The World and Everything in It: July 29, 2022

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Good morning!

Some Republicans are flip-flopping on same-sex marriage—and seem to be trimming their sails on pro-life.

Also, a challenge to the church from a friendly nonbeliever

NICK EICHER, HOST: That’s ahead on Culture Friday with Andrew Walker.

Also today a review of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. Arts and Media editor Collin Garbarino seeks a few minutes you’d spare us.

And your listener feedback.

BROWN: It’s Friday, July 29th. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

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

BROWN: Now news with Paul Butler.

PAUL BUTLER, NEWS ANCHOR: Kentucky floods » In Kentucky, flash floods killed several people and forced many to their roofs Thursday.

Here’s Flo Harris, Kentucky resident,

HARRIS: It’s pretty scary, and knowing that there’s nothing you can do about it. So what do you do? You stand there and watch it and pray that the Lord will take care of everybody.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said this is some of the worst flooding in the state’s history. Hundreds will likely lose their homes. He’s announced a state of emergency and called the National Guard.

BESHEAR: We’re currently experiencing one of the worst most devastating flooding events in Kentucky’s history.

As much as six inches of rain has fallen in some parts of Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia and the National Weather Service said about three more inches are likely.

GDP report bleak, Meta revenue down » The U.S. economy is sinking toward a recession. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the U.S. gross domestic product has fallen for a second straight quarter. That’s one informal, but not decisive, indicator of a recession.

Inflation has consumers buying less…

AUDIO: I notice, like, I go and try to get milk and like even a half gallon of milk, it's hard to find for under $8, which is really hard.

But President Biden countered recession fears by pointing to economic positives.

BIDEN: If you look at our job market consumer spending business investment we see signs of economic progress in the second quarter as well.

Facebook reported its first ever revenue loss this quarter. Twitter and Snap—also reported second-quarter letdowns.

Biden/Xi follow up » President Biden spoke with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for over two hours on Thursday. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER, REPORTER: China’s state media reported that the two leaders had—quote—“in-depth communication on U.S.-China relations and issues of mutual concern.”

The morning conversation comes after China threatened a forceful response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit to Taiwan.

Elsewhere in the Pacific: Kim Jong Un has threatened to use nuclear weapons if war breaks out against the U.S. or South Korea.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

Ukraine grain exports update » AUDIO: [Odessa port]

As the war between Russia and Ukraine drags on, ships are sitting idle in three Black Sea ports waiting to export 22 million tons of grain. That even after Russia said it would allow the ships safe passage out of the port in Odessa for 120 days.

Guy Platten, the secretary general of the International Chamber of Shipping, says security is a concern.

PLATTEN: You know, we need to ensure that the safety of the crew are paramount in getting the ships out.

Underwater mines populate the waters outside the ports and Russian missiles struck the port only hours after the two governments signed the agreement last Friday.

Airline merger » JetBlue Airways announced Thursday that it will buy Spirit Airlines if antitrust regulators OK it. WORLD’s Mary Muncy has more.

MARY MUNCY, REPORTER: A merger between Spirit and a different airline, Frontier, fell through on Wednesday, but by Thursday, JetBlue had agreed to buy Spirit for almost $4 billion.

The deal would put JetBlue fifth behind the big four airlines—American, United, Delta, and Southwest.

The big four control about 80 percent of the U.S. market, so—a JetBlue spokesman said—buying Spirit would increase competition.

But groups like the anti-merger American Economic Liberties Project say it could raise other budget airlines’ prices.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Mary Muncy.

Gun profits » Five major gun manufacturers made a combined $1 billion on semiautomatic, AR-15-style weapons in the last decade. That, according to a Congressional investigation released Wednesday.

Representative Carolyn Maloney of New York says the firearms companies used questionable marketing tactics. But Representative James Comer of Kentucky says the firearm industry has done nothing wrong.

COMER: Their customers are allowed to lawfully buy guns their customers are allowed to exercise their Second Amendment right.

