The World and Everything in It: October 7, 2022

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Good morning!

What happens when a pro-life politician has to deal with a charge that he paid for an abortion for a girlfriend?

We will talk about the Herschel Walker controversy.

NICK EICHER, HOST: That’s ahead on Culture Friday with Andrew Walker, no relation.

Also today, WORLD Arts and Media editor Collin Garbarino reviews a new movie for families.

And this month’s Ask the Editor.

BROWN: It’s Friday, October 7th. 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, Kristen Flavin with today’s news.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, NEWS ANCHOR: Thailand shooting » In Thailand, people are lining up in hospitals to donate blood to victims of a mass shooting yesterday.

An attacker killed 22 children and two teachers in a daycare before leaving the building and continuing his rampage.

He killed at least 37 people and wounded ten others before committing suicide.

AUDIO: We had no idea how terrible it was.

This teacher grabbed two others and left to find help. They are some of the only survivors. She said they “had no idea how terrible this was.”

POLICE: [Thai] must learn a lesson.

The Thai National Police say they will learn a lesson from this. And that they don’t want it to happen again.

Koreas » South Korea scrambled 30 jets yesterday. That after North Korea sent 12 warplanes within kilometers of the two countries’ border.

The warplanes didn’t engage, but tensions remain high as the incident follows yet one more ballistic missile test by North Korea—its sixth in less than two weeks.

KISHIDA: [Japanese]

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida joined South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in condemning the missile tests.

YOON: [Korean]

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol describes the situation as “not so good.” He also says the American aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan is returning to the nearby waterways after the missile tests.

North Korea is trying to get Washington to lift sanctions, but the United States and its allies have shown no indication of doing so.

Iran Sanctions » AUDIO: [Protests]

Italian protesters in Rome chanting “Woman, life, freedom!”…

HILA: I take my symbol, the symbol for my sisters in Iran. This is for you.

And women in Israel are cutting off their hair…

Protesters around the world are expressing solidarity with Iranians rioting over the death of 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini while in police custody.

The U.S. has leveled more sanctions against Iran over the death. The government tagged seven high-ranking Iranian officials for financial penalties Thursday.

Protests have continued across the country for weeks. The group Iran Human Rights estimates 154 people have died in the protests, though state television says that number is only 41.

Biden pardons » President Joe Biden says he will pardon thousands of people convicted of possessing marijuana under federal law.

BIDEN: I'm announcing a pardon for all prior Federal offense Federal offenses for the civil possession of marijuana or 1000s of people who are convicted for marijuana possession who may be denied employment housing or educational opportunities that result of that conviction

According to the White House no one is currently in jail for simple possession of the drug. But the administration says the decision could help thousands overcome obstacles to a higher quality of life.

The pardon does not cover possession of other drugs nor the intent to distribute.

The Justice Department is working on a pardon certificate for individuals to show future employers.

Kidnapping » A family kidnapped in California earlier this week has been found dead. A farmer discovered the eight-month-old girl, her mother, father and uncle in an almond orchard.

Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke.

WARNKE: I’m just livid inside because this was completely and totally senseless. We have a whole family wiped out, and for what, we don’t know that. We’re trying to work that out.

Police have a suspect in custody. He’s a convicted robber who tried to kill himself on Tuesday.

WARNKE: We don't know motivation yet. We are making the determinant factor on that. And the investigation now is going to pursue a full conviction.

The extended family was not asked for a ransom, but Sheriff Warnke suspects there was an accomplice and money involved.

Ukraine » Speaking virtually before the European Political Community Summit in Prague Thursday, Ukrainian President Voldoymyr Zelenskyy spoke of Russia’s “absolute meanness” and “absolute evil.”

ZELENSKYY: [Ukrainian]

Two Russian missile strikes hit the city of Zaporizhzhia, roughly eighty miles from the region’s nuclear plant. At least three people died and twelve more were injured.

The strikes damaged more than 40 buildings. Rescuers have managed to save 20 people from the rubble.

