The World and Everything in It: November 8, 2024

PREROLL: Well, hey, it’s Katie McCoy for a post-election edition of Culture Friday. I’ll be talking to you about the issues that women cared about in this election cycle … and here’s a hint: it was a lot more than abortion. I’ll talk to you in a few!

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Good morning! Yes, we’re looking forward to that conversation with Katie McCoy on Culture Friday.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Also today, a well-loved children’s story comes to the big screen today: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

ALICE: You’re too dirty to play Mary, Imogene Herdman, everyone knows.

BETH: Alice!

Does it have what it takes to become a Christmas classic? WORLD reviewer Chelsea Boes says it depends.

BROWN: It’s Friday, November 8th. 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: Up next, Kent Covington with today’s news.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Biden Rose Garden » President Biden is vowing a smooth transfer of power to the incoming Trump administration. Speaking in the Rose Garden Thursday, Trump said he spoke with President-elect Donald Trump by phone.

BIDEN: Congratulated him on his victory. And I assured him that I would direct my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition.

And Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at the White House … 

PIERRE: The president invited the president-elect, Donald Trump, to come to the White House. And so once we lock that in, certainly we’ll share that with all of you.

She said a top priority for the president in his final days in office will be ensuring that Ukraine receives everything it needs from the United States.

Trump admin Cabinet/staff » Meantime, the president-elect and his inner circle are looking over a short list of names for Cabinet posts and other top positions in the next Trump administration.

Senior adviser to the Trump campaign Jason Miller:

MILLER:  Everybody wants to join. Everybody wants to be a part of what president Trump is going to build back because they saw him do it before. They know that we can do it again.

Sen. Marco Rubio is one of the names believed to be on Donald Trump’s short list.

But Rubio says he has no inside information and hasn’t spoken with anyone about it.

The president-elect has openly talked with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk about creating a Department of Government Efficiency.

Republican Congressman Nancy Mace weighed in on that.

MACE:  What he's done with the space X to save the government money by using reusable rockets that are saving the cost of orbit 18 times the economies of scale that he's shown to save the government money with space X. And so I'm excited about this.

Trump is also expected to tap Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for a health-related position.

House control » But he is still waiting to find out if he’ll have a Republican Congress to work with or a divided House.

With votes still being counted, it appears Republicans will control at least 211 House seats, but 218 is the magic number. That means they need at least seven more seats to retain their slim majority.

And there are 26 undecided races, almost half of them in California. House Speaker Mike Johnson:

JOHNSON:  We feel really good about where we sit with those California seats. We're still waiting. They've got to cure ballots and finish all their process. But look, I think we are going to grow the majority.

There are 26 races that are still undecided. Republican candidates are currently ahead in the vote count in 11 of those.

Senate update » But the party has already claimed control of the Senate. And the Associated Press has called one more race for the GOP.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio:

RUBIO: Bob Casey, my colleague from Pennsylvania, really should concede. It's pretty clear he's not going to win that race.

Sen. Casey, the incumbent Democrat, appears to have lost to Republican challenger Dave McCormick who’s ahead by one-half of 1 percent with 99 percent of the votes counted.

That gives the GOP at least 53 of the 100 seats in the Senate.

Democrats are ahead in a pair of undecided races in Arizona and Nevada.

Federal Reserve » The Federal Reserve is cutting its key rate by another quarter-point. That follows a larger half-point reduction in September.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell told reporters:

POWELL: Overall, inflation has moved much close to our 2 percent longer run goal, but core inflation remains somewhat elevated.

Core inflation is a metric that focuses on the cost of goods and leaves out more volatile categories like food and energy.

The Fed is still working to bring that down but at the same time, the central bank has started cutting rates to support a softening job market.

Israel » In the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Yam, first responders rushed to the scene of a fire on Thursday.

That after the Israeli military says about 30 rockets and drones were fired from southern Lebanon. Some of those were intercepted but a vehicle was hit.

There were no reports of any injuries.

Meanwhile Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is offering his congratulations for President-elect Donald Trump on his Election Day win.

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer told reporters Thursday:

MENCER: I can share with you that the prime minister and the president-elect shared a warm and cordial conversation last night. The prime minister was amongst the first to make the call last night with both leaders agreeing to work together for Israel's security as well as the threat posed by Iran.

Mencer says the prime minister Netanyahu sees Trump's second term as a new beginning for America...and a powerful recommitment to the alliance between Israel and the United States

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: the issues women cared about—and voted for—during this year’s election. Plus, more of your prayers for our country.

This is The World and Everything in It.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: It’s Friday the 8th of November, 2024.

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.

