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Today's Issues offers a Christian response to the issues of the day
Welcome to Today's Issues, offering a Christian response to the issues of the day. Here's your host, Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association.
>> Tim Wildmon: Hey, good morning, everybody, and welcome to Today's Issues on American Family radio. Today's Thursday, April 2, 2026. If you were a fool yesterday, I just hope you didn't lose any money. but Tim, Wildmon here with Krish Woodward.
>> Chris Woodward: Good morning.
>> Tim Wildmon: And Fred Jackson.
>> Fred Jackson: Good morning to you, Richard.
>> Tim Wildmon: Hey, hey, hey, Tim. How you doing?
>> Tim Wildmon: All right. Raised in Kansas City, we three are in Tupelo, Mississippi and we are looking forward to Easter weekend. Like many of you, hopefully all of you, are believers and followers of Christ. If you're not, you can be. And, you know, the, you see the picture of, Jesus Christ with his arms open wide. That's the invitation. He invites all of humanity. Right, Ray? Everybody, everybody's welcome. If they'll repent and turn to him. Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: Whosoever will, may come. Tim.
>> Tim Wildmon: Amen.
>> Tim Wildmon: The Easter invitation.
>> Tim Wildmon: Anybody whosoever will. that's wonderful, Fred. That's a wonderful.
>> Fred Jackson: It is. I've been listening to David, Jeremiah the last couple of mornings right here on American family radio at 5:30 Central. And, listen to him on the way into work. But he was doing a couple of Easter messages. but at one point he talked about how many times in that narrative people are running. All right, you talked about Peter, and John running to the tomb. Remember the women went to the tomb and they were going to apply some burial ointment and they found that stone had been rolled away.
>> Tim Wildmon: Why do you look for living among the dead? Angel said.
>> Fred Jackson: So they run to tell Peter and John. Peter's a little bit skeptical, but, John, in John's version of this, in his Gospel, he adds that, the disciple that he always refers to himself as the disciple that Christ loved.
>> Fred Jackson: The disciple that Christ loved outran Peter and David Jeremiah. That's an interesting fact to put in there, that he outran Peter to get to the tomb. And, it's such a miracle. I, think a lot of people, Ray, I know you've been there, Tim, you've been there, I've been there to the tomb. And, when you talk about this stone, the stone wasn't just laying over in front of the entranceway, it was off to the side. And some people have actually estimated this thing weighed probably about a ton or so at least they say, so that one person couldn't have done it. But it was just a great account that David, Jeremiah, talking about this this morning. But what the Easter message is all about. We serve a risen Savior.
>> Tim Wildmon: Amen.
>> Fred Jackson: Without the resurrection.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right.
>> Fred Jackson: The salvation would not be worth much.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right.
>> Fred Jackson: But it was the resurrection.
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, Dr. Alex McFarland M will be on with us at the bottom of the hour.
Tomorrow is Good Friday, which means death is a problem for Christians
Okay, so it is Easter weekend. So tomorrow is Good Friday. Of course, normally on Fridays we have Trivia Friday, but. And we, we, we have a lot of fun. But tomorrow is a more serious day than a trivial day. Not, that Christians can't have fun. but tomorrow is a special day on the calendar for believers around the world. And we're going to, we're going to suspend the Trivia Friday until the week from Friday. And we've got a couple of Easter specials we're going to air instead. Right, Brent?
>> Fred Jackson: That's correct.
>> Tim Wildmon: Tomorrow during this time, 10 to 11am Central Time, we'll have in Grace special, Easter Special with Pastor, Jim gutters, Jim Scudder Jr. And then. Are you sure about that? Say that three times fast. Jim Scudder Jr. I couldn't do it one time fast. so, and then, 11 to 11:30 Central Time, Brother Ray
>> : Pritchard's got a special we're going to air.
>> Tim Wildmon: Easter Special. Okay. All right. You do that solo, Ray, or do you talk to somebody?
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, I do it. I do it myself.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Tim Wildmon: Dinner sitting right here. Yeah. Record the program. And then we got some great folks up at, AFR who take the music and put the music underneath it. So it's just a beautiful presentation. And tomorrow at, the 11:00 o' clock hour, Central time, Easter and the problem of death.
>> Tim Wildmon: Amen.
>> Tim Wildmon: Because death is a problem. But the good news is God gave us the answer with the empty tomb. In fact, Tim, what was just quoted, that's where I end the message tomorrow. Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, for he is risen. Just as he said.
>> Tim Wildmon: Amen. Praise the Lord. So that's Tomorrow we'll have a. It'll be an Easter celebration, for this hour and a half with some special programming, including Brother Ray's half hour special from 11 to 11:30.
Chris Woodward is our lead newsman today
All right, so, just wanted to make listeners aware of that. Krish Woodward.
>> Chris Woodward: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: You're our lead newsman today.
>> Chris Woodward: All right, well, President.
>> Tim Wildmon: How much going on in the world is it, Krish?
>> Chris Woodward: Slow day. Back to you, Tim.
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, what do you, what do you, what is your lead story here?
