The World and Everything in It: February 4, 2025

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Good morning!

Tearful family reunions over the weekend as three more Israeli hostages return home.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Also today the U-S role in promoting religious liberty around the world.

And later, an air traffic controller talks about last week’s crash:

BRANDT: It's tough on him. He was doing his job. He'll keep thinking about himself, “What could I have done different?”

EICHER: Also Andrew Walker of WORLD Opinions on loving our own and our neighbor.

REICHARD: It’s Tuesday, February 4th. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

EICHER: And I’m Nick Eicher. Good morning!

REICHARD: Time for news. Here’s Kent Covington.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR:  U.S.-Mexico tariffs pause » Both Canada and Mexico backed down, just hours before what would have been the start of a tariff war with the United States.

Leaders from the neighboring countries spoke with President Trump on Monday, and agreed to major concessions on border security.

President Trump said of Mexico:

TRUMP:  And they've agreed to put in 10,000 soldiers permanently, 10, 000 soldiers at their side of the border and stop fentanyl and illegal aliens from coming into our country.

And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his country is implementing a $1.3 billion-dollar border security plan with nearly 10,000 frontline personnel working their side of the U.S.-Canada border.

All three countries have agreed to pump the brakes on imposing 25 percent tariffs for at least one month while they hammer out the details.

Trump advisor Alina Habba put it this way:

HABBA:  They are capitulating to the fact that we have strong leadership that says you're not going to be dumping fentanyl criminals and all kinds of illegal activity into our country anymore.

In the weeks ahead, Canada and Mexico will work together with the White House to hammer out the details on border security measures while also talking about trade.

Hegseth to border » Meantime, at the U.S. southern border Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth paid a visit on Monday, meeting with law enforcement, Border Patrol, and military leaders at Ft. Bliss.

HEGSETH:  Mission accomplished means 100 percent operational control of the border. Right now that means a surge of manpower. That means you've seen thousands of active duty and National Guard troops come to the border with additional assets and systems that allow us to surveil.

More than 1,500 active duty troops have already been sent to the border following President Trump's orders. Another 1, 000 will soon be deployed on border related missions.

Hegseth was joined near El Paso, Texas by border czar Tom Homan, who touted new cooperation between federal law enforcement agencies.

HOMAN:  This is a game changer. We will finally succeed and have an operational control of our southern border with this president in charge and my partnership with Pete Hegg said, we're going to make this happen. We will not fail.

Homan said the most dangerous illegal immigrants, such as members of violent gangs could be held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The US has had a migrant detention facility there for decades.

DOGE Treasury access » Democrats want to block the independent Department of Government Efficiency — or DOGE for short from accessing the Treasury Department’s payment systems. And they’re working on —largely symbolic— legislation that would do just that.

DOGE, led by business titan Elon Musk is an independent office commissioned by the Trump administration to identify wasteful spending.

But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says:

SCHUMER:  Let's be very clear, DOGE is not a real government agency. It has no authority to make spending decisions. It has no authority to shut programs down or ignore federal law.

And indeed, DOGE can only provide recommendations to the government.

Democrats say the Treasury Department info is too sensitive for a non-government office to access.

But Republicans argue that DOGE needs that access to identify waste and fraud and to ensure government transparency.

USAID  » And DOGE and Republicans say an entire government agency is a waste of money. That is the U.S. Agency for International Development — or USAID.

The agency distributes millions of dollars of humanitarian aid overseas.

But GOP Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne says:

VAN DUYNE:  Look at that 1. 5 million they're spending in Serbia, you know, on trans stuff and on DEI things and I'm looking at the tens of thousands of dollars that they're spending in Ireland and other places that has nothing to do with what the fund is for.

The Trump administration says it plans to shut down USAID as an independent agency and merge it into the State Department. Trump says that will streamline its services and cut down on bureaucracy.

But Democratic lawmakers gathered outside the agency's Washington headquarters to protest the move. They call it an assault on an agency that saves lives.

Philly crash latest » In Pennsylvania, authorities say investigators are hard at work trying to determine what caused a medical plane to plunge to the earth last week in Philadelphia.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said among the outstanding questions: Were there mechanical problems? Might the pilot have suffered a medical emergency?

DUFFY:  All factors that even though this crash was so devastating, uh, there are remains, whether it's the engines, the wings that they can look at and get answers to what took place here.

All six people aboard the plane were killed, as well as one person on the ground.

