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Jenna Ellis: Happy birthday to my mom, Valerie

Jenna Ellis: I love talking about the things of God. Because of truth and the biblical worldview, the U.S. constitution obligates our government to preserve and protect the rights that our founders recognize come from God, our creator, not our government. I believe that scripture in the Bible is very clear that God is the one that raised up, each of you and God has allowed us to be brought here to this specific moment in time. This is Jenna Ellis in the morning.

Jenna Ellis: Good morning. It is Tuesday, August 11, and that means that it is my mom's birthday. So happy birthday to my mom, Valerie. And I know that, so many of you who regularly listen to this program have heard, various times that she has been a guest talking about homeschooling, talking about biblical discipleships, and, counseling. And many of you are in her online theology class. And so, we all recognize what a wonderful, amazing woman of God she is. So happy birthday, mom, and, we love you.

Former NBA player Royce White identifies as transgender for the WNBA draft

All right, well, let's get to a, less, logical thing. So this is just absolutely ridiculous. The WNBA is now having to consider what a woman is. And, it's not complicated, it's not nuanced, but apparently, to the wnba, they believe that it is. So. Inez Cantor, Freedom, who was a former, NBA player, posted on August 7. After careful consideration, I'm reviewing the current eligibility guidelines. I'm officially declaring myself a WNBA prospect. If simply declaring who you are is all that's required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA. My team and I have carefully examined the WNBA's eligibility criteria and governing frameworks surrounding self identification and inclusion. Based on the current guidelines, I can and am officially declaring my eligibility for the upcoming WNBA draft in April 2027. I know my presence on the court will stir up strong opinions. I'm definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices. I'm simply asking that the current rules be applied equally for everyone. The rules that represent the very values many WNBA players and coaches have publicly advocated for. My team and I are prepared to ensure these guidelines are applied equally consistently and without exception. And I look forward to the WNBA honoring its stated principles. See you at training camp. What an epic troll this is. And so then, another NBA player, decided to join him. So a second former NBA player declares the WNBA draft. so that's Royce White saying that he's declaring three days ago for the 2027 WNBA Draft, claiming he is now identifying as transgender for the purpose of playing professional basketball. So, of course, the WNBA can't just simply say, hey, girls can play. Guys cannot. Men cannot become girls. I mean, it's literally as simple as that. Boys are not girls. But, Kathi Engelbert, who is the commissioner of the wnba, put out this statement. We recognize this is a complex and nuanced topic, and we will continue to have important conversations with all of you and the players association in the weeks and months ahead. So, no, it's not complex or nuanced. Boys are boys and girls are girls. But this is an amazing way to have this conversation in a way that is meaningful, that and is actually going to have consequences, of course, for women's sports.

Ryan Helfenbein: WNBA has a cultural rot on transgender issues

So let's welcome in Rhyen Helfenbein, who's the vice president of communications and public engagement at Liberty University. And, Rhyen, you know, I think this is a great epic troll.

Ryan Helfenbein: Yeah, no, it absolutely is. This is the way you win an argument, and, it forces the conversation. It forces the hand. I was hearing some commentary, even from Steven A. Smith, well, known ESPN commentator, and kind of legend, in his field. But basically, the Woke NBA. The wnba, I guess, stands for WOKE now and not women. it is no longer about biological sex, except for when actual biological males not claiming to be transgender, wanted to clear for the draft. And then at that point, they said, well, wait a second, now, we're going to insert our sort of objective moral truth to this situation, Our objective moral truth, which is to say that these are biological men who have no intention of becoming transgender. They have no intention. Intention of performative virtue signaling to the left. they are calling, our bluff. They're calling a spade. A spade. they're not with us on all of this. These are just biological men wanting to invade women's spaces. And the point is. Yes, exactly. Just like the transgender movement. And this is exactly what's been going on. but the wnba, of course, is so stirred up in their own political nonsense that they fail to see reality. Sophie Cunningham has been A gift. Caitlin Clark is an incredible player, but you look at these players who are clearly being targeted in the field of play, there was an ejection just more recently because of a clear foul, of Sophie Cunningham. the WNBA has a cultural rot and many people have seen that on television. there's obviously viewpoint, discrimination. Two girls, more recently I think were rebuked or there was some kind of a public shouting, that went on at a Washington game, where they were wearing T shirts, not in support of transgenderism. And these were teenage girls. there's a huge problem in the wnba and right now, what is in rare supply is truth and common sense. but I appreciate both people like Sophie Cunningham calls coming from inside the house, Jenna calling, the WNBA out in a way, and then also those people on the outside who have common sense who are basically pointing to the fact that they just need to get back to championing women's, basketball and promoting excellence in women's sports. That's really what the WNBA should be about. but instead they've bought into this woke narrative on transgenderism.