It’s time for Culture Friday, and joining us now is author and speaker Katie McCoy.

Good morning, Katie!

KATIE MCCOY: Good morning, Nick and Myrna.

EICHER: Well, we’ve offered election analysis all week, but I’ve been curious to get yours, Katie. What do you say?

MCCOY: Okay, Nick, I’ve got three words for you: We were spared. We were spared what would have been a judgment on us as a nation. I know that both candidates had significant flaws; it’s not as though there are no issues for Christians to be concerned about with President Trump. But honestly, when you look at the policies and priorities of a Harris administration, we would have rightly incurred God’s judgment, and so I really believe we were spared.

I understand this perspective may step on a lot of toes. There are brothers and sisters of different political beliefs who feel we are under God’s judgment now, having a President-elect Trump. But I would ask them to consider, especially on the advocacy of so-called gender-affirming care. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that Richard/Rachel Levine will no longer be on the government payroll. That man has been promoting surgeries and hormone therapies for vulnerable, confused children, funded by taxpayer dollars. So, focusing solely on overt moral issues—not even touching on economic or foreign policy—I truly believe we were spared from what could have happened.

EICHER: You alluded to it, Katie, that not everyone is going to agree … and I’ve heard more than a few people say, you know what, what we got on Tuesday night, that was God’s judgment, Christians who are really conflicted on President Trump.

And the story on ballot measures was a little difficult—majority support for abortion in Florida, but it needed and didn’t get a supermajority—so pro-life Floridians spared for now.

Obviously, we’ve talked about this one, too … your being a former St. Louisan … my being a off-again, on-again St. Louisan … that the same folks who voted for Trump in Missouri voted also for the no-limits, no-parental involvement, abortion amendment that will wind up creating a legal avenue for transgender rights. That was a 50-percent-plus one, and it passed.

So it puts me in mind of the H.L. Mencken quote … I know I’m not getting it exact: “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good.”

MCCOY: I think, regardless of who won the election—and this is true for President-elect Trump as much as it would have been for President-elect Harris—the mission of the church does not change. Especially when we consider some of the ballot measures from this election, we have our marching orders. Clearly, we have not yet influenced the hearts and minds of our American citizenship on abortion, and there is much more work to do.

Praise God for what happened in Florida, but other stories around the states reveal the work ahead. President-elect Trump is waffly at best on the issue of life. It will be interesting, Nick, to see how this new coalition of Republican voters prioritizes abortion and other social issues historically aligned with conservatism. While the future is uncertain, I maintain that a Harris presidency would have been absolutely devastating, especially regarding issues like free speech and freedom of worship—issues where we saw early signs of restriction under President Biden.

EICHER: Let’s talk a little more on that, that new coalition of Republican voters—and I think you’re clearly right on that—but what will it mean for the pro-life argument? Is there going to need to be a new approach?

MCCOY: One thing we may have taken for granted is that pro-life initiatives are only partly legislative. Legislative action is essential, but we must remember that abortion won’t be eliminated from our country until the demand for it is eradicated—and this goes beyond legislation. Judicial appointments under Trump’s administration may prevent the kind of abortion advocacy we’ve seen in the past, which is a mercy, but laws alone are not enough.

Our pro-life advocacy must expand to include policies that address the reasons women seek abortions. For example, Planned Parenthood’s research arm, the Guttmacher Institute, reports that financial constraints are the top reason for abortion. Shouldn’t we, in the name of helping abortion-vulnerable women, advocate for policies that promote economic growth, secure jobs, and avoid price controls that create food insecurity?

After this election, let’s not think that because we have President Trump instead of President Harris, we can deprioritize pro-life issues. On the contrary, we need to expand our advocacy to include economic and social policies that benefit more people. Such a holistic approach to pro-life and anti-abortion advocacy is vital, regardless of who is in the White House.

BROWN: So Kamala Harris ran an almost exclusively “culture war” campaign, even The New York Times acknowledged as much in a piece a few days ago, and, obviously, it didn’t work.

It also got the attention of Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough. Let’s listen to some of this.

SCARBOROUGH: Democrats should be smarter on the women’s athletic thing. 85 percent of Americans oppose men transitioning after puberty, competing against women. And I’m not just saying this the day after the election. I’ve been saying this for years. This is not a hard call.

It’s an interesting take, but I don’t think Harris really made it a trans campaign. She wanted it to be an abortion campaign, it seemed to me.

MCCOY: Harris’s campaign seemed almost exclusively about abortion. Other than her promise to end so-called price gouging through grocery store price controls, her primary discernible policy was a nationwide mandate to institutionalize abortion. As a conservative Christian woman, I find it insulting to suggest that liberal women are only concerned with abortion. Women—especially mothers—care about many issues beyond a supposed right to terminate a pregnancy.

