Feel-Good Faith, Easter Silliness, & Pastor Politicians

Summary

Wretched Radio with Todd Friel — "Feel-Good Faith, Easter Silliness, & Pastor Politicians"

Date: April 7, 2026
Host: Todd Friel (with Jimmy Hicks)
Podcast Description: Lively engagement with Christian theology, current events, and the church, often punctuated by wit and direct critique.

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of Wretched Radio centers on the interplay between modern "feel-good" Christianity, Easter messaging, politicians as pastors, spiritual authenticity, and the value of the local church in a loneliness-prone culture. Todd Friel, along with sidekick Jimmy Hicks, critiques prominent public figures—both religious and political—for their approaches to faith, doctrine, and public witness, and urges a return to biblically grounded Christianity and community.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Modern “Feel-Good” Faith and Hearing God’s Voice

• [01:09–01:25]
  Todd lambasts the popular practice of treating personal impressions or “hearing God’s voice” as equivalent to biblical revelation:

  “God told me to tell you this. That’s paganism... That’s horoscope reading... tea leaves... You want to hear God speak to you? Read your Bible. If you want to hear God speak to you audibly, read it out loud.” (+[01:25])

• The show asserts the sufficiency and authority of Scripture over subjective spirituality.

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2. American Idol’s ‘Faith Night’ & Carrie Underwood’s Hymn

• [04:38–12:38]
  Carrie Underwood’s performance of “How Great Thou Art” is played and praised as an authentic public expression of Christian faith, contrasted with the more diluted “faith” messaging elsewhere on the show:

  “Carrie Underwood never fails to slam it with ‘How Great Thou Art.’” (Todd, [02:11])
  The segment provides a moment of spiritual uplift and musical excellence, a “high note” referenced throughout the episode.

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3. Critiquing Pastor-Politicians: Raphael Warnock

• [06:30–19:44]
  The episode features multiple clips of Senator and Pastor Raphael Warnock being interviewed, focusing on his vague, politicized prayers and ambiguous Easter message.

  a. Prayer for the President

  • Warnock gives non-specific, politicized answers when asked how he prays for President Biden.
    Todd critiques the lack of clarity and biblical substance:

    "That's not a prayer. That's a lot of omen for a preacher." (Todd, [07:42])
    "If I said to you, what are you praying for them, it wouldn’t be this vague…” (Todd, [07:12])

  b. The ‘Hopeful’ Easter Message

  • Warnock’s Easter message is reduced to a generic message of “hope” and “human possibility.”

    “The story of the resurrection is the story of hope.” (Warnock, [16:01]) “Hope recognizes that there is a tomb, there was a crucifixion… Resurrection Sunday reminds us… there is always hope…” (Warnock, [17:07]) Todd responds: "If you don't explain the essence of that hope... that ain't what Easter is about. Easter is the resurrection of the God-man, Jesus Christ, so that our sins could be forgiven." (Todd, [16:04]) “Human possibility. Whatever that means.” (Todd, [19:44])

• Friel sees Warnock's approach as emblematic of “feel-good faith” that sidesteps the necessity of sin, repentance, and Jesus’ atoning work.

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4. Franklin Graham & Just Wars

• [20:00–23:10]
  Franklin Graham appears on Piers Morgan to discuss whether God hears the prayers of those involved in war and comments on global issues, especially in the Middle East:

  “King David… prayed that God would train his hands how to fight his enemies. We know that God does take sides in history…” (Graham, [21:14])

• Graham argues for the reality of just wars (e.g., WWII) and critiques both the Pope’s comments and the political motivations he sees behind modern conflicts.

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5. Dreams, Jesus, and Conversion Stories

• [23:10–24:56]
  Addressing claims of Jesus appearing in Muslims’ dreams, Todd asserts:

  “Could they have had a dream about Jesus? Of course… But is that a dream where Jesus is appearing directly to them? …the biblical answer is no.” (Todd, [23:10])

• Emphasizes the finality of divine revelation through Scripture, not private dreams.

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6. Christian Charity & The Role of Government

• [24:56–25:05]
  Friel contrasts Christian organizations’ generosity (highlighting Samaritan’s Purse’s $15B in aid) with government-mandated “charity,” critiquing secular views on social programs:

  “Taking money out of somebody’s pocket via taxation to give it and put it into somebody else’s pocket. That’s not charity, that’s a crime.” (Todd, [25:05])

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7. Local Church as the Antidote to Loneliness

• [31:02–40:24]
  With the “loneliness pandemic” as a backdrop, Todd focuses on the importance of committed involvement in a local church:

  “I wonder if it’s possible the solution for your personal loneliness pandemic could be found right down the street from your house in a Bible teaching church…” (Todd, [31:02]) “He who loves his dream of a community more than Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, cited at [33:00])

• Friel warns against “consumer-minded” church attendance—seeking the perfect church for personal comfort—urging listeners to value covenants over preferences:

  “The church has been quietly backing up for years. The doctrine a little uncomfortable, a truth sounds a little too exclusive, so we set it aside and before long, the gospel sounds more like an apology than an announcement…” (Jimmy, [12:38])

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8. Practical Steps to Genuine Community

• [47:57–end]
  Todd shares five practical tips for fostering authentic church community:
  • Expect messiness and stay put.
  • Trade convenience for commitment.
  • Trade screen time for “face-to-face” time.
  • Practice the “one another” verbs (serving, bearing burdens, etc.).
  • Dismantle the dream of perfect community.

