The World and Everything in It - April 30, 2021

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Good morning!

The transgender revolution—from student dorms to homeless shelters to California politics. We’ll talk about it today on Culture Friday.

NICK EICHER, HOST: We will, and John Stonestreet will join us.

And we’ll bid a very fond farewell to one of our own.

BROWN: It’s Friday, April 30th. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown

And I’m Nick Eicher. Good morning!

EICHER: Now here’s the news with Kent Covington.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: U.S. economy shows more signs of strength as Washington debates big spending » The U.S. economy continues to bounce back as more American companies get back to business as usual—or at least closer to it.

The government said Thursday that the economy grew last quarter at a vigorous 6.4 percent annual rate. And new jobless claims fell last week by 13,000 to just over 550,000. That’s the lowest level since the start of the pandemic.

The rebounding economy is the backdrop for a renewed debate over Washington spending.

PELOSI: The bold investments of the American Jobs Plan, the American Families Plan invest in the foundations of our strength.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi echoing the president’s sales pitch one day earlier in front of a joint session of Congress.

Democrats say the government must keep spending big to keep the economy on track.

Republicans say with the economy getting back to its feet, it’s time for the government to get out of the way. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell:

MCCONNELL: We heard about the so-called jobs plan packed with punitive tax hikes at exactly the time our nation needs a recovery. Lower wages at the end of the day. Experts say that it would leave American workers with lower wages at the end of the day.

Senate Democrats could pass the proposed $4 trillion dollars in additional spending without any Republican votes using a process called budget reconciliation. They used the same process last month to pass the nearly $2 trillion dollar American Rescue Plan.

U.S. indicts 3 on hate crime charges in death of Ahmaud Arbery » The Justice Department brought federal hate crimes charges this week in the death of a 25-year-old black man in south Georgia. WORLD’s Leigh Jones has more.

LEIGH JONES, REPORTER: The Dept. of Justice has charged three men with hate crimes in the death of Ahmaud Arbery.

Prosecutors charged Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory, as well as William “Roddie” Bryan, with one count of interference with civil rights and attempted kidnapping.

The McMichaels are also charged with using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The father and son armed themselves, chased, and fatally shot Arbery in February of last year. They claimed he matched the description of a burglary suspect.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case the next day and swiftly arrested all three men, who remain jailed on state murder charges. They are due back in court next month.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Leigh Jones.

U.S. vows again to ban menthol flavor in cigarettes, cigars » The FDA is renewing its push to ban menthol cigarettes.

Acting Administrator Dr. Janet Woodcock said the agency will propose regulations banning the flavor in the coming year.

She said such a ban would help prevent many Americans from ever starting smoking and ...

WOODCOCK: Increase the chances of smoking cessation among current smokers, and address health disparities experienced by communities of color, low-income populations.

The Food and Drug Administration has attempted several times to get rid of menthol but faced political pushback. African American groups have been pushing the agency to try again as they say the mint flavor is especially popular among black smokers.

Thursday’s announcement is the result of a lawsuit filed by anti-smoking and medical groups last summer to force the FDA’s hand.

Any menthol ban will take years to implement and will likely face legal challenges from tobacco companies.

WV gov. signs bill protecting female school athletics » West Virginia's governor signed a bill this week that bars male athletes who identify as female from competing in girls’ and womens’ sports. WORLD’s Anna Johansen Brown reports.

ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN, REPORTER: Republican Gov. Jim Justice signed the bill into law protecting female sports in middle schools, high schools, and colleges.

The bill narrowly passed the state Senate, which had added the college component. The House of Delegates then overwhelmingly approved it.

Some lawmakers warned against the bill, noting that the NCAA could retaliate and decide not to hold college tournaments in the state.

LGBT activists are currently pressuring the NCAA Board of Governors to refuse to schedule championships in states that limit women’s sports to biologically female athletes.

GOP lawmakers in Florida have just sent a similar bill to the desk of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Anna Johansen Brown.

India sets another global record amid virus surge » India set another global record in new COVID-19 cases Thursday.

The country has set a global record for seven of the past eight days with a rolling average of nearly 350,000 infections.

The Health Ministry also reported more than 3,600 deaths in only 24 hours. But those numbers are likely vastly underreported.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said the White House has been in touch with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

SHRINGLA: President Biden spoke to prime minister. He offered extensive assistance.