President Trump gave a national address on Iran last night
>> Chris Woodward: Well, President, Trump had a national address last night on television around, 8 o' clock central. he talked about the, war or conflict in Iran, Operation Epic Fury. the President said, many things, mainly, that the US War in Iran will end soon, objectives will be met. He went over details on things that have already been accomplished. He also promised again that gas prices are going to fall, even though things have been going up, during Operation Epic Fury. I've got a lot of sound bites here from the President. Let's do this one. he did say, that, options are still open if negotiations with somebody in charge of IRAN FAIL. CLIP 2.
>> Donald Trump: if during this period of time no deal is made, we have our eyes on key targets. If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously. We have not hit their oil, even though that's the easiest target of all, because it would not give them even a small chance of survival or rebuilding. But we could hit it and it would be gone and there's not a thing they could do about it.
>> Tim Wildmon: Fred, what do you. That, He sounds. Boy sounds tired, doesn't he? Yes, I mean, I don't blame him. He said almost 80 be 80 in June. And it's. He's on a 247 schedule right now with the war going on and so forth. But what the low energy aside, at least by Trump standards.
>> Fred Jackson: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: What do you think about what he's talking, what he's saying there?
>> Fred Jackson: Well, ah, was reading a Wall Street Journal editorial on this this morning. A lot of people think this is a speech he should have given about three weeks ago to explain to the American people. And it was one of the. I think the strong points of the speech is to really bring home the threat that this Islamic regime, poses not only to Israel and not only to the United States, but to the world. People have to understand what it means when we talk about radical Islamic regime. They hate anybody who doesn't agree with them and they believe the solution is kill them and a nuclear armed Islamic regime. What we have learned is they have the capability to send, a nuclear weapon almost 3,000 miles. And he made mention Europe, that's within that range. So he tried to bring home that the United States is doing something right now that benefits the world and Israel,
>> Tim Wildmon: the United States, Israel. But speaking for the United States.
>> Fred Jackson: But the world, is what Israel and the United States is doing right now. I think the other interesting point is he is really, with regards to the security opening up the Strait of Hormuz, he made it clear once again that others, are going to have to do that. he says we, President Trump last night just reiterated, he said the United States does not need oil and gas from the Persian Gulf. We've got enough ourselves now that we have Venezuela that we freed up. We've got lots of oil and gas. Of course, the issue is that oil and gas are, global commodities and if other countries are not getting that oil and gas, that keeps our prices high. But he has thrown it to NATO nations and he's not happy with NATO nations right now for not helping, during this period. But it was really interesting this morning and we have this story on our website, afn.net, afn.net, the Prime Minister of Britain, ah, Starmer, has got a conference call going on today with other nations saying how can we be involved with securing the Strait of Hormuz? And so that is going on. That is a battle that Trump apparently is going to win. He's going to give that responsibility to these other nations that depend more on Persian Gulf oil, than we do. So we'll see what happens. He said two or three weeks. He figures, that he can wrap things up. But he left open the door that if we have to do other things to bring this regime down, we will do it.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay. He said, the threat that he issued to Iran there at the end of that comments were right. What did he say? Said they're going to bomb their.
>> Tim Wildmon: Bomb them back to the Stone Age.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's what he said the other day.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Bomb them back to the Stone Ages is what he said the other day. But what he said was there if they don't do a deal. Yeah, I'm talking about the clip we just played. Yeah. Then we're going to bomb their oil refineries and what else?
>> Fred Jackson: Their power generators.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. Which would have a huge impact on the civilian population.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right. Why would you do that?
>> Fred Jackson: Well, apparently he believes that that would cripple the nation as a whole. But, Tim, you know, we were talking earlier this morning at our story meeting. If he was to do that, what does that leave for the economy of those tens of thousands of Iranians who want regime change? If he takes out that. Where do people work? There is no economy left for those people.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, I don't understand. Let's hear that again. And quite frankly, I don't know why you say all this out loud, but. But go ahead, play that clip. I want to make sure I understand what I think he's saying.
>> Donald Trump: If during this period of time, no deal is made, we have our eyes on key targets. If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously. We have not hit their oil, even though that's the easiest target of all, because it would not give them even a small chance of survival or rebuilding. But we could hit it and it would be gone, and there's not a thing they could do about it.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, we'll see the wisdom of that coming, I guess. You know, time will tell on that. I just don't see the benefit of putting millions of people in the dark. how many people live in Iran?
>> Chris Woodward: Oh, millions. I'll look it up.
>> Fred Jackson: I've heard 90 million population.
>> Chris Woodward: Well, it's interesting. Like, you know, these people went from super excited because you've bombed the people that have terrorized their country, for 47 years, and they were all excited. They're in the streets. and now you run the risk of turning all the power off and making things even more difficult for them.
You would seemingly lose any support you might have there if you turned off electricity
You would seemingly lose any support you might hair have there amongst the, the people if you were to, you know, turn off the electricity.