Jenna Ellis: Yeah, and so accurate, Rhyen, that before this controversy with these two former players, the WNBA and the woke left has been saying for years there's no problem, you know, what are you, conservatives and Christians doing by not accepting the trans community? And you know, of course trans women are women. I mean that's been their ideology and their promoted so called truth for years. And then as soon as someone who is clearly mocking the process, but, but obviously a man, saying that they're going to go in and play, then suddenly now there's a controversy. And so what, what is the difference, honestly between Ines Cantor Freedom and and, and the other player, ah, Royce White versus any other man who claims to be a woman. I mean literally nothing. And yet they're now having to face the consequences of their own ideology and this tension point in their worldview. They, they aren't being consistent to just say, oh yeah, you know what, you're right and if you want to identify as a woman, we welcome you. I mean that, that would be consistent. It would be stupid, but it would at least be consistent. And so why are they treating these two men as if somehow they can't wake up one morning and identify as a woman like every other trans person? And yet they've been telling us for years that there is no distinction?

Ryan Helfenbein: Yeah, this is basically the betrayal of the whole kind of woke gnostic ideology. Right. we can define truth however we want to define it, except for when those who have a different viewpoint want to define truth differently from us. All of a sudden we want to insert these sort of universal, ironclad objective standards, and betray the whole premise of this gnostic thing. So for the Christian who might be listening, Gnosticism is this whole idea that there's a hidden knowledge, a secret knowledge. The entire woke movement and much of the political left, are fueled by that thing. wokeism is this whole idea that there are different kinds of victim groups and victims classifications. And by the way, you won't know about it because you can't see it because you're not woke. You haven't lived it out. And so there are these kind of standards that no one else can live by. It erases this whole universal understanding of justice. But exactly that in this situation, the WNBA wants to apply this sort of gnostic standard of reality, that you can be, you know, almost anyone can be a woman. Right. Except for basically a conservative biological male who is absolutely trying to call our bluff. And in which case we're breaking out of sort of pan miming or this charade and then we're going back to. Wait a second. No, no, no. In that moment the wnba, snaps back to reality and they betray their own argument. And that is why I think this is the perfect troll. We needed this scenario to happen. We needed people who had the courage to do it, and to stand up and I think there'll be more calls for this nonsense to end. the WNBA is not going to help them to continue to play this charade out.

Ryan Helfenbein: How do you think this ends

Jenna Ellis: Yeah, and that flows into my next question is, you know, how do you think this ends? Because, they're not going to. The WNBA on the left is not yet, I don't think, going to acknowledge the truth and say, okay, fine, you know, we, we acknowledge that we know what a woman is and we know that there's a difference between boys and girls and men can't become women and all of this. And so, you know, what we've seen in, in previous confrontations, mainly in congressional hearings, maybe in some media, you know, a lot of these leftists have just refused to answer the question and they've just declined participating in that tension. And it's obvious why they're doing it. But here there' going to have to be an answer. Which is why I agree with you that this was kind of the perfect scenario to force the issue instead of having a. A person who, like, genuinely is saying that they're. They're trans, and. And. And the left accepting them. You know, this is somebody who obviously is trolling. And so that's forcing, this issue. So how do you think this ends? I mean, where do you think the left goes with this? To, preserve their ridiculous, heresy, but also not actually allow men to be in women's sports?

