Trans Insanity. in need of Christ's redemption. That is the topic we'll discuss today on the Christian Worldview Radio program, where the mission is to sharpen the biblical worldview of Christians. And to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. I'm David Wheaton, the host.
Christian Worldview is a non-profit listener-supported radio ministry. You can connect with us by visiting our website, thechristianworldview.org. or following us on X, Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram. As always, thank you for your notes of encouragement. Financial support in lifting us up.
in prayer. In late August, during the first week at Annunciation Catholic School here in Minneapolis. a young man who was so confused that he falsely believed he was a woman, what society incorrectly terms quote transgender. took multiple firearms to this school and started shooting. Very sadly, two young children were killed and seventeen others injured before the gunman killed himself.
Now while the media blamed guns for yet another school shooting, The reality is that this young man's confusion about his gender His use of marijuana in the and his focus on evil spirituality. In his manifesto was a drawing of the satanic figure Baphomet. All these were the contributing factors. for him to do what he did. Robert Knight, columnist for The Washington Times, joins us today to discuss his most recent article on this shooting in Minnesota and how mass shootings by people who identify as transgender.
has become a trend. Later in the program, Mike Gendren of Proclaiming the Gospel Ministry will join us to discuss understanding Catholicism, remembering the Reformation. In light of a conference, he will be speaking at October 10th through the 12th in Minnesota, to which we have a link on our website, thechristianemorialview.org. But first, let's get to Robert Knight to discuss this tragic school shooting in Minneapolis. Robert, thank you for coming on the Christian Worldview Radio program today.
I want to start out by reading a portion of a column. written by a conservative news outlet here in Minnesota. called Alpha News. with regard to this shooting at the Catholic school here in South Minneapolis.
Sources on Wednesday again late August identified the gunmen who opened fire at Annunciation Catholic School and Church in South Minneapolis, killing Two children. ages eight and ten in wounding seventeen others. They identified him as 23-year-old Robin Westman. Westman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after firing through stained glass windows. during a morning mass marking the first week of school, police said.
Fourteen of the seventeen wounded were children. two of whom are in critical condition. Terrible. Situation and our hearts go out to the parents, just as an aside here. This is an awful situation.
It appears one of Westman's, the shooter's possible connections to Annunciation School, was through his mother. Mary Grace Westman, who worked at the parish for five years before retiring in twenty twenty one. In 2019, Mary Grace Westman, the mother. Petitioned Dakota County, that's a county just south of the metro area. to change her minor child's name from Robert.
Paul Westman to Robin. M. Westman. when the miner was seventeen years old. The order granting the request said that the minor boy identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.
The request was granted in early 2020 record show. And just one more additional thing that you wrote in your excellent column this week. You said That this young man's father even celebrated his son's Female identity In a 2018 Facebook post adorned with transgender colors. But not only this There were hate-filled rhetoric all over this male gunman's manifesto with anti-God, anti-Semitic, anti-black. anti-Trump and even satanic Imagery.
One drawing in this manifesto showed the devil in the form of a bull. And another showed an image of Christ as a rifle target. He also made a video, Robert, of his weapons and wrote these slogans on the ammunition magazines: Where is your God? Or killer sadist, or kill Trump now, Israel must fall, or for the children. What are your headline thoughts on what took place in this particular school shooting, Robert?
Well, my first impression, David, was that The media true to form Tried to cover up. the fact that he was a transgender And they do that often in these violent episodes. They cover up the fact that it's yet another shooting by a tranny. For instance, the Washington Post carried the story on the front page, but you didn't get around to learning that Robin was really born Robert until the 35th paragraph. In other words, deep, deep into the story.
They did that on purpose. They do that in all these stories. And you look across the media and you see them trying to keep people from the truth that. Transgenders constitute a far disproportionate number of mass murderers. And they'd even try to cover that up with other statistics saying, well, wait a minute.
straight white males overall commit more shootings.
Well yeah, overall. But the shootings that take place in places where people can't fight back, like a church or a school. Transgenders are far disproportionately represented in the rank of the the shooters. And you have to ask why. Part of it is their own mental confusion.
These are mentally unstable people. In fact, I believe that. The whole transgender thing is a mental illness, where if you can't identify with your own body the way God made it, then you're out of step. Your brain is not firing on all the cylinders. And we used to treat it as a mental illness as we should have.
And instead, they treat it as a civil rights issue and actually push kids into this behavior and identifying with the wrong sex. I think it's a societal crime what they're doing to kids all over the country, pushing them toward either non-binary status where they don't even know what sex they are, or identifying with the opposite sex. Either one is a lie. God created us male or female. And you have to think that these poor kids who are so sexually confused, some of them are going to go off the deep end, and that's what's happening out there.
