

Podcast: The World and Everything In It
Date: September 10, 2025
Episode Theme:
This episode delivers deep-dive reporting and Christian analysis on U.S. Senate gridlock and political polarization (Washington Wednesday), threats to Egypt’s ancient St. Catherine’s Monastery, and the intersection of faith and fun with the sensation of Banana Ball baseball, the Savannah Bananas.

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1. Washington Wednesday: Senate Gridlock, Crime, and Political Messaging

[08:20-19:15]

Main Points:

• Senate Gridlock over Presidential Nominees:

  • Senate Democrats are delaying confirmation of President Trump’s court and executive branch nominees, leaving over 300 positions vacant.
  • Republicans, recalling Democrats once considered similar tactics, propose voting on lower-level nominees en bloc.
  • Majority Leader John Thune (R) denounces the obstruction, promising changes:

    “This historic obstruction ends now. Democrats have destroyed Senate precedent and we're going to fix it.” (John Thune, 09:14)

• Analysis by Hunter Baker (Political Analyst):

  • Partisanship has escalated over the decades—confirmations that were once routine are now fully contested.
  • Hunter Baker on the shift:

    “If we were to go back to the Obama administration, I think about 90% of those confirmations would occur by a simple voice vote... this term... that number is zero percent.” (Hunter Baker, 09:31)

  • This gridlock hampers government function and saps legitimacy from the opposing party—each side feels compelled not to grant the other legitimacy in governing.

• Crime in D.C. and Law Enforcement Coordination:

  • President Trump’s emergency order on D.C. crime expires, but Mayor Muriel Bowser seeks to extend federal-local coordination to manage crime.
  • Baker points out pragmatic governance:

    “What people want from local government is not ideological satisfaction, but they want crime to be controlled... chaos is not going to go over well...” (Hunter Baker, 12:00)

• Response to Rising Crime and High-Profile Violence:

  • The murder of Irina Zarutska (Ukrainian refugee) in Charlotte is attributed by some to “soft on crime” policies.
  • Baker suggests visible crime incidents will motivate voters, perhaps even more than politicians:

    “I don't know if it will provoke cooperation, but it will provoke voters... It's incredibly visceral.” (Hunter Baker, 13:35)

• Department of War Name Change:

  • President Trump directs the Pentagon to revert to its historical name, “Department of War.”
  • Baker deems this a blunt move—part of Trump’s image of force and unpredictability:

    “It's pure Trump, isn't it?... Donald Trump, he has earned his reputation by being blunt and forceful, and so he wants to send a message with a new name.” (Hunter Baker, 15:05)

  • The change recalls Reagan’s “peace through strength” with Trump’s trademark directness.

• Progressive Digital Messaging Scandal:

  • Wired reveals the “Chorus Creator Incubator Program,” a paid initiative backed by the liberal 1630 fund to push Democratic messaging via influencers, with NDAs restricting transparency.
  • Baker connects this to a tradition of manufactured “pseudo events,” now supercharged with money and social media reach:

    “We are becoming ever better at manufacturing consent. And what this calls for is for voters, especially Christian voters, to really become more discerning...” (Hunter Baker, 18:30)

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2. World Tour: Protecting Egypt’s Oldest Monastery (St. Catherine’s)

[20:14-26:39]

Key Segments:

• Historical Importance:

  • St. Catherine’s Monastery, possibly at the biblical Mount Sinai, is among the world’s oldest continuously operating monasteries, with a manuscript collection rivaling the Vatican’s.

• Threats to Independence & Heritage:

  • Egypt’s government has restricted academic access and digitization since 2021.
  • Court ruling in May declares monastery on state land, increasing state control and sparking religious freedom fears.
  • Miriam Waba (FDD analyst):

    “If the Egyptian state feels so empowered as to start infringing upon a monastery with so much history… really no religious institution is safe.” (Miriam Waba, 23:06)

• Alternative Perspective:

  • Michael Jones, Christian leader in Egypt, contends the motives are economic (tourism), not religious oppression. Yet, he acknowledges daily discrimination:

    “Discrimination is a part of our daily life. It's something that we live with. We expect to happen...” (Michael Jones, 24:57)

• Call to Prayer and International Leverage:

  • Continued U.S. military aid to Egypt could serve as leverage to protect the site.
  • Jones urges Christians to:

    “Pray for perseverance, for Christians to stand strong, for the faith to not compromise the biblical teachings...” (Michael Jones, 26:21)

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3. Faith, Fun, and the Savannah Bananas: Banana Ball Baseball

[27:58-33:28]

Storyline:

• Origins & Appeal:

  • Savannah Bananas, an independent baseball team, revolutionize the game with an entertaining “Banana Ball” format—constant action, fan-first mentality, zany antics, and a massive waitlist for tickets.