Ryan Helfenbein: Okay, so great question. I'm not, like, the perfect prognosticator, but if I were to guess what they tried to do is they're going, this is more of a PR campaign than anything else. Clearly, they're not allowed biological men to play. But if they change the language, this is kind of like the emperor has no clothes. it's a situation where, just a few moments ago, everybody was pointing out that the emperor had no clothes. And then the emperor steps off stage, right, comes back, and the emperor has something, in the form of a garment or clothing to cover himself, but never admits that he was ever naked in the first place. So they're probably figure out some. Something legally in a way to shield them, but also allows them to carry on this nonsense, which is only ever performative virtue, signaling and flexing publicly. my biggest concern in this entire scenario is we saw transgenderism in retreat, especially in government institutions with Trump's second, term, we saw where many Fortune 500 companies were pulling back from it. We remember Target's major campaign just a couple of years ago was nonsense. It led to a mass boycott. There are many that backed off. But what we're seeing is that it's not in full retreat. And that concerns me, Jenna, that it's not in full retreat, that there are institutions that are trying to preserve this nonsense, ride this out. It's almost like they're giving a respite for it so that it can sort of come back maybe in a post Trump era, and continue to mainstream, this insanity. So I don't know what they do in terms of language, but they are gonna try to still have their cake and eat it too. But for the American populace who just saw this, I think the vast majority of Americans are not fooled by it.

Jenna Ellis: Yeah, well said. And we've gotta take a break here, Rhyen Helfenbein. But I agree with you that they'll try to try figure out some kind of legal pathway to say, you know, maybe, And I'm not giving them ideas, but, like, you know, if you've ever formally played for the, NBA, then you can't play for the WNBA or you know, something like that that doesn't actually acknowledge the truth. They'll try to cloak themselves in some sort of defense without actually acknowledging that, that they were wrong to begin with and that their whole ideology is tumbling down around them. And that's what we need to be on the lookout for and we need to not let them get away with that and continue to push the conversation toward truth and reality and force these issues because they're incredibly important to culture, society and ultimately having a rational way that we, we go about you know, with any, any of these sports or anything that we participate in, in society. So Rhyen Helfenbein really appreciate it. he's going to join us again later on in the program. So we'll be right back with more here on Jenna Ellis in the Morning.

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Florida Attorney General James Usmeier weighed in on WNBA controversy

Jenna Ellis: Welcome back. Well, in a society that we are fighting for the difference between the truth of reality and this false worldview. The Free State of Florida knows what's going on. And our attorney General James Usmeier posted in it with regard to the WNBA controversy. The WNBA knows better than to play games down here in Florida because I'll be charging people with assault. he went on Fox News, in response to say, also assault and battery. So, so let's. And this was with respect to the WNBA player, who blamed white privilege after being ejected for a hard foul on Sophie Cunningham. Of course, the assaulter was, was a black female player and Sophie Cunningham is a, is a white female player. And and then of course the, the black woman goes on to blame white privilege after being rightfully ejected for a hard foul. So let's welcome in the Attorney General. And you know, overall the WNBA seems to be spurring with a lot of different issues that are more broadly being confronted in our culture right now, including cultural Marxism, this idea that that, that minorities are always the oppressed and the white people are always the oppressor. And then also what is a woman? And so, your position for the Free State of Florida and. Good morning.

James Uthmeier: Good morning. Good morning. Well, we don't have any WNBA teams down here in Florida. And my comment was, was really tough. Put them on notice. They need to step in and they need to stop this ridiculous behavior. You have players that are targeting others in very physically harmful ways, pulling it at the throats and the head, slamming on the ground, stomping at necks, that could cause serious injury. Anybody that's playing basketball knows there's going to be some bumps and scratches and people might aggressively go for the ball at the same time. And, and you know, there could be injury, sure. But when you have people talking about white privilege, bringing race into it, and then very intentionally going to hurt others, that's dangerous and it's scary. And I think it sends a terrible message to our young girls. You know, young elementary, middle school aged girls out there that want to grow up and play competitive basketball. And here they see a league that's not only pondering over the question of what is a woman, but is allowing barbaric assaults and batteries. That is truly what it is. The elements of assault and battery are there. Just because you're on a basketball, you immune from the law. So I hope the WNBA will wake up, get its act together and let people, you know, play ball. Make it about entertainment and family and not the social Marxism you've mentioned.

Jenna Ellis: Yeah, absolutely. And also make it about girls and women. And so we've been talking, throughout the program this morning about, the, the commissioner of the WNBA saying, you know, this is a very nuanced and complex issue that we're not really sure what to do with these two former NBA players who are now declaring themselves trans and wanting to enter the WNBA draft for 2027. And I, I think it's an epic troll and it is a way to force the conversation more broadly into the territory of these woke leftists.