Semiautomatic rifles have been used in several recent high-profile mass shootings—including in Buffalo, New York, and in Uvalde, Texas.

I’m Paul Butler. Straight ahead: on Culture Friday, same-sex marriage, abortion, and a challenge to the church.

Plus, a review of a heartwarming movie now in theaters.

This is The World and Everything in It.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: It's the 29th day of July, 2022. 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. First up: Culture Friday with Andrew Walker.

Andrew’s a professor of Christian ethics and apologetics at Southern Seminary and managing editor of WORLD Opinions. Morning, Andrew!

ANDREW WALKER, GUEST: Nick and Myrna, it’s always good to be with you.

BROWN: Andrew, we didn't get a chance to talk about this last week, but I know it's still on your mind.

You wrote, and I'm quoting you here, “Most Republicans’ knees are buckling about having to go on the record about same-sex marriage. They fear political retribution, meaning they aren't really free. But truth and freedom go hand in hand. Rather than buckle at elite scorn, always testify to what is true. Live Free."

Of course, you were referring to the 47 Republican House members who essentially walked away from the party's stated principles and platform, not to mention what the Bible teaches about marriage, to cast a vote for same-sex marriage.

Here's the rub: When the Supreme court redefined marriage in 20-15, the collective response from Republicans was outrage.

What do you think has changed in seven years and why is this a defining cultural moment?

WALKER: Well, it's a good question. I think what we are noticing over the last seven years, is the ability for law to be a teacher. We see this principle laid down in Scripture. Paul says the law is a teacher, it's a paedagogus. What he means by that is, law shapes belief, belief shapes behavior, behavior shapes our understanding of customs.

We are now accustomed to five plus years of same-sex marriage, and United States. It's now routine. It's now by all accounts, traditional based on the evolving mores of the modern kind of secular worldview. I say that in jest, obviously.

But all this goes to show us is how if you don't keep the debate alive, individuals on the other side of the aisle will treat you like you're on the wrong side of history. And that's what we're seeing play out.

And I think there’s a lot of Republican cowardice on this issue. You're right, they did speak out profusely against the Obergefell ruling, and rightfully so, because this was the Supreme Court, kind of bringing this issue to all 50 states, without any votes whatsoever.

But now that this all seems normal, the Republicans are abandoning principle. And as you mentioned in your question, they're abandoning their own platform of their own party. And so I think this goes to show you that if we are not testifying to what is true, what is false can easily come to the surface.

And so regardless of what happens, if there are 60 votes for this in the Senate, our calling as Christians doesn't change because the nature of marriage can't change. It's something outside the purview of politics, because God is the author of marriage. And our calling is to testify to what is true, regardless of the cost.

EICHER: That's interesting. Let's talk about another issue that seems to be buckling Republican knees, as you say and that’s the issue of abortion, now that the Supreme Court has washed its hands of the issue and said this is now a matter for the people’s representatives to handle. And I’m hearing rumblings that the people’s representatives are saying, at least some of them: “Oh, great! This is going to kill us in the midterms. We need to lay low …” Maybe here’s where we find out where evangelicals are because the criticism is they look the other way on Republican hypocrisy and this seems potentially an opportunity to show otherwise.

WALKER: It is really interesting that now that issues of life are back on the table, you know, one of the concerns that the pro-life community had about the mainstream Republican establishment is that they actually didn't really want Roe to ever be overturned. Because as long as they just paid lip service to the pro life movement, with Roe in place, abortion was really going nowhere.

But now there's actually opportunity for abortion to move in the states. And I wouldn't be shocked. I mean, I can't read the motives of every Republican office holder, but I wouldn't be shocked if there are some who were really turned off by this.

One of my good friends is a high ranking official in the Republican Senate side. And this individual told me about conversations with Republican consultants, who were really, really concerned about how overturning Roe could negatively impact Republicans come November. And my friend, who is very, very pro life, was about to pull his hair out because he said, “How insane is it, that there are Republican operatives who are actually concerned and upset at the overturning of Roe v. Wade, when this again is what is purportedly at the center of the Republican Party's platform.”

