Insights on the Latest News, Some Free Advice for the President, and Shocking Developments in Canada

I've got some advice for President Trump, for Katy Perry, a whole lot more. It's time for The Line of Fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Michael Brown is the director of the Coalition of Conscience and President of Fire School of Ministry. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34-TRUTH.

That's 866-34-TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. A big day in the Supreme Court. We will talk to a Christian attorney about that in the broadcast today.

Oh, some major news and In terms of the president's travel ban on people coming from certain countries, the Supreme Court has ruled on that as well. And I'm in the midst of writing an open letter to Katie Perry. And last night, I gave some free advice to the president. Yeah, isn't that the best thing about it? The advice is free.

There's more fake news about Trump and Russia. A lot to talk about today. 866-34Truth. This is Michael Brown. I hope you had a great weekend.

866-348-7884. I preached yesterday morning at my home congregation, and God really stirred me with this message. I was praying in the morning about which way to go between two messages and just felt distinctly: no, no, this is the way to go. And I spoke from Proverbs chapter 13, verse 12. And I just want to take a moment to talk to you, my dear listeners, about.

That verse. Many of you know it. It says: Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but the desire when it comes is a tree of life. And what happens is that some people Full of expectation. You're a believer.

You're a follower of Jesus. You're praying. you have expectation or maybe maybe you're not a Follower of Jesus, but you're looking for something, you're expecting it, you're hopeful, you're whole, and it doesn't have. And it doesn't happen. And it doesn't happen.

And time goes on, it looks like it'll never happen, and it makes your heart sick. And maybe you've been praying for the healing of a child, and the child dies, and some people lose faith entirely. They walk away from God entirely. God, I trusted you with my whole life. I trusted you with my child and Nothing happened.

I guess you're not even there. Others change their theology.

Well, I guess God's still there, but maybe He doesn't heal the sick anymore. And others Still go on with their faith intact outwardly. but they are like the walking wounded. And that's some of you I'm talking to, you never got over that disappointment. I'm not condemning you.

No, God forbid. I'm not criticizing you. But I'm saying that that's what often happens, that we... We go through a rough season. And even though we're tough, we're warriors, we keep going, something inside of us dies.

A faith And innocence Uh a spirit of adventure. a confidence, a courage. It all disappears. And we find ourselves walking around with our hearts in a broken condition. Hope.

deferred makes the heart sick. But the desire, when it comes, is a tree of life. Everything blossoms again, and that vitality is back again, and that hope is back again, and that faith is back again, and that expectation and that excitement about life, it's back again. But but what do you do in the in-between season. What do you do?

when you haven't seen the answer and you haven't seen the breakthrough. And you're wondering and you're questioning. How do you experience the reality of Hope deferred. Being Making the heart sick, but having that reality of a tree of life. Tree of life.

even before the answer comes, is that possible? It is. Driving to the church service yesterday, I passed this RV dealership. I passed it pretty much every day. And it's got this massive giant flag, American flag was just hanging there, just hanging there, motionless.

And I realized without the wind, that flag's not going anywhere. And we need the resistance, we need the test. They may be dreadful, horrible. They may be Satan's plan to take us out. There may be people working against us or the fruit of our foolish choices, but we must go through the tough times to grow in character and endurance and lasting hope.

And here's the reality. Resurrection is going to come ultimately. Ultimately, it will come. If we can connect with God today, we can be revived for tomorrow. Give us strength to always do what's right.

It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. You can listen to my message from yesterday.

We did a Facebook Live. Uh Event when I spoke at the service.

So you can go to my Facebook page, ask Dr. Brown, A-S-K-D-R-Brown, and you can watch the message there. I believe it will bless you. This is on Proverbs 13:12. Hope deferred makes the heart sick.

866-34TRUTH is. the number to call.

Okay. My advice for President Trump. You can read it. My latest article on this, well, post it in a number of places, askdrbrown.org and elsewhere. My free advice for The president.

Uh I I was reading an article. About President Trump the other day, and it was very hostile. It was ugly. I stopped after. Two paragraphs, literally.

But right at the beginning It said to him, Well, you created the atmosphere you have to live with now.

Now, there's truth to that. And there's error to that. His entire administration has been dogged with constant attack, constant accusations. This whole he colluded with Russia thing, which it's nonsense. It's going to fade away.

He did not collude with Russia to get elected. He got elected because Hillary Clinton was a bad candidate, because he had a good strategy, because he appealed to enough things with enough Americans to put him in. That's why he got elected. Leaving out God's sovereign choice and whatever he was doing behind the scenes. But There's not a moment that goes by without a constant onslaught from the media.

A constant attack. And I'm sure if, say, Senator Ted Cruz had been elected and he was the president, he'd be under attack day and night by the mainstream media. And they'd be saying he's Christian dominion, he's trying to take over the world, he's trying to take over America, he's trying to force a Bible regime on us, and on and on. I understand that. I understand that.

Look. The mainstream media, the Democrats, were going after Mitt Romney. He was a pretty mild candidate. He was Mormon, so that was controversial, but for the Democrats, that wasn't the controversy. And Vice President Biden even said to a black audience, He's going to put you all back in chains.

I mean what kind of inflammatory, ugly rhetoric was that?

So no matter who was elected, Even if it was someone as mild as John McCain, I mean, just barely conservative, that he would have been blasted constantly. I understand that. But there's no question In my mind anyway. that the president exacerbated the atmosphere. And in that sense, through some of the first punches.

Think back to his campaigns.

Now, I know there's been all kinds of violence from the left against people on the right. And I think if you look at it, Trump's supporters have been attacked. far more than they've attacked others. And the the recent horrific shooting of Representative Steve Scalise and some of his colleagues that happened exclusively because he's a Republican. And this guy is a strong left-wing Democrat, the shooter, that wanted to kill Republicans.

So I understand all that. And the riots on Berkeley and these other campuses, they're against conservatives. I understand that the left is getting increasingly violent. There's no denying of that. I've written about it.

When violent words turn to violent deeds, the rise of the radical left. I've talked about that.

So there's no argument there.

Okay. The point though is this. Think back to one of the early rallies when candidate Trump Said, you know, you got some protester at the rally, one of you roughs him up, I'll pay the legal fees. That creates a certain environment. All right, even if the violence ended up going predominantly or almost entirely the other way.

Words carry weight, especially when you become the President of the United States. When you mock and denigrate others, It has an impact, especially when you do it. As the president. All right? I mean, this is the ultimate bully pulpit.

in that regard. And look, I I initially Agreed with others and thought that the president, then the candidate Trump, was guilty of. mocking a disabled reporter, And even talked about it on a video and mentioned it in an article. And I've left the video up because that was what I felt then. Yeah.

I'm not. Trying to deny that I said it.

Okay, I have to live with what I said then. All right, so that's why the video is still there. There was a warning to evangelicals against President Trump, and I mentioned him mocking a disabled reporter.

Well, of course, he's denied that repeatedly. And if you see videos of him mocking others, of this one being confused and not knowing what to say, he uses the same hand motions, kind of the same spastic. like hand motions. I'll take his word then that he didn't mean to mock the reporter. I mean, he stands up for the, he mocks others, Rosie O'Donnell or others, or Megan Kelly, or whoever he went after.

He mocks them a certain way and then stands by it. Right? For sure. he has contributed to some of the toxic atmosphere. You may differ with me.

Feel free. 866-34TRUTH. But To me. There's a way that he can deal with it. and be perceived differently by many Americans.

Because I know some even who voted for him. That they're constantly rolling his eyes about his latest attack on this one, his latest words here. It's like, you're the president of the United States. Sure, you can still tweet, and sure, you can still get your viewpoint out. No, you don't have to do it the way all the other presidents do, but there's a way where you demean yourself when you attack people a certain way.

So here's what I advised the President. By the way, I did this little survey on Twitter. I just started it 30-something minutes ago, so we just have the first 100-something votes in. Is the President of the United States largely responsible for today's toxic inflammatory political atmosphere? I gave four choices.

One, yes, he started it. Two, no, it was here before. Three, he just made it worse. Four, he made it better.

Well, 67% said no, it was here before, and certainly. By and large, it was here before. I have to say it's clearly true. 27 percent said he just made it worse. Yeah, I agree with that perspective.

