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No Wrath, No Sin… No Gospel? - Wretched Radio with Todd Friel | Wave AI Podcast Notes

No Wrath, No Sin… No Gospel?

Mon Apr 06 2026

Segment 1 • The hidden danger of replacing real church congregations with online echo-chambers. • A low view of Sunday worship is creeping in—and it’s reshaping how you think about God. • When sermons become casual stories,

Summary

Podcast Summary: "No Wrath, No Sin... No Gospel?"

Wretched Radio with Todd Friel
Date: April 6, 2026
Host: Todd Friel
Producer/Segments: Fortis Institute, Jimmy Hicks, Jim, Keith Foskey

Episode Overview

This episode of Wretched Radio centers on the critical elements of preaching the Christian Gospel, particularly during Easter. Todd Friel laments the shift in many evangelical churches away from emphasizing sin, God's wrath, and judgment—aspects he believes essential to the Gospel message. Through analysis of contemporary sermons, denominational parody, and public addresses, Friel contends that loss of the 'why' of salvation (i.e., our need to be saved from God's coming wrath) results in incomplete—and ultimately powerless—evangelism.

Key Discussion Points

1. The Casualization of Worship and Preaching

[01:34]–[04:02] – Friel shares two grievances:
- A lesser peeve: Increasingly casual approaches to church, especially in how sermons are delivered (e.g., self-focused monologues, jokes, and personal stories).
- A greater complaint: Many evangelical churches fail to preach the full Gospel, omitting central tenets such as wrath, sin, and the necessity of Christ’s sacrifice.
Quote (Todd Friel, 03:39):
"Why do we treat [the sermon] so casually and inject ourselves into what is supposed to be worship of the triune God?"

2. Analysis of a Megachurch Easter Sermon

[04:26]–[12:24] – Friel and team critique a mega-church Easter message:
- The pastor’s sermon is described as self-referential, beginning with a lengthy story about gym equipment before pivoting incomprehensibly to doctrine.
- Friel notes the common modern tactic of using humor and personal anecdotes to appear “relatable,” which, he argues, detracts from preaching God-centered truth.
Quote (Todd Friel, 06:16):
"This guy talks, doesn't he?"
Quote (Todd Friel, 07:16):
"It almost seems to me... worship is treated more reverently than the sermon itself."

3. "The Why" of the Gospel—Sin, Wrath, and Judgment

[12:24]–[14:53] – Friel introduces his main concern:
- Modern sermons often proclaim that "Jesus died for your sins" without ever explaining why this sacrifice was necessary—i.e., because of human sinfulness and the impending wrath of a just God.
- He asserts that glossing over this produces “false converts” who don’t grasp the weight or implications of salvation.
Quote (Todd Friel, 14:53):
"If you do not have your sins expiated and you are not propitiated, then you will face a furious God on Judgment Day."

4. Review of the Sermon’s Altar Call

[18:07]–[25:26] – Playback and critique of the megachurch pastor’s altar call:
- The message focuses on Jesus’ love, suffering, and sacrifice, concluding with calls to embrace a "relationship" or "love story" with God.
- Friel acknowledges the accuracy of some statements but repeatedly asks: "From what?" and "Why?"—highlighting the absence of any mention of sin, wrath, judgment, or hell.
Quote (Todd Friel, 25:26):
"Without explaining the why, frankly, none of that to the uninitiated makes sense."

5. Easter Addresses from Political Leaders

[29:27]–[34:14] – Friel plays and analyzes the Easter message from the President of the United States:
- While the President references “the most glorious miracle… the resurrection of our Lord…”, he also omits any mention of the need for salvation from God’s wrath.
- Friel notes such messages strike a positive, hopeful tone but lack the crucial explanation of sin and judgment.
Quote (Todd Friel, 34:14):
"When we remove the preaching about wrath and judgment and hell, what have you got? A gutless gospel."

6. Denominational Parody and Satire

[37:01]–[47:36] – Comedian Keith Foskey parodies various denominations’ hypothetical Easter service invitations:
- Satirizes different church styles, highlighting their tendencies to omit uncomfortable truths (e.g., hell, sin, judgment).
- Friel notes the unfortunate accuracy of these parodies—churches more concerned with comfort and return-attendees than with Gospel clarity.
Memorable Parody Moment (Keith Foskey, 37:01):
"We're promising Safe Sermon Sunday, where I promise there will be no mention of hell, of sin, of the Rapture, or anything to do with the Jews."