So there's some gross hypocrisy going on here. And listen, we need to call balls and strikes. When the Republicans get it wrong. When they're acting cowardly or hypocritically, they need called out for this.

EICHER: Speaking of calling the strike zone—I know you saw this one—a well-known personality, public intellectual, saying the church is striking out. I’m talking about the Canadian psychology professor Jordan Peterson. He put up a video on YouTube called “a message to the Christian churches” that among other things admonishes the church to focus ministry resources toward men, young men in particular. He's very passionate on it. Here's a bit of what he said.

PETERSON: ... invite young men. Put up a billboard. Say, ‘young men are welcome here.’ Tell those who have never been in a church exactly what to do, how to dress, when to show up, who to contact, and most importantly, what they can do. Ask more, not less, of those you are inviting. Attend to some souls. That's what you’re supposed to do. That’s your holy duty. Do it. Now. Before it’s too late. The hour is nigh.

And I was thinking about that in light of a really good column you ran in WORLD Opinions by a new writer, Bethel McGrew. “America’s lost boys,” it was called. She talks about the Chicago Fourth of July shooter about how the warning signs are there if only we would look.

Jordan Peterson seems to have looked and he’s urging churches to attend to these young people.

So my question is, first, I wonder if you think Jordan Peterson has it right and whether he has something to say to the churches that we ought to listen to.

WALKER: So I think on the whole, Jordan Peterson is correct in his diagnosis, about the nature of masculinity in our culture. Now, I don't think that full scale adoption of all that he's proposing is necessarily correct, because I think at the heart of some of Jordan Peterson's recommendations, is a very kind of mancentric, anthropocentric understanding of man trying to get himself to God—when in reality, the message of the Christian gospel is God bringing himself to man and to what to woman, to be clear.

But there is, I think, a general listlessness in our culture, about the nature of masculinity. I think there's at least two reasons for that: One at the pop culture level, ask yourself, How often do we see men portrayed in any type of ennobling capacity? A lot of times, especially on sitcoms, husbands, and fathers are portrayed as kind of absent-minded dunces. But then also, we have what I would call elite scorn at the notion of masculinity as well.

Now, I don't think we need to revert to kind of chest thumping bravado, to call for a healthy masculinity. That's not what I'm calling for. I’m calling for a healthy, Biblical masculinity that understands what God has called us to in our masculinity, which is to be faithful providers and protectors and responsible individuals in society.

So I do think that there are many avenues in the culture that are causing men to second guess themselves and question whether anything about their status as men matters in society.

And so this is an opportunity. I mean, Jordan Peterson is correct insofar as he's saying to the church, “Church, you need to talk about the excellence of what it means to be masculine.” The church does have something to say here. The church is one of the few institutions in society that I would argue hasn't lost the very definition of what it means to be a man.

We're now living in this kind of genderless age, where, you know, you really can't be a man or a woman by any biological category. It's all a matter of your mind. But the church, through the word of God actually has a word here.

One of my favorite understandings of Christianity is that Christianity is a religion of assertion. We actually believe in truth, we actually believe that there is something composite to masculinity and femininity, and we need to champion that because if we don't champion that, we'll let kind of the culture despisers around us take advantage of our frailty, and to manipulate the conversation—and I think to make men and boys for that matter, more worse off.

BROWN: All right, Andrew Walker. He’s a professor of Christian ethics and apologetics at Southern Seminary and managing editor of WORLD Opinions. Thanks, Andrew!

WALKER: Thank you.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Friday, July 29th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Up next, arts and media editor Collin Garbarino reviews a film currently in theaters. It’s about not just following your dreams but helping others along the way.

COLLIN GARBARINO: Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a charming adaptation of Paul Gallico’s 1958 novel of the same name. At first glance, the movie seems like a Cinderella story for older folks—a humble cleaning lady embarks on an adventure to buy a life-changing dress—but this middle-aged Cinderella turns out to be something of a fairy godmother herself.