>> Tim Wildmon: I don't know. We'll see. you know, President Trump's got a lot of smart advisors, and he, you know, he'll have to make that call. But I just, question why you say that kind of thing out loud to Iran. But we'll see. all right, you're listening to today's issues. What do you got next?
First moon mission in 50 years lifts off yesterday with four astronauts aboard
>> Chris Woodward: Well, while we pray for this president to have wisdom over this situation and for our troo overseas, we also are praying for the, health and safety of the astronauts that lifted off yesterday on the first moon mission in 50 years. First moon mission in my lifetime. I've reached that point in life now.
>> Tim Wildmon: But they're not going to the moon.
>> Chris Woodward: Well, there. It's a mission to the moon. They're basically going around it and then they're gonna come back. So it is being labeled as a moon mission. they're gonna go around the dark side of the moon.
>> Tim Wildmon: And then, Floyd did that.
>> Chris Woodward: They did, yeah. Some people would say that's a great album. And, it's got the prism on the front. I.
>> Tim Wildmon: There weren't any gospel songs on that record.
>> Chris Woodward: Yeah, they did not cover. When the role is called up yonder, I'll be there.
>> Tim Wildmon: No, but the role is called up yonder on the Moon.
>> Chris Woodward: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: Dark side of the moon.
>> Chris Woodward: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, so, okay, I'm not going to argue with you whether it's a moon mission or not, because I understand what you're saying. But they're not landing on the moon.
>> Chris Woodward: No, sir. It's not a Neil Armstrong Buzz Aldrin.
>> Tim Wildmon: So. So, this time. So subscribe for us, Krish, in your best southern accent. Okay, what, what this, what this, They've already gone. Yes, they left at 5 o'. Clock. What are they gonna. They're doing a figure eight, aren't they?
>> Chris Woodward: Are. So I'm gonna draw this, which does.
>> Tim Wildmon: You draw it for me, Krish. I'm gonna watch it and describe it to people.
>> Chris Woodward: All right, so imagine the big circle here. Ah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Who's that?
>> Fred Jackson: Is that Earth?
>> Chris Woodward: This is Earth. I'm gonna put an E here and I'm gonna put a M M on the little circle.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, That's.
>> Chris Woodward: They're gonna do this, they're going to do a figure eight and come back to the earth. And in about 10, 11 days time, Lord willing, they're going to land back on the Earth.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, well, if I'm up there in that spacecraft, the Lord willing is definitely applying my prayer. Life is going to increase greatly.
>> Chris Woodward: It sure will.
>> Tim Wildmon: They're doing a figure eight around the moon. Now, why are they. Fred, describe, what's going on here? Why are we doing this?
>> Fred Jackson: Well, the, eventual goal here is to set up a moon base.
>> Tim Wildmon: I thought it was to distract from the Epstein files.
>> Chris Woodward: I knew it.
>> Fred Jackson: That too. But, no, Artemis. This is Artemis 2 and, four astronauts aboard. Three of them, are very experienced in space. They've spent, time on the space station. The fourth is a Canadian guy. He has been an astronaut in waiting for 17 years. He's a former fighter pilot from Canada, but he joined the astronaut program 17 years ago, but has never been to space. So this is his first time up. on, the go right now. They're still circling the Earth and they're Doing some testing of all their systems, which is a pretty good idea. Before you leave home, check, make sure everything's working. By the way, they did have a little problem with one of the toilets last night, but they resolved that that's
>> Tim Wildmon: not a good sign.
>> Tim Wildmon: You do not want, want that to go bad on a moon mission on
>> Fred Jackson: day one of 10 days. But, they got.
>> Tim Wildmon: I'd rather lose an engine than the toilet.
>> Fred Jackson: But they are traveling right now around the earth about 17,000 miles an hour. And sometime later today, they'll circle the Earth. And, they've got to get the physics of this just right, because they're going to be, aiming for a point out there in space where the moon is supposed to be three days from now. All right?
NASA plans to launch a spacecraft that circles the moon and comes back
So they got to get this just right.
>> Tim Wildmon: It's like throwing a football pass.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: At a receiver. You got to lead them.
>> Fred Jackson: That's right. That's right. Okay, now, so they'll. They'll do another burn of their engine as they're leaving the Earth. That'll put them up to a speed of about 24,000 miles an hour.
>> Tim Wildmon: Are you writing this all down, Ray?
>> Tim Wildmon: I got it.
>> Fred Jackson: And so they head for the moon. And this time, what is unique about this mission is that, unlike the Apollo missions, they are going to go about 4,000 miles past the moon, and then they'll do the U turn and come back. So this mission is the furthest any human being has been away from planet Earth.
>> Tim Wildmon: Wow.
>> Fred Jackson: It's quite remarkable.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Fred Jackson: as I say, this is a test to make sure all the systems work, because the goal is to set up a, mission of sorts on the, surface of the moon with the belief that someday there would be another mission launched from the moon to Mars. Now, that's what they're talking about.