I think you're very accurate, and really, it goes to the principle of when we reject and we rebel against God and His. good order for how he made us. we just become more and more mentally and spiritually confused. and eventually leads to a a kind of insanity. And we're going to see that as we Read some of the things this man, murderer, was saying, just in light of what you just said about this.
tendency, this trend. For people who identify as transgender. And by the way, you can't be transgender. No one can change their gender.
So we're just using that term just to. give you an idea of what society calls People who are confused about the gender God made them. This from the postmillennial website, Wednesday's mass shooting at a Minnesota Catholic school is the latest. on a startling list of of mass shootings carried out by transgender individuals in recent years. There has been an uptick in mass shooters and killers who are trans.
over the past few years. In March 2023, Audrey or Aiden had Hail. Entered the Covenant School, Christian School, in Nashville, Tennessee, killing three young students and three staff members before police shot. hail dead. Pages of writings released in the wake of the shootings.
Her imaginary private part and needing to see a quote trans doctor. She wrote, This female gender role makes me want to not exist. I'll give you another example. On November 19th, 2022, the year before, five people were killed and 40 others injured after Anderson Lee Aldrich. Open Fire in Club Q.
a Colorado Springs L G T Q nightclub. He was sentenced to life in prison. Aldrich identifies as non-binary and uses they-them pronouns. The article goes on with many more. All the media wanted to focus on.
in the aftermath of the shooting was not that that was the contributing factor. But Jacob Frey The Mayor of Minneapolis, came right out And said that this is all about Gun control, too many guns in this society. And that we really don't care about your thoughts and prayers. They don't do anything. Listen to this soundbite.
These were Minneapolis families. These were American families. And the amount of pain that they are suffering right now is extraordinary. Don't just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying.
It was the first week of school. They were in a church. They should be able to go to school or church in peace without the fear or risk of violence and their parents should have the same kind of assurance. Robert, what do you make of the fact that it wasn't just Jacob Fry, the mayor of Minneapolis, ridiculing? that people offered their thoughts and their prayers for the families of those who are impacted by this.
Why do you think there's such a strong reaction against that by the left.
Well, they don't want to admit the truth. They've been aiding and abetting the whole transgender thing, but they've also been very clear that they're. Anti-god. you know, a few years ago at the Democratic National Convention, they booed the mention of God during the convention. They didn't want God mentioned in the platform in any way, shape or form.
And wiser minds prevailed, realizing this would be a bad message to send to American voters.
So they went ahead and included it But the Democratic Party has changed radically in the last several years. They've become completely secularized. And they've embraced the LGBTQ Agenda, which is an anti-God agenda. It's against God's plan for the marriage and family and natural sexuality. And to maintain that, they have to push God out of the picture.
So you have people like Jen Saki, who was the former spokeswoman for President Obama, belittling prayer. It wasn't just Mayor Fry. And Democrats have tended to do that after these tragic incidents when people say our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, as they should be. But the mayor did a non-sequitur. That's when something follows that doesn't make any sense at all.
He said, Don't just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying. So what? Does that mean we can't pray for the families now? Democrats aren't even making sense anymore on any number of things, but especially on these issues.
I think the transgender issue was the sleeper issue, the twenty twenty four election. Surveys have showed that those ads that President Trump ran Tying Kamala Harris to the whole transgender thing were very powerful. They brought in young black voters, males in particular, Hispanics. It formed a new coalition that really stands in defense of traditional values. Two things are happening here.
The media keep going farther and farther out and doubling down on their support of anything sexually aberrant. While the public is starting to get wind that this isn't good for us, maybe we need to push back and we need to speak out more. Why is the left so wetted? to an issue that's not only Unpopular with most Americans, but they're so wedded to an issue that's so perverse and unnatural. I mean, for instance, you wrote in your column, you said Minnesota is in the grip of Democrat lawmakers, that's the truth, who banned such counseling to help people get out of Their perceived transgenderism.
In March 2023, Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. She's the second in command here in the State, wore a shirt showing a buck knife with the words protect Trans kids at a press conference unveiling Governor Tim Walls's executive order. declaring Minnesota a quote. Trans refuge state. A month later, Wall signed laws banning what they call conversion therapy.
The left's Pejorative term for reparative therapy to address unwanted sexual desires. Walsh also signed a law protecting access to, quote, gender affirming care. And that just means that children are able to get medical surgeries on their private parts to try to change their gender futile. That causes irreversible, in many cases, harm to their bodies and their futures. In Minnesota and other Democrat-run states, you say you can steer kids.
