Was Mr. Rogers a Transphobe and Sexist?

The following program is recorded content created by the Truth Network. So what about Mr. Rogers and his old children's TV show?

Was he a transphobic, sexist bigot? It's time for The Line of Fire with your host, biblical scholar and cultural commentator, Dr. Michael Brown. Your voice for moral sanity and spiritual clarity.

Call 866-34-TRUTH to get on the line of fire. And now, here's your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Do you remember the old days when it was okay to say boys will be boys and girls will be girls, when it was okay to address groups of children? Boys, girls, be quiet. Remember when it was all right to say that mommies are mommies and daddies are daddies?

Yeah, remember those good old days? Well, we're going to jar your memory today, Michael Brown. Delighted to be with you. 866-34-TRUTH, 866-34-87884. Remember my guarantee, I won't get your blood boiling unless I also get your faith rising. We will tackle controversial, difficult subjects. We will go into the mind fields that very few are willing to go into. It's my calling to do so with grace and truth together. But as we do, it won't be in despair or throw your hands up or it's all, oh no, the sky's falling. No, it'll be from the perspective of God remains God, Jesus remains Lord, the kingdom of God is still advancing on the earth, light is still shining in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. And ultimately, when Jesus returns, his kingdom will be established on the earth.

And even in the here and now, there are practical things we can do. All right, phone lines are open for anything under the sun you want to talk to me about a little later in the show because I've got a lot of ground to cover first. 866-34-TRUTH, 866-34-87884.

Any call on any subject relating to anything that relates in any way to me or the line of fire, phone lines are open. You have big headline news, two big firings, media firings, Don Lemon at CNN and Tucker Carlson at Fox. That's interesting that the announcement comes out, headline news basically the same day, two very different people, two very different networks. That's my only comment on it. Right now, that's my only comment on it.

Wow, look at that. All right, a colleague sent me a clip from Mr. Rogers. And how many of you remember Mr. Rogers? Your kids would watch it, your grandkids would watch it and, you know, Sesame Street and, you know, there were the cute things with the Muppets and so on.

And that, I would find a little bit more entertaining sitting with one of our daughters watching that. Mr. Rogers was a little bit boring, but boy, the kids just loved, very wholesome. A movie came out about him recently, I believe starring Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers.

I haven't seen the movie. But those who remember Mr. Rogers, this is him just singing and just doing what he's doing. And kids would just love and listen to him.

And there's a Presbyterian minister also, I believe. So let's just listen to this clip, which in its day was not controversial. In its day did not cause people to say, what? That's sexist. That's bigoted. That's transphobic.

Let's listen. Some are fancy on the outside. Some are fancy on the inside.

Yes, sir. Everybody's fancy. Everybody's fine. Your body's fancy.

And so is mine. Boys are boys from the beginning. If you were born a boy, you stay a boy. Girls are girls right from the start.

If you were born a girl, you stay a girl and grow up to be a lady. Everybody's fancy. Everybody's fine. Your body's fancy. And so is mine. Only girls can be the mummies.

Only boys can be the daddies. Yes, sir. Everybody's fancy. Everybody's fine. Your body's fancy. And so is mine.

I think you're a special person. And I like your ins and outsides. Everybody's fancy. Everybody's fine.

Your body's fancy. And so is mine. Oh, yeah. Listen, that was not controversial. That was not one of those things where, I can't believe Mr. Rogers has attacked people and transphobic people.

I can't believe. How could he say, boys, if you're born a boy, you're a boy, you stay a boy. No, it's no controversy.

It was a cute little song. It's like boys wear blue booties and girls wear pink booties and those kinds of things. There's nothing controversial about it. And in point of fact, that is reality. If you're born a boy, you're a boy. If you're born a girl, you're a girl.

And only a boy can be a daddy and only a girl can be a mommy. It doesn't matter what role you play in society. It doesn't matter how you identify. If you're a genetically male, you're male. And no amount of hormones or sex change, surgery or anything will ever change that. If you are biologically and genetically a male, you'll always be a male. If you're biologically and genetically a woman, you'll always be a woman. You say, but what about the people that are intersex? What about people who have a chromosomal abnormality? They begin to develop one way and you think, okay, outwardly, this is clearly male.

And then they begin to develop as female. That's a very delicate, difficult situation. And people have been through that. I can't relate to that. I can't imagine what that would be like, the torment, the pain, the feeling of not belonging, who are you at home with? What group do you identify with?

And on and on and on. I interacted at some length with one individual who was in that very category and explained in detail the struggles and, wow, you've got to be so sensitive in dealing with something like that. I've interacted for years with an atheist rocket scientist online, very gracious, very self-effacing, but would be in that very category of developing a certain way than a chromosomal abnormality. We're not talking about chromosomal abnormalities. We're not talking about biological abnormalities.