>> Tim Wildmon: You know what this indicates to me? I'm dumb as a rock. Can you imagine this first meeting? Ray, on this? All right, everybody. Now, why are we here? We're here to talk about launching a spacecraft, that, circles the moon and comes back. So here's our first plan. What we need to do. Anyway, I'm just. Listen, These, these people that we have, these scientists and engineers are just on a whole nother level. I was going to say a whole nother planet, but that would have been a bad pun. Ray. I mean, it's just phenomenal. I don't know whatever adjectives to use. How, how, how these folks come up with these plans and execute them.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, you imagine. I mean, you know, guys, if you go back, what, 60 years to the Mercury, Mercury flights where they didn't have personal computers where.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: You know, I mean, they were doing stuff by hand on the blackboard and figuring out on the back of the envelopes. And it is so today is so unbelievably technical. I mean, you've got to, as you said, Fred, if I heard you right, they got a, they got to put that thing in orbit so they can, so they can hit the right spot. Three days down the road, Right? That's right where the moon is going to be. Three days.
>> Tim Wildmon: How many of them are there on this?
>> Fred Jackson: Four.
>> Tim Wildmon: So one Canadian, three Americans.
>> Fred Jackson: Yep.
>> Chris Woodward: And one broken toilet.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's a country song you got going there, Krish. One Canadian, three Americans and one broken toilet. Down, down, down, down, down, down.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's right.
>> Tim Wildmon: And everybody climbing my pickup truck. That's right. All right, go ahead.
>> Chris Woodward: I do want to point out, I was watching, I was kind of nerding out last night watching some of these things on, YouTube and people from all over the country, scientists, engineers, stuff like that contributed to this project, including, you will be glad to know this, Mr. Tim. Two, at least two MSU alums, were a part of this project,
>> Tim Wildmon: MSU for us being Mississippi State University.
>> Chris Woodward: Mississippi State University.
>> Fred Jackson: And they did not, manufacture the toilet.
>> Tim Wildmon: So. Yeah, so I was just saying, Ole Miss Ray, you may beat us in football, but he ain't beating us to the moon, my friend.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Tim Wildmon: Raising Ray's an Ole Miss fan, so I'm teasing with him there.
>> Tim Wildmon: Hey, facts.
>> Chris Woodward: There is an age old saying, and this goes back to the, space race of the 60s, that you can't get to the moon without going through Mississippi. And that has to do with the, Stennis Space Center.
>> Tim Wildmon: You just fire. Krish can't get to the moon without going. And got another hit right there. Yeah, you know what?
>> Chris Woodward: That's a saying.
>> Tim Wildmon: Can you watch this, on a, live stream? I mean, are they, are they broadcasting a live, they able to do that? Broadcast a live feed from the spacecraft?
>> Chris Woodward: Yes, I watched that last night.
>> Tim Wildmon: Like if I go on right now, I can watch it.
>> Chris Woodward: NASA has like a live stream. We said watch the four, the poor, the four, the four people on board this thing punching a bunch of buttons. You know, when you taking pictures, when
>> Tim Wildmon: you watch these, from the, from the, from outer space, you watch these video feeds and they'll sometimes show out the windows of the spacecraft, you know, and you're going like this Thing is not even moving when in fact, Fred, you just said that they're traveling right now at 17,000 miles an hour.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah, they're kind of slow right now.
>> Tim Wildmon: And they're ramp it up to 24,000 miles.
>> Fred Jackson: That's right.
>> Tim Wildmon: 24,000 miles an hour. And then, you know what, what, in all seriousness, what would be hard to ray to think, about is the mental, state that these astronauts have to maintain because you're talking about being, ah, you know, in outer space. You're on a mission. How many days are going to be gone?
>> Fred Jackson: 10 days.
>> Tim Wildmon: 10 days. You're having to. I know a lot of it's probably on, what do you call it, Automatic pilot, so to speak. But still you're having to, That's a lot of.
The testing for these people, uh, who qualify, was probably incredible
>> Tim Wildmon: It's a lot of pressure.
>> Tim Wildmon: A lot of pressure. Yeah, that's a lot of hours. Just sit, think about sitting, looking out a window for two or three hours on a trip somewhere, but looking and then wondering, was this all going to go right?
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah, it was interesting yesterday, they had a live shot as the astronauts went up that elevator to get into the capsule. And they're standing outside and, you have these technicians, they have gloves that actually screw on to, the rest of the uniform, because everything has to be airtight. And then they put that helmet on and it screws on. that's when you don't want to be claustrophobic because that's when it becomes real. They say when they put that helmet on and they're getting buckled in.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's what I'm saying. It's real. The testing for these people, who qualify, these four people who qualified, you know, the rigor, rigorous testing they went through psychologically, physically, was probably, I mean, had to be incredible. Yeah, to endure and to come through. In these four were the last four standing, as they say. And now, now they're, they're out there. Well, that's what you call putting yourself out there. We'll be back momentarily with more of today's issues on American Family Radio. Stay with us.