7. Sensationalism and Ear-Tickling in Modern Church Outreach

[48:05]–[51:55] – Friel criticizes sensational Easter marketing (e.g., churches using the Playboy bunny in advertising) and equating modern social tragedies with Christ’s crucifixion.
- He asserts that as churches chase relevance and attendance through spectacle, the true message of Christ eventually gets lost or trivialized.

8. "The Giver, Not Just the Gifts" and the Reign of King Jesus

[51:55]–[End] – Friel closes by underscoring that the Gospel should center on Christ himself, not merely the benefits believers receive.
- He recounts asking AI to name a king distinguished by benevolence and being told, essentially, "there are none"—save for King Jesus.
Quote (Todd Friel, 51:55):
"No king compares to Jesus Christ, even those who died tragically in Minneapolis."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On sermon casualness:
"Why do we treat [the sermon] so casually and inject ourselves into what is supposed to be worship of the triune God?" (Todd Friel, 03:39)
On Gospel clarity:
"If you do not have your sins expiated and you are not propitiated, then you will face a furious God on Judgment Day." (Todd Friel, 14:53)
On the missing 'why':
"Without explaining the why, frankly, none of that to the uninitiated makes sense." (Todd Friel, 25:26)
On popular sermons:
"See how much he loves us. He went from being the maker of the universe to being a helpless baby… See how much he loves us." (Megachurch Pastor, 21:09–21:20, quoted/paraphrased)
On the President’s Easter message:
"When we remove the preaching about wrath and judgment and hell, what have you got? A gutless gospel." (Todd Friel, 34:14)
Parody on church marketing:
"We're promising Safe Sermon Sunday, where I promise there will be no mention of hell, of sin, of the Rapture, or anything to do with the Jews." (Keith Foskey, 37:01)

Key Timestamps for Major Segments

[01:34] – Todd Friel's peeves about modern church services
[06:00] – Critique of sermon casualness/personal anecdotes
[12:24] – The importance of the "why" in the Gospel
[18:07] – Playback and breakdown of a contemporary altar call
[21:09]–[22:27] – Focus on the love of Jesus
[25:26] – Friel’s summary: Without the “why,” it makes no sense
[29:27]–[34:14] – Analysis of President’s (and Prince Charles’s) Easter message
[37:01]–[47:36] – Keith Foskey's denominational invitation parody
[48:05]–[51:55] – Critique of church marketing and social justice parallels
[51:55] – Friel on focusing on the Giver (Christ), not just the gifts

Tone & Language

Critical, direct, and often satirical
Combines seriousness about theological precision with moments of humor (especially parodies)
Insistent on returning to biblical language and priorities—no compromise on the realities of sin, judgment, and salvation

Summary for the Uninitiated

If you missed the episode, Todd Friel’s central thesis is that too many modern churches preach an incomplete gospel, especially during events like Easter. He argues that by leaving out topics like God’s wrath, sin, judgment, and the real purpose for Christ’s coming and crucifixion, churches leave listeners with a “gutless” message—a feel-good story without salvation’s substance. Through sermon analysis, parody, and discussion of public figures' addresses, Friel stresses the preacher’s duty to include the "why" behind the Gospel: we need salvation because we face a holy and just God’s wrath due to our own sin. Only then does Christ’s sacrificial love and resurrection have any meaning or power.

Final Quote

"Is it my pet peeve? Perhaps. But I would forward. I think it should be all of our pet peeve."
— Todd Friel, [25:26]

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Transcript

Todd Friel (0:00)

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 Richard Radio begins in 3, 2, 1.

Jimmy Hicks (1:05)

Welcome to Virtual Reality Church.

Jim (1:08)

Welcome to our virtual church. Is there some type of way for a virtual congregation?

Jimmy Hicks (1:13)

You're not a congregation if you don't congregate.

Jim (1:15)

When you combine this access with the

Narrator (Fortis Institute segments) (1:17)

loss of the local, I become my

Todd Friel (1:20)

own confession and I go around the worldwide listening for echoes that say back

Jim (1:27)

to me what I've already decided to believe.

Narrator (Fortis Institute segments) (1:30)

It's time for Wretched Radio with Todd Friel.