Elsewhere: two Russian citizens have made their way to Alaska. U.S. Senators from Alaska Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan say that the two are seeking asylum. And fleeing compulsory military service.

Both events come as Ukraine gains ground on the battlefield and Russian citizens are pushing back against a partial military mobilization.

I’m Kristen Flavin. Straight ahead: Culture Friday with Andrew Walker.

Plus, a musical crocodile that will appeal to the whole family.

This is The World and Everything in It.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: It's the 7th day of October, 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. It’s Culture Friday!

Joining us now is Andrew Walker. He’s a professor of Christian ethics and apologetics at Southern Seminary and managing editor of WORLD Opinions.

Now, Andrew is traveling today and he doesn’t have his usual broadcasting gear with him, so I’ll apologize in advance for the sound quality, we’re making do with earbuds and an iPad, so the quality of the conversation is going to have to suffice. I’m just glad you could be with us today. Good morning, Andrew.

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

BROWN: We’re a month out from the midterm elections and the mud-slinging is in full force.

A recent report alleges Georgia’s U.S. Senate candidate, Herschel Walker paid for a girlfriend’s abortion in 2009. Walker, who is pro-life calls the reports a “flat-out” lie.

Now, we already know where his opponent, Senator Raphael Warnock stands because he publicly refers to himself as a pro-choice pastor. Republicans are reportedly standing behind Walker. Let’s listen to these clips from conservative radio host, Dana Loesch:

AUDIO: How many times have I said four very important words - these four words, winning is a virtue… so I don’t care if Hershel Walker paid to abort endangered baby eagles. I want control of the senate.

Andrew, you call this undignified conservatism. What do you mean by that? And what would be a more Christ-like response?

WALKER: Yeah, thanks for asking about this, this was really a complicated issue.

What we want to begin with first is the understanding that these are allegations at this point. And we need to kind of let the facts play out. Regarding Dana Loesch’s particular point, what I find problematic with what she said is that she is pursuing a “winning at all costs” mentality. She is, ethically-speaking, striking at a very utilitarian and consequentialist way of thinking about politics.

Now, on the one hand, we do have to admit that voting is somewhat consequential in terms of how we do our analysis and find that our vote is always going to have an outcome affecting X, Y, or Z. That doesn’t mean, though, that we excuse, or paper over, or look the other way when there are legitimate offenses and legitimate wrongs. Again, we don’t know what Herschel Walker has done for sure. Let’s imagine for the sake of our conversation that it's true. In this particular situation we can hope, perhaps, that— over a span of time— he’s had a change of heart on this issue. And moreover, we can hope— and we should, and we must— as Christians to hold all people to account and call them to repentance where there is wrongdoing regardless of party identification.

But coming back to Dana Loesch’s comments, I think it’s just this kind of pragmatic, “win at all costs” point-of-view that I don't think we as Christians can reconcile with our calling to be committed to principles and not just to winning at all costs. And moreover, when she presents the idea that winning is a virtue… I don’t think that that’s a Christian virtue. And I do teach ethics for a living, and I don’t actually see winning as a virtue in the ethics tradition. So I think she's actually speaking from a degree of ignorance with that position as well.

EICHER: I want to follow up on something you said a moment ago, you said, let’s assume the story’s true.

That would mean his very vigorous denials would be false and we have Republicans circling the wagons around Walker. Are they acting unethically if that’s the case?

WALKER: Again, that’s the whole problem of the current moment that we’re in: No one has access to incontrovertible proof one way or the other. But I think this is just another demonstration of how complex voting really is. Let’s imagine that it is true that Herschel Walker is lying: That is morally reprehensible. Is that morally disqualifying from him being able to be a senator? I think that’s a question that a lot of people are going to have to wrestle with. Because when it comes down to choosing a candidate, you’re only left with two options. And you’re often left with less than perfect options.

What I think we want to be very up-front and clear about is that if there is evidence of wrongdoing, we don’t ignore it and pass over it and act like it’s not a big deal. It’s important that we are saying to ourselves: Listen, we're dealing with the facts on the ground as we have them right now. It’s really messy, it’s really uncomfortable, we need to get to the bottom of the truth. And if Herschel Walker has committed errors and has paid for abortions and is lying, then I think that needs to be something that voters will have to take into consideration the next time around.