Listen to AFR wherever you go with the AFR app
>> : We would like to take a moment to thank our sponsor, PreBorn. When a mother meets her baby on ultrasound and hears their heartbeat, it's a divine connection. And the majority of the time she will choose life. But they can't do it without our help. Preborn needs us, the pro life community, to come alongside them. One ultrasound is just $28. To donate, dial 250 and say the keyword baby or visit preborn.com afr the AFR app is a powerful tool, but it does have limitations. You can't use it to change the oil in your vehicle or get rid of carpet stains. It won't walk the dog, won't pick up the dry cleaning or take the kids to practice. But while you're doing those things, you can listen to your favorite AFR content through the app on your phone, smart device, or Roku. Just go to your app store or visit afr.net Listen to AFR wherever you go with the AFR app. This is today's issues. Email your comments to commentsfr.net Past broadcasts of today's Issues are available for listening and viewing in the [email protected] now back to more of today's issues.
Fred Seibert discusses NASA's Artemis 2 space flight on American Family Radio
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, welcome back, everybody, to today's Issues on American Family Radio. So we've been talking about this Artemis 2. That's the way you pronounce it, Fred.
>> Fred Jackson: Artemis 2.
>> Tim Wildmon: NASA flight to the around the moon and back. That's what my grandchildren tell me. I love you. To the moon and back.
>> Fred Jackson: To the moon and back.
>> Tim Wildmon: around the moon and back. So, you know, one, one, one expression you'd never want to hear on this particular kind of flight is, is the, the saying my bad, which is usually reserved. Like to a basketball game when you throw a pass out of bounds that was intended for your teammate, you say my bad.
>> Fred Jackson: Mm.
>> Tim Wildmon: You don't want to hear that from that from NASA, on the ground. And are they still on the ground in Houston? Is still operations run out of. That's right, yeah.
Today's Issues comes from American Family Radio
All right. You're listening to Today's Issues on American Family Radio. Tim, Krish, Fred and Ray. And as always, we thank you for listening. Joining us now is our good friend Dr. Alex McFarland, co host of, Exploring the Word. Heard each afternoon, weekday afternoon on American Family radio from 3 to 4 o' clock Central time. He and brother Bert Harper, they do a deep dive into the holy Bible each day, going through the scriptures and teaching along the way. Good morning to you, Alex.
>> Alex McFarland: Good morning, everybody.
>> Tim Wildmon: You've been following this.
Some skeptics say Jesus was based on Roman mythology
Artemis 2.
>> Alex McFarland: Oh, yes. Oh, yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, wait. Does anybody know what Artemis. Where does that come from? Is that a Greek mythology or where is that? anybody know? Or is that a Roman God of some kind? So I'm hearing silence on this panel. Ray, you know what Artemis means?
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, Artemis was a Greek goddess, right?
>> Tim Wildmon: Are you asking me?
>> Alex McFarland: I remember Artemis Gordon on the Wild Wild West.
>> Tim Wildmon: that was a pretty cool show.
>> Fred Jackson: According to the Ultimate Authority. Wikipedia.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, yeah.
>> Fred Jackson: Artemis was worshiped as one of the primary goddesses of childbirth and midwifery. And it goes on from there.
>> Tim Wildmon: Is it Greek? Greek mythology?
>> Fred Jackson: It would be.
>> Tim Wildmon: So, Ray. Got it, brother.
>> Chris Woodward: Greek goddess of the moon. I see.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, yeah. Ah, Ray, it's going to be on
>> Chris Woodward: the twin sister of Apollo. Not Apollo Creed. The other Apollo.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: All right.
>> Tim Wildmon: If you ever make Jeopardy, I want, I want you on my team there, Ray. That's pretty good. Maybe Greek. I thought it was Greek. Or, you know, there's, there's Greek mythology. A lot of us studied that in school, in grammar school or high school, whatever. Then, there's Roman, Alex. Roman. Roman had. They had their own. Oh yeah, Mythology, right.
>> Alex McFarland: They, they did. And yeah, that, that's a subject that, Some skeptics like to claim that the Gospels were based on Roman mythology and that's false, but. Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: Really? They m. Claim that.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, I mean, that's another story for another day. But in the late 1800s, a, book came out, by a guy named Kersey Graves called the world's 16 crucified saviors. And it really spawned a cottage industry of other books. There was no footnotes, no publisher at the time would take it. So this guy self published it. But even atheists admit, and there have been atheist websites that say, the whole Jesus as mythology is completely baseless. And in the Skeptic Review, which is an atheist magazine, a few years ago, one atheist said, please stop saying Jesus was based on mythology. It's making us look bad.
One of the great realities of the Christian faith is the historicity of it
And the reason I bring that up is because, here on this, Thursday before Good Friday, one of the great realities of the Christian faith is the historicity of it.
>> Alex McFarland: That Jesus Christ really did, live, minister, teach, was crucified on a Roman cross on Good Friday and rose from the dead. And so, let me ask you this faith is historical.
>> Tim Wildmon: Alex. Some, people, who may say, well, why do Christians call Friday the day Jesus was crucified? Good, because isn't that a sorrowful day? Isn't that a tragic day? Isn't that a day that a righteous man was unrighteously crucified? So what, what's they might say, what's good about that? so can. And that's kind of, that's not a crazy question. go ahead.