And officials say the number of people injured from the explosion now stands at 24, including two still in critical condition.

D.C. aircraft collision latest » And in the nation’s capital, a grim task for salvage crews. Assistant Fire Chief Gary Steen:

STEEN:  We have positively identified 55 sets of remains during recovery and salvage operations today. Additional human remains were located. These remains, as well as remains that have been recovered previously, are in the process of being positively identified.

Sixty-seven people were killed when an Army helicopter flew into the path of a commercial jet preparing to land at Washington’s Reagan National Airport.

The question investigators are still trying to answer is why was the helicopter flying at the wrong altitude?

Col. Mark Ott is deputy director of aviation for the Army.

OTT: There are, there are all kinds of reasons that you could deviate from an altitude. You know, something as simple as a flock of birds is in front of you, or you may deviate if you, you see something that's a, uh, an obstacle or other threat to your flight.

Salvage crews on Monday pulled the jet’s fuselage from the Potomac River. Today, they’ll work to recover the cockpit.

I’m Kent Covington.

This is The World and Everything in It.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: It’s Monday the 4th of February.

This is WORLD Radio and we thank you for listening. Good morning, I’m Mary Reichard.

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

First up on The World and Everything in It, long awaited reunions.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has now been in place for more than two weeks. Just this past weekend Hamas released three more of the Oct 7th hostages, bringing the total number to 18. Here’s WORLD Reporter Travis Kircher.

TRAVIS KIRCHER: On October 7th 2023, members of the terror group Hamas crossed the Israel/Gaza border and slaughtered 1,200 people, taking another 250 hostage. Since then, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari says the IDF has been focused on one thing:

HAGARI: Our mission has been clear: bring home all the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

When the temporary ceasefire was declared on January 19th, that mission came a step closer to being reality. Three steps, actually.

HAGARI: Today, as part of these ongoing efforts, we welcomed home three hostages – three young women – after 471 days in Hamas captivity.

Those women—24-year-old Romi Gonen, 28-year-old Emily Damari, and 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher—were the first to be freed under the ceasefire.

SOUND: [Helicopter landing]

Hamas militants released them into the custody of the Red Cross, and the three were flown by helicopter to a hospital near Tel Aviv. Supporters celebrated outside as the chopper landed.

SOUND: [Supporters outside hospital]

Inside the hospital, the three women were reunited with their loved ones. Audio here of Romi Gonen hugging her mother for the first time in more than 15 months.

SOUND: [Romi Gonen reunites with mom]

As she weeps, Gonen can be heard saying in Hebrew, “I made it home alive, Dad. I made it home alive.”

All three of the women were in stable condition. Damari’s mother spoke with reporters:

DAMARI: I’m delighted to be able to tell you that Emily is in high spirits and on the road to recovery.

Less than a week later, on Saturday, January 25^th:

SOUND: [Liri Albag reunites with family]

19-year-old Liri Albag was reunited with her family. Albag is one of four additional female hostages released by Hamas. The others include Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, and Naama Levy, all 20 years old.

But last Thursday, when the third group of hostages was released, the ceasefire briefly hit a snag.

SOUND: [Chaotic crowds outside hostage release]

Hamas released eight hostages—three Israelis and five Thai SOUNDionals. The Israelis included 29-year-old Arbel Yehoud, 19-year-old Agam Berger, and 80-year-old Gadi Moshe. The hostages were shoved by armed and masked Hamas militants through a crowd of thousands of shouting Palestinians.

NETANYAHU: [Speaking in Hebrew]

Speaking here, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the display, calling it shocking and warning that anyone who harms the hostages risks his own blood. Netanyahu briefly threatened to withhold the release of additional Palestinian prisoners, but those releases continued.

The freed Thai hostages are said to be in fair condition. Here’s a Thai government spokesman:

BALANKURA: Although they look to be in good health, they seem to be in good health, they have been in captivity for 15 months so it really depends on their physical condition.

Meanwhile…

SOUND: [Crowds cheer released Palestinian prisoners]

While Hamas releases its hostages a few at a time, Israel frees hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. A crowd surrounded a Red Cross bus in the West Bank Saturday as it delivered more than two dozen freed prisoners, one of whom was Osama Asida.

ASIDA: [Speaking in Arabic]

Speaking here, Asida says it’s indescribable to be back with his friends and family, as well as the Palestinian people. He goes on to say he’s praying for the rest of his fellow prisoners to be freed.