  “Find the best Bible teaching church you can… and start investing, by changing your mind about the local church instead of it being ‘what will they do for me?’…” (Todd, [49:25])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On God’s Voice and Pagan Practices

  "That's horoscope reading... Read your Bible. If you want to hear God speak to you audibly, read it out loud." — Todd Friel ([01:25])

• On Pastoral Politicians’ Vague Prayers

  “That’s not a prayer. That’s a lot of omen for a preacher.” — Todd Friel ([07:42])

• On Easter’s True Message

  “Easter is the resurrection of the God-man, Jesus Christ, so that our sins could be forgiven, so that we don't have to pay for them.” — Todd Friel ([16:04])

• On Community vs. Loneliness

  “He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer, quoted by Friel ([33:00])

• On Consumer Christian Attitudes

  “If you can never find a perfect church, maybe at this point the problem isn’t the church.” — Todd Friel ([39:03])

• On Church Commitment

  “Expect messiness and stay there. Don’t interpret friction as failure. This is how He matures us and grows us.” — Todd Friel ([49:00])

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Important Timestamps

• [01:09] — Critique of “God told me” spirituality
• [04:38] — Carrie Underwood’s “How Great Thou Art” performance
• [06:30] — Raphael Warnock’s interview, prayer for the President
• [16:01] — Warnock’s Easter message (“Story of hope”)
• [20:00] — Franklin Graham on just war, Iran, and Christian charity
• [31:02] — Todd’s commentary on loneliness and the local church
• [33:00] — Bonhoeffer quote on community vs. idealism
• [39:03] — The trap of consumer church shopping
• [47:57] — Five practical steps to community

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Overall Tone and Takeaways

• Tone: Irreverent, witty, theologically robust, unflinching in critique; alternates between playful banter and serious exhortation.
• Takeaways:
  -Spiritual authenticity is found in the Scriptures, not in vague, culturalized faith statements or subjective experiences. -True community comes from covenantal commitment to a local, imperfect church rather than chasing personalized, consumer-driven ideals. -The gospel’s core message—the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins—cannot be diluted into general feelings of hope or optimism. -Loneliness is best addressed through active, sacrificial involvement in church life, not by endlessly searching for the “perfect” community.

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End Note:

Listeners are encouraged to rethink superficial approaches to faith and community, and to recommit themselves to local church life and doctrinal clarity as central to a vibrant Christian practice.

Transcript

[Todd Friel]

Before we begin, permit me to thank those of you who have responded already to our encouragement to join us on our no retreat Advancing the Gospel Together Spring Matching Gift Campaign. Wow. That's a long title, but wow. Are we glad that so many of you have already said we would like to support a ministry that will not retreat, that will proclaim the gospel rightly and loudly, and they will do it all in service to the local church. We have huge plans coming up for the next year and I would like to again encourage those of you who have not yet become a gospel partner. Would you please consider joining us? Your gift will be doubled. It is our Spring Matching Gift Campaign, which means your gift will go a very long way and we will be very grateful and we will never stop proclaiming the gospel. Fortisinstitute.org donate wretched radio begins in 3, 2, 1. God told me to tell you this. That's paganism. Do you really expect and anticipate that

[Jimmy Hicks]

the divine voice of God can be heard by you?

[Todd Friel]

That's horoscope reading. Standing in the office of the prophet of God.

[Jimmy Hicks]

That's reading.

[Todd Friel]

Tea leaves can't have a relationship to God if you can't hear God.

[Raphael Warnock]

That is not biblical Christianity.

[Todd Friel]

You want to hear God speak to you? Read your Bible. If you want to hear God speak to you audibly, read it out loud. I promise you 100% guaranteed you will hear him speak.

[Narrator/Announcer (Wretched Radio segments)]

It's time for Wretched Radio with Toad Friel.

[Todd Friel]

Hey, how you doing? Great program.

[Jimmy Hicks]

I really liked it.

[Elvis Presley impressionist or singer]

I was just wondering.

[Todd Friel]

Stop. You be the host. Hello. Stop the cacophony. This is Wretched Radio. Jimmy. Are you prepared to be the host of this year Wretched Radio Program? Oh, here is. Yep, you are. Here's the task before you. I have various and sundry clips. Some of them are very sundry. You are going to determine which clip we listen to first, second, third, fourth, fifth.

[Jimmy Hicks]

Okay.

[Todd Friel]

Are you prepared for your responsibility?

[Jimmy Hicks]

Absolutely.

[Todd Friel]

Franklin Graham appearing on the Piers Morgan program. Piers Morgan. He does a lot. Went to his website. He talks plenty. And Franklin Graham went on to respond to the Pope saying that people who wage war or who are in favor of war, God doesn't hear their prayers. That's clip number one. Okay, clip number two. Here we get to the sundry part. You got yourself Franklin Graham. Franklin Graham. Raphael Warnock. I confuse the two all the time. And I'm not the only one, so don't judge me. Raphael. They're both ministers. Raphael Warnock. Of completely different stripes. Raphael Warnock. A senator and it's amazing. He's being interviewed by Jake Tapper at cnn, and he mentions inside of this clip that he preaches every Sunday. Now, I'm sure it's not every Sunday. Cut him slack on that. But how is a US Senator able to preach every Sunday? Who's writing your sermons, preacher? Because you ain't. There's no way you're doing that gig and preparing your own sermon. Unless, of course, he has an assistant whose initials sound a lot like A and I. He's on the Jake Tapper program, and he talks about praying for the president, what he preaches to his congregation, etc. Okay, clip number three. Carrie Underwood on the American Idol. It was Faith Night on the American Idol. Did you know that? And there were songs. Some of them were actually pretty good. Some of them were. They had all the kids sing, and so clearly all the kids weren't Christians, but they forced them to sing. So they were. They were spiritual songs. Okay, like one. One of them included the word faith. That was pretty much it. You know, believe in yourself. You got to have faith in yourself. But some of them were whiz bang. And Carrie Underwood never fails to slam it with how great thou art. Right. Fourth. Why should I be this winded? I don't know. Is this an indicator of just the type of cardio shape that I'm in? This would be the Patriot coach talking about this kerfuffle about Christians in sports actually tweeting Bible verses. Gasp. And how they need to be re. Educated. Who would you like to hear first, Jimmy?