Like Robert Westman, that was the shooter at the school, into gender confusion. but you can't help them out of it. You close by saying in early August, the leadership of the American Academy of Pediatrics voted to make their top concern.
So what would be the top concern for the American Academy of Pediatrics? Quote. Recognizing transgender patients In providing Gender-affirming care. That's according to the Epic Times.
So, back to what I asked at the beginning of the setup here, Robert, why is the left so wedded to an unpopular and really unnatural perverse issue.
Well, you got to start with God. They've rejected God. and God's moral order. And everything they do stands against it. This is part of the Marxist outlook because Marx was an atheist.
In fact, there's quite a bit of evidence that he was actually a Satanist. A book that was out last year laid out the facts.
Some of his poetry was disturbingly satanic. With Marx, the idea is to wipe away all that came before, every tradition, certainly the family, the church, anything that stands between the individual and the state. And if you break down the sexual order, if you wreak havoc with just natural sexuality, then you prevent the formation of families. You undermine churches because families are the backbone of churches. And once you do away with those, then the state can move in to pick up the pieces.
That has been the democratic. Strategy for decades. It's been anti-family and it's tried to replace the family with welfare, which has been disastrous for black families in particular in the inner cities. and it has said, Don't worry, we'll take care of you. And that is their mojo.
And so, gender dysphoria, that is, gender confusion. Plays powerfully into this. It also aids their quest to. become more censorious, That is, they censor things they disagree with. And we saw that during COVID-19.
We see it in the climate hysteria that they promote, and we see it on anything having to do with LGBT. They use all these issues as a way to exert their power to shut you up if you disagree. I think most shocking examples of that i is happening in Great Britain. An Irish comedian just this past week. Sent three anti-transgender tweets while he was in Arizona.
And when he came flying into Heathrow Airport in London, he was met by five armed policemen who arrested him for hate crimes. He disagreed with the prevailing Ideology in Great Britain now, which is sold out entirely to the LGBTQ movement, and they also censor people for Islamophobia. Those are the twin threats right now to freedom of speech in this country and in Europe. because you're not allowed to point out who's doing the violence in the world largely. Notice the media.
Ignore the genocide that Muslims are conducting against Christians in Nigeria and other. African countries because it's not politically correct to point it out. When they do cover it, they make it seem as if it's two religions duking it out. David, just as an aside from years ago. One of the premier liberal historians was talking about the Chinese communists taking over Tibet.
and they did terrible things in Tibet. slaughtered people. And the only way he summed it up for a book was that Tibetans and Chinese were fighting in Tibet. Yeah. Yeah, the Tibetans were under attack.
It's like blaming the mugger and the muggi for the same amount of violence. And that's what the media do with these issues. Either they have a completely amoral judgment. or they blame the victims. In this case, it's the Christians who are supposed to be blamed for.
Producing a climate that would create such monsters as these mass shooters. That is exactly right. That it's those who won't affirm it. Who are the actual culprits for why these things take place? They'll say that Christians are literally leading.
Trans kids to violence and to suicide. And so just keep quiet about this. And I'm glad you brought up what's going on in the UK. It's incredibly disturbing. The suppression of free speech that is taking place in Great Britain right now.
Robert Knight is our guest today here on the Christian Worldview. He has written an excellent column we have linked at our website. ThechristianWorldview.org entitled How the Fear of Phobias Skews Reality. And now it's the transphobia. In other words, you must be transphobic if you're against transgenderism.
We'll take a two-minute break to tell you about some ministry resources and events, including the Overcomer Foundation Cup Golf and Dinner event. Which takes place soon on Monday, September 15th at White Bear Yacht Club near St. Paul, Minnesota. The registration deadline is coming up on Monday, September 8th.
Next, with Robert Knight, we'll discuss how the mainstreaming of marijuana only further confused the man who did the killing. I'm David Wheaton. You are listening to the Christian Worldview Radio Program. The 10th Overcomer Foundation Cup golf event is set for Monday, September 15th at White Bear Yacht Club near St. Paul, Minnesota.
David Wheaton here, host of The Christian Worldview, encouraging you to invite some friends or clients to experience a rare day on one of the best courses in Minnesota, hear the good news of the gospel, and discover how the Overcomer Foundation, the non-profit organization that directs the Christian Worldview radio program, is impacting hearts and minds. Golfer registration includes 18 holes with CART, all meals and beverages, and golfer gift. Out-of-town golfers and guests are more than welcome to come. Non-golfers can take part in the post-golf meal and message. There are lots of sponsorship opportunities as well.