Beginning today, the United States is sending more than $100 million worth of items, including 1,000 oxygen cylinders, 15 million N95 masks and 1 million rapid COVID-19 tests.

Australia and several European countries have also promised help, and Russia sent two aircraft carrying oxygen machines.

All adults in India are now allowed to register on a government app for vaccinations. But social media were flooded with complaints the app had crashed and that appointments were available.

I’m Kent Covington.

Culture Friday is up next.

And then a special sendoff for one of our own.

This is The World and Everything in It.

MYRNA BROWN, REPORTER: It’s Friday, April 30th, 2021.

Glad to have you along for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

As we passed the symbolic 100-day mark for the presidency of Joe Biden, let’s think back to the one-day or one-week mark: when the new president signed a big stack of executive orders.

I’ll call attention to three stories WORLD reported online over the past week that have to do with the administration’s transgender mandate that continues to roll through federal agencies.

Two of the stories have to do with the housing agency known as HUD, the acronym for Housing and Urban Development. One HUD policy concerns sex-segregated student housing, even at private, religious schools.

A second HUD policy concerns sex-segregated housing for homeless shelters that accept federal funding. Both instances involve placing biological males (specifically, such biological males who claim a female gender identity) into living spaces reserved for biological females.

The third story has to do with HHS—Health and Human Services. That massive agency has moved to strip religious conscience protections from Catholic hospitals. These protected religious hospitals who shielded doctors from having to perform gender-transition procedures. Now the protections are gone.

Three significant developments in just one week.

BROWN: It’s time now to welcome John Stonestreet. He’s president of the Colson Center and host of the Breakpoint podcast. John, good morning.

JOHN STONESTREET, GUEST: Good morning.

EICHER: So maybe you were wondering how long before we started seeing the practical effects of the flood of President Biden’s executive orders, and clearly we’re seeing the effects now.

But I was struck by these three stories popping up one after the other online at WORLD.

For you, John, another story related to this transgender thread, but it comes from Canada, a story about a prisoner of conscience, as his lawyer calls him. He’s a father whose daughter, without his knowledge or consent, received cross-sex hormones at age 14 because she identifies as a boy. This was two years ago. The dad raised a ruckus and found himself on the wrong end of the law because he broke a court ordered ban on talking publicly about his case. Now he’s flat-out engaged in civil disobedience, talking openly about his experience and going to jail for doing so.

OK. Question: Are we at or near this point in this country, do you think, where we have to consider the cost of objecting to this agenda, John, and risk jail or lesser sanctions to stand for conscience?

STONESTREET: Well, no, we're not far off at all. And I think now would be a time—maybe yesterday would be a better time—to have kind of thought this through. What are those things we're willing to be fired over? What are those things that we're willing to lose our freedoms over?

And, you know, what I see right now is kind of broadly a grand experiment in missing the point where, for example, churches are advising their people on issues that have already largely been decided by culture. But on these culturally controversial issues, not willing to go one way or the other because of fear of whatever reciprocity they might face. And that's not adequately preparing people to make the sort of decisions that this dad here in Canada is clearly having to make.

The other thing is, is when you put this in line with the three executive orders this week that you mentioned from the Biden administration, it's important to keep in mind that those executive orders would have been unthinkable under President Obama. And so when you look at how unthinkable it is to think of a dad being imprisoned for talking about it, and being told you can’t say your opinion. And we think that's unthinkable here in America. Just remember what was unthinkable yesterday that's thinkable today, in the form of these three executive orders.

EICHER: Yeah, speaking of unthinkable—interesting political drama unfolding in California with the famous Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner, now very well known as transgender celebrity Caitlyn Jenner, getting involved in the effort to recall the governor of California Gavin Newsom.

Puts the handful of Republicans in the state in an odd position. They don’t like Newsom, but maybe we’ll start hearing about the Never Jenner movement. Life comes at you fast.

STONESTREET: I think this tells you far more about the state of the Republican Party in California than it does anything else. If this is the best option, you have to throw you know on the list, it kind of tells you about the state of the Republican Party more broadly in 2016. Of all those candidates, Donald Trump's the one that not only wins, but wins head and shoulders above everybody else. I mean, the fact that the the only people that can win right now on the right are people that have the this kind of, you know, celebrity popularity, and I get part of it is has to do with the fact that they have to overcome so much media headwinds.