[Jimmy Hicks]

I think I want to lean towards my past. I'd like to hear Carrie Underwood.

[Todd Friel]

Ah, that's a nice way to start.

[Carrie Underwood]

O Lord, my God.

[Todd Friel]

Her pitch.

[Carrie Underwood]

Consider all the worlds thy hands have made I see the star I hear the ro.

[Todd Friel]

That ring on her hand Whoa.

[Carrie Underwood]

Power throughout the universe displays Then sings my soul My savior, God, to thee how great thou art how great thou

[Todd Friel]

art

[Carrie Underwood]

Then sings my song My savior, God, to thee how great thou art.

[Todd Friel]

Jimmy, I have an idea.

[Jimmy Hicks]

Okay.

[Todd Friel]

Because I know what we're gonna have to endure with Raphael Warnock. Let's save her. So that when we're done listening to Raphael, we can end on a high note. And I literally mean a high note because I don't know this Raphael. Oh, I'm sorry. You're the host. Would you like to hear Raphael Warnick?

[Jimmy Hicks]

I really wouldn't, but go ahead.

[Todd Friel]

Do you pray for the president?

[Raphael Warnock]

Oh, absolutely. He needs a lot of prayer. What do you.

[Todd Friel]

That was snarky. Unless he meant to defer it. Like, hey, a president. Okay, we'll, we'll give the benefit of the doubt. Pray for what do you ask God?

[Raphael Warnock]

Well, I pray.

[Todd Friel]

I pray imprecatory. I mean, I pray

[Raphael Warnock]

in as much as, as he has influence and power over people I care about.

[Todd Friel]

Do you really think he's praying for the President a lot? When you, if you, if you ask Jimmy, is there anybody that you're praying for these days? Anybody in your life?

[Jimmy Hicks]

Absolutely.

[Todd Friel]

Okay, if. Okay, so if I said to you, what are you praying for for them, it wouldn't be this vague. Well, you see, in life there's a lot of difficulties. And so I pray that this person will be able to expand their territory of the difficulties of the relating to the people in their family. It would be like, wait, that was chin boogie. Do you know what you're praying for or not?

[Raphael Warnock]

I affirm his humanity as I affirm the humanity of anybody and everybody.

[Todd Friel]

That's not a prayer. That's a lot of omen for a preacher.

[Raphael Warnock]

But part of that prayer,

[Todd Friel]

his brain's not working fast well,

[Raphael Warnock]

is about accountability. I have to be honest about what he's doing. His kind of unabashed, unvarnished bigotry, the cruelty that he is unleashing on American streets through his version of ice.

[Todd Friel]

Huh. I wonder what his prayers were like for Biden when there was utter chaos in the cities. I'm just. Prayed for his humanity.

[Raphael Warnock]

Those things have to be condemned. And so for me, prayer and prophetic speech which holds power accountable, those two things go hand in hand. I am not about to be the chaplain blessing that which is ungodly and unjust.

[Todd Friel]

That really didn't answer the question, did it? Take it away. Jake, there are a lot of religious leaders who go to the White House and not only pray for the President, but make a show of suggesting that he was chosen by God for this mission.

[Raphael Warnock]

Yeah, they're wrong.

[Todd Friel]

Well, yes and no. If by that you mean that he's like some sort of appointed modern day American messiah, of course not. But sovereignty would suggest, yeah, God did choose that he would be the president, otherwise he wouldn't be the president.

[Raphael Warnock]

And there were Christians who thought that slavery was somehow godlike American chattel slavery. And they just.

[Todd Friel]

Huh. So the people, they're like the people, okay.

[Raphael Warnock]

And they use scriptures to

[Todd Friel]

promote their beliefs.

[Raphael Warnock]

Reverend, support their position. It just so happens that I'm the product of a countervailing tradition using Bible

[Todd Friel]

verses to proclaim what I think is correct.

[Raphael Warnock]

That was literally born fighting for freedom. That Understood that God didn't create us to be slaves. That's why the black church was emerged. When we say the black church, we've never meant anything racially exclusive about that. We are literally talking about the anti slavery church.

[Todd Friel]

Okay, Jimmy, do you know what I think we need right now?

[Jimmy Hicks]

Some Carrie Underwood.

[Carrie Underwood]

When Christ shall come.

[Todd Friel]

Somebody's joining her. No idea

[Carrie Underwood]

what joy shall feel my heart.

[Todd Friel]

Wait, now who's this? A third guy? Who are these people?

[Carrie Underwood]

And live Proclaim my God. How great I

[Todd Friel]

certainly competent singers. A lot of notes. I want Carrie back. Who's this woman?

[Carrie Underwood]

How great.

[Todd Friel]

If Carrie doesn't return this instant.

[Carrie Underwood]

My savior gave to thee. How great ours. How great ever.

[Todd Friel]

Well, that's enough of that. Thank you for l. Okay, fine. We'll finish it. Wow. Wow. This is. Okay, Kerry, enough. Enough. Kerry. This is wretched radio.

[Jimmy Hicks]

No Retreat. That's the name of Fortis Institute's spring match campaign. And we chose that name for a reason. The church has been quietly backing up for years. The doctrine a little uncomfortable a truth sounds a little too exclusive. So we set it aside and before long, the gospel sounds more like an apology than an announcement. Fortas Institute is determined to push the other direction. To encourage churches to hold fast to hard truth and to proclaim the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ rightly and loudly. That's why we're inviting you to join us on the no Retreat Spring match campaign. Right now, through the end, the day of every dollar you give is matched dollar for dollar. And your gift will help launch two new podcasts, publish Todd Friel's new book, go serve Your King through HarperCollins, and fund Gospel proclamation on college campuses. The gospel doesn't move backward, and neither should we. You can find out more right [e-mail] donate.