• Viral Faith & Community:

  • Player Robert Anthony Cruz rose to social media fame after being signed (and later cut) by the Nationals; he joined the Bananas following prayerful consideration.
  • Cruz explains how faith community built up organically:

    “In this profession specifically, it's a lot of travel… So it started just with a need for community.” (Robert Anthony Cruz, 31:36)

  • He led Bible studies that grew from 5 to over 20 participants; they soon met at the stadium due to size.

• Integrating Faith and Platform:

  • Players openly express faith, using autographed balls to share Bible verses.
  • Cruz reflects on God's plan:

    “If I did things my way, I'd be in the major leagues right now and I never would have done speech and debate... So, yeah, definitely was all part of God's plan, and I'm just happy to be a part of it.” (Robert Anthony Cruz, 32:50)

• Ongoing Mission:

  • The faith-driven Bananas continue to look for ways to use their platform for God’s glory, inside and outside the stadium.

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4. Notable Quotes & Moments

• Senate Gridlock:

  “This historic obstruction ends now. Democrats have destroyed Senate precedent and we're going to fix it.”
  (John Thune, 09:14)

• Government Core Tasks:

  “People forget that the core work of government is not welfare payments or medical insurance. The core work of government is the control of crime and danger and chaos.”
  (Hunter Baker, 12:00)

• Visceral Impact of Crime:

  “Anybody who has seen that photograph… it's incredibly visceral. I think… people are going to think that it has to stop.”
  (Hunter Baker, 13:35)

• Department of War Name Change:

  “It's pure Trump, isn't it?... he wants to send a message with a new name.”
  (Hunter Baker, 15:05)

• Faith and Career:

  “If I did things my way, I'd be in the major leagues right now… So, yeah, definitely was all part of God's plan, and I'm just happy to be a part of it.”
  (Robert Anthony Cruz, 32:50)

---

5. Timestamps for Major Segments

• 08:20 – Washington Wednesday Roundtable with Hunter Baker
• 09:14 – John Thune denounces Senate obstruction
• 12:00 – Baker on pragmatic city governance (crime control)
• 15:05 – Department of War name change analysis
• 17:48 – Explaining the “Chorus Creator” influencer program
• 20:14 – St. Catherine’s Monastery feature (Mary Muncie)
• 23:06 – Waba on religious security in Egypt
• 26:21 – Michael Jones calls for prayer
• 27:58 – Savannah Bananas segment begins
• 31:36 – Faith community among Banana Ball players
• 32:50 – R.A. Cruz on God’s plan

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6. Tone & Language

• Conversational, analytical, and at times urgently reflective
• Hosts and guests balance biblical principle with sharp commentary and firsthand reporting

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7. Useful for Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

• The episode blends national and international headlines with thoughtful Christian insight and real-life stories, unpacking complex realities (political dysfunction, religious freedom, and cultural innovation) in accessible, engaging ways.
• Key voices from policy analysts, on-the-ground reporters, and athletes of faith provide depth and breadth.

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For further interest:

• Tomorrow’s episode promises follow-up on the Israeli airstrike in Qatar and more on the Savannah Bananas—stay tuned!

Transcript

[Lindsay Mast]

Good morning. The Department of War is back. The D.C. mayor calls for more law enforcement. And Senate Republicans take aim at stalled nominations.

[Nick Eicher]

This ends now.

[Mark Mellinger]

Democrats have destroyed Senate precedent and we're gonna fix it.

[Nick Eicher]

That's ahead today on Washington Wednesday. Political analyst Hunter Baker standing by. Also, world tour. And later, the Savannah Bananas. A unique brand of baseball with a unique brand of player.

[Robert Anthony Cruz]

If I did things that way, I'd be in the major leagues right now and I never would have done speech and debate. I never would have gone to college even. So, yeah, definitely was all part of God's plan and I'm just happy to be a part of it.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's Wednesday, September 10th. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Eicher. Good morning.

[Lindsay Mast]

Time now for the news. Here's Mark Mellinger.

[Mark Mellinger]

Israel struck the headquarters of Hamas political leadership in Doha, Qatar, Tuesday. The attack came as Hamas leaders convened to discuss a new ceasefire for the war in Gaza floated by the Trump administration. Qatar, a US Ally, condemned the attack, calling it a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms and saying it was clearly designed to undermine peace talks. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres echoed those views.

[Hunter Baker]

I condemn this fragrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar. All parties must work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire, not destroying it.

[Mark Mellinger]

Hamas said its top leaders survived the strike, but five lower level members of the terror group were killed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he and his team decided on the strike after a shooting by Palestinians left six dead in Jerusalem and an attack on Israeli forces in Gaza killed four soldiers. Both those incidents Monday. The White House says Israel did let it know the strike was coming, but the Trump administration is keeping its distance from the attack. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt president.