The vast, vast, vast, vast, vast majority of those who identify as transgender do not have a biological or genetic abnormality. Instead, it is something on their inside, I don't mean biologically, I mean emotionally, I mean mentally, on the inside where their body is not lining up with their mind, whatever it is. In that sense, it's parallel, not exact, but parallel to those who suffer with what's called body identity disorder or body identity integrity disorder that they legitimately feel. Their mind map is not lining up with their body. They legitimately feel as if their right arm shouldn't be there or as if their left arm shouldn't be there or as if they shouldn't have limbs. Some feel something's wrong if they're seeing, if they could hear. And yeah, there are some that have some type of amputation fetish of some kind, but there are others. It's a mind map issue and they're in torment and some of them have actually dealt with this by freezing a leg in ice until it had to be amputated or figuring out a way to amputate their own arm or leg, I mean horrific things like that, and they said it's the best thing they ever did. Well, obviously, there's a better way.

Obviously, there's always a better way with God's help and grace and that's to help someone find wholeness from the inside out rather than go to these extreme measures. But today, things have reached such a fever pitch and there is so much deception and so much collaborating with something that is psychologically and biologically untrue, namely that you're trapped in the wrong body, that we're now at the point where something like the Mr. Rogers clip could sound transphobic, sexist, to just say it. I want to point out to you a tweet from my colleague Professor Jay Richards, and this is what he said, as someone who works on gender ideology in the political realm full-time, it's hard to describe how bizarre this New York Times story is. It suggests that conservative activists were looking around for something to rally supporters and donors and land it on this. And here's the New York Times headline, how a campaign against transgender rights mobilized conservatives, this New York Times, the subtitle, defeated on same-sex marriage, the religious right went searching for an issue that would re-energize supporters and donors, the campaign that followed has stunned political leaders across the spectrum.

No! As Jay Richards said, it's completely upside down. It is completely upside down.

That is not the case at all. It's not, we went, look, all right, let's find another cause to rally around because we lost on a same-sex marriage, we'll find another cause to rally around and let's throw something against the wall until it sticks, it outs the trans, no! This came knocking at our door. This came knocking at parents' doors as their kids were upset at school. This came knocking at the doors of legislators. This came knocking at the doors of ethicists.

This came knocking at the doors of doctors. This came knocking at the doors of our kids through social media and media. This social madness, which is turning everything upside down, which is saying you're a hateful bigot if you don't want a 13-year-old girl to get a full mastectomy because of her emotional confusion. That makes you some kind of hate-filled bigot. Or there's something wrong with you if you don't want your 18-year-old daughter competing against an 18-year-old male and sharing a locker room with him where he's going to strip down naked.

Now there's something wrong with you. This came knocking at our door and we have simply responded. And the reason the response has been quote stunning is we've told you for many years, friends, that those on the other side, the radical left, whatever you want to say, will overplay their hand.

That the trajectory will always go too far. Look, everything reproduces after its own kind. This is established in Genesis, the first chapter. Everything reproduces after its own kind. So, when you start, say, with gay activism and, hey, we just want our rights respected, we're not trying to change the definition of marriage, we're not trying to tell you what to do, we understand you have your religious beliefs, we just want to be able to live our lives. And I know many, that's exactly how you feel, but it never stops there because it is a larger ideological change. It will now continue to develop after its own kind from G to GLB to GLBTQ to GLBTQIPA++. It's just inevitable.

I don't set it to insult or attack. It's just when you deviate from God's norm, male, female, he created them, you now open the door to an infinite number of options, of variations. Once you redefine marriage, you can now tamper with it in other ways as different activists are seeking to do in growing numbers. It's inevitable. And it's inevitable then that we have the national battle that we do with roughly 20 states now having passed legislation to stop the attack on our children through trans activism and the Biden administration fighting aggressively saying they're going to fight for, quote, the rights of kids to transition. I say we go back to the Mr. Rogers song. We help those who are struggling, but we remember you're born a boy, you stay a boy, born a girl, you stay a girl.

This is the norm. This is biological chromosomal genetic reality. Let's help people from the inside out rather than mutilate their bodies put them on drugs for the rest of their lives, and they'll still never be fully what they want to be.

All right, we'll be right back. Chronic inflammation is the greatest health threat to humanity. Infections, injuries, toxins, poor diet and chronic stress can attack your immune system and lead to chronic inflammation.

But now there's a solution you can fight this dangerous silent killer with. Nopalea, made from the super fruit of the Nepal cactus containing a unique group of bioflavonoids clinically shown to reduce chronic inflammation. In a random double blind placebo controlled study, it showed a reduction of elevated at-risk C-reactive protein levels, resulting in an improvement in range of motion in the back, neck and joints, and an overall improvement in the quality of life.