But at the same time, I mean, look, Bruce Jenner would be a terrible candidate. You know, I mean, Randy Quaid jumped in this week. You know, I mean, that's the, you know, as I tweeted, that's the gift that keeps on giving all year round, which some of you will get. This is just a ridiculous moment, and it proves maybe that Neil Postman ultimately was the best social critic of the last 50 years, that this is what happens when entertainment takes over the world. And then entertainment gets hijacked in the name of social causes and political causes.

But there is something to say about someone who disbelieves in things that are observable realities. And especially someone who completely won the fame and the accolades that he did, because of his maleness, because of his testosterone levels, because of his ability to take advantage of the increased bone density and oxygen transfer rates and all the other things that separate men from women, athletically. Even though, you know, he now dresses in fancy dresses, someone who can't put reality together any better than that should not be the good guy because he's on our side. And that's going to be a test for California Republicans.

BROWN: The actor Will Smith, his wife Jada and their two young adult children are huge cultural influencers. Episodes of their Facebook talk show have gotten up to 40 million views. On a recent episode, Willow Smith, who is 20 years old, announced she’s polyamorous. Polyamory is of course, the practice of intimate and consensual relationships with more than one partner. The reason behind this choice she says is “the freedom to be able to create a relationship style that works for you and not just stepping into monogamy because that’s what everyone around you says is the right thing to do.”

Then in response, you see reactions from the mom and grandmother. Mom says, anything goes as long as the intentions are clear. Grandma says, she’s considered indulging in polyamory, too.

Now, I teach women—and younger women—at my church along the Titus 2 model, which is older women teaching the younger women. Do you see this as a trend, though, today, where older women are abandoning the Titus 2 model, and not just that, but doing the opposite—appearing to be taught the new morality of the younger?

STONESTREET: There's so many things wrong with this story, it's hard to know where to begin. I wish I could just say that that was the issue. But it clearly is one of the issues that the there is a new form of what Lewis called chronological snobbery at work in the new sexual orthodoxy. That the clarity that older generations may or may not have had when it comes to things like sexual orientation and gender identity is suddenly lost. And because of the new fads, and oftentimes it has to do with the kid I don't know, for example, a single popular evangelical figure that has changed his mind or her mind on sexual issues, that hasn't had a personal experience driving it, and typically a family member that has identified as gay or lesbian or transgender. It's interesting how our thinking capacity is just, you know, stunted by all of this. So, consider again Willow Smith, who by the way, makes a new—and now the thing that needs to be known—she makes a new announcement every few months about something sexual. And to think that it is not somewhat connected with driving her career, I think would be, you know, well, you know, got some oceanfront property in Arizona as the great country song says.

But we'll make the announcement that she's polyamorous at age 20. She's not old enough to be polyamorous in that sense, which has to do with long term committed relationships that are, you know—we have reality shows about polyamory. It's kind of a non-chauvinistic form of polygamy. It's allowing kind of reduced down committed love and marriage to just two, why not have three or four or five? I mean, well, she doesn't have this experience. So everyone should immediately go, polyamory—and any of the new sexual words that we're being forced to learn right now against our will—is above all a statement of practice. It's got to be something you do.

In other words, wanting to do it one day doesn't make you polyamorous, any more than wanting to be an Olympic athlete one day makes you an Olympian. But she's saying that because she wants to do it one day, that's how she is now. Everyone should immediately be able to tell the difference there. Everyone should immediately be able to say she's taking something that's a behavior and turning it into an identity. You know, that's just not, you know, a legitimate category of a human being, unfortunately. But again, her her mother's not able to do that or her grandmother, whoever you said it was. It's it is a failure. Across the board.

EICHER: John Stonestreet is president of the Colson Center and host of the Breakpoint podcast. Good to talk, John. See you next week!

STONESTREET: Thank you both.

BROWN: Thanks, John.

NICK EICHER, HOST: A young couple strolling through an art exhibit in South Korea noticed a very large, unframed painting. The piece by American graffiti artist John Andrew Perello, known as JonOne, is valued at $440,000.

Part of the display included paint cans and brushes underneath the canvas. The couple took that as an invitation, like an interactive art exhibit.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Uh oh.