Moreover, Harris’s campaign missed the mark on critical issues Americans are genuinely concerned about. Since moving from Texas to Georgia, I’ve seen firsthand the real challenges related to illegal immigration and safety at the border. Some on the left dismiss the severity of crimes committed by illegal immigrants by pointing out that most crimes are committed by citizens anyway, as if that lessens the fear or severity.

Back in the summer, when President Trump wavered on abortion, I remember telling a friend, “Don’t underestimate how women will vote on their safety.” This election showed that women’s self-interest—distinct from selfishness—is more significant than just abortion. The ideological left seems to offer little beyond these culture-war issues, often disconnected from people’s real concerns.

Hopefully, this election will encourage both parties to do some soul-searching and reconsider how they serve the American people. Perhaps they will see there is much more that unites us than divides us and stop categorizing us by race, gender, and class.

BROWN: Author and speaker Katie McCoy. Enjoyed the conversation, thanks!

NICK EICHER, HOST: Well, better late than never the saying goes.

An obscure 1980s band from Germany knows that first hand.

See, 40 years ago a couple of teenagers, a brother and sister, recorded a song off the radio onto a cassette tape.

The old tape sat around for decades and then in 2007 the sister made an mp3 and put a clip online looking for help identifying it—because they never caught the band’s name or song title.

And wouldn’t you know it? Someone on Reddit made a positive ID: It was “Subways of Your Mind” by FEX.

That Reddit user happened to be researching up-and-coming bands of the 1980s from Germany, highly specific. So the user wrote to band members who’d been completely oblivious to all this.

So for them, opportunity finally knocks. The band’s aiming to reissue the song all these years later.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Friday, November 8th.

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

Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: a new Christian Christmas movie.

This weekend, families can flock to theaters to watch a fresh take on Barbara Robinson’s classic children’s story, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. The novel debuted more than 50 years ago, but reviewer Chelsea Boes says its message remains relevant today.

GROWNUP BETH: The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world.

CHELSEA BOES: The Herdman kids lie. They steal. They smoke cigars—even the girls! And they’re about to take the residents of the little town of Emmanuel for a serious ride.

GROWNUP BETH: They were just so all-around awful, you could hardly believe they were real. No one knew why they were that way. It seemed they just came out of the womb mean.

Directed by Dallas Jenkins, creator of The Chosen, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever comes to theaters today. Barbara Robinson first published the story in McCall’s Magazine in 1971. More than half a century ago, the tale sold 800,000 copies in novel form. The story takes us back to a world that maybe doesn’t exist anymore—a world where a church Christmas pageant has all the town matriarchs gossiping on their landlines. The Herdmans, a family of unsupervised poor kids, come to church because they’ve heard they’ll get snacks there. Attracted by the possibility of pretending to be somebody else for a change, they bully their way into the lead roles of the cherished Nativity reenactment. The new movie version features some veteran actors: Perpetual romcom sidekick Judy Greer plays Mom, while Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girls voices the narration as grownup Beth. Comedian Pete Holmes gives a great performance as Beth’s dad.

BROTHER: Oh no. Did somebody die?

DAD: It's worse than that, son. Your mom is running the Christmas pageant.

Where some faith-based films point the finger toward “outsiders,” Robinson’s story points instead at a sanctimonious church. It pulls our heartstrings as we watch the Herdmans learn the Christmas story for the first time.

CLAUDE HERDMAN: What were the wadded up clothes?! You said they wrapped him in wadded up clothes!

MOM: Swaddling clothes. They used to wrap their babies tightly in a big piece of fabric so they couldn’t move around.

IMOGENE HERDMAN: They tied him up and put him in a box? Where was child welfare?

Pageant rehearsals devolve into chaos when the Herdmans want “rewrites” so they can kill Herod and bring baby Jesus a better present than oil. But there’s truth under the apparent irreverence. As Beth gets a better idea of the Herdmans’ poverty, she starts to realize she’s experiencing the Nativity in a whole new way.

ALICE: You’re too dirty to play Mary, Imogene Herdman, everyone knows.

BETH: Alice!

IMOGENE: Who’s Mary?

BETH: Baby Jesus’s mom.

ALICE: Which everyone knows except you.

It’s hard to say if this adaptation has the seamlessness of a Christmas classic, but it’s working with great material that feels true to the wonder of the Nativity. It has an exceptional focus on the grace God’s people should extend to outsiders. The prudish little girl who usually plays Mary thinks “Jesus wouldn’t have suffered Herdmans.” But the story shows us that Alice—and the rest of us—are quite wrong about this. We have to admit we sometimes like church “because there are no Herdmans there.” Even if we would never say that out loud.