Nopalea has helped thousands of people by lowering levels of chronic inflammation. Let's hear what customers are saying. I'm a personal trainer and owner of three gyms, super excited doing a renovation here, bringing new equipment in, and as a and as I was bringing the new equipment in, I was trying to move a piece. I moved, the equipment didn't move, and I injured myself severely. So it was frustrating.

It was really depressing. I wasn't able to work out. I wasn't able to train.

I wasn't able to do just normal daily functions. After taking Nopalea, I found that it really helped with my recovery, not only with my severe injury in my back, but it also helped in my recovery of my workouts. Nopalea has helped thousands of people by lowering levels of chronic inflammation. To place your order, call 800-771-5584 or online at triveda.com. As a new customer introductory offer, use promo code BROWN25 for a 25% discount on your purchase of Nopalea.

And 100% of your first order will go to the support of Line of Fire. Go to triveda.com or call 800-771-5584. Again, 800-771-5584. It's the Line of Fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown.

Get on the Line of Fire by calling 866-34-TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. By the way, I got a good report from a colleague today. I had given him some of the Triveda samples to use, what I use daily, especially before I work out or at the beginning of a busy day, the nitric oxide and the myo health. And so the reason it mattered to me is he is a lifelong gym rat. He was a former professional wrestler. He is a body builder.

I mean, massive, strong, ripped guy. And so he's been using it regularly and said, yeah, it's increased energy levels and quicker recovery time, less soreness. So if you're working out, well, working out or not, this'll be a great benefit. So 800-771-5584. That's the number to call to get your free wellness consultation. 800-771-5584. When you order online, triveda.com, use the code BROWN25. And tell your friends, it's a great way you can support the Line of Fire and a great way that you can bless others with some great information.

When they use the code BROWN25, it gives them 25% discount on their first order, on their orders. And 100% of that first order is donated to help us reach more people on the Line of Fire broadcast. Okay, 866-3-4-TRUTH. For all my Christian friends who vote Democrat, and you have your reasons for voting Democrat, you've heard me talk about this over the years.

I struggle with that. I do not put my trust in the Republican Party. I don't put my trust in any party. I'm personally registered as an independent, even though I've voted Republican for years because of policy issues that were very important to me, beginning with pro-life abortion-related policies, and then other policies related to family and sexuality and related to Israel. So, I voted Republican for years. But for myself, I'm not judging anyone else over this, but for myself, I've identified as an independent. I'm registered as an independent just to say, hey, my ultimate allegiance is to the Lord. I'm not saying you can't be registered with a party. I'm just saying for me, my ultimate allegiance is with the Lord and the Lord alone, and therefore, I'm a registered independent. That's a conscience issue for me. But I've struggled talking to Christian friends, and they've said, how could you vote Republican for this reason, this reason, this reason, that reason?

Oh, good, fair questions. And I'll respond, and I'll say, here's what I agree with, here's what I differ with. And I've said to them, how can you vote Democrat for these reasons, these reasons, these reasons? And they've said, well, I have these other reasons. Now, I don't agree with your answer, but I understand where they're coming from. They're not selling their souls in doing so, but I've got some strong objections and strong issues.

So, just another example, all right, and please hear me. I do not put my trust in the Republican Party. I do not put my trust in the person I vote for as president. I do not put my trust in politics to change the culture.

I put my trust in Jesus and the gospel and the church doing the work of God to do what we're called to do, and downstream from that is politics. So, our vote does matter. Our vote does count. Our vote is important, but let's keep it in the proper place. But I bring it up today because when vote was taken about a week ago in the House to say that you cannot have biological males competing against biological females. So, this was in the House of Representatives. Unfortunately, it's going to stall there because barring a miracle, there's no way it's going to get through the Senate. And if it did, President Biden's promise to veto the bill, so it would take even more to overturn it. So, right now, this was just a show of where people stand. But it is a question, as National Review reports, zero House Democrats vote to protect women's sports from male intrusion.

There was not a single Democrat in the House of Representatives who voted and said, yes, yes, we should keep biological males out of competing with females. I mean, it's sport after sport now where biological males are crushing the female competition. There are even allegations of physical harm. There is a high school basketball player playing against, on the girls, excuse me, volleyball team, and there's a male on the other team identifying as a female, spikes the ball off her head, not that he was intending to do that, whether he was or not, I don't know, but spikes the ball off her head. She's injured. She gets a concussion. I mean, it really messed with her. And she's used to playing against girls, not against boys.