Todd Friel (1:34)

From the lesser to the greater. This is Wretched Radio. Granted, these might be my personal peccadilloes, but methinks they are more than peeves. They are genuine complaints. Well, at least the greater one is. What is the greater lament that I have? That just I think that we need to recognize as evangelicals is a major problem. We don't preach the gospel rightly, even on Easter, as I fear you're about to hear. But my lesser peeve is a low view of what it is that we do. On Sunday morning. We are gathered to do what? To glorify God. How do we do that? With regulated elements, with the prescription that God has given for worship. I, God, the object of your worship, want you to worship thusly. And he gives us those elements. Bible reading, prayer, worship, preaching, the Lord's table. These are elements that are non negotiable. And I fear in our current culture, we've forgotten what each of these elements are. They're an offering to God and the sermon. At least I think mostly among evangelicals, most would agree that would be the highlight element of the church service. So my question and my minor lesser peeve is why do we treat it so casually and inject ourselves into what is supposed to be worship of the triune God. A case in point. Let me take you to a church where they typically do some sort of wacky Christmas pageant based on a Bruce Willis movie. Because their current contemporary in hip, they have put on a massive spectacle. It's a huge multi campus church and it is yet another example, this happens to be from Easter Sunday, another example of approaching church and the liturgical elements, the regulated elements that God himself has prescribed so casually.

Todd Friel (14:53)

Feel free to disagree. This is Wretched Radio. But do so at your own peril. Because don't forget I'm a talk show host and we, as Michael Knowles, never back down, even though what you said about a man's wife was horrific and entirely offensive. Can't back down and say, oops, I didn't have all of the facts Sorry about that. So note if you're going to disagree, what's my peeve? It is failing to preach all of the elements needed for people to understand the necessity of Easter. And I suspect, and I fear that that happened in countless churches. Now. Is it conceivable that a pastor can forget an element here or there? Sure it. But I see regularly there are so many elements missing so consistently. I think this is a really big problem church. Could this be why evangelical Christianity, while the conservative branch is growing that big Eva is becoming medium Eva, and pretty soon it's going to be small Eva because they're not preaching the gospel. And I see this constantly. All I had to do was look for an Easter service from Sunday, Resurrection Sunday. This is a megachurch. Now, we're going to assume that this pastor has not explained the why. The why being why we need Jesus. He will say that he died for our sins. We all affirm that. Furthermore, I'll concede some of the stuff that he said was super fine. It was actually really good. But without explaining why we need Jesus, that if you do not have your sins expiated and you are not propitiated, then you will face a furious God on Judgment Day. You will face the full fury of the Creator of the universe. It's a horrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. And because he is righteous and he is holy and he is just, he will have his day in court and he will sentence guilty criminals and he will punish them with eternal conscious torment. That's why you need Jesus. You need to be saved from the wrath that is to come. Without Jesus Christ, you're not just without hope because you're not going to get snuffed out. You are going to suffer torment forever because it's exactly what you've earned for yourself. Do not trifle with Almighty God, who is rich in mercy and willing to forgive. And that's why he sent his Son, Jesus. Now, if he explained that and I missed it, well, then my apologies. But I don't think that that happened, not in any significant way that would explain to the hearer, this is why you need Jesus. So here is the lengthy. This would be the altar call, if

Jim (26:01)