James Uthmeier: Yeah, look, it is not a complex question. I think our, you know, faith filled people that are listening to this show know it's not complex. It's very easy. God made us in a certain way. There are two sexes and you were made with a body part or you made with a different body part. but at the end of the day, this idea that they need to go down, you know, have a task force or commission, sit down and spend hours and hours analyzing what is a man, what is a woman. No, they boxed themselves in. They created a ridiculous system of rules and now there's grown men, you know, physically larger Stronger, wanting to get in the league. You know, what are we going to have big men now stomping on the throats of other women? so they need to get it together. They need to recognize there are two sexes. It, demeans women, to allow these shenanigans to take place. And it could be dangerous.

Jenna Ellis: Absolutely. Well, and it just proves that reality will always win at the end of the day. And we need to acknowledge it is discoverable, as our founders rightly recognized in our founding documents.

Florida has subpoenaed Dr. Fauci as part of its COVID investigation

so I want to turn to another issue as well, that it has gotten, so much, media attention and I'm really grateful for that because I think in the aftermath of Cove as you know, time has continued to progress. The media has been, more focused on some other things. But the investigation that Florida, has into Dr. Fauci, has been, has been kind of revived in the media in the midst of his refusal to testify before the Senate committee. And then also, this came out just yesterday from Katy Pavlick, who said the mandated and doctor recommended Cove 19 shot for pregnant women was effectively an abortion shot. According to new documents just released by Senators Johnson and Paul. she's quoting now this document that was released. The authors claimed a miscarriage rate of 12.6%, but the raw data revealed an 82% miscarriage rate in women vaccinated during the first trimester. This is consistent with the 81% miscarriage rate noted in the Pfizer 5, 3.6 post market data. These figures mirror, the effects of the chemical abortion drugs such as RU486. this is just horrific and we need accountability for everyone responsible, especially including Dr. Fauci. So what is Florida focused on?

James Uthmeier: So Florida has issued a, subpoena to Dr. Fauci. We'll have others that will be issued to third parties. we were appalled by his lack of candor to Congress, his unwillingness to answer any question. you know, he's got a federal pardon. What does he have to hide? Well, now the evidence is showing. You know, there have been revelations the last couple weeks that he questioned, he privately questioned the safety and efficacy of these shots, these so called medical treatments. He was looking for. Fortune, fame. there's the possibility of self dealing as he's out there trying to find book deals and awards to the tunes of millions of dollars. but the evidence you cited, you know, we're going through all of that as part of our investigation. It's just further proving, that there was a grand lie, a big conspiracy. the American people were deceived. They were told these things were safe and that there was efficacy. And we now know, that that is not the case. we know that there was heightened risk of miscarriages for pregnant women, that, Dr. Fauci privately acknowledged these risks. But did he caution pregnant women? Did he tell them to stop and assess the risks? Did he tell them there might be complications for their babies? No, he did not. He pushed the mandates, the unfounded mandates, he pushed them on the American people. A lot of people suffered. There were side effects, there were injuries, there were deaths. took a lot away from people. Many couldn't be there for the birth of a first child or to watch their loved one in their final moments of life. these things are priceless. They're never going to get, you know, nothing can make them whole. At the end of the day, there needs to be accountability, where you have deception and lies that result in injury. The legal system should bring accountability. And in Florida, we're going to look at every single statute, every law, leave no stone unturned. We will seek accountability and justice.

Jenna Ellis: And I'm so grateful that Florida is. Because it is an absolute miscarriage of justice and a travesty that he, was pardoned. And, you know, whether the pardon is valid or not, you know, obviously hasn't been directly challenged. There's been a lot of speculation on that. But assuming that it is and, you know, moving forward as if he has that full pardon, it, doesn't apply on the state level. And so what are the. What are the types of, crimes that Florida is looking into, you know, obviously, without revealing, you know, anything confidential, for your investigation at this point? What are some of the ways that Florida could potentially, hold someone like Fauci and others, you know, accountable who. Who clearly were concealing material facts that would have helped, people in the midst of Cove make the best determinations. And especially when the mandate started happening under the Biden administration, when they were. They were forced to choose between taking the Cove shot and keeping their job. I mean, I still can't believe that that actually happened in the United States.