Back in Israel, as more hostages are released, the family members of those still in captivity hope that their loved ones might be next.

SIEGEL: We don’t know anything—nothing—about Keith …

That’s Aviva Siegel. WORLD listeners may recall that we spoke with her back in November about her husband, Israeli American Keith Siegel. Keith and Aviva were kidnapped by Hamas from their home on the Kfar Aza kibbutz during the October 7th attacks. Aviva was released 51 days later during the brief ceasefire in November of 2023. When she last saw her husband, he was unresponsive. She told WORLD late last year that she yearned to have her husband home.

SIEGEL: And we just can’t wait—can’t wait—to give him a hug, and to put him into a clean bed after a shower with a good meal, with a good cup of water. I can’t wait, I’m telling you. I just can’t wait, I can’t wait.

On Saturday, that wait came to an end as Aviva watched video footage of her husband Keith—gaunt but alive—being marched to a Red Cross vehicle for release.

SOUND: [Aviva reacts]

Later on Saturday, Keith finally reunited with his wife Aviva as well as his children including his three daughters.

SOUND: [Keith’s daughters cheer]

Also released were 54-year-old French Israeli Ofer Kalderon and 35-year-old Yarden Bibas. After meeting with his family, Kalderon waved to well-wishers outside.

SOUND: [Friends of Ofer Kalderon cheer him on]

But Bibas’s reunion was more subdued.

SOUND: [Bibas reunion]

Bibas hugs his father and sister, but many of his family are missing. His wife Shiri was also kidnapped by Hamas, as were his two children, 2-year-old Kfir and 5-year-old Ariel—the youngest hostages taken on October 7th. They remain unaccounted for.

Today is Day 16 of the ongoing, fragile ceasefire. Thus far, 18 hostages have been freed, with Hamas expected to release a total of 33 by the end of Phase One of the ceasefire in early March. Israel has already released nearly 600 Palestinian prisoners.

When Phase One ends, Israel and Hamas will have the option to resume fighting or negotiate an extension. Many family members are hoping both parties will opt to negotiate, paving the way for more reunions like these to continue.

SOUND: [Tearful reunion]

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Travis Kircher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: Religious freedom.

It’s a key U.S. foreign policy priority. The Office of International Religious Freedom goes back to 1998 when President Bill Clinton signed a law that created an ambassador-level position responsible to address violations.

NICK EICHER, HOST: How is the U.S. using its influence to stand up for oppressed religious minority groups around the world?

Joining us now is Sam Brownback…he served as a U.S. senator from Kansas until he became governor. When he left the governor’s mansion in 2018 … President Trump named him Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom. He’s co-chairing that organization’s annual summit meeting today and tomorrow in Washington.

REICHARD: Governor, good morning!

SAM BROWNBACK: Good morning. Mary. Great to join you.

REICHARD: So glad you're here. Well, President Trump has not yet nominated anyone to fill the position of ambassador at large for International Religious Freedom. You have a deep knowledge of the job, though, so tell us about it and why it's necessary in today's world.

BROWNBACK: What the job really entails is using the United States to push for this basic human right that's in Article 18 of the UN Charter of Human Rights. That's our first amendment right to free exercise. That's, I think, the human right that God gave us, the human right of the soul to choose whatever you want to do with your own faith, with your own beliefs, with your own eternal soul. Yet many governments around the world stomp on this right, and particularly totalitarians, they hate it, and the communists absolutely fight with it. China's at war with faith. So it's one of those very key, clear things that the United States can stand for as a human right that touches the entire world and that really sets us off against our enemies as being different. We view this as a fundamental right. They view it as an existential threat, and it's clear to me that most of the world sides with us on this ideology, and not with China, the communists and the dictatorial regimes around the world.

REICHARD: After your term as ambassador, President Biden appointed the first Muslim to fill the role . Did that White House do anything differently from the first Trump administration?

BROWNBACK: They didn't nullify a lot of the programs that we started. So we started an international religious freedom of belief alliance of nations. And when we started, there was 17 in it. There's over 40 in it. Now that continued. So they that grew during that period of time, they continued to support religious freedom. It just it wasn't a top priority issue. They said, it's a it's a right of other rights. We would push it as a central right and pursuit of freedom. So I, you know, I think they continued other things. I didn't think Rashad Hussein, Ambassador Hussein got much top cover. He didn't get much help from the president or the vice president or the secretary of state, and that really hurts in this role. When, when you travel around the world, if they don't think you're getting backing from the top people, they just really don't do much. If they think you are getting cover from the top people, and they're concerned, they'll listen and they'll do a lot more.