We hope to see you Monday, September 15th at White Bear Yacht Club near St. Paul, Minnesota. To find out more and register, go to thechristianworldview.org or call 188-646-2233. The August issue of the Christian Realview Journal is commemorative on the life and ministry of one of the great preachers, John MacArthur, who recently went home to be with the Lord. Josh Barzon writes about key events of MacArthur's life and the scope of his ministry.
Pastor Travis Allen provides insight into his character and mission. Also, you'll find part two of Soren Kern's series on anti Semitism and how it is infecting conservative and Christian circles. The Christian Worldview Journal is a monthly, twelve-page, full-color, print publication designed to sharpen your biblical worldview on current events and issues of the faith. The journal is mailed to all Christian Worldview partners who support this radio ministry at $10 or more per month. To become a Christian Worldview partner or order an individual issue of the journal, go to thechristianworldview.org or call 188-646-2233.
or write to box 401, Excelsior, Minnesota. Yeah. Welcome back to the Christian Worldview. I'm David Wheaton. Be sure to visit thechristianworldview.org where you can sign up for our weekly email, the Christian Worldview Journal, monthly print publication, order resources for adults and children, and support the ministry.
Our topic today is trans insanity. in need of Christ's redemption. and our guest is Robert Knight. columnist for The Washington Times. Robert, the killer, Robert Westman had written, he said, I only keep my long hair because it's pretty much my last shred of being trans.
I am tired of being trans. I wish I had never brainwashed myself. Uh he said I can't cut my hair now as it would be an embarrassing defeat. and it might be a concerning change of character that could get me reported. It just always gets in my way.
I will probably chop it on the day of the attack. And then he said, I want to be a scary, horrible monster. standing over those powerless kids, he wrote. And he said gender and weed I wish I never tried experimenting with either.
So Robert, there were satanic images, anti-Christ images this young man. had put in his manifesto. You wanted to be a horrible monster standing over powerless children. That's very disturbing. There's a very dark spiritual connection here with trans ideology.
But I'd like to ask how You think the Popularization and the legalization of marijuana is contributing. to the decline of young people in our country. The whole point behind marijuana is to alter reality. to make it something it isn't.
So, you feel better about yourself and your surroundings. That's the idea. It induces a certain euphoria. But it also prevents reality from intruding. And that could lead people into embracing things that just aren't true, like a transgender identity.
I think we'll see more people who are utterly confused about all things, including their own sexuality, as marijuana takes hold. Of course, it doesn't do it to everybody, everybody's vulnerable to a certain extent. And some more vulnerable than others, any substance that alters reality, it's the people on the edge that tend to fall overboard. It's like alcohol.
Some people can drink wine with dinner and not be affected greatly, but others one sip and they're off and become alcoholics.
So, it's the people on the margins that are the most impacted as you have more mind-altering substances out there. back to the whole trans issue. There's good news, and I think it's because the public is largely rejecting it. There's a big pushback going on. 25 states have prohibited messing with kids, giving them cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers and surgeries, which I think is an extreme form of child abuse.
All these treatments, especially the surgeries, because they're irreversible. But that leaves 25 other states allowing this kind of stuff, and they're pretty much the ones run by Democrats. But Democrats are suffering from a huge drop in approval ratings. It's below 30% now. And That's never been that low in decades.
So, people are on to them. Gender clinics for youths, these are largely in hospitals where they give these treatments, are closing. 35 have shut down, 28 more have restricted their services since 2021. They're pretty much shut down in Great Britain. for all its wokeness, they've realized you don't mess with kids.
One of the most encouraging things is the U.S. Supreme Court will rule on a challenge to a Colorado law that bans. Conversion therapy, which you referenced earlier. Conversion therapy is just counseling. That's all it is.
All it involves is trying to get to the bottom of why people have unwanted either homosexual desires or gender dysphoria and helping them work. Out of it. That's illegal in 25 states, I think. And it's absurd because it denies client freedom. And it says that you can counsel them toward sexual confusion, but you cannot counsel them out of it.
This can't stand in a country that values freedom.
So I'm hoping the Supreme Court will strike down the Colorado law and all the other laws with it, including the one in Minnesota.
Well, Robert, we appreciate your highlighting this particular murderous rampage that took place here in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul at this school. And again, our thoughts and prayers are with these families who. Who were devastatingly impacted for life on something like this. And we thank you for bringing out the fact of how integral the trans confusion was to this young man who did the shooting and how confusing it is for those and how wrong the people in charge are to continue to ignore it and act like it's normal.