James Uthmeier: Sure. Well, look, we're at the initial stages here. We're gathering a lot of evidence. We're working with the United States Senate and the Department of Justice. there's, you know, thousands and thousands of text messages, voicemails, other records that we're going to go through that we're going to be diligent we're going to be thorough, but we're going to work as quickly as we can. there's no statute or code under Florida law that's off the table. We will be looking at everything civil, criminal. There are various, legal authorities under deceptive trade practices, public nuisance, many different components of fraud. We'll be looking at absolutely everything. But, at the end of the day, you know, we want accountability. we know we've got an uphill battle. Government officials are given a lot of legal immunities. Congress and the state of Florida legislature also granted a lot of immunities to private businesses that were, you know, pushing some of these Covid jabs. So we've got a lot to work around. But at the end of the day, you have intent here. You've got deliberate, dishonest behavior. We know that Dr. Fauci knowingly pushed these things on women, including pregnant women, knowing full well that there could be complications. And I think there's a lot of women out there this morning that are, pretty angry, and rightfully so. I mean, God bless them. What they're going through that to now think they. They may have been able to give birth to. To a child that is no longer with us because of this man. He needs to pay for it. And in Florida, we're going to do everything we can.

Jenna Ellis: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you know, my own cousin was, pregnant in 2020. I think she had her son in, February of 2021. Thankfully, you know, was in a state that, heavily pushed but didn't compel the, vaccine. Her son is healthy, and we're so grateful for that. But, you know, these are, These are people. I mean, all of us know someone who either was in that position or, faced that choice or faced, you know, some of those, those pushes and. And the compulsory, just absolutely horrific nonsense from the government.

There was a lot of liability shielding from Congress, some state legislatures

And, you know, you mentioned, Attorney General James Uthmeyer, my special guest this morning. You mentioned that, there was a lot of liability shielding from Congress and even, some of the state legislatures, including Florida, which, which is, I think, shocking to some people who see what Governor DeSantis did. And overall, you know, Florida, did well in terms of facing, that whole Covid narrative. But overall, where can legislatures go and where should Congress go to learn from this and not give this kind of blanket liability shielding for these big companies that obviously have other incentives beyond merely public health?

James Uthmeier: Well, you know, getting Congress to do anything right now, doesn't give me a lot of confidence. But I definitely think, you know, as an American people, we have to reevaluate. Electing people that are going to continuously take massive contributions from big pharma, go on, you know, lots of trips where corporate executives are wining and dining them, you know, contributing to their super PACs, and then all of a sudden hand out a virtually blanket immunity to pharmaceutical companies that are pushing out not a standard vaccine, not one that's gone through all the proper testing and administrative process and stood the test of time. No, these things were pushed through in emergency fashion using new MRNA technology, and then they were forced on people. It was not a choice, Dr. Fauci and, you know, the biomedical state, they pushed the protocols without proven empirical data. they forced businesses to close, churches to close schools to close. They upended our society, took a lot away from us. And I think there needs to be some sort of restitution, you know, or damages that can go back and, you know, make people never whole. We're not going to be able to do that, but compensate people for the injuries they've suffered.

Jenna Ellis: Oh, absolutely. And that's part of what justice requires. And I'm so grateful that Florida is taking up the mantle because of the, lack of accountability on the federal government level. And obviously, people like senators Johnson and Paul, their hands are tied a little bit because of that. Pardon. but, you know, accountability for what's happened in the past is a huge part of this, but also lessons moving forward. And so when we've seen that, there was basically just an abdication of total authority into Fauci, and he even claimed I am the science, very memorably and notoriously, this was something that I think the general public, was not at all prepared for. And there were a lot of different, responses to this through throughout Covid. And as, that whole thing started to continue, then, you know, people started to kind of wake up to how much the. The government was abusing its authority.

What can we do to prevent this from ever happening again?

And so moving forward, another question that I think we need to address is what can we do to prevent this from ever happening again? And so what are steps that at least Florida, is or maybe should be taking to prevent, someone like another Dr. Fauci from ever perpetuating these types of crimes against Americans again in the future?