As again, they're not mutually exclusive. I'm giving four choices of which one do you think is most accurate? Four per cent. say he made it better. I don't buy that.

2% say yes, he started it.

Well, he started some of it. He started some of it, but it was here before. The idea, though, that twice as many say he made it better as opposed to restarting it, that I find somewhat. Interesting. But I agree that overwhelmingly overwhelmingly, It was here before, and he made it worse.

And that represents 93% of the votes that came in so far. But here's my counsel. And hey, I gave it free. to the president. You say you think there's a chance he'd read it.

Sure, I think there's a chance he'd read it. Why not? I I know people. that that know people that know him.

So Any and Anything can happen. All things are. possible with God anyway. Him reading it's not the big thing. Him changing is the big thing.

But here's what I recommend. 'Cause it's gotten so ugly and so dangerous and death threats and de you know All kinds of things, and this actor joking about him being assassinated, and this this political leader s you know, saying this congressman deserved to be shot, and just on and on. It goes. Here's what I believe the president should do. And it's based on Proverbs 15, 1, that a A harsh word stirs up strife, but a soft answer turns away anger.

What if the president made a statement, either read it Uh thing behind his desk or Put out a statement. That In light of the toxic, inflammatory, dangerous political climate in America today. that he he wants to send out an olive branch and and say look I know that during the campaign and since I've been President, I've said many inflammatory things. And I've degraded and insulted others. And I'm sorry for it.

I do regret it. Back in August, he apologized for some things he said, said he regretted them during the debates and stuff like that. He regretted some of the words he chose. All right. And Kellyanne Conway said That was from his own lips, that the words I regret it, that it's from his own lips.

He said it from his heart.

So, Mr. President, what if you got up and said, I truly regret some of the things that I've said, both as candidate Trump and as President Trump. And I know I've hurt people and I know I've scared others. But I'm here to be the president. of all the United States.

and it's impossible for us to work together. to see America grow and improve for the good of all Americans if we're fighting each other constantly.

So I apologize for what I've done up to now. And with God's help, I'm going to take the high road. and nause respond in kind and not degrade the office of the presidency with attacks on others. And I'm gonna give myself wholeheartedly. to the job that you elected me to do.

making America better and stronger. and I want to make you proud of me, your president. He does that.

Now, is the media going to stop attacking him? No, they'll go after him. That's it. What do you mean? They'll go after him relentlessly.

But now. The perception will change. and many will see The media as Revealed with all of its ugly fangs where it exists. They'll see it revealed. And and when Well you don't fight back when someone punches you in the nose.

and you don't punch back and then they punch you again.

Soon enough a crowd pulls that person away and people are standing with you. That's how the president... could turn public perception. God of light, hear our cry, send a fire. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr.

Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. So about 20 minutes, we're going to be bringing on an attorney from the Alliance Defending Freedom. talk about an important ruling with the Supreme Court.

Court. Also, the court has said that in the fall they will hear the case of Masterpiece Cakes. Thankfully, this is getting to the Supreme Court. This is a baker in Colorado who. Declined business when he was asked to make a cake for a same-sex wedding.

He declined the business because of which he's been found guilty of discrimination based on sexual orientation, and the case is now heading to the Supreme Court. Because this is a religious liberties case, Be because Justice Gorsuch has been Expected to be a strong proponent of religious liberties. And because, look, let's just be candid. There's no way under the sun the government should be able to coerce someone in business. to do something that violates their conscience.

Go somewhere else, then. We're not talking about. We're not talking about a person is rushed into an emergency, emergency room on a hospital, right? They're bleeding out, and the first doctor that gets to them. is the difference between life and death.

and the doctor looks at them And sees the person's like an Islamic outfit and say, I don't operate on Muslims. Find somebody else. And the person does. We're not talking about that. We're talking about the equivalent.

of going into a Muslim caterer. And saying, we hear you've got the best meat in the city. We'd like you to cater our wedding. Great.

Okay. And we love, we're Italian and we're really into pork products.

So we'd like your pork. No, no, I'm Muslim. Don't you understand? We don't sell pork. Oh, no, no, I really want you to do that.

And you'd be offending me based on nationality and ethnicity if you don't. I'm really sorry. You know, next door is also a terrific cater. In fact, we got six in the city here. They'll all be happy to hear you do business with you.

No, no, I want you to do it. And if not, I'm going to take you to court. That's what we're talking about.

Something like that. Or how about this? You're a Christian. and you go into a t-shirt shop owned by a gay couple. by two gay guys.

All right? And you say, hey, listen. I hear that you guys are the most creative designers for t-shirts in the city.

So we are doing this special outreach at the next Gay Pride event, and we want on one side Leviticus 18:22. Leviticus 18, 22, that says, of course, that that homosexual practice is detestable in God's sight. And then we want on the front, just some really cool, like one man, one woman only, God's design for marriage. Can you design that? And they'd say, Excuse me, replied.

We're gay. Excuse me, we're married. Excuse me, we don't believe Leviticus eighteen twenty two. How dare you come in our shop and ask us to do that? And they said, well, I'm a Christian.

And you can't. It's in our state laws. you cannot discriminate against me based on my religious beliefs. and these are my religious beliefs.

So if you won't do this, I'm going to take you to court. That's bogus. That's ridiculous. Of course they have the right to say, no, we won't do that. Of course they have the right to say this is offensive to us.

And maybe they say, Hey, look, look We understand this is your religious belief. You understand we have a problem with it. But just go down the block to like three other t-shirt makers. They're all excellent. I'm sure they'll do a good job for you.

No, you have to do it, and if not, you go to court. That's the nonsense we are dealing with today. It is overreach and it must stop. And Some of the people involved have lost businesses. They said, hey, we're not going to compromise.

In some cases, the state's going after legal fees, which could literally bankrupt them, not just put them out of business. But take every dime of savings they have, even take their Homes.

So That's what we're dealing with, and I hope the Supreme Court will rule rightly on that case. The court has given. President Trump. Limited. Uh Limited rights to Carry out his travel ban.

Now, this is not a Muslim ban. That is a misconstruing of the bill. It is not a Muslim ban. It is a limited travel ban. From six countries.

And these were countries that President Obama had already put on a basic danger list, you could say.

So Visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Is it Six or seven countries here: one, two, three, four, five, six countries. And here's the limited right that the the Supreme Court gave to the President. If The person coming in. They could be Muslim.

They could be. Yazidi, they could be Christian. That's not going to be the big issue right here. If they're coming in, they want to come in. and they lack, quote, a credible claim.

of a bona fide relationship With a person or entity in the United States, then they can be stopped. All right. So It's not simply saying If you're Muslim From those countries, you can't come in.

Now again, There are how many Muslim countries in the world? And there's not a ban, there is not a restriction on them. Specifically, because they're Muslims. They've got to be vetted like everybody else. These countries have been more hotbeds for terrorism.

Because of which, if you're trying to come into the States from one of these countries and Now, according to the court, you do not have, let me repeat this, a credible Claim. of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.

So we can't tell why you're coming. Maybe you're a legitimate refugee. But there's no connection. Look, I remember. that when we sponsored Vietnamese refugees in the late 70s, early 80s, Before they could get out, of their their refugee camp in Southeast Asia.

They had to be sponsored by someone.

So you'd have someone waiting for the rest of his family and needing a sponsor because he was just here. Let's say here I was first a husband.

Now I need someone else. Will you also sponsor my wife and two children?

Okay, we'll do it well. We can't, but our neighbor will do it, and then we'll just get you guys settled in an apartment together. Or, hey, our house is big enough, you can all come. And sometimes they'd wait years for that. I don't believe the American government thought they were going to come in and commit terrorist acts against us.

But that was just what happened then. You needed a sponsor. To this day, people need sponsors for various refugee situations.

Now, obviously, there are a lot of legitimate refugees that have no sponsors. And that's where Christian relief gets involved and tries to place people and find homes for people and things like that. And to the extent that the Middle Eastern Muslim world, much of which is very wealthy, Or some of which is very wealthy, can sponsor refugees and bring them in. Hey, they're Arabic speaking, hey, they're Muslim.