REICHARD: Let's talk about some good news now, always like to have that in there. Where is the U.S. really helping to protect religious freedom, either here or abroad?

BROWNBACK: You know, really by standing up for it. President Trump did a fabulous job on this his first term. He held the first ever meeting at the UN on religious freedom with world leaders. Nobody else has ever done that before. We hosted at the State Department the first ever religious freedom summits of foreign ministers from around the world to talk about this fundamental right. So I look and I hope for a continuation of that. And my real hope is that the Trump administration will say we're going to relaunch the global human rights movement, because it's fallen in such disrepair the last 20 years, and it's going down. Human rights have been declining over the last 20 years. We're going to relaunch it around the fundamental rights in the UN Declaration, and we're going to make the cornerstone religious freedom. It's the freedom of freedoms. You can build your other freedom of assembly and freedom of speech around this one, if you can get this one right. And my hope is that you're going to see those sort of actions coming out of the White House, how the State Department Marco Rubio has been a strong champion of religious freedom on a going forward basis.

REICHARD: Well, speaking of President Trump, when his first action was to order a 90 day pause in foreign aid payments, the plan is for federal agencies to do a review on how organizations are spending that money around the world and make sure American dollars actually are doing good and not harm. I do wonder, though, what this pause means for nonprofits that do religious freedom work internationally. What do you think?

BROWNBACK: It’s had some impact. There's no, there's no question about it. We're hearing from different groups. But I also I tell people say, Look, this is early on. This is not an unusual thing for a new administration to come in and say, Look, wait, we want to review everything. And, you know, let's, let's hope that these groups that do human rights work get, get supported. But you know, President Trump was brought in to really shake Washington up. That's if, if there's one message he ran on that people heard it was that, you know, I'm, I'm going to shake the swamp up, and they expect it to happen. And I think that's some of what you're seeing.

REICHARD: Are there any programs though, that you think the U.S. should permanently stop funding based on what you know?

BROWNBACK: There was any number of federal grants that I looked at even while I was in State Department, going, why are we doing this? And, you know, somebody would say, well, this group has worked with us on this for a long period of time, and you're just kind of going, if you tried to explain that in the coffee shop in Topeka, Kansas to people, good luck. I'm getting out of there alive, you know, because they just look at that and say, that is a complete waste of my money. You'd be far better to bring it back and say, Okay, what are you really after? We're really after religious freedom. We're really after clean water. We're really after basic health issues. We're after supporting children and then all the other stuff. Just say, You know what? Maybe nice might be good for somebody to do it. We're not doing it, and we're out of here.

REICHARD: I’m wondering, Governor, WORLD’s listeners are praying people … Is there a prayer that you hope that we would offer up?

BROWNBACK: I, my prayer at night has often been that the United States would use its power and influence to open these gates of religious freedom around the world. I mean, you talk about a gift that the United States can give to the world. It would be to allow people of faith to freely pursue what their heart directs them to do. I also pray often that the United States would would continue to be a restrainer of evil in the world.

REICHARD: Sam Brownback is the former ambassador at large for International Religious Freedom, and is co chair of the IRF Summit in Washington this week.

Governor, thank you for your time.

BROWNBACK: Thank you, Mary.

NICK EICHER, HOST: We humans are a competitive bunch. We’ll even compete over who can sound the most like an animal.

Case in point: The national stag-calling championship in Germany.

This is audio from a trade fair in Dortmund where hunters impersonate red deer. They’re using ox horns and snail shells to do it, even hollow plant stems.

WENZEL: The fascinating thing is to play with the stags in the rut and look if they are coming, if they are not coming, and what they do and what they will do.

And there’s your stag-nificent winner, Fabian Wenzel, making sure he didn’t stag-nate—claiming his fifth straight title and punching his ticket to the European Championships.

REICHARD: Good thing he didn’t go all deer in the headlights.

EICHER: Oh, yeah, he never gets stuck in a rut.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Tuesday, February 4th.

Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

A quick note of correction, yesterday we commemorated the anniversary of the 1960 Woolworth’s lunch-counter sit-in and got the math wrong.

It was 65 years ago this week, sorry about that.

EICHER: Coming next on The World and Everything in It: More now on the plane and helicopter crash in Washington.

The New York Times reported that a preliminary Federal Aviation Administration report found staffing in the control tower during the crash was not at typical levels.