[Todd Friel]

Is it possible a Christian university can actually be ranked high when it comes to preparing students for the real world? The hat tip to Masters University. You want to send your kids someplace where they actually still teach the Bible. Not just based on a document that they may be having a file cabinet someplace, but they actually use the Bible there. The education at the Master's university, not only biblical, but oh so practical. Courses, diplomas, degrees. They can be achieved online or of course, on their beautiful campus in Southern California. Would you like to learn more about the Master's University to prepare you or your child for the future? I encourage you to visit Masters. Edu Wretched. Masters. Edu Wretched.

[Narrator/Announcer (Wretched Radio segments)]

Know your reformers. William Tyndale provided the first complete translation of the New Testament into English in 1526. While he was imprisoned for the crime of translating the Bible, he continued to translate the Old Testament until he was strangled and burned at the stake in 1536. This is wretched Radio with Todd Friel.

[Todd Friel]

Oh, Jimmy.

[Jimmy Hicks]

Yes.

[Todd Friel]

I hope you've got some Carrie Underwood in there. We're going to need it. This is Wretched Radio, the senrev. That's what it says right there on my screen, senrev. Raphael Warnock, a D from GA, speaking with CNN's Jake Tapper. You got any? No, we don't want Jesus Take the Wheel. That's not, like, the most theologically robust song ever written. What are you going to tell your parishioners Easter Sunday? What is your message going to be and how do you want them to feel when they leave here? Tell me, Reverend. Tell me about the resurrection. Tell me about the reminder that Jesus rose from the grave. It was God's receipt on the payment of his suffering and death and his burial so that we could be forgiven, so that we could be justified, so that we could be reconciled to God. Tell us, preacher,

[Raphael Warnock]

the story of the resurrection is the story of hope.

[Todd Friel]

Okay. Is it a story of hope? Well, sure, but if you don't explain the essence of that hope, the foundation of the hope, that ain't what Easter is about. Certainly not primarily. Does it give us hope? Yes, it does, but that's not what Easter is. Easter is the resurrection of the God man, Jesus Christ, so that our sins could be forgiven, so that we don't have to pay for them. Preach it, Baptist. Senrev. Raphael Warnock, D from ga.

[Raphael Warnock]

In the midst of despair, I talk a lot about hope. I don't talk too much about optimism. Optimism, for me, is milquetoast. It's thin. Often it denies the tragic character of human experience.

[Todd Friel]

That's weird. Christians are the optimistic people because we know there is a brighter day coming. That's kind of a part of the package of being a Christian, the tragedy

[Raphael Warnock]

that sits at the heart of our politics. Hope recognizes that there is a tomb, that there was a crucifixion, and that there are a lot of people all over the world who live right there in a Good Friday world. But Resurrection Sunday reminds us that that tomb does not have the last word, that there is always hope.

[Todd Friel]

Okay. Yeah. Ancillary. Not the point, though, is it?

[Raphael Warnock]

That there is human possibility and that human possibility at working alongside God and together with God writing a new chapter for human possibility.

[Todd Friel]

John the Baptist called. He wants his last name back. That was just utterly. You know what? That kind of. It smelled a little bit like James Talarico. I don't know if you caught that.

[Raphael Warnock]

Human Possibility. And that. And that.

[Jimmy Hicks]

We.

[Raphael Warnock]

We have a shot at working alongside God.

[Todd Friel]

Okay, we don't have a shot at it. We've actually been given a title that is clear. We do work for God. I'm not sure I would say alongside. That gets a little trickier. We have been assigned by God to do his work. The question, of course, is, what is his work? Lo and behold, at Alpharetta Bible Church, we happen to be making our way through First Peter. We are stones, living stones, being built up into a spiritual house. In other words, we individually and corporately are building a spiritual kingdom. We are the church. It is our mandate. To do what? Proclaim His Excellencies so that God will be glorified on the day of visitation. So, Senrev, we don't have a shot at it. We have an assignment from God himself. That's our task. And our proclamation is sure and certain. Why? Same section. Because Jesus Christ is the cornerstone. This sounds like James Talarico preaching, which actually would make a whole lot of sense. So here we go. He's a Baptist. Talarico is a liberal Presbyterian. Look at the ecumenism those two shares. They both don't know the gospel.

[Raphael Warnock]

And together with God writing a new chapter for human possibility.

[Todd Friel]

Human possibility. Whatever that means, Jimmy. Yes. You got that, Carrie Underwood. No.

[Jimmy Hicks]

No.

[Todd Friel]

You got nothing for us. No. I asked you to be the host. You did ask me the host.

[Jimmy Hicks]

I know.

[Todd Friel]

Let's go to Piers Morgan, who produces more content than I ever imagined that he did, discussing what's going on with the Pope's view of the war with one Franklin Graham and. Right. I don't know if it's one of the. It looks like it must be. He's probably. Franklin is sitting in a studio, and behind him is just one of the Samaritan's Purse planes. Jimmy, would you Google this on the AI machine? Has Samaritan's Purse provided over a billion dollars in aid to people, most of whom aren't Christians, by the way. It is a spectacularly huge and effective ministry. We've just had in his Palm Sunday homily, the Pope, an American, obviously, declaring that God rejects the prayers of those who wage war. Would you agree with him?

[Franklin Graham]

Oh, I. I don't know. You know, they.

[Todd Friel]

He is being. He's going to make his point. I know he is, but he's being maybe even too gracious. Franklin I think you might be being too gracious here. We're talking about the Pope here, King David.