So they've got the same language, they've got the same religion, they've got the same Middle Eastern culture. Isn't it best for them to take in as many as possible? Surely. But this is now the ruling of the court. And it makes sense To do this, are some going to be hurt?

Yeah, some legitimate refugees are going to be hurt, and that's where somehow Christian Relief can work with other believers to try to make connections so that they do have a credible relationship with a person or entity, then they can get in. But just in terms of vetting and security, Seems like a sober move by the Supreme Court. That being said, I'm not an expert. on immigration. We'll be right back.

It's the line of fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian Dr. Michael Brown. Your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRUTH. Here again is Dr.

Michael Brown. Thanks so much for joining us on the line of fire. 866-348 is the... Number two. Call.

Uh Okay, which way do I want to go here? Yeah, yeah, just a little bit more on fake news. A little bit more on fake news. I was reading a report in the Washington Post. And it was talking about Donald Trump's daily routine.

And starting in the morning, like 6.30 in the morning, when he's still in his private residence and talking with attorneys about the latest with the Russia charges and then things playing out in the media and then next meetings he has and then getting upset with people and then frustrated over this and weight lo weight gain and so on and so forth. You know, I read it. I thought, I have no idea if any of this is true. I have no idea. Really?

You you have no idea. these days unless there's documentation with sources and and then even then With someone saying, yeah, this is true. This happened to me. This is true. It's really hard to know what's right and what's not right.

Anonymous sources say: who are they? And are they making things up? Or did they get things secondhand or third hand? Have you ever done marital counseling? Or maybe try to moderate a dispute between.

two individuals. And you meet with the first one. Let's say you meet with the wife. and she lays out her case and why the husband is such a wretch and why it's all his fault. And you think, man, I didn't know he's that bad.

But you ask her questions, she responds, she seems rational, she seems clear headed. And And you think, wow, all right, we just heard her side, but... What could he possibly say that would make us think anything differently about him? Then he comes in. And then he shares his perspective.

And You think, oh my god, it's the exact opposite. She's the wretch, and he's the saint. How c how could we have been so duped by what she sa well, Or is he lying? But but you you sit there and you think. I remember Nancy and I had done this in for whatever reason met with each one individually first.

Yeah. I I remember. That uh We sat one time. And and and racked our brain, okay. What if he's exaggerating, if she's exaggerating, if he's lying, she's, it's like, not the...

There's no way to reconcile these two stories. There's no third option. One of em is greatly exaggerating and lying. or living in deception. It was so black and white, either one way or the other.

And then They came in together. and when we began to talk we thought, Oh, There was a third option. Neither of us saw it. And there was more to the story. I mean, you got the rest of the story.

Then you found out oh That's what actually happened. It would be as if He's got this long track of emails going back and forth where she's blasting him and calling him, you know, get off, stop bothering me. I don't even know you, get away from me. And what happened was they were coming into her. I'm just making this thing up.

They were coming into her with a different email address showing there was some glitch somehow, and she thought it was some stalker. Like, get away from it. I don't even know you. Who are you? Stop bothering me.

He's like, What happened to my wife? Again, just an imaginary scenario. You never would have thought of that.

So, you don't know.

Someone hears a report incorrectly, passes it on. They just got fired and they want to hurt somebody in the administration. Who knows what?

Somebody got paid to leak something, release something. It's crazy out there these days. And There was a story CNN put out, you know, this latest thing about Russia-Trump collusion. I looked at it, I thought, that's not true, it's just not true. I mean, I just glanced at it.

And then Breitbart did this investigative journalism over the weekend, and the whole thing's bogus, bogus, bogus, bogus. I mean, CNN's had to eat humble ply and retract it and pull the whole story. And supposedly, the head of CNN is now looking into how this happened, and so on. Again, that's what the story says. But.

I just want to encourage you. Don't just get all worked up over the latest headline.

Sometimes headlines are misleading. Don't just get worked up over the latest story in the news. It may not be reported. accurately. Do your best to be a seeker of truth.

Oh God of burning, cleansing flame, send the fire. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRUTH. Here again is Dr.

Michael Brown. Thanks, friends, for joining us in the line of fire in about five minutes. About five minutes, I am going to be joined by Michael P. Farris, president, CEO, and general counsel of the Alliance Defending Freedom to talk about the playground case and the Supreme Court's ruling. Yeah, Howard, we just had to push it back five minutes.

So I think 242 is what we're shooting for our time. All right. So before we get to that, this major Supreme Court ruling. One other thing I want to mention to you. Uh there were gay pride events.

There were gay pride events. in different cities all over America in different nations in recent days, June being Gay Pride Month and the Gay Calendar and going back to the Stonewall riots of nineteen sixty nine. And Uh yeah. I I mean, you can't make this kind of stuff up. But I think it was in Chicago.

They banned Jewish pride flicks. Yeah, you could not have a Jewish Pride flag. In the gay pride event, Because that was triggering for certain people. It made them feel... unsafe.

Yeah, uh-huh.

So gay pride has a conflict with Jewish pride. Is that because Jewish pride might be pro-Israel? And Israel is bad and evil and ugly and oppressive, not like the wonderful surrounding Muslim countries. that are so free when it comes to Gay Liberation Yes. That is called sarcasm there for from yours truly.

So in Canada, I read that Prime Minister Trudeau. celebrated at the Gay Pride event. where he was And he He was uh wearing socks to celebrate Ramadan. You think celebrating Ramadan. at a gay pride event.

Uh-huh. Yeah. No no contradiction there? No contradiction that wherever you find authentic Islam. Wherever you find Orthodox Islam, Wherever you find Islam that is faithful to its roots, you find extreme Mistreatment of Homosexual men and women?

to the point of stoning them or hanging them, or throwing them off Buildings. In Israel, with all of its flaws. It is quite liberated and progressive in the worldly sense.

So I've often mentioned that a couple years back when a major survey was done of the world's most gay friendly cities. The one that won overwhelmingly, overwhelmingly. And then way ahead of Top two, three combined was Tel Aviv. I said that to my shame as a Jew, said the man. Messianic Jew.

And for years, gay pride events in Jerusalem. Massive, couple hundred thousand strong, larger than that. Gay pride events in Tel Aviv, people coming from around the world. But you can't have a Jewish pride flag at a gay pride event because that's triggering But you can celebrate Ramadan. Etigay Pride event.

Yeah. Bizarre, isn't it? Very. very strange. But that's part of what we are dealing with.

And by the way, It's an article in USA Today that says, you know, this whole thing. Uh this whole thing about you know, born that way and and that's what science says, you know, it's it's It's really not that important to hold that anymore. You know, it's it's important to argue for quote gay rights and things like that, but you know, we really don't need to argue for that anymore because You know, sexuality is much more complex than that, so wouldn't it be interesting? If as time goes on, There is the admission that there's no evidence that anyone was born gay. And yet that was the whole lie that helped push gay as a civil rights movement.

That was the whole lie that helped push forward an agenda. To say, hey, it's just like skin color. It's innate and immutable. You're born this way. You can't change.

Wouldn't it be interesting if gay activists themselves in the days ahead back Away From This. Eight six six. Three four eight seven eight eight four.

Okay, let me give you the background to the case. that was ruled on by the Supreme Court. All right? It is the case shortly known as Trinity. It involves a Children's Learning Center in Missouri, Whose application to receive public benefit grants to surface their playground with tire scraps.

So they asked for public grant to do this. The Learning Center applied Missouri's Scrap Tire Grant Program, a reimbursement program that provides funding to nonprofit organizations for rubber safety flooring for their playgrounds using recycled tire scraps.

So Every citizen in Missouri is required to pay a fee on their purchased tires. The fees are then put into a pool, donated to the most eligible nonprofits.

So, Trinity Lutheran Church has this playground, this learning center, and they wanted to get federal state funding for this. But they were told, well, no, no, that separation of church and state, you know, that doesn't work like that.

Well, the Supreme Court ruled on that. And we are joined now by Michael Farris, President, CEO, and general counsel of the Alliance Defending Freedom, to tell us what happened with the court today. Hey, Michael, thanks for joining us again on the line of fire.

Well, it's good to be with you again, my friend. All right, tell us what happened and the significance of it.