James Uthmeier: Well, the first thing I think we can do is elect officials that are going to protect the most sacred of individual liberties. A, Covid jab that's not, you know, A meaningless or some sort of, you know, medical treatment. I mean, that is an injection into your body, with new technologies that people were not very familiar with. So we've got to elect the right people that are going to protect individual liberties. And then we need to make sure that liability is in place. If a business wants to force, an untested emergency process jab, then. And there's side effects or death, then they need to be held liable. You know, right now, we have a lot of private schools in Florida, including all the Catholic schools, and they're not following the exemptions that are mandated under state law. Public schools, the vaccine schedules must accommodate religious and other medical exemptions as prescribed by law. The private schools aren't doing this. A lot of them, especially Catholic schools. And we now know there's drastic side effects. there's proven ties to aborted fetal lines in a lot of these vaccines. I was excited to see President Trump yesterday, announce, you know, the. The effort to try to break up a lot of them. A lot of the older, you know, traditional vaccines have been blended together and have thus incorporated new preservatives, aluminums, use, of some of these aborted fetal cells that violate religious liberty and the conscience of a lot of Americans. we've got to put protections in place where, you know, if somebody's going to mandate these vaccines and not honor individual liberty and conscience, and all of a sudden there's. There's a death or injury, that the person pushing this should be held liable. and I think there needs to be legal protections to that end.

Jenna Ellis: Absolutely.

Our elections are coming up, and how important is it to vote values

And last question for you, Attorney General. and I so appreciate your time this morning. I mean, so much of this, from, you know, men not playing in women's sports, to accountability, the definition of justice, to understanding religious freedom in health care. I mean, all of these things that we talk about comes down to a distinction between, a worldview that is built on a legitimate civil government and understanding that rights come from God, our Creator, versus some other false worldview, whether it's, you know, Foushee just wanting to attain power for himself or, you know, this kind of Marxist theory and so forth. So, you know, our elections are coming up, and how important is it to vote our values and to ensure that the people making these decisions, like you, you know, who, obviously you have a Christian worldview. How important is this, for. For every voter to understand that worldview matters to policy?

James Uthmeier: Oh, it's so important. You know, elections matter. I believe that there is A natural law, there's a God given law that supersedes man made law. I think, you know, listeners at home, if they haven't gone back and done a refresher on the Declaration of Independence, should go back and do that. They should see why our founders, risked their lives. Truly, they put their lives on the line if, if the revolution, if our independence, was not secured, they all would have been executed. And these were guys that had a lot to lose. They were the noblemen, they owned the land. it would have been a lot easier for them to just stay in the ruling class and honor the British crown. But no, they believe that there is a natural law and that our civil man made laws should pursue that natural law. So people at home should go vote for officials that, you know, want to seek first to the kingdom and do everything they can within the bounds of civil law, to do good, to do that which is right. And just so I hope people get out and vote, turnout, I know on the conservative side it seems has been a little dampened here in this off year. but people can't take anything for granted. They've got to wake up, they've got to understand we're, in a fight of good and evil, a fight that's always going to be there. And you know, we're blessed to have already won the ultimate battle thanks to what the Lord did on the cross for us. but right now, you know, we've got to do everything we can on this earth in this life, to do good and get ready for what's waiting for us.

Jenna Ellis: Amen. Amen to that.

James Uthmeyer: Christians as Christians have to engage in civil society

Well, Attorney General James Uthmeyer, I so appreciate your time this morning. And he's absolutely right. We as Christians have to engage in our civil society. That's part of our blessing of liberty to be here in the United States, that we actually have a voice that we get to select and prefer our leaders. And it can't just be after the fact. We, complain about those in power and that are driving policy without our own participation because we can direct so much. And that's why we need to be talking to our fellow citizens. That's why we need to take responsibility for our government, because we live in a wonderful system of a constitutional republican that allows our government to proceed with our consent, obviously, as human beings made in the image of God and having all of those rights that come from him, that our government is obligated to preserve and protect. And you can see why I love Living in the free state of Florida to have elected officials like James. We'll be right back. We're living in a defining moment in history. Today, a woman facing an unexpected pregnancy can order the abortion pill online, often before anyone has had the chance to tell her she is loved, that she's not alone, or that there is hope. That's why you are needed right now. You were made for this moment. At, preborn network clinics, mothers are welcomed with compassion, practical support and a free ultrasound. And when she sees her baby and hears that tiny heartbeat for the very first time, fear often gives way to hope. In fact, more than 80% of abortion vulnerable women choose life after seeing their baby on an ultrasound in at a PreBorn Network clinic. That one moment can save a baby's life and open a mother's heart to the hope of Jesus Christ. This is our moment to stand. For those who cannot speak for themselves. Just $28 provides one life saving ultrasound. $140 helps rescue five babies. Please don't wait. Dial pound 250 and say the keyword baby. That's pound 250 baby or give [email protected] afr that's preborn.com afr Together we can save lives one heartbeat at a time.