[Caroline Levitt]

Trump believes this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for peace. The president also spoke to the emir and prime minister of Qatar and thanked them for their support and friendship to our country. He assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil.

[Mark Mellinger]

She went on to say bombing inside Qatar does not advance Israel or America's goals. Under economic pressure, Iran is signaling new openness to cooperating with international inspectors on its nuclear program. That applause coming from onlookers in Cairo, Egypt, as Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency, or iaea, signed an agreement paving the way for resuming cooperation on the country's nuclear program. Officials released few details on the agreement. They say it's technical in nature, but acknowledge it could lead to relaunched inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities. Back in July, Iran suspended cooperation with the UN's nuclear watchdog after Israel and the US struck key Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran is facing new potential sanctions from several European countries for not complying with an agreement meant to keep it from developing nuclear weapons. The Supreme Court is fast tracking its hearing on President Trump's tariffs. The justices will hear the case in early November, a faster than normal timetable, agreeing to take up an appeal from the Trump administration after lower courts ruled most of the president's sweeping tariffs. Illegal states and businesses suing Trump say he exceeded his emergency powers authority when he imposed the tariffs. Attorney Jeffrey Schwab of the Liberty justice center represents the plaintiffs.

[Nick Eicher]

What do we do about unfair trade practices? I don't know, but not 10% across the board tariffs and not by a unilateral president. Without any kind of input from Congress, who has the constitutional authority to impose tariffs?

[Mark Mellinger]

Schwab making his client's case in an interview with the Mackinac center for Public Policy earlier this year. The tariffs will remain in place until the justices issue a final ruling. Also Tuesday, Chief Justice John Roberts allowed the president's freeze on $5 billion in foreign aid to stay in place as a challenge to that policy makes its way through the courts. Lawmakers in the GOP led Missouri House have okayed a redistricting plan that could potentially flip one of the state's Democrat held se to the Republicans. Democrats spent part of Tuesday blasting the move. The Republican Party, led by Donald Trump's congressional Republicans and the GOP leaders in state legislatures across this country are systematically working to rig the upcoming election. That's Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D. Clark of New York, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, criticizing the Missouri redistricting push along with similar GOP efforts in states like Texas and Florida. President Trump has defended redrawing the maps as a matter of fairness, noting last month there are no Republican congressional seats in many Democrat controlled states. Democrats have also pushed back with plans to redraw election maps before next year's midterms in states like California. Missouri's redistricting plan now goes to the Republican controlled state Senate. The man accused in the gruesome murder of a Ukrainian refugee aboard A Charlotte, NC public transit train now faces a federal charge in addition to the first degree murder charge filed against him by the state. The Justice Department is charging Decarlos Brown Jr. With causing death on a mass transportation system, a federal crime that could carry a punishment of life in prison or the death penalty. Police say surveillance video captured Brown unprovoked stabbing 23 year old Irina Zarutska to death last month. The FBI's Special Agent in charge for North Carolina, James Barnacle, says the agency is focused on preventing similar crimes.

[Robert Anthony Cruz]

Kash Patel, the director of the FBI.

[Nick Eicher]

Has empowered every field office to shift.

[Robert Anthony Cruz]

Resources to violent crime to help keep our cities streets safe.

[Mark Mellinger]

Attorney General Pam Bondi says the Justice Department will, quote, seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence. At Apple Thin is in at 5.6.

[Nick Eicher]

Millimeters, it's the thinnest iPhone we've ever made. And it's also exceptionally light. It's unlike anything you've ever held before and it's packed with our most advanced features.

[Mark Mellinger]

That's from an Apple promotional video introducing the company's new iPhone 17 lineup, including that super slim slim iPhone air you just heard described. Apple says the new line of iPhones will have better cameras, longer lasting batteries and a new chip to power AI features. Also, Apple is mostly sticking with the same price tag it's had the past few years for new iPhones, despite new tariffs making the phones more expensive to produce. They go on sale a week from Friday. I'm Mark Bellinger. Straight ahead, Washington Wednesday and analysis of this week's biggest political news with Hunter Baker. Plus, acrobatics, trick plays and faith. This is the WORLD and Everything in it.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's Wednesday, the 10th of September. Glad to have you along for today's edition of the WORLD and Everything In It. Good morning. I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Eichert. Time now for Washington Wednesday and joining us is Hunter Baker, political analyst and World Opinions contributor. Hunter, good morning.

[Hunter Baker]

Good morning.