Well, the Supreme Court ruled seven to two that religious people and religious organizations can't be treated as second class citizens when it comes to programs like this. Missouri didn't have to create this playground program, but once they opened the doors to it, Then they need to follow the the general rules. for eligibility and not impose a s a special rule for religious organizations saying you can't play, you can't participate whatsoever. And that's what was ruled unconstitutional today. In fact, the Chief Justice called that kind of thinking odious to our Constitution.

All right, who were the two liberals that voted for this?

Sotamaier and Justice Ginsberg. dissented from today's ruling. Justice Kagan and Justice Fryer, who also are normally considered part of the liberal wing of the court, voted in favor of religious equality, which shows you how broad and moderate this decision really is today.

So wh what was the argument, if if you're arguing from the left, uh how could they even construct an argument that sounded like it had any credibility?

Well, they were using the state constitution. which has a very um Strict rule that no public money may ever go to a religious institution. And the you know, if you took it literally, then you couldn't use uh government fire trucks to out a fire at a church. And so the um Missouri has been s uh Um not approved by the Supreme Court. And on this very provision previously, the state of Missouri tried to keep Christian groups off of a public campus at a university and using this very same constitutional provision.

And in that case as well, the Supreme Court said no, free speech is for everybody and religious speech is not second class speech. Today they said religious people are not second class people. A very similar ruling in that respect, but it's a broad, up-to-date ruling that will have wide implications.

Now the the The court also said that they will hear the Masterpiece Cakes case in the fall. And this is where a baker was penalized because he said, I can't in good conscience make a cake for a same-sex, quote, wedding ceremony. Obviously, we don't know where that will go. We assume we know where Justice Gorsuch will lean on this. What are your expectations with that case?

Well, first of all, we're very grateful that the Supreme Court took the case this morning. And so it means there are four justices that were interested in the case. The um Um They It will be a very close call. And one of the things I predicted and I Don't think this is a very hard prediction. Is that I think it's going to break all records in terms of the n the number of friend of the court briefs, Amicus briefs.

They'll be lined up on each side of this case. It's going to attract a ton of attention. And uh we'll be extremely contentious and I trust a a close decision. Yes, so this is the ultimate battle between religious rights versus Gay rights, but to me it's it's just a simple common sense thing that we've got no business going into a gay T-shirt company and penalizing them if they don't want to make a T-shirt with Leviticus 18, 22 inscribed on it. They have every right to say thanks, but no thanks right around the block.

There's someone who'll do it for you. Am I missing something with that logic? No, the only thing is that you are applying logic. And to some people on the left, they're they're not familiar with that idea of logic. But you know, the the other analogy that's What was in the news this year is a number of dress designers publicly declared that they would not design a dress.

Or what about Mrs. Um And so They're within the rights to do that. But we don't want to have the government come and tell those dress designers, you must design for Mrs. Trump, or you must design for Mrs. Clinton.

That would be nonsense. Freedom is freedom. Yeah, absolutely. Hey, if you've got one more minute, I've got one more question, but I know you're doing a bunch of interviews today. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr.

Michael Brown. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRU. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. I'm speaking with Michael Farris, President, CEO, and General Counsel of the Alliance Defending Freedom.

Uh there has been speculation that Justice Kennedy might be stepping down. I don't know if you've heard anything more than speculation. But do you think that if we do have a vacancy, if say Justice Ginsburg has to step down or Justice Kennedy decides to retire, do you think that the President can push through another conservative pro-life justice the way he got Neil Gorsuch through? I I think he can and he must. do so.

And not just for cases that that we're a part of But for Just for the good of the country. Um and so you know President Obama t uh toyed with the idea of doing a uh a recess appointment. And uh you know, one strategy that I I thought about is if uh the President really wanted to make them move fast, he could threaten to appoint somebody you know who has a judicial philosophy like me to the to the recess appointment. and say, if you don't do this guy who's clearly qualified and would pass every reasonable test, then I'm going to go and get a real hardcore conservative and appoint him to the court for a year. And Got it.

Many more vacancies on the federal level now. I've read twice as many as when President Obama came in, I think 108 to 54, and then Republicans slowed down some of his nominations. This is behind the scenes, but we're talking life appointments to appeals courts and things like this. How significant is that? Because most of us are just looking at Supreme Court, Supreme Court, and then we'll hear some loony, you know, loony ruling of some radically left appeals court, but we don't think about appointees there.

How important is that?

Well, it's the math tells you how important it is. Out of every hundred cases appealed to the Supreme Court, they take one.

So that means 99 cases Are decided by either a federal court of appeals or a state Supreme Court. And the vast majority of those are federal court of appeals. And so 99 times out of 100, the Federal Court of Affairs decision is the final decision. And so having good judges at all federal levels is essential for the future of this country. I know that they've been interviewing a bunch of people.

I always wish they'd pick up the pace and getting started getting them confirmed, fully nominated and confirmed on a faster track. Mm. And one last question. This is philosophical. You may say good question, but you're not prepared to answer.

But there has been such a leftward shift, the Bar Association being so left-leaning in Canada, even a restriction, say, of a Christian law school, you know, that because they had Christian standards of sexuality, their law degrees wouldn't be recognized. Can you comment on why things shifted so far to the left in the legal profession and then how it's played out in the courts?

Well, I'll just quote some of you much Um better at me on issues of philosophy, and that's Francis Schaefer. Francis did a film series on this many years ago called How Shall We Then Live? Yeah. Where he talks about this issue. And it's basically when the theory of evolution was applied to law, that things evolve over time and that evolution is the standard of what's true and good and right, then it's pretty simple for judges to say, we will do the forces of evolution in what our Constitution says to me.

And so it's a way for Intellectual elites to justify ruling the country. And you know, s someone on once told me the goal of every committee is to rule the world.

Well, this philosophy has allowed the Supreme Court to take a pretty good crack at trying to rule the world. Fascinating. Yeah, and that is a great observation, and that's why these things need deeper philosophical, spiritual revolutions to turn the tide. Sir, I appreciate the work you're doing, and there are many praying for you and standing with you. I know on the front lines that can be encouraging one day and discouraging the next, but I'm sure you have your eyes fixed in the right place.

Amen. And today was one of those really encouraging days. God bless you, brother. God bless you. Thanks so much.

All right. Good news. We are encouraged and we move forward in faith, focused on the risen Jesus, no matter what. Hey, I am uh not going to get into My open letter to Katy Perry. I'm writing it right now.

I'm obviously not right now, otherwise, you'd be talking. But God willing, later today I'll finish it and it should appear on a bunch of sites either tonight or tomorrow. But as soon as it's out, we'll let you know on Facebook or Twitter. But in short, it's just this, that Riches and fame can't buy you happiness. Can't buy you contentment.

Can't buy you joy. And Katie Perry recently did a an open... discussion with her. therapist and you know talked about this you know Wanting to be who she was originally.

Now, I don't know what she thinks of the gospel. and how much of her upbringing sh you know was good and bad. God knows all of that. But uh you'll see that and Just remember, whoever you are, you know, I see the rich and famous, the celebrities, and I I always feel bad for them. I just saw this headline and it was Jay-Z and Beyonce in this summer retreat.

It's like $400,000 a month. And I thought they're just bringing in so much money, it doesn't really matter to them. You know, they can spend that. It'd be like you spending 40 a month or 400 a month, they have that much money. I don't begrudge them the money, that's not the issue.

But I think Yeah, I wonder how much contentment and joy is there in the midst of it. And if they have it, It's because they're a family. not because of the riches. You know what I'm saying? If they do have contentment and joy, and God knows.

They have it because of their marriage and their kids or whatever, not because their outward fame. All right, friends. Let me encourage you that you can make a big difference. and helping us reach many, many people with the good news of the Messiah. And by God's grace, we are right on the front lines, and lives are being changed every single day.

Over the weekend, we had folks, we encourage folks to just post a review on our Astructure Bound Facebook page to let us know if the page was a blessing and really to tell others that go there what to expect. And I got embarrassed reading the comments. Literally, I started to feel embarrassed. I was so overwhelmed with the stories and what people were saying and the impact that we had. I was blessed and humbled, and we did it for the sake of others.

