Crosstalk America from VCY America

From Stephen to the Apostle Paul to a man named Jason who assisted Paul, for 2,000 years, followers of Jesus Christ have been persecuted. Paul told Timothy that those who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.--What we must realize is that persecution isn't simply something that happened during biblical times. Right now, in 2024, there are those who are suffering on account of their faith, but often we become so caught up in the activities and concerns of our everyday life that we lose sight of this reality. --Returning to Crosstalk to once again open our eyes to the reality of Christian persecution, Jim welcomed Todd Nettleton. Todd is the Chief of Media Relations and Message Integration for the Voice of the Martyrs-USA and is also the host of The Voice of the Martyrs Radio. He serves as a voice for persecuted Christians, inspiring Christians with the faithfulness of Christ's followers in over 70 nations where they face persecution for being a follower of Jesus Christ. Todd is author of Forbidden- 40 Days on the Frontlines with Persecuted Christians.--Todd presented much information during this update dealing with numerous nations. Particularly notable are those that for some reason failed to make the State Department's list of nations of particular concern. Review this program and you'll hear the following---The nation of India has been reclassified to -restricted nation- status.-The attacks against Christians in Nigeria.-The Taliban and their persecution of Christians as they rule Afghanistan. -Todd communicated that North Korea is probably the most closed nation on earth where Christians are singled out for the greatest persecution.

From war in the Middle East to Hunter Biden, Crosstalk covers it all. Here's a sample of what Jim presented this week from the news desk----Tomorrow, in Washington, D.C., Hamas supporters are planning a big jihad jamboree at the National Mall called, -The March on Washington for Gaza.- It's being sponsored by every jihadi partner of the Muslim Brotherhood in America.---325 pro-Palestinian protestors were arrested after blocking 3 bridges and a tunnel in New York City on Monday, blocking lanes bound for New Jersey on the Holland Tunnel along with blocking traffic on the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges.---Wednesday was the first day of a new session of the Colorado State House and immediately, pro-Hamas demonstrators set the tone by disrupting the proceedings as Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie did nothing.---Over the weekend, pro-Palestinian demonstrators defaced the Los Angeles National Cemetery. ---The Justice Department has effectively issued a stand-down order to federal law enforcement and U.S. attorneys to stop them from investigating incitement, violence and vandalism committed by Hamas supporters who hold U.S. visas, according to a complaint filed with the Justice Department.---A member of Congress investigating the January 6th, 2021, protests at the Capitol estimates that the FBI had 200 undercover assets both inside and outside the building. ---Matthew Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, suggested that law enforcement will soon target those who merely stood outside the Capitol on January 6th.---The United States and Britain carried out a series of air strikes on military locations belonging to Iran-backed Houthis.

Last week, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson led the largest congressional delegation ever to the border. It consisted of 64 House Republicans representing 26 states and one U.S. territory. He said that there's no order at the border. It's completely open and what was seen was so alarming, it would break the hearts of every American and infuriate them as well.--Returning to Crosstalk with an update on this vital issue was Mark Krikorian. Mark is a nationally recognized expert on immigration issues serving as the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies.--How bad is the immigration problem-- According to Mark it's really bad. It terms of numbers, he indicated it's at almost 300,000 illegals entering the U.S. per month. This has occurred because both during the campaign and through almost 3 years of his policies, President Biden basically invited people who have no right to come here to cross the border and turn themselves in, at which point they're let go.--Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas admitted that over 85- of those who show up at the border are let go. Mark believes it's almost certainly over 90-. They're here, they're not going to leave on their own, and Mark feels this administration isn't going to make sure that they do leave. The result is historically unprecedented numbers of individuals crossing the border. They're not fleeing war, prosecution or climate change as the administration tries to say. Instead, they're trekking through up to five different countries to arrive here because they know they can get away with it.