EICHER: But now the artwork has a little fence around it with a sign that says, “Do not touch.” And thanks to the notoriety, the piece is drawing something else: and that’s record crowds!

Uh oh is right! But, yeah, graffiti, you know? The couple added several bold brush strokes of their own in stark, black paint. Completely oblivious to what you’d ordinarily consider vandalism!

Police questioned the couple and it was obvious they had no idea what they’d done. A clear mistake. So neither the artist nor exhibit organizer pressed charges.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Friday, April 30, last day of the month, and you’re listening to The World and Everything in It. Glad to have you along with us today. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

Well, if you’ve been a long time listener, and I mean, long time, as in, from the very beginning, maybe you remember the first-ever appearance of Megan Basham here. Because her first-ever appearance coincided with the program’s first-ever appearance.

Megan was on Program Number One: August 6th, 2011. 10 years ago this summer. She reviewed Captain America.

BASHAM: It's something we've seen with Batman, with Spider Man, it's become a lot of part of what is the new marker of a superhero is self questioning, not sure about their patriotism. And that's been very different with this movie. Though it's interesting because it seems like the director is trying to distance himself from what's obviously in Captain America.

DIRECTOR: I think the character of Steve Rogers just has an innocence about him that is the most American thing about him. You know, it's not a propaganda tool, and we're not waving the flag or anything. It's about this guy who just wants to do the right thing.

BASHAM: And you know, he may be saying that because at this point, international box office is so important, but I would say that anybody who sees it is not for a minute got a question whether or not this is a flag-waving patriotic movie, regardless of that comment.

EICHER: Megan, thanks. Appreciate your work.

BASHAM: You too. Thanks so much, Nick. [MUSIC]

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Now, Megan’s been across all of our platforms, this podcast, our digital product, starting out with WORLD Magazine, our print product. Megan’s been a constant source of excellence, which we obviously recognized here, but it’s come to the attention of others who also recognize her excellence.

EICHER: Yeah, that’s the regrettable thing about it. Our competitors listen and recognize that excellence, too! Which leads me to the news I’ve been dreading all week but have to share with you.

Megan received a great offer from The Daily Wire,the conservative media company founded by Ben Shapiro and Jeremy Boreing. Have a lot of respect for those men. And I’m just as proud of Megan as I am sad to tell you that she’s accepted their offer, and she’s going to take on what will be for her an exciting new challenge at The Daily Wire. And, well, that just means today’s her last day here at WORLD.

BROWN: Which is awesome for them, but definitely a loss for us.

And we are not going to let her go without a proper farewell. And so we will take some time here to do that and to wish her well.

Our radio colleagues now telling how much Megan’s meant to them.

First, Emily Whitten, our book reviewer:

Megan, thank you for all that you have done for the WORLD family! For years now, I’ve used the phrase, “But Megan said…” as a trump card in family entertainment choices. More than that, your reviews provided great worldview training for my kids and their friends. They don’t remember a time you weren’t speaking into their lives, modeling how to take every thought captive to God’s Word. So, Megan, thank you...for all those late night movie screenings. Thank you for being a forgiving coworker and inspiring me to stand for Truth. I pray that God will continue to use you for His kingdom.

EICHER: Senior reporter Kim Henderson:

HENDERSON: In 2017 I got to go on a reporting trip to Washington, DC, where I met up with several other WORLD writers. This was my first time to actually meet members of the WORLD team that I had read and listened to for years, including Megan, so I was pretty awestruck. The very first afternoon we got our press badges at the Capitol, and I was having a hard time keeping step with the group because I was wearing heels. And Megan noticed. She pulled a pair of flip flops out of her purse and handed them over. Just like that. And she’s continued to be considerate and kind to her friend with faulty footwear ever since. I’m really sad to see you go, Megan, but I want to thank you for years of instructive articles, reviews, interviews, and tweets. Like the tribe of Issachar, you’ve helped me understand the times, even when I didn’t want to. Above all, you’ve encouraged us to test everything, and hold fast to what is good. Thank you. You will be greatly missed.