I want God's approval, not the approval of people. But sometimes we'll have people write the nastiest reviews and death wish stuff. And I thought, you know, let's encourage folks that are blessed by the page to weigh in as well and to help others coming. And if they want to find out who we are, sometimes you look at reviews, right? You buy a product, you look at reviews.

Some people do that with web pages and Facebook pages as well. What do the reviews say?

So we did that for the sake of others coming in. And I was literally embarrassed by it. I told Nancy, I said, I feel embarrassed reading these because we're humble to see what God's doing. We could really use your help. We are trying to expand in many ways and trying to, with a tiny staff and a tiny budget.

reach people in an amazing way and you could help us do it. stepping into some key things in Jewish ministry and then ministry that'll touch you literally on a daily basis, all of you. That will enrich you on a daily basis.

So, stay with us. Go to my website now, become a torchbearer. I've got a free gift for you when you do, and then wonderful benefits coming your way every month.

So, take a minute, go to ask Dr. Brown, A-S-K-D-R-Brown.org. All right. When you're there, just click on donate and become a monthly supporter. Join our team and you, together with us, will be reaching people around the world every day.

You ready to be shocked? We're going to go to Canada and find out what's happening there. It's time for the line of fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Michael Brown is the director of the Coalition of Conscience and president of Fire School of Ministry.

Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34-TRUTH. That's 866-34TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks, friends, for joining us today on the line of fire.

This is Michael Brown. And even though The largest percentage of you listening to me are listening. in the United States. We are going to focus on Canada. But in a way that you will find very, very relevant to the United States.

And so much of what's happening there is a lesson and warning to us here in America. And for years now, people have been speaking about religious liberties issues in Canada. And even though Canada and America are very different countries, we're neighbors, but we're very different countries. Ethnically and geographically and historically, Canada and America are very different countries. Yet, Many of the issues that will will unfold in Canada, say attacks on religious liberties.

Or sexual extremism with LGBT issues and things like that. Often they're happening in Canada first, and then making their way down to America. Although, so much of what America does is export it around the world. In certain ways, Canada is even further back in some of these areas, back meaning going in the wrong direction. quite a few years ago.

I I mean Well over a decade ago. maybe over 15 years ago. I recall learning that focus on the family when Dr. Dobson. was leading focus on the family.

that they would put out a show in the States. And it would deal, say, with issues particularly. Yeah. morality and homosexuality. And they could not air that same show in Canada.

It would not have made it through the censors in Canada. This is your back.

So I'm joined now by Tony Costa. He's been on the show with us before. He has a PhD in the area of theology and New Testament studies from Radbaud University in the Netherlands. His area of expertise is biblical and systematic theology, cults, the New Age movement, and comparative world religions. With a specialization in Islam, he's an ordained minister of the gospel.

He's done many debates, actively engaged in apologetics. He's the author of the scholarly volume Worship and the Risen Jesus in the Pauline Letters. Hey, Tony, welcome back to the line of fire. It's a pleasure to be here. back with you, Dr.

Brown.

Well, thank you, sir. We've just got a minute and a half before the first break, but a quick question for you. With everything happening in your country, are you seeing any increased opportunities to share the gospel? Yes, there is an increased opportunity to share the gospel because a lot of the folks up here are beginning to see that postmodernism is not delivering on its promise for a better life. better hope if people are are finding a lot of uh vanity in in these types of uh world views and And also, there's a lot of Muslims who have come into Canada, there's more on the way.

And so there is a lot of opportunity to share the gospel. Christ is still building this church in Canada. And do you have any debates coming up, any outreaches or lectures, anything like that?

Well, I am going to be involved in a webinar this coming Thursday that is going to be hosted in the United States but broadcast Uh on the internet. and I am going to be engaging a Roman Catholic apologist actually next month here in Canada. I had a debate with a Muslim a couple of months ago So I'm still very active, involved, actively involved in debating and dialoguing here in Canada. All right, listen, when we come back, I want to start with a question about Prime Minister Trudeau celebrating The recent Gay Pride event in Canada, wearing, I read, socks in celebration of Ramadan. why you as someone that's debated Muslims might have a comment about that and then I want you to take us through some of the recent bills that have been passed in Canada and what these mean.

So we'll be right back with Christian New Testament scholar and apologist Tony Costa. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

Thanks, friends, for joining us on the line of fire. We go back to Canada with Christian scholar and apologist Tony Costa. Tony, you've studied Islam for years. along with your focus on New Testament and theology.

So Prime Minister Trudeau, of course, very, very much to the left, joins in a gay pride event. You'd expect him to do that, given his track record. And then he weaves in, as I read, celebration of Ramadan in the midst of that. Does anything about that picture strike you as odd?

Well, absolutely. Our Prime Minister, unfortunately, is abysmally ignorant of Islam and what it teaches concerning, for example, homosexual relations. And it's the end of Ramadan, and so the greeting is Eid Mubarak. And He's going around saying happy Pride Day and Anit Boberic. And he has absolutely no clue that under Islamic law, Sharia law, homosexuality is punishable by death.

And so he seems like this the syncretist Prime Minister who believes that, in his own words, diversity is our strength. but he is abysmally ignorant of these issues. And so he's just trying to win more votes. And he really warmed up to the Muslim community in Canada prior to being voted in as Prime Minister. But he is as you also know, Michael, he's also pro choice.

In fact, he's made it a standing order that no pro-lifer can be a member of his party. And yet he claims to be a Roman Catholic. He's been photographed with the Pope, but he is an ardent supporter of abortion.

So the man is a walking contradiction. And as far as the Muslim community in Canada, what percentage of it if if you have a a rough idea, what percentage of it would be uh strongly conservative, what percentage would be fairly liberal? I would say that I would place the Conservative at probably eighty percent in Canada. with the twenty percent margin being more towards moderate or even just nominally Muslim. But there is a large amount of Muslims in Canada who would identify as conservative.

And and by that Would they ultimately want to have Sharia law for their own communities? Absolutely. There's been a number of Imams in Canada who have explicitly stated that they would like to see Sharia come to Canada and in full support of death to apostates and so forth.

So there's no doubt about it that that is definitely on their agenda. All right, but obviously the big Challenge in Canada right now is not coming from Islam, it's coming from the left, which in the name of tolerance becomes completely totalitarian.

So, let's go through one at a time some of the bills. You live in Canada, you know how to do accurate research. It's not just like you saw something reported somewhere on the internet and are parrying it out. Start where you want to start. Let's go through these one at a time and talk about the implications.

Sure, well, we can talk about motion 103, which is not a bill, it is a motion that was. introduced in December of twenty sixteen And it was passed just a couple of months ago. And what it does is it's a motion that calls to recognize, and I'm quoting here, recognize the need to quell the increasing public climate of hate and fear, condemns Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination.

So what this motion does is it calls for an awareness of an increase of climate of hate and fear in Canada. But then what it does is it flips in the word Islamophobia and associates it with all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination. And this caused quite a controversy in Canada because the question is, number one, what is Islamophobia? This motion does not even define the term. And secondly, here's the main point, Michael.

The Criminal Code of Canada and our Constitution already protects Muslims and Jews and Christians and Hindus and Buddhists.

So people of every stripe of creed and religion are already protected. And so why do we need something why do we need a motion condemning Islamophobia? Because in 2016, the most attacked and marginalized group in Canada in terms of hate crimes were Jews, not Muslims. And so the question is. Why is this?

Why is this being brought forward? And it was brought forward by one of our Members of Parliament Her name is Ekra Khalid. And Ekra Khalid, she was in university that she attended. She was part of the Muslim Student Association, which has connections to the Muslim Brotherhood. And there's been a lot of concern about the motives behind this motion.

because what we foresee is that what this Islamophobia motion is going to do is it's going to stifle criticism against Islam or Mohammed or the Quran. And so this is of great concern for Canadians.

So uh theoretically then If we're talking on Canadian radio, And I said to you, So from our perspective, the Quran is not inspired by God, and Islam itself is evil. And Muhammad would be the most significant false prophet of all time, which would be consistent Christian positions, would that be potentially considered hate speech and illegal?

Well, not at this moment, because a motion in Canada is not a bill. When a bill is passed through the House of Commons and the Senate, then it becomes law, and it's given royal assent.