There's a reason you separate the sports. Aside from the horror, the absolute horror of thinking that a girl, your daughter, your granddaughter will be forced to change in the presence of a biological male or he'll change in her presence in the locker room with the support of the schools. That is utterly and completely outrageous and unconscionable and should not be happening. So for those who vote Democrat, this is one reason that I don't. It's for votes like this. It's policies like this.

You say, ah, but there's a sub thing in the public. The policy as a whole overall is loud and clear, loud and clear and undeniable in terms of what it seeks to do. So let's just do the right thing here. And if you voted for Democrat and they now voted against this, contact them. Tell them that this is an outrage and this is unacceptable. And there's no justification they're going to give you that's acceptable to you over this. It's not a Republican Democrat issue. This is an issue about kids, especially about girls and preserving their rights and the well-being of women in sports as well.

I mean, when you have an outspoken lesbian like Martina Navratilova, one of the greatest female tennis players of all time, and she is against biological males competing with females in professional sports and things like that, there are reasons for this is just called common sense. Do I want to go here now? Okay. Okay. I want to play a very disturbing clip for you. And do I have time to do it?

Yeah, I've got time to do it. This is from clearly a biological male who identifies as a female who is threatening anyone that would try to stop him from using the ladies room. I'll tell you why I'm playing it in a minute, but first listen and grief. If you back a wild animal into a corner, they're going to become a dangerous animal. So if you want to die on that hill of yours of righteousness and moral majority, then you go right ahead. I dare you to try and stop me from going into a women's bathroom. It will be the last mistake you ever make. I dare you to try and stop a transgender woman in my presence from using the bathroom.

It will be the last mistake you ever make. This is a call to action and a call to arms to everybody within the United States that are scared, worried, have children that are transgender, lesbian, bi or gay. This is a call to action. You need to arm up, plain and simple. Go out, buy a gun, learn how to use it efficiently through and through because the time to act is now. You need to protect yourself and you need to protect your fellow transgender brothers and sisters and theys and thems. You need to protect the rest of us in the LGB community as I'm going to do myself because there are lots of people like me who are not afraid to die. I love my girlfriends to death, but I would rather die for them to secure their safety, freedom and future than to live and not have anything done. So, you go ahead.

You protect your kids. So, this man needs prayer. This man needs deep repentance, salvation, forgiveness, redemption. I play this to say this is what happens when society collaborates with madness. By madness, I mean embracing this whole thing that that's actually a woman and you have to refer to this man as a woman. You hear the voice on the air. If you saw the video, just as clear, that is a confused male. And when you collaborate with this and then when you start injecting all kinds of drugs into people, maybe they're struggling, maybe there's instability, you're ready.

Now you start putting all kinds of drugs that mess with their emotions. This is a recipe for disaster. Everyone on all sides must utterly denounce stuff like this and call people like this. Stand down. Stand down.

And those who think, well, we'll fight fire with fire, day arm, wear arm. Friends, this is not the time. This is not the time to respond to that type of talk with your own type of reckless talk. Let's do the right thing. Let's call law enforcement to look at threats like this. Let someone innocent gets hurt. Serious issue.

Serious issue. We'll be right back. Hey friends, this is Dr. Michael Brown. I want to invite you to join our support team.

Make an investment of $1 a day that will absolutely last forever. You know, the Lord has given us a holy mandate to blanket America with the line of fire broadcast. And on a regular basis, we hear from folks writing in, Dr. Brown, I used to be a practicing homosexual. I listened to you. I heard grace and truth together.

I was changed. We hear from pastors who say, thank you for speaking with compassion, but giving us backbone and courage. And we know across America, so many believers are getting healthy and strong through listening to the broadcast, through listening to these messages as we tackle the controversies, the most difficult issues of the day.

We even hear from former Muslims who've come to faith, from Jewish people who now believe in Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah through this broadcast and our resources. So join our support team. $1 or more per day makes you an official torchbearer. Immediately, you will get access to hundreds of hours of terrific online classes and exclusive video content. Every single month, we'll send you a brand new audio message and along with an insider prayer newsletter, where we'll talk about the things that are going to be coming in our ministry and share some of the amazing testimonies of the fruit that you are a part of.

And when you do sign up, I want to give you two books as a special gift. First, Compassionate Father of Consuming Fire. Who is the God of the Old Testament? I take the best of my Hebrew and Old Testament scholarship, wrap it together in this book that you'll find eye-opening, answering many of the questions you have. And then Revolution, my classic book that tells you how to wage war with Jesus by overcoming evil with good, overcoming hatred with love. We are transformed.

We can bring transformation to the nation. So call this number now. 800-538-5275. That's 800-538-5275. Say, I'd like to become a torchbearer or go to AskDr.Brown.org.

Click on Donate Monthly Support. This is how we rise up. It's The Line of Fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Get on the line of fire by calling 866-34-TRUTH.

Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thank you so much, all of you who pray for us, stand with us. I've been especially grateful and appreciative as God is opening the doors that we have prayed for. For many years, God is opening them.

God is allowing us to begin to expand into some of the biggest cities in America with The Line of Fire. We do that with your help, with your support, with your prayers. So to join our support team, become a monthly torchbearer, and best dollar a day you can invest because we pour back into you from every angle with all kinds of free resources. Number to call, 800-538-5275, or get online, AskDrBrown.org. Click on Donate or on your app. Just click on Give on the Ask Dr. Brown Ministries app.

Number to call to get on the broadcast today, 866-34-TRUTH, 866-34-87-884. Going to the phones in a moment, but first, I got a copy of my book, Has God Failed You? I had three copies sent to my house the other day with a different cover. I thought, what, how did the publisher change the cover? Ah, no! What it is, is a publisher in India. Let's put this out directly.

In fact, it's got an old picture of me on the back. So it's the identical book, but published directly in India so it can be distributed much more inexpensively there. So I was so thrilled to see that we have our books out in many languages, and I've got shelves with just the translations of the different books, just as a blessing to see as they've gotten out over the years. We were able to publish several key titles in Nigeria a couple years ago, Can You Began Christian?, Playing with Holy Fire, and Hypergrace, to address issues there within Nigeria, and again, published in Nigeria at a very inexpensive price to help them get out for all the English readers there.

So glad to see Has God Failed You out in the special Indian edition. All right, 866-34-TRUTH. We start on the phones with Mike in North Carolina. Hang on here. Let's see, there we go. Mike, welcome to the broadcast. Hey, good afternoon, Dr. Brown.

Good afternoon. My question is, if you have two individuals both confess that they believe in Christ, they accept Him in the heart, and they both, one smokes, let's say, and the other one gossips, and they both confess that they love Christ and they said that they're saved. Now, Romans 12 says that you're being transformed by the renewing of your mind, so if there's no transformation, would you consider, or are those two people still saved?

Right, so the first general principle is that the, in the words of James Edmund, the only proof of the new birth is the new life. We know 2 Corinthians 5, 17 says, if anyone's in Christ, he's a new creation. We know in 1 Corinthians 6, verses 9 through 11, where Paul says, don't be deceived, the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God, then he gives the list, don't be deceived, neither the sexually immoral or adulterers goes through a whole list, there are those who commit homosexual acts, there are the greedy, et cetera, there are the drunkards will inherit the kingdom, and that's what some of you were.

You used to be that, but you're not anymore. At the same time, we know that we grow in grace, we know if we claim to have no sin that we're deceiving ourselves, 1 John 1. So, I would ask the question of, is this person growing and demonstrating a relationship with God in other areas, and this may be a blind spot or a weakness in them? You know, for example, you can read the Bible cover to cover, and it doesn't directly address tobacco, right? Smoking. So, yeah, I could not smoke as a follower of Jesus. Everyone that I knew over the years that used to smoke when they got saved, they got convicted about it and gave up cigarettes, but I'm not gonna say that someone is not saved if they still smoke, especially if they say, I know it's wrong, I'm struggling, right? For example, if I ask someone, why is smoking wrong? They would say, well, it destroys your body, it's an addictive habit. Well, the same thing with most of the American diet. It destroys our bodies, it's an addictive habit, and it's far more deadly than nicotine, and yet most Christians are probably food addicts in America, and many are gluttons. So, if I saw change in someone's life, growth in the Lord, and evident love for the Lord, and a growing in holiness, but they still had an area of weakness or struggle, I wouldn't say they're not saved, I'd say they need to get closer to the Lord and deal with this.

If, on the other hand, Mike, I saw someone who had no conviction whatsoever, in other words, a guy sleeping with his girlfriend, he gets born again, allegedly, he's partying, he's getting drunk, he steals on the side, you know, make a little extra money, and he's under no conviction, says God has no problem with any of this, and he's allegedly been saved six months, I would question whether he was ever saved, because there was no real evidence of conversion. All right? Yes, sir. All right. I appreciate that.

You bet, you bet. So, hey look, all of us are growing, yes? All of us, till the day we die, should be becoming more and more and more like Jesus, growing in grace, growing in the knowledge of the Lord, becoming more like Him in our conduct and our attitude, and yet we may have blind spots, we may have areas where we struggle, and we're seeking to grow, etc., so we want to extend the same mercy to others that God extends to us. But if someone claims to be a follower of Jesus, and in an ongoing way, is living in willful, unrepentant sin, then that person must be called to repent, and if they refuse to repent, the guy leaves his wife claiming to be following Jesus, sleeps with another woman, is committing adultery, she's a married woman, she's left her husband, and they're going to your church.