The year is 1957, and Ada Harris is a London war widow making ends meet by cleaning houses. She’s hard working and selfless, but her employers take her for granted. Her friends care for her, but sometimes they take her for granted too.

Archie: Why do you stick with her who’s so crabby.

Mrs. Harris: Met her me first shift building planes. Never had a better friend.

Vi: Trouble with this one—she always speak the truth. Can’t help herself.

Archie: That is a terrible affliction. All right behave yourself ladies. I’ll be watching you.

Her life has been on hold since World War II ended, but she finds new purpose after seeing her employer’s custom-made Christian Dior gown. Mrs. Harris decides she must have one too, but a Dior dress’s 500-pound price tag is an impossibly large expense for someone like her. The determined Mrs. Harris scrimps and saves, and after an unexpected windfall, she heads to Paris to claim her gown.

But Mrs. Harris isn’t prepared for the world of haute couture at the House of Dior, and purchasing a gown proves more complicated than expected.

Madame Colbert: [speaking French] This lady wishes to buy a dress. Direct her to a suitable shop. [speaking French] Go!

Andre: Please let me escort you out.

Mrs. Harris: No, no, no. Hang on a minute. I’ve come miles. Saved every penny scrubbing floors and I don’t know what, so I can buy this frock.

Madame Colbert: A Christian Dior is not for pennies. [speaking French]

Mrs. Harris: Right. If you think I ain't got the money. There.

Andre: [speaking French]

Some members of Paris’s high society resent the disruption her simple virtues bring to their image-conscious world. But others embrace the good-natured Mrs. Harris, inspired by her honesty and love of others.

Marquis: Excuse me cher madame, but it would be my honor to have you view the collection as my guest. There you are. Merci. Shall we?

Mrs. Harris: Oh!

Mrs. Harris’s quest for a luxurious dress might sound like a frivolous plot device, but the movie doesn’t endorse materialism. Mrs. Harris doesn’t pretend the dress will make her a better person. And no one, including Mrs. Harris, understands why she wants one.

Madame Colbert: This Dior dress that you admire so much. Where will you wear it? At the opera ball or Queen Charlotte’s? Will you wear it to polish floors or will you keep it shut in your wardrobe? A Dior dress is designed to astonish and delight. How will you do that, Mrs. Harris? Forgive me for saying this, but you are nobody. Invisible. How will you give this dress the life it deserves?

Mrs. Harris: It’s my dream.

She wants it because it’s beautiful. Her desire for a Dior dress reminded me of Jesus' parable about the pearl of great price. There’s a certain charm to Mrs. Harris’s pursuit of beauty for its own sake.

And the movie doesn’t glamorize the wealthy, fashionable lifestyle at the expense of ordinary life. It’s quite the opposite. Parisian high society isn’t a happy society. The dream makers at the House of Dior create beauty, but they don’t necessarily know who they are and what they want.

Andre: If you can have this, why do you need Dior? Haute couture is a vanity for us and our clients. In truth, I don’t think the House of Dior can survive.

Mrs. Harris: No, love. That would be a tragedy. You can’t allow that to happen.

Andre: Well, I have an idea, but it requires a new way of thinking.

Mrs. Harris: What? Bossy boots in the way?

Andre: Madame Colbert, she guards the temple.

Mrs. Harris: She let a cleaning lady buy a Dior gown.

Andre: Money talks.

Mrs. Harris: Yes, and you know what it says, so you have to do something about it. I know you can, you’re ever so clever.

Andre: You’re the only one who believes.

The high and mighty lack the wisdom that comes with humility. It’s this wisdom that Mrs. Harris possesses in abundance, and through love she shares it with others.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is full of beauty and wit. And Lesley Manville gives a superb performance in the title role. It’s rated PG—mostly because the characters consume alcohol and smoke cigarettes. But the film is fairly wholesome, though in one scene Mrs. Harris’ new French friends bring her to a burlesque show in which women dance in their undergarments.

But on the whole, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a delightful movie, with a heartwarming story about people audiences will fall in love with.

