The Eric Metaxas Show - Erwin Lutzer

Episode Date: August 23, 2024

Erwin Lutzer shares his latest book "The Eclipse of God: Our Nation's Disastrous Search for a More Inclusive Deity (and What We Must Do About It)" ...

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Noble Gold Investments is the official gold sponsor of the Eric Mataxis show, a company that specializes in gold IRAs and physical delivery of precious metals. Learn how you can protect your wealth with noble gold investments. That's noble gold investments.com. Welcome to the Eric Mataxis show. Did you ever see the movie The Blob starring Steve McQueen? The blood-curdling prep of The Plops. Well, way back when Eric had a small part in that film, but they had a got his scene because the blob was supposed to eat him, but he kept spitting him out. Oh, the whole thing was just a disaster. Anyway, here's the guy who's not always that easy to digest. Eric the Texas!
Starting point is 00:00:54 Hey there, folks. Welcome back. As you know, right now, we're doing our annual campaign with food for the poor. They are heroes. They are feeding hungry children. they're getting clean drinking water to people who do not have that. Try to imagine that. It's hard for us sometimes to imagine that.
Starting point is 00:01:14 So I thought maybe if I bring on somebody from Food for the Poor, she could help us. Anitra Parmali is my guest. Anitra, welcome. Thank you so much for having me. And you're exactly right. It's hard when for us water, somebody challenged me and said, can you count the ways that you could get drinkable water just within a couple steps? I mean, I'm in South Florida. So with hurricanes, I know I could literally drink from my toilet tank if necessary.
Starting point is 00:01:44 So the tub, the ice maker of my refrigerator, the faucets, the garden spicket outside, all of them provide me access to water. But when you travel to Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, you recognize that that is not the reality for so many of these families. Water is muddy and bacteria infested, and it's also often a mile walk away. I mean, these young girls, usually women, are traveling hours every day just to carry water that they know is going to make them sick, but they have no alternative until you. Your gift is going to change that. I mean, again, I have to say, folks, I hope this pulls at your heart. strings because this is, it's real. Imagine having a young daughter who has to walk very, very far. We're not talking, you know, 100 feet. We're talking a mile, two miles, like to walk far to bring back
Starting point is 00:02:50 water. Water is heavy. I happen to know it's eight pounds a gallon. So just five gallons is 40 pounds. How do you carry that? This is what we're talking about. It's unbelievable. poverty in our own hemisphere. And the only good news is you can do something about it, which is why we partner with food for the poor. I say to everybody, go to metaxis talk.com. You'll see the banner. You can give monthly.
Starting point is 00:03:16 If you give monthly, maybe that's easier for you. But I always, everybody knows we got to do something doing a little bit. Food for the poor is such a reputable organization. That's why we partner with them. So that the easiest way is just go to metaxis talk.com. But Anitra, talk about the food situation. Again, it's hard for us who we all have too much food. We're dieting in America.
Starting point is 00:03:39 We can't imagine. What would it be like? I can't feed my kids. I mean, it's very hard for us to imagine it. And I love what Mariah said. She says, I give out of gratitude, not out of guilt. This is not an either or. We're excited for the blessings that you have.
Starting point is 00:03:56 We're just inviting you to share some of them. I mean, the reality is devastating. I mean, you've traveled, you have stood in front of these families, and we're hearing stories of mothers boiling rocks. And when you see the pan innocently, we asked, oh, so what are you cooking? And shamefacedly, she said, I don't have anything. I'm praying that my children fall to sleep before they realize there's no food. I mean, that's the reality. these are mothers that are giving their children twigs,
Starting point is 00:04:31 not because they're abusive, but to silence the hunger pangs. And that could be devastating if we left it there. But today you can make it an ordinary day extraordinary. A one-time gift of $50 because of a match, meal for meal, by a generous donor to food for the poor, the impact of your gift is going twice as far. $50 right now provides a child food. for a year. I mean, imagine telling a mother whose children hadn't eaten for one, two,
Starting point is 00:05:04 three days, you're going to have food security for the next 365 days, and it helps a community gain access to water. I mean, the impact is transformational. I want to be real clear, folks. This is very important. I want everybody there, everybody listening to do something. So go to Metaxistalkisotoc.com or text Eric to 51555. Text Eric to 51555. Please do it. Anitra, thank you. Hey there, folks.
Starting point is 00:05:36 I got to remind you, we've got a lot of exciting guests, a lot of exciting conversations on this program, not just exciting, but I hope important conversations, sometimes entertaining. But we have a number of sponsors on the program that we partner with to make this possible. and I want you to know who they are. First of all, number one, as you know, my friend Mike Lindell. If you're inclined to help this program, if you're inclined to help Mike Lindell, who's a patriot,
Starting point is 00:06:06 go to Mypillow.com. Use the code Eric. Please tell your friends to use the code Eric at Mypillow.com. If you go to MyStore.com, you get most of my books there. Great prices on some of them. Really great. I mentioned my Miracle's book. Great price.