[Nick Eicher]

Well, Hunter, the Senate is gridlocked over President Trump's nominees for the courts and executive branch. Senate Democrats have slowed confirmations to a crawl, blocking even non controversial nominees and leaving more than 300 in limbo. The Wall Street Journal notes that's left many agencies run by acting officials, with Democrats still holding key government posts because the Trump nominees can't get confirmed. Republican leaders on Monday, though, supported a rule change that would allow votes on lower level nominees en bloc. That's an idea Democrats at one time floated when President Biden faced similar delaying tactics. Here is Majority Leader John Thune.

[Mark Mellinger]

This historic obstruction ends now. Democrats have destroyed Senate precedent and we're going to fix it.

[Nick Eicher]

All right, Hunter, so what is driving this standoff over confirmations and how does it affect the administration's ability to govern?

[Hunter Baker]

Well, I think it's pretty clear that what has happened is, is that there's a feeling that one side has to deny legitimacy in governing to the other side, and that that is a feeling that has grown over the past 20 years. If we were to go back to the Obama administration, I think about 90% of those confirmations would occur by a simple voice vote and be very routine and simple. By the time you get to the Biden administration that preceded this one, it was down to 57% being confirmed in that way. But this term, which we're now, you know, about eight or nine months into it, that number is zero percent. So basically, you're having to have full process over every single one of these nominees, every single deputy assistant so and so up for office. And so, A, it takes a lot of time. It makes it harder to actually do the work of legislation, but, B, it holds up the administration in its need to carry out the work of these offices.

[Nick Eicher]

Well, Hunter, you made the comment that they have to deny legitimacy. And of course, I know you don't mean that they have to. I think you mean politically that they have to because it's the continuation of some other war, right? I mean, is that the idea?

[Hunter Baker]

Yeah, they feel. What I'm trying to say is that they feel they have to deny legitimacy to the other side. That there is a. If you think back, Chuck Schumer worked with this administration early on to prevent a government shutdown, and he was rewarded with tremendous pushback when he did that. And I think that the lesson the Democrats have taken is the thing that is going to go over with our voters is to say we do not comply. Right. We are going to push back at every opportunity.

[Lindsay Mast]

Well, President Trump's emergency order on crime in D.C. expires today, but D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser wants to extend aspects of it, ordering city officials to continue coordinating with federal law enforcement indefinitely. Federal officials say they've made over a thousand arrests. And the mayor herself acknowledged the drop in crime, although she balanced that with some mild criticism. So why would Mayor Bowser, despite her criticism, decide to extend coordination with Trump's law enforcement push even after his formal takeover ends?

[Hunter Baker]

Well, because ultimately, what people want from local government is not ideological satisfaction, but they want crime to be controlled. They want fires to be put out. They want the garbage to be picked up. And I think that she recognizes that chaos is not going to go over well with that political community. And it's better to cooperate with the president and to continue to see crime controlled. And this is not a new thing. I think the control of crime kind of goes out of fashion and then comes roaring back in. I think about President Clinton in the 1990s, though a Democrat, he said, I'm going to make sure that we can hire 100,000 additional policemen. You know, he's going to fight the crack epidemic and things like that. And so this is the core work of government. People forget that the core work of government is not welfare payments or medical insurance. The core work of government is the control of crime and danger and chaos.

[Lindsay Mast]

Well, on a related note, this week we heard about the stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Irina Zyrutska on a Charlotte light rail train. Local politicians said this, this was horrifying, but also a prime example of soft on crime policies. And President Trump has picked up that theme. It appears Charlotte's mayor has said nothing publicly other than issuing a written statement. Statement. So far, Democrat leaders in cities like Chicago and elsewhere haven't budged in their refusal of aid from federal law enforcement. Do you think stories like Zarutska's will provoke some cooperation?

[Hunter Baker]

I don't know if it will provoke cooperation, but it will provoke voters. Anybody who has seen that photograph or a little bit of that video where her attacker is looming over her with that knife about to strike, it's incredibly visceral. I think that any politician who responds to that by saying that, look, I understand that this is the work that government has to do. And there are theories of crime and punishment, you know, deterrence or retribution. One of those theories is incapacitation. In other words, we remove the criminal from society to make it impossible for them to commit another harm. This is an individual who was arrested 14 times and allowed to reoffend and reoffend. People are going to think that it has to stop.

[Nick Eicher]

All right, Hunter. Well, the moment this happened, I was looking forward to talking to you about it. President Trump ordered the Pentagon to revert to its original name, the Department of war. Now, the US first used that name in 1789, but it was after World War II that it was changed to Department of Defense. Supporters say that the old name is more honest about the Pentagon's role. Critics say that it signals militarism. So what do you see is the significance of this name change back to the Department of War? And what's behind the sharp reaction from everybody?

