Three Pastors Walk into a Bar

<p>Today’s topic is controversial among church goers and church leaders alike, especially in our region of the country. Distrust of government can easily seep into guilt by association–distrust of pastors who also take political stances. Or it can lead to complacent, ignorant believers who prefer to remain isolated ‘above’ anything political. </p>

<p>In the Bible, Esau sold his birthright to Jacob to satisfy his fleshly appetite. Some would say that our nation is selling its birthright to China and other countries to satisfy our own greed. Today, the pastors examine the facts surrounding Chinese ownership of American land and discuss the debates being waged in the public square.</p>

<p>Chris and Ken meet Cameron Birk, President of ABSOLUTE Ministries, which operates what they call ‘life housing’ sites in Coeur d’Alene and elsewhere in the region. Their faith-based life skills teaching and comprehensive addiction recovery program set it apart from other transitional housing programs.</p>

<p>Let’s all breathe a collective sigh of relief–the election is over. In this episode, we discuss some of the major and minor takeaways from what some have called the most important election of this generation.</p>

<p>The 2024 general election may turn out to be the most pivotal election in our lifetimes. Constitutional challenges and individual and state rights are at stake in the campaign platforms of both parties like never before. Exercising your right to vote is critical to the future of our nation.</p>

<p>The pastors go off-script and have a freestyle discussion of the dangers of trusting everything we hear versus fact checking to learn real truth.</p>

<p>FEMA's response to Hurricane Helene....acceptable or not!</p>

<p>Chris, Greg, and Ken discuss the Proposed Constitutional Amendment HJR 5 and the Top-Four Primary and Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative that will appear on the November 5, 2024 ballot.</p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://sos.idaho.gov/elections/publications/2024_voter_pamphlet.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Idaho Voter Pamphlet</a> [PDF – 3 MB]</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/g5bNsSEz620" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pamphlet Audio with Chapters</a> [YouTube]</p>

<p>Our nation is deeply divided over who it wants to become the President of the United States Of America in November. But who occupies the other houses of government in Washington D.C. and in our state capitols is just as important. The ABC pastors discuss the critical issues that will guide their vote choices in this episode.</p><p><br></p><p>For the full text, click here:</p><p><a href="http://atholbaptistchurch.org/affirmationofvalues" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Athol Baptist Church Affirmation Of Values</a></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

<p>A security breach and the subsequent theft of a massive amount of personally identifiable information for hundreds of millions of Americans now means that practically everybody is at risk of identity fraud. Everybody, period. Three of our pastors discuss what this means for you and what you can do to minimize the odds of you becoming the next victim of identity fraud.</p><p><br></p><p>Use these links to place a credit freeze online or by phone:</p><p><a href="http://equifax.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Equifax</a></p><p><a href="http://experian.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Experian</a></p><p><a href="http://transunion.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Transunion</a></p><p><br></p><p>Use this link to check if your contact information exists online:</p><p><a href="https://myactivity.google.com/results-about-you?hl=en" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Google Results about you</a></p><p><br></p><p>Use these links to check if your personal identity was stolen in the National Public Data breach:</p><p><a href="http://npd.pentester.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">NPD Breach Check</a></p><p><a href="https://npdbreach.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Search the National Public Data Breach</a></p>

<p>Are guardian angels a myth or for real? And if they’re real, how should we think about them, like Santa Claus, a spiritual force field, Jesus Lite? </p>

<p>Today Ken and Greg interview Rod McCoy and get to hear his background and how he got to where he is today. Greg, Ken, and I shared our testimonies on this podcast not long after we launched it. If you want to hear about us, listen to the three preceding episodes in the series titled Cynics, Skeptics, and Scoffers. Links are in this episode’s description. </p><p><br></p><p>Cynics, Skeptics, and Scoffers - Part 1</p><p><a href="https://atholbaptistchurch.subspla.sh/pyvhbq8" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cynics, Skeptics, and Scoffers - Part 2</a></p><p><a href="https://atholbaptistchurch.subspla.sh/pyvhbq8" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cynics, Skeptics, and Scoffers - Part 3</a></p><p><br></p>

<p>The three pastors gather at their favorite virtual bar after watching the 2023 movie Nefarious, which aims to jolt secular viewers awake to the reality of satanic evil in our world and how it has deceived much of mankind into self destruction. The pastors compare and contrast what the Bible says about the origin, behavior, and purposes of demons to how Hollywood has portrayed them.</p><p><br></p><p>Note: this episode discusses demon possession, satanic oppression, execution by electrocution, and other topics that are not suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised.</p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/46w6k9b" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Nafarious </a>on Amazon Prime Video</p>

<p>In our society today, many people thrive. But some people struggle just to survive. For them, our society doesn’t hold out much hope, mercy, or opportunity. The Bonner Gospel Mission holds out the love of Jesus Christ to men who are struggling just to survive another day and who are looking for a hand up out of their circumstances and hope for a better life.</p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://bonnergospelmission.org" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bonner Gospel Mission website</a></p>

<p>Our pastors consider what could possibly drive a 20-year old young man to become an assassin and attempt to kill a candidate for President of the United States of America.</p>

<p>Chris, Greg, and Ken explore whether the first and greatest commandment trumps all others. In other words, is breaking a commandment ever the right thing to do for a higher purpose?</p>

<p>Chris, Greg, and Ken discuss some of the other voices speaking out about moral issues on the web and give you their recommendations on whether you should listen to those voices or not.</p><p><br></p><p>Links to recommendations on YouTube. May also be available on other media platforms.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@RussellBrand" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Russell Brand</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@j.d.greear" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">JD Greear</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@JordanBPeterson" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Jordan Peterson</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheDennisPragerShow_" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Dennis Prager</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BenShapiro" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ben Shapiro</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@MattWalsh" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Matt Walsh</a></p><p><br></p>

<p>Pastors Chris and Ken take on the risky business of surveying Scripture on women’s pursuit of beauty. They are complemented by the female perspectives of Chris's wife Kim and Pastor Richard's wife Leslie. The discussion grows into the issues of vanity and attraction in both sexes and what they might say about our spiritual maturity or lack thereof.</p>

<p>Pastors Chris and Ken welcome Lakeland Joint School District’s top leaders back to the program to address a recent controversy at Athol Elementary School and for an update on the positive improvements being made in the district.</p><p><br></p><p>Listen also to:</p><p><a href="https://subsplash.com/atholbaptistchurch/media/mi/+67c465k" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Library Porn Act To Become Law In Idaho</a></p><p><a href="https://subsplash.com/atholbaptistchurch/media/mi/+6b3yw8k" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">What You Can Expect From The New Leadership At Lakeland Joint School District</a></p>

<p>Pastors Chris, Greg, and Ken discuss the apparent suicide of another local pastor and its implications.</p><p><br></p><p>Other episodes in this series:</p><p><a href="https://subsplash.com/atholbaptistchurch/media/mi/+4fv53rk" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Mental Health in the Church - Part 1</a></p><p><a href="https://subsplash.com/atholbaptistchurch/media/mi/+dhgwghv" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Mental Health in the Church - Part 2</a></p><p><a href="https://subsplash.com/atholbaptistchurch/media/mi/+k78xddf" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Mental Health in the Church - Part 3</a></p><p><br></p>