The globalist agenda never gives up. It backs off for a while only to be repackaged in another wrapper. However, its goals always remain the same because it strikes at national sovereignty, taking every opportunity to gain central power in its desire to dominate the lives and liberties of people around the world.--To prove this point via the latest news on this subject, Jim welcomed back Gary Kah. Gary is founder and director of Hope for the World. Gary is Editor of Hope for the World Update. He's an author and former Europe - Middle East Trade Specialist for the Indiana State Government.--Gary began with comments concerning Israel's war with Hamas. He believes that the timing of this war is not coincidental and that it's intended to set the stage, through fear and panic, for a lunge into a more globalist system. --This war has a lot of -moving pieces- and Gary shared what they're up to as he noted that 10 top Iranian generals took up positions in Syria, so Iran is basically running things there. Also, unlike Hamas, Hezbollah has over 120,000 precision guided rockets and missiles to launch at Israel. So right now all the weapons are coming from Iran, through Syria, and into southern Lebanon and if Hezbollah ramps up their efforts, Israel is going to have to respond and that might mean going after Syria.--Complicating matters are the Russian advisers that Gary indicated have been there all along. This means that if Russia and Iran become part of the war, while simultaneously you have the Russia-Ukraine war taking place, this could grow into something much larger than a regional conflict.

This Monday, January 15, the Republican caucus gets under way in Iowa. After that comes the New Hampshire primary on January 23rd. That is followed by the Democratic primary in South Carolina on February 3rd. Nevada is next with their caucus and then Michigan votes on February 27th. Super Tuesday is March 5th, the Republican convention is in July, the Democrats have their convention in August and it all wraps up on election day which is November 5th.--Jim indicated he believes that as Christians and citizens of the United States, we have been granted a stewardship. We have what many people in other nations do not have. It's the right to vote and we can either squander it or use this stewardship for the glory of God. Also, with that vote we can either uphold biblical truth or vote to work against it. So how will you use the stewardship of your vote----As Samuel Adams once said----Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual-or at least that he ought not so to do- but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.---Also, consider this from Proverbs 21-1----The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water- he turneth it whithersoever he will.---It's with these thoughts in mind that Jim opened the phone lines to allow listeners from across the nation to express who they're voting for to be president and why.

From the earliest months of the release of the COVID vaccine, promises were made that if you were vaccinated, you would not get COVID. We all know now that this isn't true. In spite of that, various mandates came forth along with a lot of -arm-twisting- to get people vaccinated.--The result is growing skepticism toward government agencies and now, 3 years since the COVID vaccine was released, there are more concerns including the lack of timely transparency on the part of pharmaceutical companies.--To bring listeners an update on these issues, Crosstalk welcomed Barbara Loe Fisher. Barbara is president of the National Vaccine Information Center -NVIC-, a non-profit charity she co-founded with parents of DPT vaccine injured children in 1982.--Barbara began by noting there's a lot of push-back on the mRNA vaccines. She described how last month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Pfizer over its mRNA COVID vaccine, saying that the company misled the public by claiming that it had an efficacy rate of 95- against the SARS CoV-2 virus. Barbara and her organization knew that the FDA had only required Pfizer and Moderna to show that there was a reduction in symptoms of COVID, not actual prevention. Instead the public was told that if we got the vaccine, we wouldn't get COVID nor would we transmit the infection to others. --So the Texas lawsuit is seeking 10 million in fines against Pfizer for willfully and unlawfully committing false, unsupported and misleading acts, practices and claims and misrepresenting the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine.--Then there's the issue of the censoring of public discussion about the vaccine that's also a part of this lawsuit.

Coast to coast and around the globe, Jim wrapped up the week by presenting key news stories, some of which are listed below-----Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine banned transgender transition surgeries on minors today with an executive order. The move comes just a week after he vetoed a bill that would have banned the practice and required single-sex sports teams to be established at schools, colleges and universities throughout the state. ----More information is coming out concerning the school shooting that took place in Perry, Iowa, yesterday morning. The alleged shooter had posted on Tik Tok. Those that were able to obtain screen shots of his online presence shows he had a pride flag in his Tik Tok bio and has allegedly participated in a transgender Reddit group.----Hamas fired at least 27 rockets at the south and center of Israel as the nation attempted to celebrate the start of the New Year.----Israeli Defense Forces announced Monday the killing of Hamas Commander Adil Mismah who took part in the October 7th invasion of Israel. ----Saleh L. Arouri, Deputy Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, was killed in an explosion in Southern Beirut on Tuesday.----Israel began withdrawing thousands of troops from Gaza as prolonged fighting is expected to continue. ----Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas's Political Bureau, said that they're open to the idea of a national unity government to run the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.----ISIS is claiming responsibility for the suicide bomb attacks in Iran this week. ----More than a dozen nations have issued an ultimatum to Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthis.