Ryan Helfenbein: Christians need to be vigilant about false prophets

welcome back to Jenna Ellis in the Morning on American Family Radio.

Jenna Ellis: Welcome back. And Rhyen Helfenbein, who is the vice president of communications and public engagement at Liberty University, once again joins me. I've been, because Rhyen, we always, as Christians of course, have to ensure that on the church government side of the spheres of institutions that God has ordained that we ensure that we are always on the lookout to preserve sound doctrine and to recognize and call out heresy where we see it and call out, false teachers of the gospel. And one of these is a Catherine Crick, who listeners may or may not have heard of, but she's a rising online influencer, calls herself an apostolic minister and the lead pastor of, what's called 5F Church in Los Angeles, where she claims miracles happen and people are healed, delivered and transformed. And this is gaining a lot more influence on social media. there have been clips that have been circulated, about demons that quote unquote, manifest in front of this woman. And, and that there are a lot of people that are being misled into this kind of, apostolic ministry she calls it. So what's going on here in, in your view and what should Christians be aware of when we're evaluating, you know, some of these, these really, you know, just interesting clips that pop up on social media where a lot of people are claiming, and I think falsely, that this is the work of Christ.

Ryan Helfenbein: You know, I think, one of the things Jenna just automatically, you know, observe is that there are always two standards of false prophets in Scripture. and the two standards of false prophets are one, you know, they're theological, they're biblical framework, they're biblical handling of the text. How are they when it comes to issues of right doctrine? So consider their teaching. That's the first thing. And then the other thing, that is a mark of a false teacher or false prophet is consider their manner of living. So there, there were some, in the first century that might have had right doctrine, right theology, but then you looked at their life and it clearly didn't line up right. there was kind of a dualistic standard. You know, on the one hand I say this one thing and another another way. I live completely separate. I'm not, walking the walk and talking the talk, simultaneously. And so, when we look at this thing, you know, as a whole, there have been through the decades, there have been different people, whether they be televangelists, that we've seen great scandals come from. and then even with this kind of apostolic, movement, whether it be NAR and others, we need to be careful, people who are claiming, to, you know, have these deliverance ministries, that their stock and trade daily is with the demonic. We need to be very, very careful of the kind of thing that they're teaching. I don't want to cast shade or suspicion on every single person. But when it comes to Catherine Crick, we have to look at what is it that she has taught. And in many ways, you know, again, she has gone out there, you know, asking for, money. She, has, in some cases said that she's not going to deliver people unless she gets, ah, a certain kind of gift from them, like a tithe from them. and she has promoted all kinds of heresies, doctrines that are false in terms of who God is, and then even about the demonic realm as well. And I think Christians need to be first and foremost students of God's Word. We need to recognize that all scriptures God breathed, that it's useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man and the woman of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. We need to recognize that all authority, when it comes to Teaching and instruction first and foremost comes from God's word. It doesn't come from a wilderness prophet who's out there in the desert who's saying something entirely different. It certainly doesn't come from social media influencers or podcasts, though some are very helpful. It always goes back to the word of God. The Apostle Paul gave us this instruction in the NewSong Testament where he simply said, test me, check me. You didn't just. He talked about the Bereans who heard and received his message and what he had to preach. But ultimately they went back to the scriptures and tested Paul according to the Scriptures to say, hey, does this line up? Is this congruent? Does this measure with the text? Is the text saying something different, than what Paul is saying? No.

Ryan Helfenbein: At the end of the day they, they approved him, but they approved him by God's word. That's exactly what we need to be doing today. And I would be, I'm very weary, and always have my guard up and antenna up when a new social media influencer or new person who's claiming to be apostle and is claiming to do these miracles, claiming to cast out demons, claiming we need to be very careful and on alert, for such a person. And two things. Examine their teaching and also examine their manner of living. Both of those things have to align with Scripture.