[Franklin Graham]

He prayed that God would train his hands how to fight his enemies. We know that God does take sides in history, certainly as it relates to biblical history. In the Bible, God gave great favor to David and wisdom to David is every time he went into battle. So we know that there are what I believe appears to be just wars. And you take the Second World War, Hitler. There's close to 70 million people died during the Second World War. And so to fight that evil, I believe it was the right thing to do and to destroy and bring the Nazis to an end. And also the Japanese regime. And I think today with the Iranians, they are a danger to the whole world. Not just the Middle east, but the whole world. And I know you've been talking about Gaza, but all of this comes down the 70 some thousand Palestinians that have died in Gaza, this is a result of Iran. The thousands of people that have died in Lebanon as a result of Iran, the people have died in Yemen are a result of Iran. And the Iranians don't care one thing about the Palestinian people, in my opinion. They just want to kill the Jews and they don't care about the Lebanese people. They just want to kill the Jews. Same thing about the Houthis. They don't care about the Houthis, they just want to use them to kill the Jews. And so this regime, there needs to be a regime change, in my opinion. And I hope that and pray that that will take place. And the fastest growing church in the world is in Iran.

[Todd Friel]

You know, I've heard that. I don't know those statistics. I've heard that quoted before. And I think we all love the idea of that, don't we? I just would love to see some sort of verification about that. But as long as I brought up the subject. Okay, Franklin brought it up, so I guess you can blame him. A lot of these online testimonies of individuals, Muslims, who presumably had dreams about Jesus Christ. Could they have had a dream about Jesus? Of course they could have. Of course they could. They've heard about Jesus, they've got the Internet, they've got. They perhaps have seen even Christian videos. So could they have had a dream because they've already learned something about Jesus? Yes, but is that a dream where Jesus is appearing directly to them? I believe the biblical answer is no. Why? Because in former times he spoke to people. One of the methods, one of the means were dreams. But now he has spoken to us through his son. In other words, Jesus doesn't need to appear to people. He has his Bible. And so I know that these stories we cheer because we want to hear about anybody actually getting saved. And I don't doubt for a second they had a dream about Jesus. But it was no different than a dream of you desiring a Coney island while you're playing in the semifinal doubles matches at Wimbledon. Because that's kind of dreams get a little wonky. Dreams happen, dreams of Jesus happen. But Jesus appearing in dreams would be to go outside of his mean and method of the proclamation of the word. Jimmy, how big is that Samaritan purse Ministry?

[Jimmy Hicks]

So over the course of a lifetime since the ministry's been going on well over $15 billion provided in aid.

[Todd Friel]

Those hateful Christians, they're terrible. Jimmy, do it quick. Islamic care. Cair. The Council of Islamic Some Relations. The cair. How many billions of dollars have they given away to people? Don't bother. The answer, zero. And even if it is something, it ain't $15 billion. What a testimony. Remember that statistic, by the way, when you hear a guy like Raphael Warnock saying, well, you know, we've got to have the government with social pro. It's Christians who are the most generous. And that's actual charity. Taking money out of somebody's pocket via taxation to give it and put it into somebody else's pocket. That's not charity, that's a crime. This is Wretched radio.

[Jimmy Hicks]

And it's now time for your daily Fortis news break, a production of Fortis Institute. We start with the Daily Wire which recently settled a censorship lawsuit against the State Department with a binding consent decree. The deal acknowledges the targeted speech. Vaccines, election integrity, abortion and transgenderism is protected by the First Amendment. The Daily Wire and the federalists will monitor compliance to through 2036 with the authority to take the State Department back before a federal judge if it happens again. And Canada's Senate is preparing to debate Bill C9, the so called Combating Hate Act. The bill would criminalize quoting portions of scripture, including passages on homosexuality and gender. It passed The House of Commons186,137 recently, pushed by Liberals of course over opposition from conservatives and the Green Party. The Justice System center for Constitutional Freedoms is urging Canadians to light up their senators phones where Republicans in Kansas have recently overrode Governor Laura Kelly's veto on the Pregnancy Center Autonomy and Rights of Expression Act. The override passed 87, 35 in the House and 30 to 9 in the Senate. The law protects pro life pregnancy centers from government mandates that would force them to promote abortion. House Speaker Dan Hawkins summed it up by saying, saying the governor talks about choice until the choice is like. It's funny how that works. Ohio lawmakers are responding after an investigation found a child welfare agency tracking whether parents affirmed their children's gender confusion. Parents labeled as rejecting could be flagged for re education programs and even face child removal by cps. The act would also bar state agencies from treating a parent's refusal to use personal preferred pronouns as abuse or neglect. When journalists testified, agency officials communicated with Biden administration contacts about scaling the program nationally. Yeah, and Costco is also in the news, saying they will offer IVF drugs at 80% off through a new partnership following President Trump's push to expand access to fertility treatments. But the pro life concern isn't in small print. It is a core reality of IVF. It's estimated that 93% of embryos created through IVF are eventually destroyed. Lower prices means more embryos created and more lives discarded as medical waste. And the mayor of Boise, Idaho, Lauren McLean held a solemn ceremony retiring the LGBT flag from City hall after Idaho's governor signed a law banning non approved flags from municipal buildings. McLean insisted the flag was not political or religious or even ideological. Then she folded it like a military funeral flag while attendees sang hymns. And that wraps up today's Fortis News break. I'm Jimmy Hicks. If you want more, you can download Fortis plus or sign up to become a Fortis Insider for exclusive daily content. Both can be [e-mail] and don't forget, you can also subscribe to Fortis News on your favorite podcast app in order to get these updates daily. And until tomorrow, go serve your king.

[Narrator/Announcer (Wretched Radio segments)]

Important Dates in Christian history 325 A.D. the Council of Nicaea was called to address debates perplexing the church, primarily concerning the nature of Jesus. The Nicene Creed was drafted and is still one of the standards of orthodoxy among Christians. This is Wretched Radio with Todd Friel.

[Todd Friel]

This is Wretched Radio Man,

[Elvis Presley impressionist or singer]

I wonder

[Franklin Graham]

if you're lonesome tonight.

[Todd Friel]

Lots of people are.