Starting point is 00:06:20 Use the code Ericmystore.com or MyPillow. dot com. Another partner, Alliance for for Prosper, I'm sorry, Americans for prosperity. We talk about them all the time on the program. They are America's largest grassroots organization. And what are they fighting for? Oh, I don't know. The American dream. Yeah, their priorities are kind of simple, which is why we partner with them. They want to secure the border. Imagine that. They want to end inflation. Imagine that. They want to make energy more affordable. All these things are possible. Okay. And how do they do it?
Starting point is 00:06:53 Well, they believe in grassroots activism. That's called America. That's called like-minded people working together to keep the Republic. So we have to work together to defeat the left's big government agenda. And that's where Americans for Prosperity helps us. You've got the media, celebrities, universities, stacks against us. So the grassroots in America is what helps us win. Please find an Americans for Prosperity chapter in your state.
Starting point is 00:07:23 and get in the fight. By the way, you are the grassroots in case you didn't know. Go to Americans for Prosperity.org, Americans for Prosperity.org. And also, another partner we have on the program is the Herzog Foundation. I've talked about them. When people say to me, hey, Eric, what can I do? Things are going to hell.
Starting point is 00:07:42 One thing you can do is get your kids and grandkids and neighbors into quality Christ-centered education or homeschooling, which is about the same thing, right? But how do you do that? Well, the Herzog Foundation exists to help you do that. They're fantastic. And so they're a resource just like Americans for Prosperity. So go to HerzogFoundation.com.
Starting point is 00:08:07 HertzogFoundation.com. There's just all kinds of stuff to see at HerzogFoundation.com. But they're there to help, just like our friends at Americans for Prosperity, Herzog Foundation.com. Before I let you go, before we get back to the fun, let me remind you, we're doing a fund raiser for food for the poor. They reach out to the hungriest and the poorest people in the world in our own hemisphere. Again, when I read this this past week, the statistic, there's 17 countries they deal with in Latin America, Central America. they tell us that in Guatemala,
Starting point is 00:08:51 this is one of the countries where they work, 50% of the kids under age five, nearly 50, not quite 50, close to 50% of the kids under five years old suffer from chronic malnutrition. It's incomprehensible, folks. So they come to us so that we will help them do what they do. If you give $100 to food for the poor,
Starting point is 00:09:17 You go to metaxis talk.com. If you give $100, it feeds a kid for a year, two nutritious meals a day. This is $100 American feeds a kid for a year, two nutritious meals a day, 365 days a year, folks. That's how far they can stretch your dollar, okay? They work hard. That's why we partner with them. You have to go to metaxis talk.com. That's the website.
Starting point is 00:09:47 the banner. You can call, you can text Eric to 51555. Please do this, folks. Text Eric to 51555 or call 844-863 Hope. That's 844-8663 Hope. Please do this today. You'll feel better. 844-863 Hope. 844-863 Hope or Metaxist Talk.com. You'll see the banner. God bless you. Are you worried about the future of the U.S. economy? With so much uncertainty in the air, it's natural to fret about the security of your retirement savings, but there's one asset that stands the test of time, gold. For centuries, gold has been a hedge against market volatility and economic instability. With a gold IRA from noble gold investments, you can harness the power of precious metals to help protect your financial future. By rolling over your existing IRA or
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Starting point is 00:11:13 Go to NobleGoldinvestments.com now. noble goldinvestments.com. So you're putting money away, saving for the future, for retirement, for your family. You're doing what you're supposed to do, right? Well, what if I told you that your 401k IRA and other investments are probably paying for gambling, abortion, and LGBT causes? Inspire Advisors can tell you where your profits are really coming from. Do what I did.
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Starting point is 00:12:14 slash Eric. Hey there, folks. It is my joy and privilege now to speak with my friend, Pastor Erwin Lutzer. He is an author of many, many books. The new book, I have it right here. It's called The Eclipse of God. Our nation's disaster search for a more inclusive deity and what we must do about it. Erwin Lutzer, welcome the program. So glad to be with you again, Eric, and thanks for all that you do in helping people to understand the culture and also our response. Yeah. This is my big thing, and you and I agree on this, that, you know, when people say, oh, it's all about faith, it's like, well, you have to live out your faith or you have no faith. You have to figure out what does it mean if I believe this and this and this? How is that going to affect my view on these things and what am I going to do about it? which brings me to my first question. Your book is titled The Eclipse of God.