Keep up the great work, Robert, and we just wish all of God's best and grace to you. Thank you for coming on the program today.
Well, thank you, David. Again, you can find a link to Robert's column, How the Fear of Phobias Skews Reality, at our website, thechristianworldview.org.
Now you can Subscribe for free to receive Robert's column each week. That's what I do. Just go to roberthknight.com. Knight spelled K-N-I-G-H-T, roberthnight.com. or send an email to Robert Knight.
and the number four at gmail.com to request his weekly column. And what he means by phobias is how effectively That term has been used to shame and silence dissenters to the Homosexual agenda.
Well, you don't affirm homosexuality.
Well, you're homophobic, a fearful, closed-minded bigot.
Well now the same tactic, transphobia. is used like you're a hateful, fear-mongering bigot. If you don't accept that children should get surgeries and drugs in the futile attempt to make them what they're not, if you don't believe someone can become transgender. You're just transphobic. There's something wrong with you.
What a lie.
Now Robert mentioned Jensaki, who was the White House Press Secretary under President Biden and also the Deputy Press Secretary under President Obama. Here's what she had to say on her television program About this murder rampage at the Catholic School in South Minneapolis. And I have felt a mixture of anger and a lot of anger and emotional exhaustion about this today, as I'm sure many of you have, because we have been here so many times, so many times. And yet again, like clockwork. Half of the politicians in our country have little more to offer than thoughts and prayers.
That is all they are offering. Join us all, join all of us in praying for the victims was Vice President J.D. Vance's response today. That's what he said. That's it.
Please join me in praying for everyone involved, Trump wrote. We have seen this play out over and over again. There is a shooting, then come the thoughts and prayers. And then comes the attempt to shift the focus. This is what always happens.
you're going to start seeing narratives. You're already seeing them. They're already out there. About how the shooter was trans. You're going to see narratives about how the shooter appeared to be anti-Trump and anti-Semitic.
and clearly was in the midst of a mental health crisis. There's no question about that. But here's the thing. There are trans people all over the world. There are anti-Semitic people, unfortunately, all over the world.
and people filled with politi plenty of political hate all over the world. And mental health issues are not unique to the United States, and yes, we should do more to address them. But it's also an issue all over the world. But this is the only country where shootings like this, this one happen list often. The United States not only has the highest rate of gun violence of any country in the world, it's become a leading cause of death for young people and teenagers in this country.
That should make everybody angry. Weaponizing the shooter's identity is meant to distract from what matters. That is what they are doing, trying to distract from what matters. Here's what matters. Today's shooter bought the what rifle, handgun, and shotgun they used to do what they did today legally.
We live in a country with more guns than people where there are not universal background checks, there are not bans on assault weapons, and it is far too easy to buy a gun. It's the guns, everyone. It's not really a secret.
Okay, let's analyze what she just said. About thoughts and prayers. That's called being sympathetic with the victims. That's a good thing. But to her and people who believe like her, if that isn't followed up with actions the left is eager to take, namely further gun control laws.
thoughts and prayers are just pointless. Notice how she Puts down the narratives where someone would think the Shooter being quote unquote transgender or anti-Semitic or anti-Trump had something to do. with this man shooting these school kids. That is the problem here. The killer's mental and spiritual state.
is what caused him to do this. That is the most important motive here. The tool he used was a firearm, But there were other ways to kill. running over them with a vehicle. explosive device or a knife, this happens all the time.
She said, Here's what matters most. It's the guns, everyone. So what's the solution in this country? That has a second amendment that gives citizens the right to bear arms, not only to protect one's family and property. but as a hedge against government tyranny.
Show me a nation where citizens have no guns, and the government just runs right over them.
So, are we to confiscate all guns from everyone? That's what the left would like in this country for sure. They'll take however many steps it takes to get there. Criminals certainly wouldn't turn in their guns. There are already so many laws about purchasing firearms, But even those laws wouldn't have caught this man.
It sounds like he wasn't a previous criminal.
So, a background check. wouldn't have stopped his Purchase. Firearms have always been readily available in the United States.
So how do we explain that the vast majority of mass casualty School shootings have been in the last 40 years. Yes, there were some way back when, but most of them have been the last four decades or so. Guns haven't changed too much. But the culture has changed. It has become far more God-rejecting So now there are more people per capita.
who are willing to do something like this. People don't fear and revere God. I looked up some statistics online. It says in 2023, approximately 12,500 people died in alcohol impaired driving crashes in the U.S. In 2023, there were over 105,000 people in the U.S.
who died from drug-involved overdoses. I don't hear any Democrats like Jen Saki calling to confiscate alcohol. In fact, it's the Democrats who work to legalize drugs like marijuana, which is a gateway. Yeah. extreme drugs like fentanyl.