[Elvis Presley impressionist or singer]

You know, someone said the world's a stage and each of us play a part. They had me pin flat early in the OH plus tax. It's going sideways free cleverly never missed the cue. They came back too. You forgot the words seem to change you fool you acting strange and why

[Todd Friel]

I've never loved Pull it together. Come on.

[Elvis Presley impressionist or singer]

Whoever did it. No honey, who am I talking to? Oh boy, you lied when you said you love me, you said I had no cause to doubt you

[Todd Friel]

in your life. Oh, this hurts my heart.

[Elvis Presley impressionist or singer]

And you're all living without you and the sage is bare and I'm standing there without any hair I'm not.

[Narrator/Announcer (Wretched Radio segments)]

Oh,

[Elvis Presley impressionist or singer]

if you all come back to

[Franklin Graham]

me

[Todd Friel]

get it together, Elvis. Come on.

[Elvis Presley impressionist or singer]

Is your heart still think? Shall I come back again? Tell me, dear, are you lonesome too?

[Todd Friel]

I wonder if it's possible the solution for your personal loneliness pandemic could be found right down the street from your house in a Bible teaching church. That's right. We're experiencing what is widely believed to be an unprecedented epoch of loneliness. And yet we shouldn't be, should we? We got all the bells and whistles, all the razzle dazzle, getting all the serotonin hits. We should be happy as clams. But we're more miserable and we are more separated and we are feeling more alone than ever before. And maybe, maybe, maybe this is an opportunity for us to readjust our thinking about the beauty and the value of the local church and start touting it. Somebody becoming a participant in a church doesn't make them a Christian. But could we not for the people who are feeling so desperately alone say, hey, I know a place, there's a place of community and it's centered around something loftier than ourselves. Would you like to come and see what that community is like? And so I believe because of the loneliness pandemic, we have an evangelistic opportunity. And we have an opportunity to genuinely help those who are professors of Jesus Christ not be so lonely by encouraging them. Please become a serving member of a local church. An article in the Christian Post, why your search for the perfect church is making you lonelier. Perhaps you're one of those people and I, I can relate to you because I was one of those people. Got to find a perfect church. Got to be perfect. Second I walk in the door if everything isn't right, that those two end chairs, one of them is crooked, the feng shui is off. We're out of here, kids. This church is no good. And we keep thinking we're just, we gotta wait until we find the perfect church, then will sink into that. But that mindset, it almost guarantees, give it time and you will find something that will cause you to say vamoose, we are out of here because this is not the perfect church. And I thought this article was particularly helpful, written by a fellow from Hope International to help us perhaps readjust our standard for the local church. Especially if you're not currently serving in one. It might explain why you too are feeling like Elvis. Okay, that probably wasn't the right way to phrase it, but if you're lonesome tonight, perhaps this adjustment will help. Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He wrote, he who loves his dream of a community more than Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter. Did you catch it? He who loves his dream of community. It's going to look like this, it's going to feel like that. Everybody's going to treat me like this and we're all going to do that. And we're going to be on the same page. There'll be no disagreement. Will do what I think is best. Ah, but you don't love the community itself. You will destroy the community itself because our expectations are off. This fellow writes, community is costly. Isolation is far costlier. Maybe that will help you to give this a hearing that you maybe would consider reigniting your passion and your commitment to the local church. Because it is better. It can be harder, but it's better than loneliness. Question do I care enough about community to allow myself to be inconvenienced for it? Because there is a myth of cozy community where everything is going to be perfect. It can't be perfect. That's the whole point of the local church. It's the very thing that helps us grow in sanctification. If we hope to experience the beautiful life giving community that God intended, we must begin not with our calendars, but with our expectations. The way we think about community either shapes or sabotages our experience of it. I know this feeling all too well. I do. When you go to church with a scorecard, look out, you are going to. You're going to be disappointed. Look, we know there's tons of stinkers. I'm not talking about those places. They never preach the gospel. The word is tertiary. It's a silly center. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about just a good, faithful, Bible teaching church. Is it going to be like what you hear on the radio from radio preachers?

[Jimmy Hicks]

No.

[Todd Friel]

There's a reason those guys are on the radio. They are the exception, not the rule. But remember, the sermon that is prepared by your local pastor in your local church is better than any sermon that John MacArthur R.C. sproul. Alba, you pick your favorite preacher. That sermon prepared for you as stammering and as lacking in eloquence as it might be, is better than any sermon preached by any famous radio preacher on radio in human history, which would only go back to Marconi's invention of the radio. Why? Because it was prepared for you. But if you go thinking it's got to be like that disappointment. If you go thinking nobody's going to bug you. If you go thinking I've got to find a parking place that is close to the front door. If you go thinking the music has to be your preference and believe me, I've got preferences buy bargains, then you're going to be disappointed. Now, can you shop for a church that checks more of your preferential boxes? Sure, but those are not supreme. Supreme is. Are the elders, godly men who are desiring to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and to shepherd you. You got a good church. If they are preaching faithfully, you got a good church. If they are serious about serving the Lord, you got yourself a good church. They don't have good kid programs. That's not a bad church. It's just a church that doesn't have kids programs. You want the basics, the foundations when they are laid for you in the context of a local it's a good church. Join it. And don't just visit it on Sunday. Participate in the life of the church. This article is very helpful. We've been culturally conditioned to value quick, easy and hassle free experiences. We want our friends to have AAA roadside assistance so that we don't have to go pick them up, we don't have to go change a tire. We want people to make sure that they've got a well paying job so that we don't have to give any money or buy them any groceries. We want to make sure that people's marriages are really strong because if they're not, I might need to get involved to help them out. We like easy, we like clean. But that is not what church is designed for to be. Common phrases like I tried but it just didn't work out or I wasn't getting anything out of church reveals the consumer mindset that can seep into our relationships. Consumer relationships where you scratch my back, I scratch yours, but you got to scratch my back first. Otherwise I'm out of here. I'm taking my back, I'm taking my scratcher and I'm out of here. It's a consumer relationship and it collapses when things are not perfect or difficult or challenging. They can't bear the weight of sacrifice or inconvenience or conflict. So when this, this idealized version of church is your mindset, you're never going to find a good local church. You just won't. You won't. This isn't what I'VE signed up for. And you go searching for greener pastures over and over and over again. I remember met, met a, met a fellow once who talked about church shopping. He literally said, my wife and I. I don't know if he said it like this, but I am, my wife and I, we've been to 39 churches. We just can't find a good one. And I'm thinking to myself, maybe at this point the problem isn't the church. Maybe there's something else going on here. If you can never find a perfect church, well, you got to know you're never going to find a perfect church. But the problem isn't the local church. The problem is our attitude. And here's the irony. That cycle seeking, finding disappointing, seeking, finding disappointment. It just deepens the loneliness epidemic. Personally, the consumer approach to relationships is going to fail you and leave you lonely. But there is an alternative and you're going to love this one. My Presbyterian friends, the covenantal approach to the local church. What exactly is that next on Wretched Radio?