>> Alex McFarland: Well, it's good in that it was the day that the Son of God voluntarily gave his life as a sacrifice for the redemption of the world. Really in kind. of In England, I'm going to say, 400 years ago, it was called God's Friday. So a lot of, you know, some historians believe that Good Friday is really kind of shorthand for God's Friday. but it was good in that, what took place from 9 to 3 on that Friday so many centuries ago makes our redemption possible.
>> Tim Wildmon: Fred, anything to add to that?
>> Fred Jackson: Well, Alex, I was listening to the end of your program, you and Bert, yesterday, and you got a question, that a lot of people have asked. The Bible talks about three days, three nights in the grave, and people say, wait a minute, Friday he was crucified. So Friday night, Saturday night, that's only two nights. But you were able to explain that. Can you just repeat that for people who may have that question about three days, three nights, but it doesn't seem to add up to that.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, and, I think the question becomes, by the way, Bert and I talk about this in our original Hundred Questions book that we did. And Fred, thanks for bringing this up. The question is, when Jesus said, you know, destroy this body, and three days later, I'll rise it up again. the Son of Man, just as. As Jonah was in the belly of the whale, the Son of Man will be three days and nights in the heart of the earth. Does that necessarily mean 72 hours? And, you know, even years before I was, writing books with Bert, I interviewed, a couple of Jewish rabbis. I interviewed many, many scholars and historians. And, I know it might sound strange to our 21st century Western mind, but at the time of Christ, a part of a day equaled all of the day. And so Christ was nailed to the cross and died and that day. And then in the evening, and he was laid in the tomb, and before sundown, he was in the tomb a day and a night. So you. You do have Friday, Saturday, Sunday, three periods of sunlight and darkness. And that's how they're in their mindset. They would have understood it. A day and a night. daytime, nighttime, Friday, nighttime, daytime, nighttime Saturday, and then nighttime, daytime, Sunday. It might not have necessarily been 72 hours. It was probably a total of about, you know, 36 to 48 hours. But it would have been three periods of daylight, three periods of nighttime.
>> Tim Wildmon: That help?
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: All right. yeah, I thought that myself. How does that, How does that math add up?
>> Fred Jackson: How does the math.
>> Tim Wildmon: That makes sense. Alex is talking about? You're listening to today's issues on American Family Radio. So what are you and Bert going to talk about? This afternoon.
>> Alex McFarland: Well, we are pre recorded today and tomorrow we actually Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. And I would encourage people to maybe go back and listen on afr.net we did all of the events of Holy Week, but today, Maundy Thursday and tomorrow Good Friday, it's pre record. so. But it's all Easter related.
>> Tim Wildmon: Monday, Thursday? What are you talking about?
>> Alex McFarland: Well, Monday is a Latin word for mandatum, which, commemorates the Last Supper. And so, the command or mandate. And Jesus gave this at, at, when they had a Passover Seder together, which we call the Last Supper, he said, this is John 13:34. This is a new commandment I give you that you love one another. Now, Jesus had washed their feet. Just an amazing thing. The Son of God doing the ultimate, you know, act of humility and service. Washing their feet. And but there's another mandate associated with the resurrection of Christ, which is go into all the world and preach the Gospel. But many, many churches and very often kind of high church. If you in your church tradition have never been to a Maundy Thursday service, find one in your city and go to it tonight. It is very moving. And I want to say this, guys, you know, I love apologetics. I love good argumentation and data. But in John 13, Jesus said, By this will all men know that you're my disciples if you love one another. And I really do think that unity within the body of true believers is one of the most powerful witnesses. And maybe at this Easter season, on this Maundy Thursday, it'd be a good time to revisit the Lord's admonition that we love each other.
What should Christians do to get people back in church between Christmas and Easter
>> Chris Woodward: Hey, I have a question for you here. as you guys are well aware, a lot of people that go to church, on Christmas and Easter, they're called, you know, Christmas and
>> Tim Wildmon: Easter, they're dedicated about those two days.
>> Chris Woodward: They sure are. Sure. So a lot of people are going to be in church this Sunday for the first time in a long time. What should we, as believers, as Christians do to get them back in church or keep them in church, between this Sunday and then Christmas?
>> Tim Wildmon: You mean physically?
>> Chris Woodward: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: Like hold them, invite.
>> Chris Woodward: Well, not hold them hostage. Yeah, I mean, like, I know it's a no brainer of a question, but I have found in my experience of 25 years and working in news, sometimes you just got to ask the question to get the comment. What should we do?
>> Alex McFarland: invite people. Lifeway had a study a couple of years ago that 86% of, millennials that had no church background whatsoever, 86% said that they would strongly consider attending a church service if somebody invited them. I mean, that's almost nine out of 10. So, you know, I know it sounds simple, but, invite people. Say a prayer and invite people. it's pretty basic, but it works.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah.