BROWN: And here’s senior reporter Katie Gaultney:

GAULTNEY: Megan, I hate goodbyes. I know that’s corny, but it’s true! Change is hard. We have only actually been in the same room three times that I can think of, but whether in person, over the phone, or online, I always felt a connection to you as a fellow mom of young kids. I’ve had moments sitting outside a softball practice or ballet rehearsal writing a script or emailing a source, wondering if you were doing something similar. You’ve been a champion of others and a keen observer of our culture, and I know you’ll continue to be those in your next chapter. Speaking of chapters… just don’t let your new role distract you from that book I want you to write!

EICHER: Tim Lamer’s worked with Megan for the longest time here at WORLD. He was her editor for the magazine, and is now executive editor in charge of WORLD Digital and oversees news coverage on the radio side:

LAMER: I remember when Megan first started at WORLD. We knew right away we had the best movie reviewer in the business. She’s proven that over and over again. Another great thing about Megan is her confidence and courage. She stands up for biblical principles. I could go to her as a sounding board when I wanted to think through a difficult issue. We’re really gonna miss her.

BROWN: Now for our newsman, Kent Covington.

COVINGTON: Hi, Megan, Kent here. Well this is certainly bittersweet. I know the Lord has a lot of great things planned for you in your future. But I certainly hate to see you go. I'm going to miss hearing your voice on this program. Your skill as a movie reviewer, I think, is unmatched. And of course, the energy you've brought to our team, your character, your humility, your work ethic—all of it will be missed greatly. So please accept my thanks for all your efforts here, and many blessings to you and the Basham family.

EICHER: Next, reporter Bonnie Pritchett:

PRITCHETT: Hi, Megan, you have been a valuable source of discernment in our home when it comes to deciding what movies and other programming to watch … or not. I have a degree in Radio-Television-and-Film and thought, perhaps, I could fill in for you when you took time off. I was wrong. Your reviews mine the depths of story nuance. That only comes from years of experience undergirded by your knowledge and application of God’s word in each review. I pray you will continue being salt and light at The Daily Wire. I also look forward to hearing Ben Shapiro bash the Basham in an upcoming Zip Recruiter endorsement! May God bless you and your family.

BROWN: Here’s Sarah Schweinsberg!

SCHWEINSBERG: Megan, I have you to thank for many a wonderful movie night. I’ve looked forward to your witty and insightful reviews each Friday for the past several years. They have been the icing on the cake after a week of programs for me and so many of our listeners.

I also want to personally thank you for giving me a chance to start writing my own movie reviews a couple of years ago. I had no experience, but you gave me a shot anyway and provided excellent coaching along the way.

Overall, you’ve taught me to look for what is redeemable in our culture’s stories and that all truth is God’s truth, whether we know it or not.

EICHER: Managing Editor Leigh Jones:

JONES: Editing your reviews has been a highlight of my Thursday mornings for nearly three years. I appreciate your insight, your humor, and your love for all things beautiful and good. Thanks for always being willing to chat with me about the latest family friendly offerings suitable for the 7-year-old set. Who will I turn to now for advice on all-important things like the best Little Women film adaptation? Who will commiserate with me over the trials of being a dance mom? I’m really going to miss you, and I know our listeners will as well.

EICHER: Our executive producer Paul Butler would’ve recorded something, but he’s recovering today from Covid but it’s hit him pretty hard. He’s doing better, but he’s really working to regain his strength today. For Paul, I’ll just repeat some of what he said in our team meeting last week. Paul recalled that at our live events, to which I can attest as well, we had two people everybody swarmed. Mary Reichard was one. Megan was the other. Listeners responded to her reviews, because of the content, but also because of who she is. Even if a listener might disagree and sometimes a listener will disagree, listeners know Megan is trustworthy and really wrestles with issues from a mature Biblical worldview.

Paul said that, Megan, we will miss you for who you are and what you added to our team. Thank you for selflessly serving and encouraging us in our work.

You are one of the stars, but constantly pushing other people out front. We honor you for that and we wish you well.

BROWN: Get better, Paul! And now, Mary Reichard:

REICHARD: Megan, when we first started co-hosting together, we’d crack up and chit chat a bit more than some listeners liked. In fact, one wrote to complain that we sounded like “clucking hens.” We just owned that! And then we just took it off line!

I have wonderful memories with you. Transitions are just part of the deal in Iife. That doesn’t make it less painful. To me, you are the smart little sister I never had, with the artful phrase and literary references. And way more hip to the culture than I’ll ever be!