Over the weekend at a briefing by the National Transportation Safety Board, board member Todd Inman said it was too early to say:

INMAN: The question was regarding staffing at the time of the actual accident—whether the five individuals in the tower were sufficient.

I have not gotten an update from the air traffic control people. I know the primary thing we wanted to get was exactly that. There have been discussions because, again, “typical” can change based on thte day of the week, the time, and the weather.

So we will not categorize anything as “typical” right now until we can present it in a better fashion.

WORLD’s Lindsay Mast has the story of how the FAA has historically struggled with staffing shortages.

LINDSAY MAST: Dan Brandt has a lot of sympathy for air traffic controllers.

BRANDT: Yeah, I feel sorry for the guy. To go through that is not good.

When he heard the news about the crash between American Airlines flight 5342 and a military Blackhawk helicopter last week, he thought immediately of the controller on duty.

BRANDT: It's tough on him. He was doing his job. He'll keep thinking about himself, “What could I have done different?”

Brandt worked in the industry for the better part of four decades. He served as an Air Force controller in the 70s, and then wanted to work for the Federal Aviation Administration. He got a perfect score on the required test, along with extra points for his military service.

But the FAA was fully staffed and didn’t need him.

Just a couple of years later, that changed.

AUDIO: [Sound from PATCO strike]

In 1981, nearly 13,000 members of the air traffic controllers union walked off the job. They wanted a hefty pay raise and a 32 hour work week. They’d already rejected a lesser deal.

President Ronald Reagan on the morning of the strike:

REAGAN: This morning at 7:00 a.m. the union representing those who man America's Air Traffic Control facilities called to strike this was the culmination of 7 months of negotiations between the Federal Aviation Administration and the Union.

Reagan declared the strike illegal and told workers if they weren’t back on the job within 48 hours, they would be fired. Then he made good on the threat, firing about 90% of them.

That became Brandt’s opportunity to get in at the FAA.

But he says hiring a lot of new controllers all at once started a cascade of problems for the administration. There are age rules: You have to be hired by age 31, with mandatory retirement at 56. So a lot of hirees around the same time meant a lot of retirees around the same time.

BRANDT: 20 or 25 years down the road, we all start retiring, and the FAA doesn't have anybody to fill in for us. So that has hit them time after time, and that's the, why their staffing is down, because they were never able to prepare to fill in all the people that were going to lead or leave in 20 to 25 years.

In 2008, the U.S. General Accountability Office reported the FAA needed to hire and train 17,000 controllers over the next decade to replace retirees.

But training is a long process. From the time a controller gets hired until they are talking to airplanes, it can be years. They continue airport-specific training after that. Since that 2008 report, a prolonged hiring freeze, a government shutdown, and COVID all contributed to the continued shortage.

DANIELS: Right now, we have a controller shortage in this nation.

Nick Daniels, the current president of the air controllers union, told CBS last week there are currently just under 11,000 controllers–about 3500 fewer than optimal.

DANIELS: It is not uncommon for us to routinely combine positions, de-combine positions…

He said doubling up on jobs in a tower isn’t abnormal and that if there aren’t enough controllers, flight numbers may also be reduced in order to maintain safety.

But Brandt says more controllers would keep Americans safer in the air.

BRANDT: Until somebody stands up and says, “We need more controllers,” sooner or later, this will happen again. It's inevitable.

Aviation experts say it’s important to note the overall safety of commercial air travel. Before Wednesday, it had been almost 15 years since a major commercial airline crash in the U.S.

I played Brandt the audio of the control tower during the crash. He says the tape demonstrates the controller did his job before the crash. He pointed out the jet and got confirmation from the Blackhawk pilot that the crew had the plane in sight.

AUDIO: Washington, one side. Check three. Oooo, Oh my-! 176, American 34, 3130, Blackcheck 3 Can you return To base? You're the base? Blackcheck 3 proceed directly to land. I need you to land.

BRANDT: One thing right off the bat, the controller is doing an excellent job. He's doing what he was trained to do. Something like that happens, you can't lose it. You got to take care of whatever’s there, unless there's somebody to come and get you out right away. He did a really good job.

But Brandt says if the controller had been manning only helicopters or only planes, what became a crash might have just been a close call.

BRANDT: To me, listening to that, there's no way that could have ever happened if you had a controller monitoring just that situation. I mean, if that helicopter was too high, it would have seen it, you know, and maybe when he said he had somebody in sight, you'd reconfirm it. You do that a lot.