EICHER: Alright, big story from Australia and we had a WORLD Opinions piece on this by Albert Mohler. The story has to do with a business executive in Australia who took the reins of a very popular Australian Rules Football Club and found himself after just one day in the corner office, losing that job because of his affiliation with his conservative Anglican church. He was chairman of the church’s governing board, so not just an occasional attender—couldn’t really deny it. Although, discouragingly, he did try to distance himself. I won’t go into it, because my question is different. Suffice it to say, it’s an important read and I’ll have a link in today’s transcript.

But Andrew, you’ve heard John Stonestreet on this program talk about the need to develop a “theology of getting fired.” This seems absolutely on point. So as a professor of Christian ethics, Andrew, could you flesh out this point? What is a “theology of getting fired”? What does it look like, sound like, feel like?

WALKER: Sure, that's a great question. I think we need to have a “theology of getting fired”. And I think we need to have a theology of perhaps someday getting ready to go to jail— but for the right reasons. But that's perhaps another conversation for another time. I think a “theology of getting fired”, is for us to recognize that if we are going to hold true to what we believe is true to Scripture and true according to nature, there are going to be consequences to that. And it means that we should not just roll over and play dead and embrace suffering and embrace martyrdom or persecution unnecessarily; I think that you should actually pursue whatever measures you have at your disposal to fight back against these types of situations. To understand that there could come a time where your ability to exercise recourse has reached its last resort— a really difficult situation which perhaps results in you losing your job— we have to come back to promises in Scripture that Christ cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, and that the Father will care for his children. I think that's kind of the top-level theological principle, and I also think it means that we're going to have to be really creative and entrepreneurial, thinking about how the body of Christ can support individuals in situations like this.

I've got a friend of mine who's a businessman, and I've suggested to him that there basically be a Christian GoFundMe type of apparatus that Christians can rally around when individuals like this are confronted with a choice between their job and their soul. And on those same lines, I think we might have to approach a time where churches have to fit a sort of Benevolent Fund in their budgets, to aid if someone is having problems meeting their electric bill or getting their groceries paid for. I think churches need to be thinking about how to serve people who find themselves in jobs that they cannot, in good conscience, continue to participate in.

Just really quickly, I had a friend contact me and say that one of his deacons was the HR director at his corporation, and now he's being confronted with all of these really difficult situations. And my friend said, “what is the future for this person in this role?” And I said honestly, and tragically, that the ability for Christians to occupy positions like being the head of an HR department is going to get increasingly difficult as the scrutiny heightens regarding matters of conscience protections and religious liberty.

BROWN: So, Andrew, I want to ask you about another story that’s been in the news, very tragic. This 22-year-old woman killed in Iranian police custody, arrested for incorrectly wearing her hijab in public. Police deny wrongdoing, but witnesses say she was beaten within the police van. You haven’t heard a whole lot from Western feminists. There’s a marked silence. What do you make of that silence? And what should our response be as Christians?

WALKER: Well frankly, it means that you actually don't have a truly principled account of feminism in our country.

I have a lot of my own skepticisms and concerns around the label of something like feminism. You would think that if feminism were being consistent, it would be looking out for the interests of all women regardless of culture, regardless of context. But this was where political correctness and the restrictions on criticizing religion butt up against feminism’s claim to protect all women equally, and it's inconsistent.

This was another one of these examples where you have to have a principled foundation upon which to build if you're going to have a coherent worldview. And we see this in the transgender issue as well.

Feminism means that there is a static, stable category of woman. The transgender issue explodes that paradigm into dust, and says that womanhood is really just a matter of psychology and identity. And so I think this is where the biblical worldview actually has something profound to offer. It's a coherent account of femininity and appreciation of womanhood, not subjected to either unsound philosophy or political correctness run amok.