And it is now time for your daily Fortis news break, a production of Fortis Institute. The Trump administration is taking the fight for women's sports directly to the state. The Department of Education filed a Title IX discrimination complaint against Minnesota's Department of Education for allowing biological males into female locker rooms in athletics competitions. The state of Minnesota receives more than $3 billion in federal education funding annually. The attorney general for Minnesota, that's Keith Ellison, he fired back, accusing the administration of bullying vulnerable children. However, the data tells a little bit of a different story. More than 1,900 gold medals and female events have been claimed by men, along with nearly half a million dollars in prize money. In the state of Tennessee, the state Senate passed a bill which allows allows patients to sue doctors who coerce them into so called gender reassignment procedures. It's Senate Bill 2031 and it creates a civil cause of action for anyone who consented to these surgeries or hormone treatments under pressure from a healthcare professional. The bill covers adults looking back, and it covers parents who were pressured into consenting on behalf of their children. Last June, the Supreme Court upheld Tennessee's ban on these procedures for minors. Now Volunteer State is adding another layer of accountability. Also in Tennessee, the Rutherford county library board recently voted 8, 3 to fire their library director. Luann James is her name and she refused to relocate over 100 children's books with explicit or LGBT content to adult sections. She claims moving the books would violate American Library association ethics and the First Amendment. The board disagreed. The Ninth Circuit has handed California a green light to discriminate against religious families. In a case brought by three homeschooling families, the court ruled that charter school independent study programs count as public school programs, meaning the state can reject any curriculum with religious content. One family was told they couldn't buy math books from Bob Jones University Press. Another couldn't use works by Jonathan Edwards to teach Colonial American history. Five dissenting judges called it state sponsored religious discrimination, with one judge asking whether anyone really believes parents teaching their own children in their own home are public school teachers. The families plan to appeal to the Supreme Court, which has repeatedly ruled that religious families can't be excluded from public benefits and the city of Houston managed to call Good Friday a spring holiday in a now deleted social media posts while warmly celebrating a Muslim holiday by name. Just days earlier, one congressman called the city out, reminding them that Christians were reflecting on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, not simply having a generic seasonal break. And that wraps up today's Fortis News break. I'm Jimmy Hicks. If you want more, you can download Fortis or sign up to become a Fortis Insider for exclusive daily content. Both of those things can be done@fortisinstitute.org also. Also, don't forget, you can subscribe to Fortis News on your favorite podcast app in order to get these updates daily. And until tomorrow, go serve your king.

Todd Friel (34:14)

Now, I suspect somebody, perhaps you are getting a little bit agitated with me. That isn't uncommon, but that was lovely. Everything he said was right. My point is, and I didn't expect the President of the United States to present a complete gospel message. It is for us to start identifying. When somebody starts speaking about the gospel, are they saying everything that is necessary for it to make sense? Could this be one of the reasons why we have produced so many false converts that we. Just ask yourself the question, when you hear the gospel proclaimed, do you ever hear the preacher or the evangelist talking about the wrath of of God? That if you do not turn from your wicked ways, you will be consumed by him for eternity? I know that lingo is not politically correct anymore, but it is biblical lingo. And it is the information that is necessary for somebody to understand the need for Jesus. And when we remove the preaching about wrath and judgment and hell, what have you got? A gutless gospel. There's nothing to it, so you have to replace it with life enhancement schemes. So come to Jesus and hey, you know, you'll just be a part of a love story. And he just ooey gooey loves you. And how's about the love of God? And you want to feel his warm embrace and you want your kids to behave and you want to make more money and you want to be more successful and you want your marriage to be happy. That's not the gospel. Those aren't even the promises of the gospel. Those aren't even warm, frankly. The promise of the gospel is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved from God. So forgive me for apparently picking on the President of the United States. What he said there, it was better than most, frankly. But I'm simply pointing out our need for making sure that all of the information necessary is contained inside of our gospel presentations. Now, in case you're not agitated with me, let me just play this clip from Keith Foske. No intro needed. It's kind of self explanatory. If denominations made Easter invitation videos, they might sound a little something man. Like this hey everybody.

Jim (40:22)

Have you ever wanted to take a tour of Europe but you couldn't swing the airfare? Good news. Todd Friel's already gone for you. Our resource on the show, Shoulders of Giants, takes you across six countries to meet your Christian ancestors, the reformers, the men who were strangled, quartered and burned alive so you could hold a Bible in your own language and understand the Gospel of grace. You'll see the stake where Jan Hus was burned to death, the prison where William Tyndale translated scripture, the very courtroom where John Wycliffe was called monstrously wicked. You'll visit Martin Luther's home, the field where George WHITEFIELD Preach to 30,000 people without a microphone, and the outdoor pulpit of the thundering Scott himself, John Knox. These people were too good for this world, and their lives will challenge you to be bolder than ever before. On the Shoulders of Giants. It is streaming for free right now on Fortis Plus. Download the app where you download apps on your smartphone, on your smart TV, or simply visit fortisplus.org thanks for listening to Wretched Radio today. Seriously, I mean it. Thank you so much for being a part of what we do here at Fortis Institute. Not just with Wretched Radio, but with all of our other content that we're producing on a daily basis. Whatever keeps you coming back and showing up, we don't take that lightly. There is a reality about all of this and that's that producing daily radio like Wretched takes resources. It takes studio time, equipment, staff, distribution, and it all adds up. And the reason that we are able to continue doing this at the level that we've been doing it is because of our gospel partners, men and women just like you who have linked arms with us and give to this ministry so that we can stay on the air and reach more people in more places all over the world. And so if our ministry has ever been a source of encouragement for you, would you consider joining us as an ongoing monthly gospel partner? You can get all of the answers to all of the questions that you'd to like likely have@fortisinstitute.org right now. 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. Dr. Adam Tyson has created Walk Like a Man. It's available now on Fortis Plus. Dr. Tyson knows that's the story for weight. 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 fortisplus.org and walk like a Man.