[Jimmy Hicks]

You know those really big questions you get when your kid comes home from college? Do you know the ones about whether God exists, if the Bible can be trusted, why there's evil in the world, or what's wrong with everyone else's view on sexuality? Yeah, those. Road Trip to Truth doesn't dodge them. This resource is hosted by John Ferbarez and it goes straight to college camp campuses and talks to students who are asking these very same questions. But it doesn't just stop there. No, no. Then there are the experts that give the real answers with topics like science and faith, pornography, social media and mental health, critical race theory, marriage, eternity. And that's not even the half of it. If you have teenagers, this is the stuff they need to hear before the world gives them its version. And if you don't have teenagers, you'll see still learn something. Road Trip to Truth, all four seasons available right now on Fortis for free. Download it now, where you download apps on your smartphone, your smart TV, or just simply go to fortis plus.org hey, thanks for listening to Wretched Radio today. Let me ask you a question. Have you experienced any type of real change in the areas of your life that really need it the most? Or do you find yourself just getting by, just figuring out a way to make manage to the next day? Look, a lot of people have gotten really good at managing their anger, managing their anxiety, managing the habits that they've formed. But management, it's not the same as transformation. That's why one of the world's leading podcasts today is transformed with Dr. Greg Gifford. Greg is a professor at the Masters University and a fellow here at Fortis Institute as well, and his whole focus is helping people experience the kind of change that only comes through the sufficient word of God. And this kind of content is only possible because of our gospel partners. If you've been blessed by our ministry, I would love to ask you to prayerfully consider joining us as an ongoing monthly gospel partner. I know you have questions about that, and we have [e-mail] Wretched Amazing Grace Amazing Gospel Most men don't make one big decision that takes them off course. No, it happens gradually, and eventually you look up and you realize, I've been coasting for years. Well, Dr. Adam Tyson has created Walk Like a Man. It's available now on Fortis Plus. Dr. Tyson knows that's the story for way too many guys right now. And so he gets into God's word and he lays out what it actually looks like to walk with wisdom and live with real conviction. And the way he teaches it, you'll walk away from every episode knowing exactly what to do and why it matters. This is biblical teaching that puts solid ground under your feet and gives you a clear path forward. It's streaming right now, with new episodes dropping every Monday on Fortis. For free. Download the Fortis plus app right now. Wherever you download apps on your smartphone, your smart TV, or just go to fortis plus.org and walk like a Man.

[Narrator/Announcer (Wretched Radio segments)]

Titles of Christ in the Bible, Jesus is given many titles that teach us about who he is and what he has done. Jesus is called the Cornerstone. When laying a foundation, every stone must be aligned in reference to the cornerstone. God is building his church as a holy temple. And as believers, we are being brought into line with the cornerstone. Jesus Christ. This this is Wretched Radio with Todd Friel.

[Todd Friel]

Give me another shot at it, man.

[Elvis Presley impressionist or singer]

Is your heart filled with pain? Shall I come back again?

[Todd Friel]

1972 Are you lonesome tonight? Thank you very much. This is Wretched Radio. Oh, Jimmy, if I'm not mistaken, do we not have a loneliness resource coming out sometime soon?

[Jimmy Hicks]

I think so.

[Todd Friel]

When?

[Jimmy Hicks]

This year?

[Todd Friel]

Close enough. Just be sitting on the edge of our seat waiting for that. When, this year? This year? This year. All right, fine. Because it's such a big issue these days, so many people are struggling with it and that we are creating a resource. And when I say we, I mean Dr. Greg Gifford. And by the way, if you're not listening to the podcast of Dr. Dr. Greg Gifford. You are really, you're missing a blessing. That podcast is so helpful. It is so good and it is exploding like a nobody's business. It's called Transformed. He deals with biblical counseling issues. In fact, do you remember. Hold on, I've got a thing here with the deal. He wrote an article because this, oh, here it is right here. This, this always struck me. You'll, you'll remember this if you heard us share what Dr. Greg Gifford said is the number one predictor of ADHD in kids. The number one. Do you know what it is? It isn't gender, it isn't height, it isn't zip code. It's if you were born in August. Do you remember that? Because if you are in a state and there's a number of all of the states where you can be registered, I think it like for from kindergarten by 5 years old by September 1st to start kindergarten, kids born in August are 30% more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD. But in the states where that's not the case, the rates are the same. What is the implication? Because these kids are born in August, they're the youngest ones in the class. That means they struggle with higher level concepts. What does that then cause? Fidgetiness? Distraction? Boredom? Twiddle diddle? Diagnosis? Medication. If you're born in the month of August. That, that was just shocking to me. And it's another reason, got to tell you, I, I affirm what Greg wrote in this article. The mental health complex, it is busted. And these resources, they're not working. We have a mental health awareness month, he writes. We should all be able to agree mental health care is not objective medicine. Despite all the advances of science, we do not use any empirical way of verifying whether a person truly has a mental illness. We have no biological tests for psychiatric disorders and none are in the pipeline. And so people are going to continue to be misdiagnosed as if they have a diagnosis in the first place, given medicines that tinker with the mind. Yes, there can be times when it is necessary. They're the exception, not the rule. But there can be times. But millions. I think it's 1 in 6 now are on psychotropic medications. We're a therapeutic culture that is being given pharmaceuticals in order to make us feel better. Join Dr. Greg Gifford on his Transform podcast. By the way, Jimmy, as long as you're just a fountain of information, can we talk, can we talk about the new podcasts that are going to be arriving this year at Fortis Institute?