Marguerite: [speaking French]

Mrs. Harris: It’s not sewing. It’s making moonlight. Have I gone to heaven?

Marguerite: [speaking French]

This mid-century fairy tale reminds us that beauty is important and that kindness, honesty, and sacrifice for others are the keys to a meaningful life. Mrs. Harris gives us a glimpse of the true, the good, and the beautiful.

I’m Collin Garbarino.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Friday, July 29th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Time now for Listener Feedback.

Right up top, a correction. Back on July 13th, we had a story about a long marriage between Hubert and June Malicote. They’re both 100 years old this month and they’ve been married 79 years.

Here’s the correction, or, maybe I should say, clarification.

I said the following: “Their marriage has endured the Great Depression, Hubert’s service in World War II, and now, a pandemic.”

But listener Jeb Rice wrote us. He did the math and figured, correctly, the Malicotes married in 1943. And he noted, again, correctly, that the years of the Great Depression ran from 1929 to 1939. So, their marriage couldn’t have endured the Great Depression.

Now, to clarify: What Mr. Malicote was saying was that he and his wife, when younger, did endure the depression and that it taught them to be content with what they had and to be frugal.

That helped their marriage and that helped in raising their family.

But I was wrong to conflate that to say their marriage had endured the depression years. And your note, Jeb, will help me—and all of us here at WORLD—to be more careful in the fact-checking department.

BROWN: Our first call today comes from Glenn, and he has a bone to pick with you…

EICHER: Hey! This is my day!

GLENN: Just wanted to say that I really appreciate what you all do day in and day out the objective journalism and the great stories. I do, however, I do have a slight bone to pick. That is, I did not hear any announcement of the Colorado Avalanche winning the Stanley Cup recently in your news segment. Now. I’m not naming names. Well, I’ll just go ahead and do it: Nick Eicher, could this be because you are a St. Louis Blues fan? Could it be, maybe? I’m just guessing and that the Colorado Avalanche beat your St. Louis Blues four games to two on their way to winning the Stanley Cup. It could just be. Anyways, keep up the great work that you all do—and go Avalanche!

Well, Glenn, my friend, I do bleed blue. Always will and in the spirit of good-natured ribbing, let me just say, I’d have loved to have seen how things had gone if we didn’t lose our goalie in Game 3. Anyhoo. You are correct, sir. We did not have next-day news of the Colorado Avalanche Cup-clincher, and we should’ve. I agree with you. We do it for other major sports and hockey is the best sport. So, I’m cc-ing this to our news department.

In my defense, Glenn’s voicemail came in on the Fourth of July and on our program on the Fifth, we did have this:

AUDIO: The Avalanche are 2022 Stanley Cup champions! / NICK EICHER, HOST: Yeah, had to delay this one. I’m over it now. Congratulations, Colorado. / Listen, you think the Stanley Cup is a difficult trophy to win...

That sounds pretty fair and balanced, doesn’t it? Seriously, great comment, Glenn. And we’ll see you on a fresh sheet of ice on November 14th! Your guys better be ready.

BROWN: Hockey talk, sigh.

Let’s hear from listener Adam Geiger…

ADAM GEIGER: I had to chuckle this morning as I listened to Cal Thomas's diatribe against electric vehicles as I drove my Tesla to work. He mentioned long waits to charge and getting stuck in hurricane evacuation traffic. Just this past weekend I drove my Model 3 on a 1400 mile road trip to be with family over the 4th of July. Charging stops were 20 minutes after 3 and half hours of driving. This is a nice cadence for breaks and far from excessive. My Tesla will keep me warm for days in below freezing temps, and much longer in a hurricane. But beyond that, I have a charger with me that will plug in anywhere that there is an electrical outlet. Mind you gas stations can't pump gas without electricity either. There are legitimate critiques of EVs and the political forces behind them, but these aren't it.

Adam, thank you. To be fair, let me point out Cal’s commentary did mention those legitimate critiques—including how the Biden administration’s emphasis on electric cars ought to be seen with a certain level of skepticism. Particularly as EV’s tend to be cost prohibitive for people most affected by environmental mandates. But we do take your point.