There are some very significant matters facing appellate courts as well as the U.S. Supreme Court for 2024. With a review of the past year as well as what's ahead, Crosstalk welcomed Mat Staver. He is founder - chairman of Liberty Counsel. Mat is a constitutional attorney with three landmark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He's an author and the host of the radio broadcasts Faith - Freedom and Freedom's Call.--Discussion began with Mat commenting on the case of Ermold v. Davis. In this case, Liberty Counsel will be filing a motion to set aside the jury verdict against former Rowan County Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis who was sued by two same-sex couples for not issuing them marriage licenses. Mat believes there was insufficient evidence to award damages to the plaintiffs. If the motion is denied, Liberty Counsel will also file an appeal which would take it to the Court of Appeals. Mat believes this case could rise to the level of overturning Obergefell.--Other critical cases Mat referred to involved one where the court shut down the affirmative action for college admissions. This overruled a precedent that goes back to 1978. There was also the overruling of a 1977 case -Trans World Airlines- regarding religious discrimination in the workplace. There was the overturning of both the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and also the 1971 Lemon v. Kurtzman decision, the latter of which did immense damage to the First Amendment. --Mat also sees action at the appellate and Supreme Court levels with cases that began in 2023. One is in regard to the government's coercion of private, social media entities, requiring-forcing them to censor the private speech of individuals.

Today there are numerous attacks taking place upon the authority of God's Word. The mantra in society today is often what we see communicated by Satan in Genesis 3-1---Yea hath God said--- The result is that many are turning their backs on God's Word and the result is that great efforts have been underway to remove God from the halls of government and academia. However, even more alarming is the increasing number of churches and other Christian institutions that are doing much the same thing. This merely echoes the words of the serpent from Genesis 3.--Joining Jim to bring his perspective on this battle as he looked back at 30 years of ministry, Crosstalk welcomed Ken Ham. Ken is the founder and CEO of Answers in Genesis-US, and the highly acclaimed Creation Museum, and the world-renowned Ark Encounter. Ken is a biblical apologist and is one of the most in-demand Christian speakers in North America.--Ken moved to the U.S. in 1987 and he compared the spiritual atmosphere then in the U.S. with what it's like now. He described America now as -...very, very secularized and anti-Christian.- The result, as Ken noted, is that Christians have become the enemy in American culture. So if you stand for God's Word in regard to marriage, pro-life or male-female genders, you'll be accused of hate speech, intolerance, misogyny and homophobia. This has even impacted the church as many have gone -woke- and become soft on such issues.--Ken described how this goes hand-in-hand with the generational loss in the church. Less than 9- of Generation -Z- attends church whereas if you go back to the 1700's, 75-80- of the population attended church in America.

In days like ours, when the world is in turmoil like never before and with the current state of the family and the church, it's good to be reminded of Scriptures like this one that Jim noted from Isaiah 40---Hast thou not known-- hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary-- there is no searching of his understanding.--He giveth power to the faint- and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.--Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall---But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength- they shall mount up with wings as eagles- they shall run, and not be weary- and they shall walk, and not faint.--As Jim also noted, it's critical that as we begin 2024, we keep our focus on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, and his word. After all, as Jesus said in Matthew 24-35- Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.--Then there's 1 Peter 1-25 which says- But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. --With these thoughts in mind, Jim dedicated this first Crosstalk of 2024 to the truth and infallibility of God's word. He asked listeners to provide specific scriptures that they believe we need in such a time as this.--Find out how your fellow listeners responded, and be blessed, when you review this edition of Crosstalk-