>> Chris Woodward: The reason I'm asking that is because I went to, Frank Turek's Cross Examined event at the University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, earlier this week, and Frank talked about that. He said, you know, not only do we need to reach out to people and invite them, but we need to make disciples. And I thought of that because in the days immediately following Charlie Kirk's assassination, Frank was on, and we asked him, hey, what should we do to make sure that these people that are reading the Bible for the first time are to going, going to church for the first time in a long time? What should we do for them? And Frank said, get them in a Bible study. So I, I think that just adds to, Alex's point here. We not only need to invite people into church, but we need to sit down with them and take the time to make sure that they're in the Word and understanding the Word and listening to shows and, following what Ray is teaching on his website as well.
>> Alex McFarland: Amen.
Alex McFarland will preach Easter sunrise service at a North Carolina church
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, Alex, well, thanks for being on with us. We wish you a, wonderful Easter celebration and, with your lovely wife Angie there in North Carolina. And so you'll be, are you, are you preaching, Sunday? Are you going to be sitting in the, in the pew?
>> Alex McFarland: I'm doing a sunrise service and doing the morning worship at a church called Mount Pleasant. they were a United Methodist church. Now they're just an Independent Christian Church. Mount Pleasant Church, near, Greensboro, North Carolina, on the Alamance Road. So sunrise, service at 7, worship at 11. If you're in central North Carolina, come see us.
>> Tim Wildmon: Man, it just sounds like Andy Griffith's
>> Fred Jackson: going to show up.
>> Chris Woodward: Yeah, that's, that's next to Mount Pilot.
>> Alex McFarland: not far.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, Baptist church. There probably is a Mount Pilot. It probably is somewhere. All right, Alex, take care. Thank you.
>> Alex McFarland: God bless you, brothers.
>> Tim Wildmon: Bye. Bye. That's our friend, Dr. Alex McFarland. Ray, anything to add or say?
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, let me go right to Krish's question, because it is true in our churches, they're going to be people this Sunday who we haven't seen since Christmas. And besides everything else, Krish, I think your question goes to this make them feel welcome. Don't look. I heard a preacher on Easter Sunday berate people. He called them Easter lilies. We haven't seen you since Christmas.
>> Tim Wildmon: Are you serious?
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: You were there.
>> Tim Wildmon: I listened to it on tape. Oh.
>> Tim Wildmon: And I just go, so cringe worthy, huh?
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. Why would we make. They got out of bed. They could have stayed in bed.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right?
>> Tim Wildmon: They got out of bed, they dressed up, they came to Easter. Why not, you know. Yes. This is really going to work. Let's insult the people who came to worship.
>> Chris Woodward: I saw that movie. It was how to Lose a pastor in 10 days.
>> Tim Wildmon: You know, oh, my word. Let's just welcome people and let's love them and let's tell them, hey, we are glad you're here.
>> Tim Wildmon: Amen.
>> Tim Wildmon: Why don't you come back next Sunday? Because we do this every week.
>> Tim Wildmon: We'd be glad to have you.
>> Chris Woodward: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: So he just called them out right there.
>> Tim Wildmon: Called him out. I don't. I don't get that.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's the old, you know, the sermon that the pastor gives about, you know, I don't know, whatever. Nobody work in the nursery or. No, you know what I'm saying? Nobody showed up for work day. And I'm going like, you know, you know, people you're lashing out at are the people who did. Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's right.
>> Tim Wildmon: And so.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's right.
>> Tim Wildmon: Who did show up or who did do something.
Ray: I would advise pastors not to bring up tithing on Sunday
>> Chris Woodward: Ray, would you also advise pastors not to bring up tithing?
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes. This perhaps is not the best Sunday preacher message on tithing. I'd wait a few weeks. Look, we got the best news in the world. We got the, I remember in. In the church in Oak park, often didn't do this every year, but I, would, you know, Easter Sunday, I would, when it. Stand at the back of the church, you know, always do that and greet the people as they left, you know, and sometimes I'd lean over and I'd say, he's alive. Pass the word along. And they. People start smiling. He's alive. Pass the word along. Don't, don't keep it to yourself. So, hey, this is the best news in the world. Krish. He's alive. Let's. Let's don't keep it to ourselves. Let's pass the word along.
>> Tim Wildmon: Hey, who was it that. Who, was the gospel singer who made that song famous?
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, Don Francisco.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, Don Francisco.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: That is an awesome song. That name. I haven't heard that name in years. Don Francisco.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's a song that stands up well, after all.
>> Tim Wildmon: See if you can pull that up on YouTube or something. It's called He's Alive. And the name of the singer is Don Francisco. Man, that.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's just a classic.
>> Tim Wildmon: That was from the eighties, wasn't it? Or late seventies.
>> Fred Jackson: Or early.
>> Tim Wildmon: At least the eighties, right? At least the eighties, right. It's been around a long time.
>> Chris Woodward: I'm gonna go listen.
>> Tim Wildmon: It's. It's a great Easter song.
>> Tim Wildmon: The gates and doors were barred.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, you remember Those were shut.
>> Tim Wildmon: I remember the. Yo. Wow.