EICHER: MacKenzie Phillips wrote in after a recent Culture Friday with John Stonestreet. She took issue with our conversation about the propagandizing of schoolchildren around issues of gender and sexuality and whether that is tantamount to “grooming.”

MacKenzie tells us she is a forensic interviewer who works for a Child Advocacy Center and … [she’s] well versed in grooming and the dynamics of child abuse.

“I must disagree with this piece by going off the definition of grooming as patterned behavior designed to increase opportunity, minimize victim resistance, and reduce disclosure with the intent to sexually abuse a child … .

She says, quoting now: “Unless a person has the intent to sexually abuse a child, it cannot be categorized as grooming.”

MacKenzie, thanks for the note, and—sincerely—thank you for the work you do. It’s so important.

But with respect, I think we may have to agree to disagree here, because I think the definition cuts more in favor of John’s argument than you’re allowing. Because John believes that many of the current transgender advocacy efforts do increase opportunity, do minimize victim resistance, and do reduce disclosure with the intent to sexually abuse a child.

Let me also say, I’m afraid this is going to be a topic for some time to come. So we’ll return to it, and when John’s back, we’ll discuss it again with your comments in mind. Because I do appreciate what you’re saying and we need to be precise about what we’re talking about.

BROWN: On the July 14th program we profiled 20-year old Anastasiia Kutulska—a Ukrainian college student studying in Canada. After the podcast we got this inquiry from a listener named Sue:

SUE: Hi, I just listened to a podcast about the Ukrainian girl in Halifax, Canada, making flowers to support her country. And I was wondering if there's any contact information to support her cause…

Thanks for asking! We will get you connected, Sue, and that goes for anyone. If you’d like to be in touch with Anastasiia, just email us, editor@wng.org, and we’ll make sure to get you connected as well.

EICHER: And finally today, some praise for the July 18th edition of History Book:

Listener Matthew Jackson commends: “the excerpt marking the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Friday in Northern Ireland. [Matthew said he] appreciated the context brought to the words “Protestant” and “Catholic” in relation to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Let me quote from his email directly: “It’s refreshing to hear the Troubles spoken with great clarity. I hope it helps those beyond the borders of Northern Ireland appreciate the hard work put into the Peace Process. My age group are known as the ‘Peace babies,’ because praise be to God the Northern Ireland of the Troubles seems a far cry from the one we inhabit today.”

BROWN: Well that’s it for this month’s Listener Feedback. Thanks to all our listeners who wrote and called. If you have comments to share with us you can send them to editor@wng.org. And if you’re writing, would you mind taking a moment and recording your comments on your phone and send us the digital file? It’s better to hear your voice than for us to read your emails, we think. To make it easier, we’ve posted instructions on how to use your phone to make a recording. Just visit: wng.org/podcasts.

EICHER: And don’t forget to check out WORLD’s newest podcast project, Doubletake. That is in cooperation with Les Sillars and the journalism students of Patrick Henry College. We’ll post the first episode tomorrow on this program feed or you can listen today by searching for Doubletake anywhere you get your podcasts.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Your support is what made this week’s programs possible, as well as our faithful team here who helped put it all together:

Addie Offereins, David Bahnsen, Onize Ohikere, Dakota Wood, Les Sillars, Anna Johansen Brown, Leo Briceno, Joel Belz, Leah Savas, Cal Thomas, Collin Garborino, Kent Covington, Mary Reichard, Josh Schumacher, Kristen Flavin, Mary Muncy, and Andrew Walker.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Johnny Franklin and Carl Peetz are the audio engineers who stay up late to get the program to you early! Production assistance from Emily Whitten. Paul Butler is our executive producer.

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 Bible says: The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones. (Proverbs 15:29-30 ESV)

Remember to worship with your brothers and sisters in Christ this weekend, and God willing, we’ll meet you right back here on Monday.

Go now in grace and peace.

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