Well, they're lovingly confronted, they're called to repent, if they refuse to repent, and they still want to call themselves Christians, they're excommunicated. That's Gospel love. 866-3-4, truth. Let us speak to Riley in Franklin, Tennessee. Welcome to the line of fire. Riley, are you there? Riley's gone! All right, let's go to Angelo in Richmond, Virginia.

Welcome to the line of fire. Hey Dr. Brown, how you doing? Doing great, thank you. Just want to first off, want to let you know my package of Chavita came in today. I will be starting everything probably in a few minutes just to get my inflammation down, so I'm excited about seeing what's going on with that. Oh sweet, yeah, the no play with inflammation. That can take a little while, but it really does seem to get results, and I've seen positive results myself, so yeah, let us know how you do with it, and thanks for taking us up on the offer, great.

No problem at all. So I had a question, last Monday you were reading from your book, and I forgot which book it was, but you were talking about commitment to God, and you were practicing back to some older people as far as earlier in the States, as far as I think the 1800s and 1700s, where they were so committed to God that everything they did, they ate bread, breathed, and just everything was about God, and I look now and see kind of how we have more things to think about time, and how our commitment to God can be waning and dwindling. But I do have a question, when we have people who are committed to God, and the commitment becomes almost an obsession, I don't want to say it in a bad way, because I know people are sold out for God, I know people who are sold into it, and anything God wants them to do, you know, they do it, they make themselves available. I guess, how do you bring balance to that, or is there any balance, or should we just all be sold out?

No, it's Angelo, it's a very fair question. So I was, you're probably referring to excerpts I read from How Saved Are We about redeeming the time, and it's real wake up, shake up stuff. The whole book, How Saved Are We, is a wake up, shake up kind of book, and I wrote it out of a passionate heart for the Lord. I fully understand, though, that we can get legalistic with a good thing, that we can become obsessive in a way that is unhealthy. You know, men of God in the past, and their weakness was they were married to the ministry and not to their wife, you know, they were more devoted to the Lord than to their kids, and it should be that if you really love the Lord, you're a better husband or wife, you're a better parent, as opposed to that's now a detriment to the family.

So there can be those tendencies. What I would say is, first, everything has to flow out of our personal relationship with the Lord and not something imposed from the outside. In other words, as I'm walking with the Lord and he convicts me, I shouldn't watch this, I should spend more time in the Word, or I should skip this meal and fast, or I should do outreach in my community more.

When it comes from a relationship with the Lord, it's going to be healthy, as opposed to someone puts it on me, or I see you're doing it, so I try to keep up with it. And then the other thing is that as much as we live and die for the Gospel, right, that that's all that matters, knowing Jesus and making him known, we still live in this world. And you know, you might say, I'm going to leave my job, I'm just going to stand on the street corner and preach, but at a certain point, who pays the bills? Where do you stay?

How do you eat? So what we have to do is be able to walk with God in all different situations in life, right? So that when you're working your secular job, the beginning of the day, you ask God to be with you and bless the day to make it productive, that you're going to that you're going to glorify him just through working hard and through being a good witness.

And when you're playing with the kids, that's not wasted time, that's holy time, because that's what parents do and that's an investment that we make forever, plus it's fun, you know, and if it's not fun for us, it's fun for them. So what we have to do is, on the one hand, make no excuse for complacency, for compromise, and in America, sadly, the general state of Christianity is very compromised. That you go to other countries, the way Christians pray, the way they live, the things in the world they abstain from, they come to America, they're kind of shocked at our prayerlessness, they're shocked at our worldliness. One of my colleagues, a brother, a real intercessor from Sweden that was based in America years ago, had a colleague visit from Ghana, and after a few days, the colleague said to him, I can see why the church in America is in such bad shape. He said, you spend all your time feasting, we spend all our time fasting. I just went from meal to meal, to meal to meal, the event to event, to meal to meal. It's like, when do you just separate yourselves and pray and fast? So that's, my, D.L. Moody said, to paraphrase, for every one Christian who dies of overwork, a hundred die from laziness. Whatever the exact quote was, it's close to that. And that's my greater concern, Angelo, here in America.

Our complacency, our compromise, our laziness, so distracted with all the other polls. That being said, let it be an encounter with God that changes us, as opposed to somebody else's legalistic standards. Thank you for the call.

We'll be right back. I'm Paul Burnett, a board certified doctor of holistic health. And I want to take this opportunity to talk to you about the importance of healthy blood flow and how it's enhanced by a miracle molecule known as nitric oxide. You see, blood vessels release nitric oxide, which increases blood flow known as something called vasodilatation.