[Jimmy Hicks]

I think you can, but that maybe

[Todd Friel]

not sound real declarative there. The question I think that I'm asking is, will Matt get mad? That's really what.

[Jimmy Hicks]

Probably.

[Todd Friel]

Okay, then. Let's do it. Two podcasts are coming out this year. Okay. I can't tell you that it's Dr. Jason Lyle, but I'm just telling you it's going to be a new podcast. I've heard it. He's already got a number of episodes in the can. Have you been listening to him, Jimmy? You already getting him prepped?

[Jimmy Hicks]

Yep.

[Todd Friel]

Oh, he's so good. And then another podcast coming out called Exalt the King. That's right, Exalt the King. Why? It is my belief that evangelism's goal must be the exaltation of Jesus Christ. That's the goal. It can't be conversion, because you and I can't do that. That's God's territory, not ours. Our job is faithfulness. And what does it look like to be faithful? Consider what Peter said. We are here as living stones, as a royal priesthood, as a holy nation, as a chosen race. To do what? To proclaim not good news. Excellencies. Excellencies. To present Jesus Christ. To lift him up so high that people stare at his beauty and go, okay, I want that. I want that. If he did all of that for me, he must be so magnificent. I want him. Him. That's the goal of evangelism. It's my hope that you'll hear that. We were out at Georgia Tech. We're going to more campuses. I think we're going to be out of Kennesaw next. We're actually going to try to do the radio program from there. It's going to be like the state fair days, if you remember that, where we just did radio right in the midst of the kids walking by, and we try to engage them and witness to them. And the goal will be to exalt Christ so that they desire him. It's the kindness of God that leads to repentance. And so this podcast is going to seek to do that. It's just one of the things that we're adding. And as long as Jimmy has brought all of this up right now, we do have a spring matching gift campaign. We would love, love, love it if you would participate in it. It means that every dollar you give it is simply doubled so that we can do more podcasts, we can produce more books, more resources, and all free. All the resources here are free, courtesy of our gospel partners. The campaign is called no retreat because we have no desire and no plans to go backwards in a number of ways. We're not going to water things down and we're not going to stop producing more stuff. There are things I can't tell you yet. Wait till you hear what we're going to be doing later this year. Wait till you see the new social media rollout that we've got coming. Wait until you see the new oh, somebody's gonna get mad at me for this conferences that we're working on all coming up. And we would love it if you would join us in the no retreat campaign. You may do that at. No, you can do that. No, you can. You can do it. You may do [e-mail] donate fortisinstitute.org donate and speaking of, finally, the epidemic of loneliness that so many people experience, how might you get over it? Well, the encouragement of an article that was written in the Christian Post that was titled why your search for the perfect church is making you lonelier. Think of church not as a consumer experience, but as a covenantal relationship. Covenantal relationship that should make every Presbyterian thrilled to pieces. Yes, we do love the covenants. This is, this is where relationship outranks short term desires. In other words, your consumer desires that you are going to work like crazy to have deep human relationships. 1. On the night before his crucifixion, what did Jesus say? Love one another, love one another. Then the New Testament epistles they talk about covenantal love. Serve, build up, welcome, pray for, bear burdens, care for. All of that can go on in the context of the local church. But if you're not working at it and seeing it as a covenantal relationship of love with people that might not be the ones that you would pick on Instagram to follow because they're the ones that God has put into your life. In the covenantal context of a local church, here's some tips that might help you. Number one, expect messiness and stay there. Stay there. Don't interpret friction as failure. This is how he matures us and grows us so you can plan on things getting kind of. It's not exactly what I like. Oh, do I need to do that again? Oh, that person. Always expect it and stay. Number two, trade convenience for commitment. Choose presence over preference, faithfulness over expedience. Stop prioritizing me and start thinking in terms of we. That is why we're living stones being built up together. We're not manufactured bricks. We're not all the same. We're different and we've all got to be working together to build up a spiritual kingdom. So expect messiness and trade convenience for commitment. Number three, trade screen time for FaceTime. I know it can be nice on occasion to just chill. And now nobody would say you can never do that, but how much chilling are you and I doing? And maybe that also contributes to our loneliness. Just watching people live on a TV screen or a computer screen that's not living itself. Sometimes it's good to just get off the couch, go do stuff with people that you don't even particularly like to do, and it will be better for you. Number four. Practice the one another verbs. You start, start small, repeat and let mutuality take root. It will happen more and more, but you must persist at it because it is a priority to be in these covenantal relationships. And then finally, number five, dismantle the dream of perfect community. Don't think that you're going to find it, because you ain't. Instead, find the best Bible teaching church you can, probably not too far away from your house. And even if it is, it's worth the drive. And start investing by changing your mind about the local church instead of it being what will they do for me? But who can I find there to live in a covenantal relationship as royal priests, as holy priests, as a spiritual kingdom of God's own possession. And lo and behold, the next thing you know, you won't be so lonesome tonight, man. No, I won't do it with the accent. And until tomorrow, go serve your king.