May the Lord bless you, and let’s keep in touch. I’m still going to need a sounding board for life! And remember, it’s my idea for a podcast that over at Daily Wire. You’ll be “Klavan and the Movie Maven.” I want credit for that!

BROWN: Megan, I was an admirer and consumer of your work, even before I became a “Worldling” as our editor in chief likes to call us. “Honey, what movie are we watching this weekend? Well Megan said….” That’s how my husband and I start many of our Saturday night entertainment conversations. You are a critical thinker. You ask questions that make us think and your words are grounded in Truth. And I like your style. Thank you for your support and encouragement. It has been a joy to co-host with you. I miss you already. See you at the next retreat.

EICHER: When Megan called me to talk to me about this—well, I’m still not quite over it. But I said to her something along these lines: Megan, you’re a valuable colleague, a true professional, highly versatile, great writer and thinker, talented broadcaster, and a committed believer able to communicate Christian worldview with grace and truth.

I’m excited for you, but, Megan, you’ll remember the title I asked you to retain, and it’s First Lady of WORLD Watch. Your husband Brian Basham is every bit the pro you are and he’s doing a great job building our video news for young students, so we’ll consider you the FLOW, the First Lady of WORLD Watch. So check out anytime you like, as the Eagles would say, but you can never leave!

MEGAN BASHAM: It’s probably not surprising given my line of work that I often picture significant moments in my life as movie scenes. This week, as I was reflecting on the past 15 years with World, my mind kept going back to this opening scene:

I’m in India on a reporting trip for another outlet. On a bumpy bus ride somewhere between Hyderabad and Kerala, my roommate, Jamie Dean, who I’ve only met a couple of days before, shares that her magazine is in need of film critics. She suggests I reach out. I think, why not? I’ve always liked World. And maybe, if I’m lucky, my connection with Jamie will result in a few freelance assignments. When I return home, I submit a review of the Brad Pitt political drama, Babel (I don’t recommend it, by the way). That review leads to another and another. And within a couple of months, I receive this note from Marvin Olasky:

“Megan, I like the reviews you're doing, so I'm curious…What do you want to do over the next several years? What's your calling? What do you want to do with your life?”

No big deal—easy questions, right?! Well, I didn’t exactly know the answers, but the Lord did. And His kindness to me since that bus ride has been great indeed. I went from being a solitary gig writer (before the gig economy was even a thing!) to being a part of a news family who taught me what a commitment to Biblically objective journalism looks like in practice.

Working on this podcast has blessed me with beloved sisters like Mary, Myrna, Leigh, Kim, Emily, Katie, and Bonnie. I’ve had so much fun laughing like kids at a slumber party with all of them. And also a host of brothers like Tim, Paul, Kent, Johnny, Carl, and Nick (sometimes I think of Nick more as the dad, but I think he’ll like brother better, so let’s go with that).

And like all families, as I’ve grown up, my role has changed. In recent years I’ve had the chance to be the advice-dispensing cool aunt—okay, maybe just advice-dispensing aunt—to talented young reporters and producers like Sarah, Anna, and Kristen.

And even in my leaving, God’s graciousness to me has continued in that He allowed my husband, Brian, to come into the fold before I left. So that even if my daily work will happen elsewhere now, I’ll still feel a part of the family and have every intention of crashing the next company retreat. And that feels appropriate because the relationships I’ve built here are eternal.

NICK EICHER, HOST: It really does take a dedicated team to put this program together and deliver it to you each morning.

Thanks are in order:

Anna Johansen Brown, Janie B. Cheaney, Kent Covington, Jamie Dean, Katie Gaultney, Jill Nelson, Onize Ohikere, Mary Reichard, Sarah Schweinsberg, Cal Thomas, Lynn Vincent, and Steve West.

And  Megan Basham.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Johnny Franklin and Carl Peetz are our audio engineers. Leigh Jones is managing editor. Paul Butler is executive producer. And Marvin Olasky is editor in chief.

And you! You’ve made it possible for us to bring Christian journalism to the marketplace of ideas. Thank you!

The Apostle Paul wrote to followers of Jesus Christ: "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil. 1:6)

Have a great weekend, and worship with your brothers and sisters in Christ.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.