Brandt says he prays for controllers in the tower during a crash. They struggle with the weight of it long afterward.

BRANDT: You know, they need the crutch of God to lean on. When things like this happen, controllers will blame themselves until they retire. Then they will blame themselves after they retire.

The National Transportation Safety Board says it may have a preliminary report in 30 days. A full investigation can sometimes take a year or more. Regardless of the findings, the grief and frustration felt by many since last week is certain to last much longer.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Lindsay Mast.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Tuesday, February 4th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

Up next, ordered love.

The Bible says we are called to show mercy to strangers, and prioritize providing for our own households. WORLD Opinions managing editor Andrew Walker says this is a framework that reflects the heart of God.

We begin with the comment that sparked thousands of comments.

JD VANCE COMMENT: You love your family and then you love your neighbor and then you love your community and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country and then after that you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world.

ANDREW WALKER: Vice President J.D. Vance’s recent comments have sparked a lot of discussion, particularly regarding how they align with Biblical teachings. Some critics argue that such an approach narrows the scope of Christian love, making it exclusive rather than expansive. However, a proper understanding of Scripture reveals that prioritizing one’s own household does not negate universal mercy. Rather, it structures it in a way that mirrors God’s design for human relationships.

Two passages seem to stand in tension that explain the debate concerning Vance’s remarks. On the one hand: Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke chapter 10. On the other: and Paul’s instruction in 1 Timothy 5:8 that “anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

The Good Samaritan exemplifies the radical love of Christ. In response to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus tells a story where the hero is an outcast—one who crosses ethnic and social boundaries to show mercy to a wounded stranger. This parable establishes that neighborly love extends beyond cultural or national identity. The Samaritan did not ask, “Is this man part of my community?” before helping him. He simply saw the need and responded with mercy, while those who thought of themselves as superiors to the Samaritan avoided rendering care.

At the same time, one of the reasons the Samaritan stands out is because those who should have cared for the man didn’t. Paul’s command in 1 Timothy establishes that there are levels of responsibility in care. He is writing to a church that was grappling with issues of neglect, urging Christians to take responsibility for their own family members first. This does not contradict the Good Samaritan’s actions. Rather, it ensures that Christian love is practiced faithfully at every relationship level.

Scripture does not contradict itself, nor does it demand that we choose between family responsibility and universal charity. Instead, it teaches an ethic of ordered love. In practical terms, this means three things.

First, every person is our neighbor. Christian love does not discriminate. The Good Samaritan reminds us that mercy is not confined by borders, ethnicity, or familiarity. When someone is in urgent need and we have the means to help, we should.

Second, some neighbors have a greater claim on our care. While we are called to love all, Scripture acknowledges that we have unique obligations to those closest to us. Parents have a special duty to their children, spouses to each other, and members of a church to fellow believers as we read in Galatians 6:10. This prioritization does not diminish the value of others but acknowledges that care begins in concentric circles—moving outward from family to community to the broader world.

Third, radical hospitality and responsibility are not mutually exclusive. Prioritizing our family and immediate community does not mean ignoring others. The Good Samaritan acted because he had both the proximity and the means to help. Likewise, when we encounter those in dire need, we are called to respond in love, regardless of their background.

The criticism that Vance’s comments reflect an exclusionary or narrow-minded ethic misunderstands a fundamental aspect of Christian teaching. It also betrays the long tradition of Christian thought from Augustine to John Calvin, teaching that Christians have a special obligation to care for those with whom they have deeper ties. The Christian tradition has long held that love must be rightly ordered. This is not a rejection of universal compassion but rather a reflection of how God structured human relationships.

Ultimately, the Good Samaritan and Paul’s teaching in 1 Timothy are not at odds. Rather, they together paint a picture of holistic Christian love—one that begins at home, remains open to the needs of others, and refuses to be bound by tribalism or prejudice. This is the ethic that has shaped Christian thought for centuries, and it remains just as relevant today.

I’m Andrew Walker.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Tomorrow: the tariff wars … they do seem to be working as a bargaining tactic, but at what cost?mAnd, a World Tour special report on the Trump administration decision to pause U.S. foreign aid.

That and more tomorrow.

I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

The World and Everything in It comes to you from WORLD Radio. WORLD’s mission is Biblically objective journalism that informs, educates, and inspires.

The Psalmist writes: “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” —Psalms 32:1-2

Go now in grace and peace.

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.