You see, the fundamental error of the theological and political left is that they believe they are kinder. and wiser than God.
So from a kindness standpoint, they just say, you just be who you want to be. Not who God made you to be, we affirm what God calls sin. We are kinder. Then God is. And from a wisdom standpoint, they would say you can change your gender, and that's a good thing.
Even though God has in His wisdom Establish that you cannot. We're wiser. Then God. Transgenderism is simply a male or female who dresses and grooms himself like the opposite sex that they were created by God to be. And they may take it steps further than that by taking drugs or doing surgeries on their private parts.
But no one can change their gender. Transgenderism is just a kind of dress-up. It used to be called criminalism. Cross-dressing. And God in his words.
rejects it as sinful. But the good news is God also forgives the sin of the of transgenderism. when one repents of their sin, agrees with God about it, and puts their trust in Jesus Christ. as the payment for their sin. and when some one comes to be born again, the Holy Spirit enters that person.
and transforms them from the inside out.
So the solution here is not More psychiatrist. But rather Grace and Truth filled Proclamation of God's Word in the Gospel. From the pulpit at churches to regular Christians like you and me. All right, short break to tell you about some ministry resources and updates.
Next segment. Mike Gendren of Proclaiming the Gospel will join us to discuss understanding Catholicism in remembering the Reformation. I'm David Wheaton and you are listening to the Christian Worldview Radio Program. The August issue of the Christian Realview Journal is commemorative on the life and ministry of one of the great preachers, John MacArthur, who recently went home to be with the Lord. Josh Barzon writes about key events of MacArthur's life and the scope of his ministry.
Pastor Travis Allen provides insight into his character and mission. Also, you'll find part two of Soren Kern's series on anti-Semitism and how it is infecting conservative and Christian circles. The Christian Worldview Journal is a monthly, twelve-page, full-color, print publication designed to sharpen your biblical worldview on current events and issues of the faith. The journal is mailed to all Christian Worldview partners who support this radio ministry at $10 or more per month. To become a Christian Worldview partner or order an individual issue of the journal, go to thechristianworldview.org or call 188-646-2233.
or write to box 401, Excelsior, Minnesota. Yeah. How to lead your family.
Now there's a high priority issue for current or aspiring husbands and fathers. Pastor Joel Beeke, Chancellor of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, has written a short yet helpful book titled How to Lead Your Family, A Guide for Men Wanting to Be More. The framework that Dr. Beeke sets forth is that Christian husbands and fathers share in a limited way. Christ's three offices of prophet, priest, and king.
He explains how these should be manifest in the home as the husband and father loves and leads his wife and children. How to Lead Your Family is 80 pages, softcover, and retails for $12. You can order a copy for a donation of any amount to the Christian Worldview. Order at thechristianworldview.org or call 188-646-2233 or write to box 401, Excelsior, Minnesota, 55331. Welcome back to the Christian Worldview.
I'm David Wheaton. Be sure to visit thechristianworldview.org where you can sign up for our weekly email, the Christian Worldview Journal, monthly print publication, order resources for adults and children, and support the ministry. We're going to change gears on our topic now from trans insanity in need of Christ's redemption to. Understanding Catholicism, remembering the Reformation with guest Mike Gendren, director and evangelist at Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries. For our listeners in the upper Midwest, Mike will be speaking at a conference in October on understanding Catholicism.
As Mike was a Roman Catholic for 35 years himself, before God opened his spiritual eyes to understand and believe the only saving gospel of Faith alone, in Christ alone, apart from any of our works or merits. Mike, thank you for coming on the Christian Worldview Radio program today. Before we get to our topic, I just wanted to follow up. On the first topic of the day that we started with on the rampage shooting murders at the Catholic school here in Minneapolis. How would you explain how these kinds of heinous acts have been?
have become more common in our country. We're in the end times and we know it's going to get progressively worse. And so evil is going to increase. And that could be the reason that Satan knows his days are numbered.
So he's got an all-out assault on humanity. You know, the one thing that Satan does not want to do is to release his captives. 2 Timothy 2, verses 24 to 26. Tells us to pray for those in opposition to the gospel so that God would grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth, so they can escape the snare of the devil who holds them captive to do his will. And so, David, a lot of people don't realize that the unbelieving world is held captive by the devil to do his will.