[Hunter Baker]

Well, it's pure Trump, isn't it? We've renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. In this case, we're renaming the Department of Defense the Department of War. But I think that the reason it was renamed, named in the first place was because of The Cold War, we entered into a very dangerous nuclear age, and people didn't want to think about war as aggression. They wanted to think about defense. Right. You know that we are preparing for something that we hope will never happen. So that has kind of carried the day for a long time. And sometimes you would even have a Democrat. I remember Dennis Kucinich, when he ran for president, he said we should rename it the Department of Peace. This is a turn, Right. You know, Donald Trump, he has earned his reputation by being blunt and forceful, and so he wants to send a message with a new name.

[Nick Eicher]

Well, now, to be fair to President Trump, isn't this just sort of his way of saying what Ronald Reagan used to always say, peace through strength. And Trump, of course, just says it in his own way.

[Hunter Baker]

Oh, no question. I mean, I've always thought that Putin waited until Trump was out of office to invade Ukraine because he didn't know what Donald Trump would do. Right now, it's a fait accompli. But that's one of the things about Trump is that foreign leaders can never exactly know where he's going to go or what he's going to do. And I think that this is just part and parcel of that same philosophy.

[Lindsay Mast]

So do you think this is just part of his imaging then, Hunter? Because it's a name change that likely won't be stick once he's out of office.

[Hunter Baker]

I wonder if it will stick because if you change it, you will pay a little bit of a price. Right. You know, you'll look like you're backing off. You'll look like you're becoming more passive. I guess it depends on how the country reacts to this overall. I guess it's going to depend on what the Trump legacy is. If he goes out as a popular president and if his successor gets into office, then this is something that may be with us for a while.

[Lindsay Mast]

Well, one more story. Today, a new report from Wired exposed a secretive effort on the left to shape political messaging online. It's called the Chorus Creator Incubator Program. It paid progressive influencers to amplify Democratic talking points while signing contracts that restricted what they could say, even forbidding them from disclosing their participation. The program is backed by the liberal dark money group 1630 fund, often compared to the Koch network. On the right, that's Koch. What does this tell us about how Democrats are trying to build their own online influencer infrastructure? And why has it stirred such controversy on the left?

[Hunter Baker]

Well, this really goes back a long way in American politics. I can recall the former Librarian of Congress, Daniel Boorstin, writing a famous article about what he called pseudo events in American politics in order, things that were not genuine but were manufactured as a kind of political theater. And so this is the same sort of thing adapted to the Internet age and to the social media age. I can recall, you know, about 2007, 2008, there was a controversy over the journo list when it was discovered that some 400 left wing academics and journalists were all together on an email list and kind of talking about how to drive the narrative and how to propagate certain stories. This is the same thing translated to social media. The part that's new is that there's some serious money involved. I think that the story related that there were people making eight and nine thousand dollars a month by participating in this and sort of leveraging their social media audience. What I see is that we are becoming ever better at manufacturing consent. And what this calls for is for voters, especially Christian voters, to really become more discerning about what they see and what they read.

[Nick Eicher]

Hunter Baker is provost of North Greenville University and a regular contributor to World Opinions. Hunter, thanks so much.

[Hunter Baker]

Thank you.

[Mark Mellinger]

Additional support comes from the Master's University equipping students for lives of Faithfulness to the Master Jesus Christ Masters. Edu from Ambassadors Impact Network, where entrepreneurs can discover faith aligned funding opportunities. [e-mail] and from Cedarville University, equipping students for professional excellence and Gospel Impact Cedarville. Edu World.

[Lindsay Mast]

Coming up next on the World and Everything in It World Tour. Right now, Egypt is trying to renovate the area around one of the oldest monasteries in the world, but critics say the government is doing much more than that. World's Mary Muncie reports.

[Mary Muncie]

The first monks came here at the end of the third, the beginning of the fourth century.

[Caroline Levitt]

A Greek Orthodox monk calling himself Justin Cyanides is standing outside of St. Catherine's Monastery in Egypt. According to some Christian traditions, the monastery is built on the biblical site of Mount Sinai, Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments.

[Mary Muncie]

The monastery has never been destroyed and never been abandoned in all of its history.

[Caroline Levitt]

Right now, the monastery is inhabited by Greek Orthodox monks.

[Mary Muncie]

The monastery library has 3,300 manuscripts in the old collection, approximately 1,000 manuscripts in the new finds, and perhaps another thousand manuscripts in the archives, which also contain both Arabic and Ottoman scrolls.

[Caroline Levitt]

The monastery's collection of records is one of the oldest and most complete in.

[Miriam Waba]

The world, and it rivals even that of the Vaticans.

[Caroline Levitt]

Mariam Waba is a research analyst at the foundation for defensive democracies.