BROWN: Andrew Walker is professor of Christian ethics and apologetics at Southern Seminary and managing editor of WORLD Opinions. Thanks, Andrew!

WALKER: Thank you.

NICK EICHER, HOST: The bar to getting into law school is set pretty high. So you can imagine the elation when that acceptance letter arrives:

PAPOUTSAKIS: Last night I get this email and I’m like all excited, I’m like, “I got in!”

Lakisha Papoutsakis is a single mother from near Boston, and couldn’t believe it when Northeastern University School of Law told her she was in.

Six hours later—after sharing the news with everyone—she got another email from the school. Audio here courtesy of NBC10 Boston.

PAPOUTSAKIS: And then it’s like, “Oh no, sorry! April Fool’s day!”

Sue ’em Lakisha!

The law school tried to brush this off as a “technical error.” But Papoutsakis says no, no, just no.

She’s looking into legal avenues for how to get the law school to make good on its promise. All I can say is I hope that law school has a good lawyer.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Friday, October 7th. 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 singing crocodile?

EICHER: That’s right. Arts and media editor Collin Garbarino reviews Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile—a new movie aimed at the whole family from Columbia Pictures.

AUDIO: [Mom singing “Rip up the Recipe”]

COLLIN GARBARINO: Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile debuts in theaters today. It’s a live-action musical comedy about a family who shares their home with a loveable and talented CGI crocodile. The movie’s based on the series of illustrated children’s books by Bernard Waber. The first book in the series is called The House on East 88th Street. It was published in 1962. And while the movie updates the setting to the present day, it maintains the beloved story’s charm.

[Lyle singing]

Valenti: A singing crocodile? Lyle, Lyle. Hector P. Valenti, star of stage and screen, at your service.

[Valenti laughing]

Pop star Shawn Mendes voices Lyle the crocodile. Javier Bardem plays Hector P. Valenti, the man who discovers Lyle can sing. Valenti has dreams of taking Lyle on the stage, so the two work on a song and dance routine.

MUSIC: [“Take a Look at us Now”]

Things don’t work out according to plan. Valenti leaves, and not long after, the Primm family moves into his old brownstone house in New York City. Young Josh Primm, played by Winslow Fegley, struggles with the move. Josh suffers from anxiety, and big city life intimidates him.

Josh: What was that?

Alexa: That is an ambulance.

Josh: What was that?

Alexa: That was a car tire.

[growl]

Josh: What was that?

Alexa: I have no idea what that was.

The new situation also stresses his parents, played by Constance Wu and Scoot McNairy. And they’re worried about their son. But everything starts to change for Josh when he finds Lyle hiding in their attic.

Josh: He’s not dangerous.

Mom: He’s a crocodile.

Josh: Okay, yes. Crocodiles can bite through bone. And yes, they have a taste for human flesh. But he’s not like that. He wears a scarf. And he can sing.

Lyle teaches the Primms to relax and have fun. The Primms give Lyle the love of a family.

[Mom and Lyle singing “Rip up the Recipe”]

Josh: Mom?

Don’t expect many surprises from Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. The story is a little formulaic. But I have to admit it’s a crowd-pleasing formula. A sweet family needs some help, and a cute animal friend reminds them about what’s important in life. If you’ve seen a Paddington Bear movie you know where things are going. There’s even a grumpy neighbor—he’s actually named Mr. Grumps—who tries to keep everyone from having a good time.

But Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile keeps things fresh with original songs written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the song-writing duo for The Greatest Showman and La La Land. Some of the songs are pretty catchy.

MUSIC: [“Top of the World”]

The film is rated PG for a couple of mildly scary scenes, but it’s free of objectionable content. On the whole, I enjoyed Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. It leaves the audience with the feel-good message that everyone needs a family. And it also reminds us we should use our gifts out of love for one another.

What’s not to like about a singing crocodile?

I’m Collin Garbarino.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Friday, October 7th. 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. Coming next, Ask the Editor for October with Executive Producer Paul Butler. Today he’s going to tell about some of the things going on around WORLD News Group—both behind the scenes and across platforms.