Starting point is 00:13:28 Tell us about that and why you wrote this book, The Eclipse of God. Well, all of us know what an eclipse is. An eclipse is when the moon comes between the Earth and the Sun. It doesn't affect the sun. The sun shines just as brightly as ever. But the eclipse of God means that the moon of secularism has come between us and God. Now, Eric, there's a very specific example of this in the scriptures. In Isaiah chapter 59, God says this. He says that there is a separation between you and me because of your sins,
Starting point is 00:14:08 and the Lord has hidden his face from you and does not hear. So that's what I mean by the eclipse of God. And we certainly see that in America. And I help people to understand. where the darkness is leading us, obviously, but then at the same time, try to remind people of those pillars of Christian truth that we can always depend upon, even as our culture begins to turn away from God. And as the subtitle of the book shows,
Starting point is 00:14:42 God is being redefined in such a way that we can manage him. You know, Americans don't mind saying they believe in God just as long as the God in what, which they believe is really themselves. And so those are the kinds of issues I deal with in the book. And I'm sure in a moment you're going to ask me what my goals are in the book. But people need to understand that fundamentally, amid all of the issues, political and otherwise,
Starting point is 00:15:14 is our understanding of God. Because if we don't understand who God is, we really don't understand who we are. that's heavy right there and it's true so yes i was going to ask you what are your goals with this book and you prophetically i don't know if that was a ream a word of knowledge but somehow you knew that i was going to ask you that question so yes what are your goals with the book the first goal i had was to help people to understand the darkness and how the shadows of europe have come to america you know that nietzsche said that there were grave digger
Starting point is 00:15:53 who were burying God. So I asked myself the question, who were these grave diggers? And Nietzsche lived at a time when he would have known about Karl Marx. So I emphasize Marx, who of course attacked God as ruler. But Eric, we have underestimated the impact of Darwin, who attacked God as creator. So I deal with that. And then, of course, Freud, who attacked God as lawgiver,
Starting point is 00:16:21 and who said that the pleasure principle means that sexual pleasure is, of course, the heart of happiness, and therefore there should be no rules and all the implications. But what I'm doing there, Eric, is that I'm helping people to understand the response of the church in Europe, even as you, of course, have written about extensively as you talk about Nazi Germany, and I do also from a bit of a different angle. But I want to speak about Darwin specifically for just a moment in case we don't get a chance to get by, in case we don't have an opportunity to speak about him again.
Starting point is 00:17:06 Here's the thing. Darwin said that the baboon is our grandfather. Now, if the baboon is our grandfather, we have no argument against abortion, no argument against infanticide, no argument against such things as euthanasia. We do that to animals. Eric, people have to understand that human rights and human dignity is totally dependent upon the Genesis account that we are created uniquely in the image of God.
Starting point is 00:17:40 So one of my purposes is to help people to understand how the darkness has infected us, through these philosophers. If I just have to say before we move on, you know, if, if the baboon is our grandfather, what does that say about grandma? I'm insulted on behalf of my grandmother and grandmothers everywhere, all right? If the baboon is our grandfather, how dare you? No, but, Erwin, you have to say, I mean, Darwin is, the more time passes in my life, the more that I can see that Darwinism and the theory of evolution is utterly preposterous.
Starting point is 00:18:21 Now, the implications of it are satanic, but it is so preponder. When you look at the animal kingdom, when you look, for example, at a Baltimore orio, I wrote about this in one of my books, my memoir, I remember as a kid watching Baltimore Orioles build a hanging nest. Weave, birds, weave a hanging nest in a weeping nest in a weeping nest. willow tree in our backyard, it is the most astonishing thing you have ever seen, birds weaving. Human beings couldn't do this.
Starting point is 00:18:54 You'd have to have a huge, you know, you'd have to be a genius to be able to figure out how to weave twigs, whatever, into a hanging nest. Evolution makes no sense. But whether you see it or don't, the implications of it are satanic. And you just said it. if we are only, you know, we've just evolved from the apes, then why is anything wrong? We don't even believe in morality, which is, of course, exactly where Nietzsche goes. I mean, he didn't need Darwin for that.