[Miriam Waba]

While the Vaticans may be larger in timespan, the Vatican's is actually interrupted at certain points, whereas the St. Catherine's monastery transcript collection is uninterrupted for the totality of time that it has existed and functioned.

[Caroline Levitt]

But Waba says recently the Egyptian government has shut down work to study and digitize those manuscripts and has not allowed any scholars access to the monastery's library in several years.

[Miriam Waba]

Really no reason was given other than you cannot continue the digitization project.

[Caroline Levitt]

Waba thinks the government is trying to slowly squeeze control of the monastery away from Christians. In 2021, Egypt began a countrywide project to revitalize its tourist industry after the COVID 19 pandemic. Part of that work has been to add hotels and services for tourists in the Sinai Peninsula, where the monastery sits. Over the past four years, there's been a lot of back and forth between the locals trying to protect the region's natural beauty and the government trying to bring in tourist dollars. The fight escalated in May when an Egyptian court ruled that St. Catherine's Monastery lies on state land, and thus the state can control the monastery itself and the gardens and guest houses around the property. After the ruling World Heritage Watch asked UNESCO to add the monastery and surrounding land to its list of endangered sites. And the head of the Church of Greece said the measure threatens religious freedom in a majority Muslim country. Waba agrees.

[Miriam Waba]

If the Egyptian state feels so empowered as to start infringing upon a monastery with so much history, so much international standing and backing, really no religious institution is safe.

[Caroline Levitt]

But not everyone sees the move as discrimination. Michael Jones works with Church Leadership Development in Egypt.

[Michael Jones]

It's not because Egypt is a Muslim country and the monastery is a Christian monastery, of course. It's because of this promising plan the government is working on.

[Caroline Levitt]

He thinks the renovations will be good for the village around the monastery.

[Michael Jones]

Life is very primitive. Services are very primitive. So the Egyptian government decided to invest into making this spot what they called a land for all religions.

[Caroline Levitt]

He says the monks are still in control of the monastery's manuscripts, but because of its own internal struggles, they're not allowing researchers in. Over the past few weeks, the archbishop of the monastery excommunicated some monks after they challenged his leadership. From Jones perspective, the government could be doing better. Egypt's president generally speaks positively about Christianity, but local authorities often don't help harassed or attacked Christians. But Jones says the government isn't the biggest problem for Christians in the country.

[Michael Jones]

The main issue is Christians live in a country with a majority of Muslims, many of whom consider Christians as infidels.

[Caroline Levitt]

Egypt is home to the largest Christian minority in the Middle east. That's about 15 million people in a country of over 100 million. And those 15 million represent about half of all of the Christians in the Middle East.

[Michael Jones]

Discrimination is a part of our daily life. It's something that we live with. We expect to happen things like people.

[Caroline Levitt]

With obviously Christian names not getting proper treatment at the hospital or getting poor grades from a radical Muslim professor and much worse. Jones says it's not every Muslim, but there are enough.

[Michael Jones]

It's like the Egyptian soil is infected by fanaticism against Christians because of the existence of a large number of fanatic Muslims in Egypt.

[Caroline Levitt]

Back at St. Catherine's both Christians and Muslims want to preserve the sites around the monastery. The struggle is over who controls it going forward in the short term. Analyst Miriam Waba says the United States provides military funding to the Egyptian state and could use that as leverage to incentivize the government to preserve the monastery's traditional independence. But changing individual minds is much harder.

[Miriam Waba]

I think it's little pieces of the puzzle that can be tackled one by one as opposed to an overhaul of a system that has existed and is entrenched in the way that Egyptian society and the Egyptian government functions.

[Caroline Levitt]

In the meantime, Michael Jones asks for believers around the world to pray, pray.

[Michael Jones]

For perseverance, for Christians to stand strong, for the faith to not compromise the biblical teachings in a society that might not be friendly.

[Caroline Levitt]

That's this week's world tour. I'm Mary Muncie.

[Nick Eicher]

From the Science Files. Toothbrush, meet hairbrush. Turns out a protein in hair and wool could be good for your teeth. Scientists at King's College London say the protein keratin may protect enamel and stop cavities. Dr. Sharif El Sharq, currently enamel, once.

[Hunter Baker]

It'S gone, it cannot regenerate itself.

[Michael Jones]

It's gone forever.

[Nick Eicher]

His team turned to keratin from sheep's wool, feathers, even hooves. You mix it with saliva and it forms a protective layer mimicking natural enamel. So keratin toothpaste coming to a bathroom near you in a couple years. Minty fresh, sustainable, no split ends. It's the world and everything in it. Today is Wednesday, September 10th. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning. I'm Nick Iker.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mast. Coming next on the World and everything in it, Bill, baseball and belief. The Savannah Bananas sold out major league stadiums this past summer with their fast.