So at the present moment, no, but the concern is that this notion has the potential of becoming a bill. And so this is our concern is that down the road, you and I may not even be having this conversation in Canada. Got it, because it would be stifled then. Yeah, all right. Let's, this is a question I've asked endlessly.

And I have some insight on it, but I'm still not totally satisfied.

So let me get your take. Why the coalition? Between The left, which is so extremist left and so liberal, and so against many of our fundamental conservative values, why the solidarity between the left and Islam, which is so fundamentally opposed to it. The reason why there is a commonality between them, Michael, is I believe that the primary enemy of postmodernism or cultural Marxism is Western society and Christianity. And so the left wants to dismantle Western society by dismantling the family, by redefining the family.

By destroying the nuclear family and replacing it with Neutral gender identities and so forth, which is already happening in Canada. and also its deep seated hatred for anything Christian.

Now Islam is also totalitarian, just like cultural Marxism is totalitarian. Islam is also totalitarian and Islam hates democracy because democracy is man's government, man's rule as opposed to the rule of Allah, which is Sharia law. And the primary enemy of Islam, the Quran is very clear on this, in particular, are the Jews. but also the Christians. And so in order to destabilize the West, Islam must dismantle Christianity.

And both of them are both totalitarian in their world views, and both of them see Christianity as one of their arch enemies. Mm. You know, it reminds me, Tony, of when Herod and Pilate, who were formerly enemies, became friends and they colluded in the crucifixion of Jesus. Trevor Burrus, Jr.: Absolutely. Good point.

Yeah. All right, so uh let's get started on another bill. In Canada. What's what's next?

Well, we could also talk about Bill eighty nine, which was passed provincially.

Now in Canada, we have our federal government in Ottawa, and our ten provinces and our territories have their own provincial and territorial governments, what you would have what you would call state governments.

So in Ontario, which is the province that I live in, the capital is Toronto, a bill was passed called Bill 89. And what this bill does is this bill Seeks the best interest of the children in protecting their sexual orientation and their gender identity. And what that means. is that if a child under the care of their parents claims to be gay or lesbian or gender neutral and the parents are not accepting of that child's position, That child can complain to the school, to an authority in government. And the present legislation now allows the courts to remove that child From the care of their parents and place that child in the care of foster parents.

who would support that child's position. Also, it it also prohibits a foster parent.

So let's say there were a Christian family of foster parents who couldn't conceive and they wanted to adopt a child in Canada.

Well, the adoption agency would ask them what their views would be on homosexuality and gender identity. If the foster parent said, well, our Christian position is that God has made the male and female, we believe in monogamy, and so forth, that agency would have the legal right to prohibit This couple from adopting the child.

So, what it does is it gives The Government of Ontario, a totalitarian grasp on our children. It's a very, very dangerous bill. All right, friends, I want you to hear this. We're going to repeat this on the other side of the break. But we're talking about ONTARIO.

All right. We're i if you have an eight-year-old boy. Who says, mommy, daddy, I really think I'm a girl. And you say, no, you're a boy, and let's help you work through why you think you're a girl. This child potentially could be taken from you by the government.

To be raised in an environment that will affirm his, quote, female identity. This is reality now in Ontario. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRUTH.

Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks for joining us today on the Line of Fire and speaking with Christian apologist, New Testament scholar Tony Costa. about recent bills and laws passed in Canada nationally or provincially in the different provinces. Tony, let's make sure I understand this correctly.

Your mom and dad, you got an eight-year-old boy. And he just says, Mommy, Daddy, I know I'm a girl. I'm really your girl. I don't want to be called Sammy. I want to be called Sally.

And I really know I'm a girl. And the parents say, Hey, well, let's talk. Let's try to find out why you feel that way. But we know that God made you a boy and so on. And trying to help him.

And he's a little upset and feels he's not getting a fair hearing from his parents. And say he's talking to a teacher at school. And the teacher says, What's the matter? You don't seem happy.

Well, I know I'm a girl. And my parents say, no, I'm a boy. And they won't let me dress like a girl. They use a girl's name.

So what could then happen potentially? What could this teacher then do? And what could the outcome be?

Well, what they do, Michael, in Canada and in Ontario in particular, we have what's called the Children's Aid Society, which would be similar to your child services in the United States. And the Children's Aid Society investigates all types of reports on abuse against children. And because Bill 89 is now legislation in Ontario, this would include abuse against the child. In terms of denying or challenging their sexual orientation, their gender identity, and gender expression. And so the Children's Aid Society would be called in.

And then what they would do is they would take this matter to court, present it before a judge and argue before a judge that the parents of this child are inflicting mental abuse on the child by questioning his or her orientation, identity, gender, et cetera. And this would be totally based on the perceptions of the child. Correct. And so it's completely subjective. And as you probably know, Michael, being a parent, and I'm a parent.

We know that children go through various phases. There's a lot of children who go through these phases in life. There's peer pressure and so forth. But studies have shown that a vast number of these children who go through these phases questioning their identity, they grow out of it after puberty. But this doesn't matter.

Facts don't matter. Scientific research does not matter. All that matters is who or whatever you think you are. What could the parents do then under this current law in Ontario to resist this?

Well, there's not much recourse they can do if if if if the it's law and if they can try to appeal it, but the law is the law. And so what they're looking at here, the determining factor here is what's called the best interest of the child.

So it's not the best interest of the parent. It's the best interest of the child. And so what this bill does is it authorizes the courts to side with the child. and seek his or her best interest against the family. You know, one of the most senior psychologists in America, Paul McEw, who's hated and vilified by the transgender community, is on record as saying that any surgical or medical intervention in the life of a child to say a boy to help him identify as a girl, you know, hormone treatments or some surgical thing is actually child abuse.

But we're being told it's child abuse, child abuse, when a mom and dad tell their boy, okay, you're a boy, you're not a girl, and we're going to help you. Even go to child counselor, try to find out the root of this. And as you said, the great majority of kids who identify as the opposite gender, by the time they go through puberty, 80% or more no longer identify as that. Yet, literally, the kid could be taken out of the parents' home. You know, I had people attack me saying you're making it up from the States.

Look at it. There's a reason that people are reacting to it the way they are in Canada. Has this caused any of a ripple, or are most people just too complacent to even think about this? Most Canadians are too complacent, and the only ones who are actually raising, who have been raising red flags, are really the Christian community. And so and there's been protests.

Our provincial premier, the premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne, is a professing and an active lesbian. And she also introduced about two years ago a sexual education curriculum in Ontario. That was believed to have been crafted by someone who's now been jail, he's been charged with pedophilia. And no longer teaching at the University of Toronto. But what the sexual education curriculum did was it taught children in grades one and two about.

things like masturbation, anal sex and oral sex and all this type of filth. And many Christian parents in Ontario stood up and protested. They pushed the sexual the sexual education curriculum through. And so now children in Ontario, in public schools, are being taught about uh various genders, uh same-sex relations, various sexual acts. And so forth.

And even here in Canada, we also have now people who are transvestites reading stories to little children. You could just check it online. Transvestites actually reading nursery rhymes to children all dressed up, men dressed up as women. Yep, it's in the States too. This is the new thing.

Drag queens reading to kids in libraries as young as two years old. Mm-hmm. We were told no, no, no, we're not talking drag queens, we're talking about someone who's trans transgender is not drag queen. With each new thing, once you accept the new reality, it goes further, it goes further, it goes further. It's a slippery slope.

It's a slippery slope, and we are slipping really fast up here. Yeah. Now, are you going to have time to stay in the second half of the hour? Because I know there are. All right, so just a quick question then.

What would you say to fellow Canadians, and maybe to Americans and people listening in other countries that are discouraged? Are the way things are going? Obviously, as a child of God, you have a certain mentality and attitude. You're also a realist. What would you say to those that just want to throw on the towel?

Well, I would say don't throw in the towel. Take a stand for righteousness' sake. Christ is still king. And we're supposed to expect this. We're supposed to expect that as we dawn the precipice of the end of time and the second coming of Christ, We know things are going to get worse.

Persecution is going to rise against Christians. And so I think that the best approach here is to take a stand for the gospel, continue doing what you're doing. Don't give up. Greater is He who is in us than He who is in the world. Yeah, absolutely.