And the only way they'll ever be released is if they abide in God's word and they know the truth, and the truth sets them free. And so, in the end time, Satan is holding on to his captive. He's trying to keep people from the word of God, the truth that will set them free. And so, this is what we see: we see more and more deception going on because he knows his days are numbered. Mike, we are looking forward to you visiting the Twin Cities here in Minneapolis-St.
Paul coming up in October. You are going to be speaking at the Understanding Catholicism Conference, October 10th through 12th. at Anchor Bible Church in Plymouth, Minnesota, which is a western suburb of the Twin Cities. We have a link for those who would like to attend that conference at our website, thechristianroyalview. org.
The session titles for your conference are Seven Differences Between the Bible and Roman Catholicism. Roman Catholicism is drift into apostasy. remembering the Reformation, Seven keys to reaching Catholics for Christ. And then you're also going to be preaching on the Sunday service, contending for the exclusivity of the gospel from Galatians chapter one.
Now, most people today, Mike, think that Roman Catholicism and Let's call it biblical Christianity. or evangelicalism, I guess you could say, are just two different flavors of ice cream. Basically, believe the same thing about God and Jesus and the Bible. There's just some little differences, but that's not the case. What Is Mike, if you had to summarize it in one thing, even though there's many.
What is the all-important eternity changing distinction between Roman Catholicism and Biblical Christianity. There's a different gospel involved here. We know that there is only one gospel that has the power to save sinners, and that's defined by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, verses 1 to 4. It's about one person, the Lord Jesus Christ. And what he has done and who he is.
It's his death, burial, and resurrection. And it says according to scriptures. And so the gospel is fully contained in the Word of God. But yet in the Roman Catholic religion, they have a different gospel. That's because they worship and trust a different Jesus who is said to be insufficient to save Catholics completely and forever.
So the Catholic gospel is based on what Catholics must do rather than what the Lord Jesus Christ has done. And so that's why Roman Catholics never have the assurance of eternal life because they never know if they've done enough. They never know if they will die in the state of grace. But we know from the gospel of Jesus Christ that when you hear the gospel, the message of your salvation, having believed, you're sealed with the Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing your eternal inheritance. And so once a...
Repentant sinner puts his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their all-sufficient Savior. They have believed the gospel, and the gospel has the power to save them completely and forever. We are saved by the power and the promises of God. The promise of the gospel is eternal, everlasting life, and yet the Catholic plan of salvation does not offer eternal life. Mike, let's get into some of the history of the church and specifically.
the development of Roman Catholicism. Could you tell us How the Roman Empire, as we see in Scripture, went from Executing Christians like Christ in all of the apostles except for the apostle John. How did it go from that? To a few hundred years later, Making Christianity its official religion, and what kind of Christianity was this? You may remember from history that Constantine had this vision of Christ, and he looked upon a fragmented Roman Empire, and he felt like Christianity could be the glue that would reunite and cement a fragmented Roman Empire.
And so it was Emperor Constantine who made Christianity the state religion in the fourth century, and he ruled the church as Pontificus Maximus. And that's a title that The popes wear today, it's the highest priest. And so now the church was free from persecution. Pagans entered the church as false converts through the ritual of water baptism. There was no call to repentance.
In fact, pagan temples became places of church worship. And it was during this time that most people suggest that the Roman Catholic Church emerged because, again, with no call to repentance and pagan traditions and practices coming in, many of which are practiced today in the Roman Catholic religion.
So this was the genesis of the Catholic Church. The greatest error in the church today has been partnership with the world, and that's what happened in the fourth century with Constantine.
So the start of this Christianity was unsound, and that makes sense as to the. deeper and deeper It went into apostasy and false doctrines over the centuries leading up to the Reformation in the 1500s. But as we look back, Mike, like someone like. Augustine or Augustine sometimes is pronounced. Both Roman Catholics and biblical Christians will claim someone like Augustine to be one of their own.
What were he, like Augustine and other church fathers, like? This is always a critical issue that comes up when we're talking with Roman Catholics because they cannot prove that their religion is a genuine Christian religion from Scripture alone. And so they have to take you outside of Scripture to the early church fathers. And David, you know, as you've studied the early church fathers, that they have fathers on both sides of every issue. And so you really haven't proven anything when you quote Augustine or any of the church fathers because they have others that...
Contradict them as well.