T. A. McMahon is the President and Executive Director of The Berean Call ministry. He is also editor-in-chief and contributing writer for the Berean Call newsletter. He is co-author of The Seduction of Christianity and America- The Sorcerer's New Apprentice. He is the author of Showtime for the Sheep-- and Temporal Delusion. He has also researched and written numerous documentaries.--If you are a regular listener to Crosstalk, you will know that we have warned about deception and how it is on the increase just as Scripture said it would be. Many have wondered about the end times, such as how one would be able to control what people buy or sell, but look at how rapidly countries around the world are accepting and even mandating a central bank digital currency. This advancement is happening rapidly in the U.S. as well.--Others have wondered how there could be a one-world religion. With all of the different religions out there, what makes anybody believe this will actually come about-- This will not happen suddenly, but rather, such a system has been at work for a long time, slowly and subtly. In 2 Corinthians 11-13-14 it is written- For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel- for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Here's a look at some of the headlines that made the cut for this final edition of the News Round-Up for 2023-----Yesterday Maine's Democratic Secretary of State removed former President Trump from the state's presidential primary ballot under the Constitution's insurrection clause. ----The Michigan Supreme Court has rejected an attempt to remove former President Trump from their 2024 ballot. ----California's election chief yesterday approved former President Trump to be on the state's primary ballot.--Louisiana is considering removing former President Trump from their state's primary ballot. ----A poll indicates that 50- of Americans have said that the national media intended to mislead, misinform and persuade the public. ----A Christmas message from Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Jim provided the audio.----Iranian state TV announced Sunday that Iran's navy had enhanced its weaponry with the integration of advanced, locally manufactured cruise missiles. ----A senior official in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was killed Monday in an alleged Israeli air strike in the Syrian capital of Damascus.----Tehran claimed the October 7th massacre in Israel was a response to the 2020 killing of Iranian Commander Qasem Soleimani by the U.S. Hamas has denied the claim, insisting that the massacre was a response to alleged Israeli crimes at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.----Anti-Israel protesters wreaked havoc on unsuspecting shoppers and travelers in an effort to spread their cease-fire and -Israel is guilty of genocide- messages near JFK Airport in New York City and at Los Angeles International Airport.

From massive demonstrations that have been shutting down traffic and blocking access to other forms of transportation to Christmas events that were interrupted, sadly, anti-Semitism is running rampant at levels in the U.S. and it's growing around the world.--One of the significant breeding grounds for this anti-Semitism has been college and university campuses. --To help listeners sort through this issue, Crosstalk welcomed Brad Dacus. Brad is president and founder of the Pacific Justice Institute. Their mission is to defend, without charge, the religious freedoms, parental rights, and other civil liberties of individuals who cannot defend themselves. Brad previously served as Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Phil Gramm and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Texas, School of Law.--Earlier this month, the Anti-Defamation League reported that from October 7th to December 7th, a recorded 2,031 anti-Semitic incidents took place. That's up from 465 recorded incidents recorded in the same period in 2022, a 337- increase year over year.--What's going on here-- Have people just suddenly become anti-Semitic-- After all, Brad reminded listeners that the massacre of Jews by Hamas on October 7th was the catalyst. He indicated that while a small amount of this might be young people just looking for a cause, he believes that this is anti-Semitism coming to the surface that was there even before October 7th and that's what should be very alarming.--Brad also noted that these deep issues of anti-Semitism are coming from Muslim students who are here in the U.S. through visas, as well as a large percentage of first, second, third and fourth generation Muslims.

The Bible tells us in 2 Peter 3-18, -But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.- So while you may be growing in other aspects of your life, are you growing in your spiritual life-- If not, what changes are you willing to make as we approach the new year----You may answer by asking, -How can I do that-- What resources are available that can help in my quest to obey 2 Peter 3-18----Joining Jim to answer that question was Randy Melchert. Randy is a school administrator, a researcher, a consultant and a member of the VCY America Board of Directors.--Randy began by presenting some statistics that show just how critical the need is for resources and tools to help people in their spiritual growth and development. This is important because in spite of all the Bibles available in print form as well as through internet sources and apps, in America there's actually a spiritual famine taking place.--He cited futurechristianity.com where it's said that 80- of young millennials reject the idea that there are clear standards for right and wrong. The American Bible Society's annual survey says that just since COVID, 26 million people have stopped reading the Bible. Also, the Guttmacher Institute, the research arm of Planned Parenthood, claims that this past year, 100,000 self-described evangelical protestant women had an abortion. --Such statistics are why VCY America offers resources to help you become acquainted with God's word so that 2 Peter 3-18 is not only a reality for you, but a joy and something you look forward to daily as you seek a deeper relationship with your Creator-

Colorful lights, family gatherings, the baking, the presents, the special candy, the programs, and all the music of the season...you can become engulfed in all of these things and more, and still not understand the meaning of what's being celebrated.--From Paul in Galatians 4 to 1 John 4 and other related Scriptures, it's our hope that in the busyness of these days you will recognize the fact that at the precise moment in history, Jesus Christ came into this world, born as a baby yet fully God and fully man.--It's with that thought in mind that Jim opened the phone lines, encouraging listeners to express their Christmas thoughts. From testimonies of praise to God, favorite Christmas verses or stories, what people were doing to keep the focus on Jesus- all such expressions and more were welcome. --Merry Christmas from Jim and the Crosstalk team-