And are you seeing that any Christians are now waking up and becoming more courageous now that they realize, okay. sitting back is not doing it or any waking up and getting involved? They're very small and in between, Michael. And it's very discouraging, to be quite frank with you. Many pastors in Canada don't seem to care.

And the reality is they just turn a blind eye to it. And most of them are probably figuring, well, the Lord's going to come, He's going to rafter me away from this, and I don't have to bother with any of this. We're losing our saltiness, Michael. And if the salt loses its saltiness, it's good for nothing. And so I pray that God revives this church, not just in Canada, but in the United States.

because this totalitarian ideology is going to choke us out. Yeah, and and look. The reason that you and I and others have been sounding the alarm for years is because this does affect us. You're now talking about foster parents that are unable to care for a child that they could have been great foster parents for, and that kid is stuck in foster care out just waiting in the middle of nowhere. And godly parents, great parents, terrific parents who have a kid that's a little confused, maybe confused by some of the curriculum they're getting taught at school and what they're bombarded by in the media.

And they could literally have their child taken from their home. We're not chicken little crying, the sky is falling. This is a real and present danger. That's why the law was passed. All right, friends, more to come with Tony Costa.

If any of this is a surprise to you, friends, where have you been? We've been sounding the alarm for years. We'll be right back. It's the line of fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian Dr. Michael Brown.

Your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRU. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Friends, we often look at things that happen in different countries.

And we say in America, okay, this could be happening to us next. Let's look, let's see, let's learn. That's been the case in Canada for a number of years now, where There have been bills passed, laws passed, discussion introduced that increasingly restricts religious liberty. that increasingly comes against Christians in particular. That increasingly pushes a radical LGBT agenda, even on little children.

It's unfolding daily in Canada. The news gets worse and worse. And it's another call to pray for Canada. as well as to wake up in America. Yes, what America does goes around the world.

Yes, America exports things around the world. But you can see trends in other countries. And as they begin in other countries, often they make their way to America. This is Michael Brown. If you have a question or comment, the number to call 866-348-7884.

My guest is Tony Costa, New Testament scholar and apologist. We were interacting a few days ago and he said, Hey, you think I should come on the air and discuss some of the bills that are being passed in Canada? And I'd written about some of them, but Tony, living in Canada with much more first-hand knowledge and perception, I said, by all means, let's do it. Tony, what about dictating speech in terms of, let's say, Your coworker is Jim. And he now identifies as a woman, but he wants to be called by the pronoun they or addressed as z or zer.

Is there law in Canada about that now? Yes. We just had about a week or two ago, we just had Bill C-16. which was just passed federally in Ottawa. Which is now federal legislation.

Basically, what it does is it has added gender expression. into the Criminal Code of Canada. And it has also been added to the section in the Criminal Code of Canada. Under hate speech. If someone does not want to be identified as non-binary, that is, something other than male or female, and you refuse to acknowledge.

that pronoun um you can be now in Canada. charged with a hate crime. And I think you may have had Dr. Jordan Peterson on your program. He is a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, who I also know.

And Dr. Peterson came under a lot of fire for taking a stand against. Bill C sixteen. He was at the Senate hearings in Ottawa. Speaking against this, the government went ahead and pushed it through.

So now in Canada, If someone wants to be called Zer, Z, or whatever, Your Majesty. Um you have to oblige them. And if not, then you are promoting uh hatred towards an identifiable group. What I found fascinating, Tony, when I had Professor Peterson on my show is that his real expertise was not so much in these issues, but he had studied communism for years and totalitarian governments that dictate ideas and speech and things like that. And that was his.

He immediately saw the same spirit at work here and looked at it just as if it was a communist takeover of the government saying you shall like a North Korea kind of atmosphere. Is he exaggerating it? No, no, he's right on target. He's right on target. Compelled speech is part and parcel of totalitarian ideologies.

I mean, this is George Orwell, 1984. This is new speech and thought crime and everything that Orwell wrote about. is now happening before our very eyes, where Big Brother is watching you. Big Brother is telling you how to speak. And that's what Professor Peterson was opposing was the idea of compelled speech, which is exactly what totalitarian communist regimes were pushing for.

And so this is exactly what we see here is a form of compelled speech. All right, friends, we're gonna take a break and come back. We'll review quickly what's been happening in Canada and then focus on this. There's one more video I saw from Canada, another shocker. Tony Costa, our guest, is going to help us get caught up.

It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. My friends, we're looking at Canada, one, because it's our neighbor in the north.

and we pray for Canada and the well-being of the people of Canada. And two, because what's happening in Canada There's a warning to what's coming in America. And Tony, the thing that's so wild is that we've warned for years about slippery slope, about implications, and we're always told, no, no, no, there is no slippery slope. No, no, no, you're crazy. No, no, no.

This is never going to happen. And then, when it happens, people say, Well, what's the big deal? What's so bad about it? And then, when it happens, people are so dulled and their consciousness so numbed. That they they They don't really care that much.

So you tell people 10, 20 years ago, this and this and this is going to happen. They said it'd be crazy, that would never happen. By the time it happens, they're so used to it and so dulled to it that they don't really care. In New York City now, it's the law that you come to work as Tony and say instead you want to be known as Tammy.

Well, I'm required to call you Tammy. I can't ask for any verification from a psychologist, psychiatrist, or anybody or anything. I have to call you Tammy. And if I don't, it could be a $250,000 fine. And then if you want to use the ladies' room, I have to let you use that, or there could be a fine.

What's happening now in Canada has gone one step further. And University of Toronto told Professor Peterson that if he would not call a kid uh the boy wants to be known as as z or as zero or as she or whatever. If he wouldn't do that, and there was a lawsuit against him, that they wouldn't stand with him. This is before the national law was passed.

Now this is dictated speech, compelled speech, for the whole of society. Are you there, sir? Yes, sir. Oh, okay. Yeah.

Well, I exclaimed. I thought. Go ahead. You can exclaim. Jump in.

Yeah. Well, I was just going to say, Michael, it's gotten so bad in Canada that they are removing gender. completely from our legal documents. For example, the passports in Canada, driver's license. If you don't want to identify as male or female, you can just place an X under gender.

And the same goes for marriage licenses. I know that in Ontario, before they would have the name of the bride and bridegroom, and they would have their father and mother's name.

Now what they've done is they've removed father and mother, and now they have parent, parent. And so there is there is a There is a move here to literally erase Gender distinctions. And I think, as you probably know, Michael, that this is ultimately an attack on the Imago Dei. The image of God, which God Himself identified, He created us in His image and identified that image as male and female. And so the eradication.

of sexual gender is the attempted eradication of the image of God within us. And that's when if that happens, then God help us of the consequences. Yeah, if you believe we're created in the image of God, there goes the pro-abortion movement in an instant. And so obviously there's a constant assault on that. And Tony, over the weekend, Nancy.

My wife Nancy had been talking to our daughters, and they told her to check out someone on Facebook, and then she sent it to me to look. And it was an old friend of the family, someone we knew when our kids were little.

So I'm going to kind of change details a bit. I don't want to embarrass anyone if they might hear this, but. You know, a a guy who now dresses and looks like a woman and is married to a man who dresses no, hang on, married to a woman who dresses and acts like a man, so they've switched roles. And what when I started I started looking at the pictures, I just broke down crying because we knew this person for years. And then the more I read, I felt like I was in the movie The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, you know, where just the whole world had changed.

And you don't know who's going to appear on that page saying, but that's wonderful. You're doing a great thing. You think, no, no, what's happening? How is this happening? But it is that fundamental assault on one, God creating us.

So you go back to evolution and those issues, right? There is no God and everything just evolved on its own. Then God creating human beings as the pinnacle of his creation and he makes us male and female. There is a frontal assault. It's not just have sympathy for a kid who struggles with gender identity.

Of course we have sympathy for that kid. All right. That's not the issue. It is a frontal assault on the way God made things. And Nancy was saying, you know, and I wrote about it over the weekend, Our Lost God's Pain.

She was saying to me, think of how he crafted us and he formed us. It's just so carefully and so beautifully and so miraculously to fit together and mesh. And we're just trashing the whole thing. It's crazy. Yep.