[Nick Eicher]

Paced version of baseball exhibition Baseball is what the Bananas play, not minor league ball. As I said yesterday, kind of slipped on a banana peel there. The minors feed the majors, and even though they're bananas, they are not a feeder league. They are their own thing.

[Lindsay Mast]

They certainly are. And as the popularity of their brand of baseball has grown, the several players have used the unique platform to talk about their belief in Christ. I got to visit the Savannah Bananas and spoke with one of the players responsible for getting other players together to deepen their faith. It was back in 2021 that Robert Anthony Cruz got his first taste of fame.

[Mary Muncie]

Oh, my gosh. Are you kidding?

[Hunter Baker]

Are you kidding?

[Lindsay Mast]

He shared a video on TikTok. He was telling his dad he'd been signed to play minor league baseball with the Washington Nationals.

[Mary Muncie]

Congratulations, son.

[Lindsay Mast]

The post went viral. Cruz gained tens of thousands of followers. Then, just a year later, he shared some bad news.

[Robert Anthony Cruz]

I may have played my last game. Without knowing it.

[Lindsay Mast]

He was cut from the team and headed home to California. He settled in to make baseball coaching videos under the name Coach Rack. That's when he heard about tryouts for a team called the Savannah Bananas.

[Hunter Baker]

This is my miracle.

[Lindsay Mast]

The Bananas started as a college summer league. Team owner Jesse Cole loved baseball, but also found it, well, boring. So a decade ago, he set out to solve that problem. Now he has his own league and his own game. Banana ball. His formula, put the fans first, make it fun.

[Hunter Baker]

D a n a n a s.

[Lindsay Mast]

They have a cheer squad of retirement age line dancers, the Banana Nanas, a.

[Nick Eicher]

Marching band center, Dr. Meadows with the.

[Mark Mellinger]

Call backpedaling and a backflip catch.

[Lindsay Mast]

And outfielders regularly land backflips while catching the ball.

[Nick Eicher]

There are no extra innings.

[Hunter Baker]

Instead, it is time for the showdown.

[Lindsay Mast]

The action never stops and the fans love it.

[Robert Anthony Cruz]

It's almost like, wow, somebody finally is.

[Nick Eicher]

In touch with the fan experience.

[Robert Anthony Cruz]

What we really want.

[Lindsay Mast]

Cole says their ticket interest list has 3.2 million people on it. Fans who have scored a ticket line up at the gates two and a half hours before game time.

[Hunter Baker]

Right this way. Thank you.

[Lindsay Mast]

But back in California a couple of years ago, Robert Anthony Cruz still wasn't convinced the Bananas were for him. He and his wife prayed and talked. He went to the tryout. Turns out he and the Bananas were the perfect fit. Audio here from the relatable podcast.

[Robert Anthony Cruz]

I did gymnastics and so like, I was able to incorporate a lot of the acrobatic stuff that I did growing up. And then as far as social media goes, like, the Bananas are big on, you know, having a social media Presence. And I already had that.

[Lindsay Mast]

He and his wife packed their bags for Savannah. Banana ball player Noah Bridges says Cruz immediately made an impression.

[Robert Anthony Cruz]

And the first thing you know, we're like, hey, man, you got something different about you? What's up?

[Lindsay Mast]

You love the Lord?

[Robert Anthony Cruz]

Yeah, I love the Lord, and we talk about it.

[Lindsay Mast]

He and a couple of other players had tried to start team Bible studies, but didn't know how to lead or keep them consistent. They needed leadership. Cruz stepped up. He had done Christian homeschool, speech and debate growing up and studied ministry in college. And he knew from his time with the Nationals that believing players needed each other.

[Robert Anthony Cruz]

In this profession specifically, it's a lot of travel, normally not home on Sundays. So it started just with a need for community.

[Lindsay Mast]

Five players committed to a weekly Bible study. Soon it grew to 10, then 20, then more.

[Robert Anthony Cruz]

This year, we specifically started setting out to pray specific prayers like want to pray specifically for teammates by name. And so I felt like God really put several teammates on a lot of our hearts to pray for specifically by name and, you know, pray specific prayers like God let me have a conversation with so and so this week. And he answered a lot of those prayers.

[Lindsay Mast]

The studies got too big for Cruz's house. They moved to the stadium and opened it up to the rest of the organization. The Banana Ball league is not Christian and doesn't sponsor the studies, but the fans first mentality has an air of humility to it. And the team encourages players to express who they are. You'll see symbols of their faith in their eye black or tattoos. And players like Noah Bridges don't seem shy about using their position to talk about Christ online or in person.

[Robert Anthony Cruz]

I want to do this for the fans because I want to serve them. And the way I serve them is playing the game and then signing autographs, putting my favorite Bible verse on every ball.