>> Tim Wildmon: Whatever happened to him? See, Don. Type in Don Francisco.
>> Tim Wildmon: I was with him for a pastor's conference. Pastor's retreat out in Colorado.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, this would be probably. Oh, it would be probably 8, 16, 17 years ago. And he did his song. About 40 of us there. 60 of us, and he did. He's alive. Just him and the guitar.
>> Tim Wildmon: How long is it? Can we play it? I mean, is it legal for us to put that on? It's on YouTube. Right. Well, listen, I can't think of anything better to do right now than celebrate Easter in song, so I'm going to sing for you people. You thought you were going to get down, Francisco? No.
>> Chris Woodward: You're going to let me get my pitch pipe.
>> Tim Wildmon: No. hey, let's just put it on there, start playing it, and we'll come back in a minute. a few minutes, maybe. Go ahead.
>> Speaker H: The gates and doors were barred and all the windows fastened down. I spent the night in sleeplessness Rose at every sound Half in hopeless sorrow, half in fear the day we'd find the soldiers breaking through to drag us all away. Just before the sunrise I heard something at the wall gate began to rattle A voice began to call. I hurried to the window and looked down into the street Expecting swords and torches and the sound of soldiers feet but there was no one there but Mary so I went down to let her in. John stood there beside me as she told us where she'd been she said, they've moved him in the night none of us knows where the stone's been rolled away now his body isn't there. We both ran toward the garden Then John ran on ahead. We found the stone in the empty tomb just the way that Mary said the winding sheet they'd wrapped him in was just an empty shell. How aware they'd taken him was more than I could tell. Something strange had happened there but just what I did not know. John believed a miracle But I just turned to go Circumstance and speculation couldn't lift me very high Cuz I'd seen them crucify him. Then I saw him die. Back inside the house again. The guilt and anguish came. Everything I promised him just added to my shame. Cause when it lasted came the choices I denied. I knew his name. Even if he was alive, it wouldn't be the same.
Don Francisco wrote the famous Easter song. It first came out in 1977
M Suddenly the air was filled with strange and sweet perfume. Light that came from everywhere Drove shadows from the room. Jesus stood before me with his arms held open wide. I fell down on my knees and just clung to him and cried. He raised me to my feet as I looked into his eyes. Love was shining out from him like sunlight from the skies. Guilt in my confusion disappeared in sweet release. And every fear I'd ever, ever had just melted into peace. He's alive, he's alive he's alive and I Heaven's gates are open wide. He's alive, he's alive he's alive M and I'm forgiven Heaven's gates are open wide. He's alive, he's alive he's alive and I'm forgiven Heaven's gates are open wide he's alive, he's alive, he's alive Life.
>> Fred Jackson: Hallelujah, Hallelujah that.
>> Chris Woodward: Amen.
>> Fred Jackson: Powerful.
>> Chris Woodward: That was good.
>> Fred Jackson: Powerful.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, so if you're wondering, that singer you just heard, his name is Don Francisco, and he's the author of the song. And, so he, I'm read. I, I, I, A lot of people became familiar with that song. It was either right, it was late 70s or early.
>> Tim Wildmon: It first came out in 1977.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Tim Wildmon: So.
>> Tim Wildmon: And, so it won Song of the year in, in 1980. By the, I guess maybe the Double Dove Award. Dove word, which is like Christian music Grammys. But, he was. He's still alive himself. Don francisco. He's 80 years old. Somewhere. He lives somewhere, in the U.S. i think he lives in Colorado. Anyway. There you go. That's, one of the best Easter songs you'll ever hear right there.
>> Fred Jackson: That was. That was excellent.
>> Tim Wildmon: Absolutely. Don Francisco. you're listening to Today's Issues on American Family Radio. And, I'm Tim with Krish and Fred and Ray. Krish, you got anything? We got about a minute to go here. We don't need any news to bring us down, so if you don't have anything good to say, just don't say anything at all.
>> Chris Woodward: Fred, over to you. All I've got left is negative.
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, well, then don't. We don't want to hear that.
>> Chris Woodward: Okay.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Speaker H: We.
>> Tim Wildmon: Spare us. Fred. when did you. Did you grow up in a Christian home or did you?
>> Fred Jackson: I did.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Fred Jackson: I did.
>> Tim Wildmon: I just wondered Your. Your salvation story, blessed by it,
>> Fred Jackson: grew up in a Christian home. You know, I went forward at an early age. but I did it because it was tradition. but when I was 13 years old, an evangelist by the name of Arthur Eddy came to our church when he preached. Holy Spirit got a hold of my heart, and, that's when I got saved.
>> Tim Wildmon: Never been the same since.
>> Fred Jackson: Never been the same since.
>> Tim Wildmon: Amen.
>> Fred Jackson: Amen.
American Family Association takes a timeout for news
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, we're going to take a timeout, for news and, Chris, thank you.
>> Chris Woodward: Thank you.
>> Tim Wildmon: Fred Ray and yours truly will be back in about five minutes with Steve Paisley. Jordal. Stay with us. M the views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