So it really comes down to this, and it's a principle of our ministry. We must always test the uninspired words of men with the inspired word of God. In the last days before Paul went to glory, he was standing before the Ephesian elders, and he said with great emotion, I know that even from your own selves, men will arise to distort the truth for the purpose of leading people astray. And so, how do we know that Paul was warning us about even some of these early church fathers that would come and distort the gospel and lead people away from the truth? And so, I always encourage people to build their theology, not on the early church fathers, but on the inspired word of God.
Now there were centuries considered the Dark Ages. Specifically, let's say the 5th to the 10th century, or around that period, way back when. This is after the fall of the Roman Empire. What does it mean to refer to this particular time as the Dark Ages? And where was the true church of true believers during this time?
Leading up to the Reformation in the fifteen hundreds, as Roman Catholicism. was dominating Europe. That's a good question. We know that the Lord Jesus has always had his church. He said in Matthew 16 that the gates of hell shall not prevail against his church.
So there's always been a remnant of True believers down throughout the centuries. The Waldenses, for example, rejected the Roman Catholic Church's dogmas and believed the Bible was their final authority. And yet the Catholic Church put many of them to death. And so religion has always been an enemy of Christ and his church. But we do know the dark ages were because the word of God was removed from the hands of the people.
It was placed in Latin.
So you can say pretty much from the 6th century all the way through the Reformation, the average person had no access to the Word of God. And so they were being deceived by a false and fatal gospel of the Catholic Church. It works righteousness, salvation. And so it wasn't until the Reformation when God started raising up the Reformers that Had access to the Word of God. Martin Luther, his salvation experience was.
The Word of God illuminated by the Spirit of God that brought forth life to Martin Luther. And so as more and more Roman Catholics were reading the Word of God and being set free from the truth of God's Word, the Catholic Church had no other choice but to place the Bible on the list of forbidden books at the Council of Trent. They didn't want this mass exodus of people reading the Word of God and being set free by the truth of the gospel. And then comparing what the Roman Catholic Church was teaching in their doctrines compared to what the Bible. Was teaching because the common man wasn't able to read it.
It was in Latin all these years, and only the elite and the religious and the Roman Catholic Church were able to read it and interpret it the way they wanted to. after the Dark Ages and before the Reformation. Men such as John Wycliffe. Jan Hus and others in Europe. Tried to bring gospel light out of the darkness of the dark ages.
This is before the time of the Reformation. What was different About when Luther came along in 1517, that biblical clarity began to explode across Europe. In that Wycliffe and Hoose had tried, but We were unsuccessful in starting a major movement out of the Roman Catholic Church.
Well, I think it really goes back to the sovereignty of God and his providence. One of the things that really triggered the Reformation was when Martin Luther defiantly nailed his 95 thesis on the church door of Wittenberg to protest the selling of God's forgiveness through indulgences. Luther was so outraged that the Catholic Church was actually selling salvation like any other commodity in the marketplace. And so he really took a strong stand not only against the Catholic Church, but against this selling of God's forgiveness through indulgences. And David, I think it's important to note that Strategically, he nailed his 95 thesis on the church door.
On October 31st, because the next day was All Saints' Day, November 1st, and that's when Catholics who Entered into the church, they were granted indulgences for the remission of sins if they venerated relics of saints and confessed their sins to a priest. And so, this church door that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis, it had over 1,900 relics of dead saints on display. And so, as Catholics came in, they were reading the 95 Thesis. And I think this, more than anything, is what triggered the Reformation. Mike Gendren from Proclaiming the Gospel Ministry is our guest today here on the Christian Worldview.
As we talk about understanding Catholicism and remembering the Reformation in light of his upcoming conference here in the Twin Cities that takes place at Anchor Bible Church in Plymouth, Minnesota, October 10th through 12th. If you live in the Upper Midwest, we would highly encourage you to attend. Just go to our website, thechristianworldview.org, to find a link. to the conference for more details. Mike will join us again next week for part two of our conversation on Catholicism and the Reformation.
It's important that we even today have a better understanding of these things. And one more reminder that Monday, September 8th is the deadline to register for the Overcomer Foundation Cup Golf and Dinner event, which takes place on Monday, September 15th at White Bear Yacht Club near St. Paul, Minnesota. Non-golfers are invited to the dinner and program. You can register at thechristianwheelview.org.
Thank you for joining us today on the Christian Worldview and for your support of this non-profit radio ministry. Whether it's the trans insanity being promoted in our society today. or the false doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. Truth and Salvation. are found only in God's Word, where Jesus himself said, I am the way.
and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father. Except through me.
So until next time. Think biblically. Live accordingly. and stand firm. The mission of the Christian worldview is to sharpen the biblical worldview of Christians and to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.
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