Jenna Ellis: Yeah, absolutely. So well said. And what, a great framework, biblical framework for us to to view this through. Because so many people are just taken in by the apparent miracles or healing or powers that the the teacher claims are from the Lord that may not be. And so we always need to be on guard and always comparing with those two principles that you mentioned, and contrasting to what scripture says. And this is also nothing new. I mean, as we're talking here, I was recalling Simon the magician, the account of Simon the Magician in Acts, who is a, who practiced sorcery in the city of Samaria. And the local population was amazed and he claimed to be someone great and followers thinking that he had great power of God, but he was he was not doing that ultimately, truly in the name of God. And he ended up offering money for those who aren't familiar with this account, money to Peter and Jon in exchange for the ability to bestow the Holy Spirit. And Peter rebuked him for that. And you know, this is someone who, who wanted basically to, even in the, the first century, to commercialize and commoditize the power of God. And we are seeing people do that today, just maybe in different ways they didn't have online, you know, back in Simon, the magician's day. But, you know, this is. This is nothing new in terms of people wanting to claim the power of God when they're not actually using it, and wanting to make this transactional, commercialized, commoditized. And they're not true ministers of the gospel.

Ryan Helfenbein: 100% right. I could not find a perfect, more perfect example, you know, right out of the book of Acts of the Apostles. but no, that's exactly right. what we're seeing in the first century, is not just something that was in the past. I mean, it's also in the present. There are people, you know, who claim the power of God, yet in their lives and in their ministry, deny that same power. they deny the Holy Spirit's work, ultimately in being able to discern, right. Living. they deny the Holy Spirit's work in the model of sanctification. They deny the Holy Spirit's work in the model of salvation. For by grace, you have been saved through faith that not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not as a result of your works, lest anyone should boast. And, the other thing is that the fruits of the Spirit, you know, this is something that young Christians have to learn. Old Christians have to learn this. I've been a Christian most of my life, Jenna, and this is something I still have to learn. You know, the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. It all comes out of Galatians, chapter 2. That's God's work in my life. As I continue to advance in the faith or I continue to grow in the faith, the Holy Spirit does a work in me, and presses me on towards greater maturity.

Um, there are folks out there looking for miraculous signs

there are folks out there looking for miraculous signs. That is nothing new. in Jesus time, he said that a wicked generation seeks for a sign. They were always asking for miracles. And there were many times in which Jesus could have given him a miracle. But he decided to move on. You know, they wanted to eat the bread, the manna. They wanted to see the, loaves multiplied. But they were only seeking for signs. They wanted to seek external healing, you know, heal my ailments, you know, put salve on my eyes so that I can see. But what Jesus came to do was to heal spiritually. That was the most important thing. It's easy in one sense to heal a lame person and say, get up, take your mat Take up your mat and walk. But it's another thing entirely to have the power of forgiveness over sin. And, you know, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. The reality is Lazarus basically, died again and he went back to the grave. But how much more important was it to heal Lazarus spiritually of his alienation from God? Because all of us, for all, have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And the wages of sin is death. We have to recognize that there is sin. any apostle, so called that's going out and is claiming to heal and deliver from demons, but ultimately is not addressing the first and foremost issue of, our spiritual condition before God is not pointing us to the cross and the empty tomb and the work that only Jesus can do, but is instead, in exchange for money, trying to say that they're going to offer miraculous gifts. they're liars, they're charlatans. We need to be wary of such and we need to point people back to the true gospel and what the true work of the Holy Spirit is, which is often unseen in our lives, but is transforming us day to day to become more like Christ.

Jenna Ellis: Amen. so well said and preach it brother. Because we have to remain constantly, vigilant that we don't get taken in by false doctrines and heresies, but that we continue to daily be in the word of God and continue to renew our minds with truth so that we can rightly divide truth from error. And it's so important in an age where especially all of these, you know, miracles, so called and you know, online phenomena are really, ever present in front of us that we can easily be taken in by that. it's not a matter of going to a church that is, you know, has all these sparkly, shiny things going on. It's about going to a church that's dedicated to teaching the word of God and helping you grow in your faith.

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