PAUL BUTLER, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: In my capacity as Executive Producer for WORLD Radio, I sit on our Editorial Council. There are four other executive editors from across our content divisions plus our Chief Content Officer and CEO. We meet nearly every week. We discuss editorial standards, we think through challenging stories, and work hard to set an example for healthy organizational culture.

In January we asked our entire WORLD editorial staff a series of questions to get at two big ideas: “How might we work together across platforms?” and “What opportunities exist ?”

41 reporters and editors responded—many at great length. We collated and analyzed those answers for weeks. That data led our council to take a dramatic step: to totally restructure our news organization. We did so to increase cross-platform cooperation, coordination, and deeper reporting.

It’s been a slow roll-out, but that new structure is now fully in place. It’s meant a lot of internal reorganization and some exciting new hires. It’s been a lot of hard work, but when I consider what we’ve been able to do over the last 9 months, I couldn’t be happier.

Crack open the latest issue of WORLD magazine and you’ll see an amazing new design…but what’s even better than the fresh look is the increased depth and quality of reporting, the variety of stories, and the rich cultural analysis you’ve trusted for years.

WORLD Digital rolled out a new app a few months ago. It also continues to create superb newsletters, and great web-only content. This spring’s investigative report on how Southern Baptist leadership responded to sexual abuse allegations was top-notch. We’ve sent reporters to Uvalde, the Southern Border, to Ukrainian refugee checkpoints and dozens of other locations around the country.

We’ve created a brand new breaking news team that feeds our podcast, digital, and magazine platforms…you see their work in your email inbox every day with the Sift. And as I mentioned last month, you can now hear it all across the country as more than a hundred fifty Christian radio stations carry our 3-minute newscast, updated throughout the day.

Here at WORLD Radio, it’s been an exciting podcast year. Next week wraps up Legal Docket season 3. This season, Mary and Jenny visited a death row inmate, ran the Boston Marathon, dropped by a shooting range, interviewed a football coach on the steps of the Supreme Court building…and spoke with dozens of legal experts.

Lynn Vincent traveled from coast to coast interviewing dozens of people who knew Terri Shiavo for the Lawless podcast…season 2 and the rest of Terri’s story coming next Spring.

Effective Compassion season 3 took a deep dive into the US prison system—bringing us behind bars and back out again as churches seek to break the cycle of incarceration and hopelessness. This summer we partnered with the Patrick Henry College journalism program to present five memorable stories that made us take a second look at topics we’re familiar with. Some of those stories were also covered in WORLD Magazine. The latest season of Listening In began today.

We also have a full catalog of products for kids and families. Season three of WORLD Watch kicked off with a bang in August—with more reporters and correspondents. God’s WORLD News magazine is working through its own redesign, and there’s even a new podcast in the works for families.

And on top of all that, over the past year we’ve created an amazing library of thoughtful and Biblically informed commentary on world events through WORLD Opinions.

Our mission at WORLD includes informing and inspiring our readers and listeners, but we’re also committed to education. WORLD Journalism Institute expanded its reach—not only in our annual collegiate and mid-career courses—but by hosting nine European reporters in Poland for the first time this fall. And this weekend eight journalism professors are meeting with us to look for ways to strengthen their programs with our brand of Christian worldview reporting…

This is a great time to be a journalist. There are so many opportunities to tell the story of what God’s doing in the world. And thanks to a few thoughtful questions earlier this year posed to our highly invested staff of reporters, we’re doing more than ever before.

I’m Paul Butler.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Well, it’s time to say thanks to the team members who put the program together this week: Kent Covington, Mary Reichard, David Bahnsen, Emily Whitten, Onize Ohikere, Kim Henderson, Joel Belz, Leo Briceno, Mary Muncy, Whitney Williams, Cal Thomas, Josh Schumacher, Kristen Flavin, Anna Johansen Brown, and Andrew Walker.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And thanks also to the guys who stay up late to get the program to you early: Johnny Franklin and Carl Peetz. Production assistance from Lillian Hamman.

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, in Christ “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” 

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

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.