MOM: Don’t forget. The whole point of the story is that Jesus was born for the Herdmans as much as He was for us.

Granted, the film doesn’t move fast and it tells a small, mundane story that works better on paper. Visually, it’s mostly just some kids in a church. But it squeezes about as much excitement as possible from “The Emmanuel Annual” Christmas pageant, where kids wear their dads’ bathrobes and (until now) have never deviated from the script. Lovers of Robinson’s book will be happy to see Gladys Herdman’s famous ad lib come to life:

GLADYS: Hey! Unto you a child is born!

Which brings to mind perhaps my favorite aspect of this film.

The church people don’t have to stay the bad guys. They get a real chance to repent.

I’m Chelsea Boes.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Friday, November 8th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown. A week ago we asked you to send in encouraging scripture readings and intercessory prayers for our nation and the election. We got more than 60 responses. Thank you so much for helping us approach this election prayerfully.

BRAD SHED: Lord God as many are desiring a profound change in the political landscape of our land, we ask for a profound change in the spiritual landscape of our land. We ask that you would come and intervene and move on people's hearts, in people's homes, and in people's churches. Lord may we truly come together to see you do a revival in our land, where our hearts cry out to you to come and move. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

CARLOS WHITFIELD: Lord, we pray desperately that you would bring about, as you have in the past, a great awakening among the people of America. Enliven and awaken people to the reality, the beauty, the appeal, and the eternal blessing of the gospel, and cause them to respond to the gospel Lord, even as we speak it through our own lips and demonstrate it through our own lives. And we pray that more people than ever before will be opened, will be awakened, will be enlivened by the proclamation of the gospel, and respond, Lord, with saving faith. This is a desperate desire we have, and we lift it up to you, father in Christ's name. Amen.

JESSICA ABELLA: Heavenly Father, we as your people, confess that in so many ways, our nation has not loved and served and feared and obeyed you as it ought, Lord. So we pray that you would raise up godly men and women as leaders of our nation. But even more so Lord, that You would turn the hearts of the people of this land towards you, that they would confess their sin, and turn and trust in you as their only hope for salvation. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

SHERRY GRAF: Hosea 10:12. “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap steadfast love. Break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord that He may come and reign righteousness upon you.”

SOFIA ELLIOT: Father, thank You for our country. Thank you for all of the blessings that you have poured upon us. I grieve at the wickedness and the turning our back on you in so many ways. Lord, there are so many people who hate you. So many people have turned away from your word and your truth. Please, would you cause a revival in our country, not because of a leader that is brought into office, but because people are brought to their knees before you, and they see the truth of your word. How they need you, and they need to be reconciled with you. I love you, Father and ask these things in the name of Your Son. Amen.

JUDY STEPHAN: Dearest Lord, what we see with our eyes in our country and in this world deceives us, but what we hear from you, Jesus, sets us free to hope and trust in you, for our nation and our world's future. Amen.

KIM TURKINGTON: Father God, for those of us who fear you, who walk with you and who love you, Lord that You are our hope, that we wait in hope for you, because you are our help and our shield. So Lord, we just offer you our praise and our worship. And through this time of uncertainty in our land, Lord, we know that we can be secure and we can rest in you, because you never change. You're the same yesterday, today and forever, and we trust you Lord, and we just rest in who you are, and we praise you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

NATHAN FAHLIN: This is from Numbers 6:24-26. “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

NICK EICHER, HOST: Well, it’s time to say thanks to the team members who helped put the program together this week:

Mary Reichard, Lindsay Mast, David Bahnsen, Emma Perley, Carolina Lumetta, Mary Muncy, Hunter Baker, Daniel Suhr, Will Inboden, Leo Briceno, Onize Oduah, Cal Thomas, Katie McCoy, and Chelsea Boes.

A special thanks also to our breaking news team who pulled a lot of long hours this week: Kent Covington, Lynde Langdon, Travis Kircher, Lauren Canterberry, Christina Grube, and Josh Schumacher.

And thanks to the guys who stay up late to get the program to you early: Johnny Franklin and Carl Peetz.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Our producers are Paul Butler, Kristen Flavin, and Harrison Watters with assistance from Lauren Dunn and Benj Eicher.

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: “Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!” —Psalm 117

Be sure to worship Him with brothers and sisters in Christ in church on the Lord’s Day.

And Lord willing, we’ll meet you right back here on Monday.

Go now in grace and peace.

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