At TriVita, we take blood flow seriously for our members and we've developed a nitric oxide plus supplement that has been formulated with natural ingredients designed to maximize nitric oxide production in our blood vessels, which increases blood flow. You may be wondering why you don't have as much energy as you used to. One study that I came across revealed that by the age of 40, we only produce about 50% of the nitric oxide production as compared to our twenties. And by the age of 70, the study showed that we're only producing about 15 to 25%.

I have good news. As we age, there's another way for our body to increase nitric oxide production, and that's by converting nitrates and vegetables like beetroot into nitric oxide. Bottom line, with more nitric oxide, we stimulate more blood flow to our vital organs and we experience more energy while supporting healthy blood pressure.

TriVita's nitric oxide plus has been formulated to increase nitric oxide production and blood flow at every age. To place your order for products to support your wellness goals, call 1-800-771-5584 or online at trivita.com. As a TriVita introductory offer, use promo code BROWN25 and receive a 25% discount on the products of your choice. Call 1-800-771-5584, 800-771-5584.

May you live with greater wellness. It's The Line of Fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Get on the line of fire by calling 866-34 TRUTH.

Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. If you have not yet downloaded the Ask Dr. Brown Ministries app, what are you waiting for? It's all free and you'll find answers to hundreds, thousands of questions.

You'll have access to more than 2,500 articles, more than 3,000 videos or archives or Line of Fire broadcast daily if you miss anything. This latest article, latest video, our Real Messiah Jewish Outreach website, all types of resources waiting for you free are Consider This, animated videos, PragerU-type videos, Ask Dr. Brown Ministries, ASK, D.R. Brown Ministries. All right, we reconnect with Riley in Franklin, Tennessee. Welcome to The Line of Fire.

Hey Dr. Brown, sorry I missed you earlier. I was just wondering, I've been learning a lot about Jewish culture and I just find it interesting that so much of it has faded from like our evangelical culture. I was just wondering if you have any thoughts on why that would be. Like I was raised Roman Catholic and I'm no longer a Catholic Christian. I never really learned anything about Jewish culture and so I just find it really interesting why we don't kind of practice those things or honor Jewish heritage so much in our, I guess, daily or even in our gatherings on Sunday mornings. Give me an example of what you think we should practice or celebrate. I guess I don't, okay, so here's one thing. With my in-laws, my wife's family, we do a stator meal around Easter to kind of honor the heritage of our faith and I never grew up doing that or heard of anybody even doing that.

I didn't really know what it was. So I guess this practice is like that. But why would you, I'm not being antagonistic, especially as a Jewish believer in Jesus myself, just trying to understand.

Why would you think that Christians should do that rather than simply celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus at that time of year? That's a fair question. I guess I was just more so wondering your thoughts. I don't really have an opinion, I guess, but... Yeah, so I'm happy to explain then. I just wanted to know your perspective.

There's a good reason and there's a bad reason. The good reason is that as Gentiles came in from all around the world, from all different backgrounds, and now their main expression of faith is seen in the New Testament teachings. That's how they're finding out how to live, etc. In other words, they're not going back to the Old Testament sacrificial system. They don't need an earthly high priest. They have the heavenly high priest, Jesus. They have his blood sacrifice making atonement for all.

They're not under the dietary law restrictions, which also helped keep Israel separate from the nations and had symbolism as well as practical reasons. So, it makes sense that as the centuries went on, that Christians began to develop their own traditions. We have documentation really from within 100 years of the death and resurrection of Jesus of Christians celebrating his resurrection on a Sunday, either early in the morning before work or later in the day after work gathering to celebrate the resurrection. That makes perfect sense. And it's understandable how ultimately in Gentile Christian circles, since they were not commanded to keep a seventh-day Sabbath as Israel was in the Old Testament with a death penalty, they were not commanded to keep all of Israel's laws. It made perfect sense that over time Sunday became a sacred day for Christians and even developed into a Sabbath for them.

That's understandable. The problem is, and here's the bad part, is that the church really severed its Jewish connection. It broke away violently. Rather than celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus, Yeshua, within the Passover season, while the Jewish community is celebrating the liberation from Egypt, saying we celebrate that, as well as the greater liberation from sin, the church ended up breaking away and setting separate dates. So, it would be separate. So, now Easter is separate from Passover. And rather than honoring and respecting the roots of the faith and recognizing, okay, God gave the Jewish people seventh-day Sabbath.

He never changed that. So, it's understandable that Jewish believers will still set apart the seventh-day Sabbath. It's understandable that many Jewish believers out of cultural background or solidarity with their people will still observe the dietary laws. And of course, they'll still follow the biblical calendar. Why wouldn't they?