[Lindsay Mast]

And Robert Anthony Cruz says he sees a bigger plan in becoming a banana. Bigger than making it to the big leagues.

[Robert Anthony Cruz]

If I did things my way, I'd be in the major leagues right now and I never would have done speech and debate. I never would have gone to college even. So, yeah, definitely was all part of God's plan, and I'm just happy to be a part of it.

[Lindsay Mast]

Cruz and the other believing bananas think they're still still room to grow. They say they're praying now for even more opportunities to use their influence to the glory of God in the stadium and beyond.

[Nick Eicher]

This game is baseball by birth, fruit by name.

[Hunter Baker]

ML Worldwide Lebanon by the grace of God.

[Lindsay Mast]

Reporting for World I'm Lindsay Mast at historic Grayson stadium in Savannah, Georgia.

[Hunter Baker]

Welcoming your Savannah.

[Lindsay Mast]

Today is Wednesday, September 10th. Good morning, this is the World and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Eichel. Next up, World Opinions contributor Ann Kennedy invites Christian writers to if you will excuse the George Grant male four to jump on the substack bandwagon. The water is fine.

[Ann Kennedy]

I'm not sure if this crossed your news feeds this summer, but Gavin Newsom made this announcement on X back in June.

[Nick Eicher]

There's so much mis and disinformation out there. There's so much noise. I don't need to tell you that. So the question is, how do we break through all of that noise and engage in real conversations? And that's why I'm launching on Substack.

[Ann Kennedy]

It's a bit ironic that one of the most powerful governors in the Western world doesn't think his position affords him sufficient influence over culture and politics. He's got a podcast. What does he need Substack for?

[Nick Eicher]

I hope you'll follow me so we can continue to engage in a two way conversation at this critical moment in our history.

[Ann Kennedy]

In Internet terms, Substack is now old. Perhaps Newsom's joining makes that obvious. Founded in 2017, it was supposed to be the answer to the stranglehold of social media and legacy media on public discourse. A few years later, co founder Hamish Mackenzie wrote that he believed the changing media landscape was the most significant media disruption since the printing press. He bragged that Substack had played an enormous part in that disruption. Substack is an arms wide open sort of platform. Everyone wants in on the fun. New York Magazine, BBC History, Nike, McDonald's, Pepsi, Tulsi Gabbard, the US State Department, Margaret Atwood, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Dawn Lemon, Chuck Todd. There are an enormous number of Christians as well. Peter Lightheart, N.T. wright, Karen Swallow Prior, Rod Dreier. The list is long. In fact, my own notes feed is replete with thoughtful Christians posting long form content on culture, faith and life. To go from being viewed with suspicion to the only place to be in under a decade makes small time substackers like me nervous. Substack has been a haven for thinkers, from holding the line on free speech through times of immense pressure to the continual rejections of the algorithmic model. The platform has certainly changed my life. With almost two decades of writing at my back, I am suddenly earning a living wage doing something I enjoy. Many nights I wake up anxious wondering if Substack will really be able to carry forward its mission. Four years ago, Forbes pointed out that trust in the media was at an all time low after a long and steady decline. The article asserted that Substack offers a practical and immediate way for writers to communicate with readers unhindered by the vagaries of the algorithm that can be manipulated and altered by moguls who don't feel the financial consequence of a loss of income. This connection, in real terms means financial freedom to writers of every kind, and Forbes rightly points out this freedom fosters trust. Trust, in turn, leads to loyalty. Well, at least as long as dubious actors aren't permitted to squander this trust. Music critic and historian Ted Gioia maintains that if they want to play in this new sandbox, they will need to fight for readers like the rest of us. Some early adopters are concerned about the companies like McDonald's and Pepsi and Nike on Substack, but Joya is confident that they won't last long on the platform. In his words, they know how to pay for advertising and buy endorsements, but in the free flowing world of Substack, they will struggle for influence. And that's how it should be for Christians. The call is to make hay while the sun shines. As long as there is room to speak and write about what really matters. We should keep our laptops updated and the iPhone camera free of fingerprints. It won't last because no platform under the sun ever does much reading, after all, is a weariness to the flesh. And when it comes to Governor Newsom, let's just hope that he reads a lot more than he writes. I'm Ann Kennedy.

[Nick Eicher]

Tomorrow that Israeli airstrike targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar, we'll tell you about the political aftershocks from this attack on a US Ally in the region. And we head back to Savannah for the back half of a doubleheader with the bananas. That and more tomorrow. I'm Nick Iger.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mass. 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 psalmist writes, may God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us that your way may be known on Earth. Your saving power among all nations. Verses 1 and 2 of Psalm 67 go now in grace and peace.

[Hunter Baker]

Sam.