Yes, the Darwinian theory as well. Many evolutionists actually are not very happy with this whole construct because it flies in the face Of the Darwinian principle of evolution, because evolution is all about sexual reproduction and DNA. But if there is no male female and sex could be with whatever and whoever, then this goes against the if I may use Star Trek's the prime directive of evolution. which is all about the reproduction of the species. But ultimately, at the end of the day, you attack the Amago Dei, the image of God, you eradicate the sexual genders that God has defined as his image.

And then, if you notice also, Michael, they're turning against scientific research. And again, knowledge and science and wisdom are rooted in the triune God. If we reject the triune God, then we're going to reject knowledge. And we do know that cultural Marxism sees both truth and knowledge as social constructs. That is, they're not objectively true or real.

They're what we make them. And so the whole thing uh it crumbles right at the point of denying the the image of God. And so th this is the consequences. Ideas have consequences. Yeah, and we're seeing these things played out.

We're seeing in America the voice of tolerance is violent. The voice of tolerance wants to suppress other views and will use physical violence to do it. It is anything but tolerant. Those who say diversity, they mean my way or the highway. Tolerance is just a cold word for intolerance.

It is the Orwellian doublespeak. I had a group that would not work with me years ago because of my conservative views. They explained to me because they're inclusive.

So the words now mean the opposite of themselves. And Jordan Peterson, I mean, he's getting a lot of attention. He's 10 times louder than the vast majority of Christian leaders. Are people. catching on, are they listening to him, or is he just being marginalized as a nutcase?

They're listening. I don't think he's in that case. They're listening. He's the voice of the silent majority. They're listening, but the problem uh is that most people are Afraid to take a stand.

They're afraid for their jobs, they're afraid for their families, they've become complacent, and so unfortunately, the left is taking the majority. It's interesting. That Winston Churchill once said that the future fascists will claim the future. Fascists will claim to be antifascist. And it's also interesting as well that the people who claim to be the most tolerant in society, you will find are the most intolerant of other people's views.

Yeah. And look, you and I have very clear views based on our faith and a narrow view of who is right with God and who is not, which is why we bring the gospel to everyone. We don't claim to be open and tolerant to all views. We claim to be loving towards all people.

So you can differ with us. We're not going to kill you. We're not going to shut you down with violence. You can oppose us every way. You know how we're going to love you.

But we believe that there's a right way, there's a wrong way.

So we're clear about that. But the ones that claim to be tolerant and open-minded, liberal. It's anything but all right, so so real quick, for those that just tuned in, in Canada there is a a bill against quote Islamophobia so that you could not publicly criticize Islam in the most legitimate. Got it. It's a motion.

All right. So but that that could well become Federal law in Canada. Absolutely. There's a yes. There's a two hundred forty day period where they are supposed to hear what the public has to say on the issues.

So I'm trying to get involved in that on the governmental level to put in my input on the dangers of Islamophobia because the term itself is a contradiction. A phobia is an irrational fear of something. I don't have an irrational fear of Islam. And so just like homophobia, these are politicized terms that are used to stifle any criticism. Yeah, and so that is moving forward.

And then you have the law in Ontario that. If your child, eight-year-old, six-year-old boy, identifies as a girl, and the parents say, Hey, we love you, you're a kid, but we're not going to let you dress up like a girl or send you to school, the girl's name, that that child could potentially, by the law, be removed from the household, removed by the government, and raised elsewhere, and the parents can appeal it. But that is the law. I mean, this is, friends, this reality in Canada. You have this bill now explicitly saying you must use certain speech.

It's not even a matter of using a bathroom here. You're telling me I must refer to you a certain way, otherwise I could be penalized for it. Do you feel on any level that the left is overplaying its hand as much as there is complacency in Canada. You've got a voice like Jordan Peterson who is brilliant and who is courageous, and he gets a ton of views on his YouTube page and his podcasts are getting wide, wide review. Is there any kind of pushback taking place?

Pushback against people like Peterson? No, no, pushback. We'll tell you what, I'll rephrase for you, and we'll take it up on the other side. Perhaps the left is going too far. And that's why Jordan Peterson is getting such support from so many places.

Could it be that the left, the radical left, overplays its hand and people finally say, wait, wait, we didn't sign up for this? We wanted to be open-minded and tolerant, but we didn't want this. Could it be or is Canada too far gone? We'll be right back with Tony Costa. God of light, hear our cry, send us fire.

It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Welcome back, friends, to the line of fire.

My guest, Tony Costa, New Testament scholar and apologist.

So Tony, what struck me about Jordan Peterson, he's not a preacher. He is a university psychology professor, respected professor. Fearless, eloquent, but he's not coming from just quoting scripture and that mentality. He's coming from a secular mentality opposing the totalitarian overreach of the government. But it seems that he's getting a lot of support.

Now, maybe it's more in the States or the countries where people are listening, but my feeling was always that those on the far left go so far that ultimately they disqualify themselves or that there's a pushback. Like in America, for example, the same America that so readily embraced everything having to do with redefining marriage and same-sex activism, they're not embracing guys in the girls' locker rooms quite as quickly.

So, is there anything even there to say, okay, here there's a bit of a movement, or is it more like we got to pray for the resurrection of a corpse?

Well, I think there is a movement that is rising, even non-Christians, and they're just tired of the left. their demands and wanting everything and the extremes that they have gone to. But I think what's happening is that doctor Peterson has become their voice.

Now Dr. Peterson, as I said, now he claims to be a Christian, but he's not a conservative Orthodox Christian. He from his studies, he talks a lot about how much The totalitarian ideologies of communism have Have shaken him. He has seen the ugliness of evil and what we have, the total deprivity that humans are capable of. Um but but he holds to the transcendent.

I would place Doctor Peterson as a as a Platonic uh moralist, someone who believes in Plato's idea of the good. And and so he holds to this idea of the transcendent. And so um it wouldn't be fair to say that he's purely a speculator. He does have belief in in transcendence. And I think that's what pushes him to these areas to protect the the the right of of of free speech and and belief in God and and so forth.

But there is a surge of support coming behind Dr. Peterson. There's a professor out in McGill University also in Canada, Dr. Gad Thad, who's a Jewish professor actually, who's an atheist, an evolutionist, but he sides with Dr. Peterson.

on these issues as well.

So the support is rising, but The problem here, Michael, is that we're now facing something that is now law. It's legislation. And how do we deal with that other than fight it through the courts And many people, of course, probably impoverishing themselves fighting against this. And yeah, what you hate to see, obviously we pray for God to stir hearts and for righteous laws, but... the real Uh fearful Uh Next case scenario is that A family actually loses their kid, and that's what it takes.

You know, they lose their kid for a few years, and that's what it takes. It could destroy a whole family. And that's when people finally wake up. But you know, even for that, the media would portray it as this evil family, you know, this cult who was brainwashing this child who now got liberated.

Well, they're now doing that too. Yeah, sorry.

Sorry. No, go ahead. Go ahead. I was just going to say they're doing the same thing in Edmonton, Alberta, and Western Canada. A Canadian Christian school has been told not to teach offensive Bible verses to children.

So now they're telling them, for example, to remove 1 Corinthians 6, 9 to 11, which mentions all those various sins that bar us from entering the kingdom of God. They're now telling them not to mention any of these passages in scripture that vilify people in terms of their sexual orientation.

So it's not just the family, Michael, it's not just our speech.

Now it's the Bible, it's scripture itself that is now being targeted. But you'll notice it's always an attack on the Christian. Yeah. uh equally condemnatory uh when it comes to homosexuality and other practices. Yeah, and in fact, I sent you a link to look at about that.

It was Rebel Media. Yeah, and he said when he heard the report, a Christian school being told they cannot teach Christian beliefs and Christian values in a Christian school. He had to check it out for himself, and of course, it was accurate.

So, listen, friends. Pray for Canada. Pray for Tony and for the stance he's taking. Pray for awakening in the church. And then.

Open your eyes, friends, because everything we're talking about here in Canada could be the law in America in a matter of a few years if we don't wake up. As well. Hey, Tony, keep being strong. The gospel always bears fruit, and God is with you in your efforts. Thank you, Dr.

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