Todd Friel (48:57)

Oh, is that with the pot in the car? Yes, yes, yes. Oh, such silliness. Here's. Here's what it says. Easter Breakfast starts at 9, service starts at 10. We had a brunch on Easter Sunday. Oh, was it good? I particularly enjoyed the homemade quiche with sauteed onions, gruyere cheese, and shallots made by Mrs. Friel. It was the best thing there. I was wise enough to say it was deli people making homemade food, and everybody just. Just so loving and gathering around food before an Easter worship service. Except you know what? There's a little tip for you, Pastor. If you're going to do an Easter brunch and it's going to be before the church service, you better bring some heat, because everybody's going to be logie, just full of egg bake and different casseroles. This Sunday is Easter. Roll in early, grab some food and get ready for a great morning. And don't come alone. Invite somebody to sit with you. Get some action this Easter. Now, this is just. This is inexcusable. This is entirely unacceptable from any sort of Christian standpoint. And yet it meets at the gym, at the high school. Well, I'll bet it's growing now. Hate to say it, because you don't want Any sort of scandal like this. But just wait. It's probably just a matter of time. Because these types of things, you can only get worse. You only have to get more sensational. You can only go about staying in existence if you continue to tickle the ears. And just like any ear tickling, the intensity must increase. Otherwise it doesn't tickle anymore. And that is why preaching that isn't focused on Christ will inevitably stray and get increasingly either watered down or sensationalistic. Because you have to do something. What you win them with, you must keep them with. There's another inexcusable Easter event. It was Good Friday, Minneapolis. It was a pilgrimage community members marking Good Friday by visiting the locations of what they call modern day crucifixions. If we can't ever have righteous indignation now, they invited all these folks to take a pilgrimage to sites of what they call crucifixion, akin to Jesus crucifixion. Said a participant. We think of the connection between Christ and the folks who have been victims of summary execution. Who are those people? Well, George Floyd, he would be one of them, of course.

Todd Friel (51:55)

And then Renee Good, who was killed in January when she was just minding her own beeswax, saying polite things to the police officers on her way to the park to walk the dog. No, here's the difference between those people and Jesus. Jesus was innocent. Jesus wasn't breaking laws. Not to mention, to compare any human being to Jesus Christ, honestly, I can almost say, I think pretty confidently, is blasphemous. Did something. Speaking of comparisons, I asked the AI machine our Christmas, Our Christmas, Our Easter text from First Peter. It was perfect. It was one of those instances. Pastor, you can relate to this. Christmas is coming, Easter is coming. And the text for that day happens to be perfect for Easter. Well, that was the case for me because Peter gives the believers in Turkey, northern Turkey, what I counted as eight titles. You're our chosen race. You're a royal priesthood, different from holy priesthood in chapter two, verse five. But you're a royal priesthood. You're God's own possession. You've received mercy, your children of light, all of these great titles that are provided courtesy of King Jesus Christ. Now, the trick in a message like that is to make sure that you don't focus so much on the gifts. Wow. You get to be called all these things. You're a royal priest. You get to be called all these things. Got to be careful with that because it's not about the gifts, it's about the giver. How amazing is Jesus that he has afforded us those titles, that he has done those great things for us. And so to demonstrate his benevolence, I actually went to the AI machine Jimmy and I asked it name a king, any king, any place in human history who is known primarily for their benevolence. And the AI machine actually said there aren't any. Wow. Now they of course forgot about King Jesus, the most benevolent and kind, demonstrated by dying on a cross while we were yet sinners facing the wrath of God, hostile in our mind through wicked works is wrath abiding upon us. But it, it listed, it said but well, here's some that were like not totally horrible and it was individual like Marcus Aurelius. He did some nice things like, like legal reform and he tried to limit excessive cruelty. Note, limit excessive cruelty. In other words, no king compares to Jesus Christ, even those who died tragically in Minneapolis. And until tomorrow, go serve your king.