They'll just see it as having more meaning. Instead of that, they were now ostracized. Basically, the church told Jewish believers over the centuries that if you want to be part of us, you have to renounce your Jewish roots. And then the synagogue told these same Jewish believers, if you want to be part of us, you have to renounce Jesus. Rather than the church saying, this is how the apostles lived.

They were law-abiding Jews, but now in the life of the Spirit. And rather than the church saying, we affirm the seventh-day Sabbath, but set apart a day for us to celebrate the resurrection. On Sunday, the church said that Sabbath was no longer on the seventh day, but now on the first day of the week.

They changed it with no authority. So, that's where the problems have come in. And that's why for many Jewish people, Christianity is a foreign religion, not just because of some of the fundamental doctrines and teaching, but because it departed so far from its Jewish roots. The good news is that more and more Christians, Evangelicals, Protestants, others, Roman Catholics too, are recognizing Jewish roots of the faith, are much more inclined to either teach Jewish on the prophetic significance of the biblical holy days, or even to have a celebration for like Sukkot for Tabernacles, or to join together with Messianic congregations.

And I can tell you, Riley, from when I got saved in 1971, 51 years ago until today, it shifted quite dramatically in a positive direction as far as that's concerned. But yeah, so again, there's the legitimate reason, which is that Gentile Christians were not commanded to keep the statutes of the Sinai covenant, and of course, a Christocentric, a Jesus-centered faith is what will now arise as a New Testament expression. And with it, there could be new traditions, and why not? Nothing wrong with that, as long as it doesn't cut itself off from its Jewish roots or deny the validity of the of that heritage, especially for Jewish believers in Jesus. My book, Our Hands Are Staying with Blood, will answer a lot of this for you.

It's a painful reading, but Our Hands Are Staying with Blood, that'll answer a lot of these questions. And look, I have Jewish believing friends that when they got saved, literally, someone in the church gave them a ham sandwich to see if they were really saved. So, you know, it swings the complete other direction. In the early church, the question was, can you be a Gentile and be saved without becoming a Jew?

Then it shifted to, can you be a Jew and be saved without becoming a Gentile? So, those are the realities. Hey, thank you, sir, for the question. I appreciate it.

Yeah, thank you, that answers my question. I appreciate it. All right, you bet, you bet. Okay, tell you what, let me share something with you. When I was in Kona, Hawaii, at YWAM last week, got to spend precious time for the first time face-to-face with Lauren Cunningham, who was almost 88 years old. I got to spend time with his precious wife, Darlene. And as I was leaving, he was driving up to speak in the afternoon and I was leaving, they gave, they said, no, no, no, you can't go yet, you can't go yet, and presented me with the Christian Magna Carta, which Lauren Cunningham drafted in 1981. And it is written in English and then in another language on the right, everyone on earth has the right to hear and understand the gospel of Jesus Christ, have a Bible available in their own language, have Christian fellowship available nearby to be able to meet for fellowship regularly each week, and to biblical training and worship with others, et cetera. So, a statement that went forth and a vision that went forth, and I'll tell you what's really interesting.

So, Lauren Cunningham should have been dead some months ago based on serious condition in his body, but God's preserved him, fully lucid, pain-free, miraculously. So, he's getting a lot from the Lord about a mission that's burning in him, and it's a mission to get the Bible out to every remaining language that it doesn't have in there. Here's what's wild, although the vast majority of people on the earth, if they could read, would have access to a Bible in their language.

In terms of total languages, because there's so many small dialects that could just be spoken by little groups, the vast majority of those don't have the Scriptures at all. And it takes a long time, as you can understand, to develop a written language and then translate the Bible into that written language and then to teach the people and the culture of the written language when many don't even have a use for written language. So, there is a move now for oral Bible translations. The written translators will continue to do their work, but an oral translation where someone hears the Bible in their mother tongue can be done much more clearly. It can be done much more quickly, right, that you have someone, you check the validity of the translation.

Now that's recorded, and then that can be sent in all these different ways. When I was with YWAM the time before at their base in Kona in February, I was blessed to see just one building. That's all they focus on is getting the Bible out to all these other languages and dialects that don't have it, and they've got all these neat little things. This works on solar power, and you can just show this, and people can watch the Jesus movie in their own language, and this is this little thing, this Wi-Fi connection, get the gospel out in all these different ways. It was neat to see, and I truly believe that if our heart burns with a vision to reach the lost and to make Jesus known to the ends of the earth, it helps us have a right perspective in the country in which we live. It helps us have a right perspective in the world in which we live in. We always think Great Commission and the glory of God going to the nations. We don't get so focused on our nation, but we realize, hey, reaching our nation is part of that Great Commission, and in a country like America, as America goes, the world also goes. All right, guys, join me tomorrow. Don't miss a second on the Line of Fire broadcast. Another program powered by the Truth Network.