Starting point is 00:19:23 And then, of course, also I dealt with Freud. But actually, that's only my first purpose in the book is I have a chapter which deals with these three philosophers, huge implications, important lessons for us that I hope that we get to. But the second reason is to remind people of the sovereignty of God. I want people to get back to the God of the Bible. You know, in Isaiah chapter 6, Isaiah is having this experience, and we read, In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Starting point is 00:20:02 Now let's think about that. Uzziah was a pretty good king. He ruled for 52 years, though he ended. somewhat badly. And so Isaiah is worried because the throne of Israel is empty. But what God is saying is this, the throne of Israel might be empty, but thank you very much, the throne of God in heaven is very well occupied. So even as we approach all the conflict, all the polarization when it comes to politics and what have you, let's remember that God rules. Now, this doesn't absolve us of responsibility, but I want to give people hope. I want to remind people that God is the one who
Starting point is 00:20:50 established his throne in the heavens, and we need to get back to the God of the Bible, which, of course, is the thrust of the entire book. And then there's a third purpose, and that is this, to help us to understand that really only a repentant church, a repentant church can stand against the culture. I make the point that we're living at a time, Eric, and I think that you will agree when rationality no longer counts. It's not the person who has the best ideas. It's the person who shouts the loudest. We're living in an irrational age, as all of us know, and there is irrationality when it comes to gender issues, irrationality at the most basic levels. And we can't stand against it unless we recognize that God is king and we aren't and we humbly bow and we accept his
Starting point is 00:21:49 word. Now, Eric, I'm going to take the liberty to ask you a question. Would you give me permission now to tell the people three very important lessons that we can learn from the darkness that came from Europe to the United States. Could I do that, please? It's my show, and no. How dare you? You know what? My producer is saying, I should let you. I, of course, nothing could make me happier. Actually, we're going to have to wait until the next segment of the program.
Starting point is 00:22:25 but honestly, the intellectual connections that you make, Erwin, are so important, and it's so important for people to understand this, to understand, well, I don't just believe this because somebody told me, but it makes sense that you can connect the dots, you can understand where freedom comes from, you can understand where slavery comes from, believing the God of the Bible, knowing who he is, why that's important, what follows from it.
Starting point is 00:22:52 So when we come back, I will magnanimously let us. my friend, Pastor Irwin Lutzer, ask me a question, or say whatever he wants. We'll be right back. The book is The Eclipse of God. Hey, this is Eric Mattaxas. For years, I've told you about Nutrametics, a professional supplement brand trusted by doctors since 1993. Nutrametics offers a variety of health bundles. Whether you want to support your immune system, improve your sleep, promote joint comfort or detoxification support, Nutrimetics has a health bundle right for you. The best part about Nutrimetics, every year they donate a massive. minimum of 50% of their profits to Christian charities and missions.
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Starting point is 00:24:00 Go to Neutrametics. That's N-U-T-R-M-E-D-I-X.com. Nutrametics.com, use the code Eric, for 15% off. Again, Nutrametics, N-U-T-R-A-M-E-D-I-X.com. Nutrametics.com, use the code Eric for 15% off. There's a communist plot to take over America. The new documentary, beneath sheep's clothing, exposes the dark truth. Marxism-Leninism ideology is being pumped into the soft heads of American's
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Starting point is 00:24:57 Or will we the people wake up and reclaim our freedoms? destroy the opposing country through unconventional methods take America without firing a shy Don't miss beneath sheep's clothing available now watch it today go to salem now.com at salem now.com Welcome back folks talking to my friend pastor Irwin Lutzer whose new book is called The Eclipse of God our nation's disastrous search for a more inclusive deity and what we must do about it. Irwin, you were just talking about the shadows of Europe. One of the chapters of your book talks about that. And what we're seeing now in Europe really unbelievable crackdowns on free speech,
Starting point is 00:25:57 every kind of evil happening now, not going to happen, happening now in Europe. It's astonishing. And so talk about that. Well, you know, first of all, one of the great lessons that comes to us from the philosophers of Europe, who helped shed darkness upon the land. By the way, as all of us know, ideas have consequences and bad ideas have victims. And we know the consequences of Marx, of Darwin, of Freud.
Starting point is 00:26:30 But there are some lessons to be learned. And before I give you those lessons, Eric, you know that Nietzsche, who proclaimed the death of God, he actually, in one of his novels, talks about a man going into the cathedrals of Europe and is singing a requiem to God. He wanted to give God a decent burial. And, you know, if you go to Europe today,
Starting point is 00:26:51 you know that there are many cathedrals that are libraries, mosques. If you go to the cathedral in England where Bunyan was, it's a nightclub. The predictions of Nietzsche came to pass. But what are those lessons that we must learn from the past? Number one, and I say this with a very head. heavy heart and deep conviction, we cannot take the continued existence of our churches for granted. You can't do that because, after all, you think, for example, of how communism shut down churches.
Starting point is 00:27:28 I was preaching in Albania recently. Under communism, every single church was shut down, horrible persecution beyond all imagination. And Islam is a, able to close churches. And so if we just think, oh, Jesus said, I'm going to build my church, the gates of Hades will not prevail against it, yes, of course, I think that passage is misinterpreted. I think that foremost Jesus is talking about his own death and how he's going to die. And of course, we know that if in one part of the world a church gets shut down, there are other parts of the world where the church grows. We understand that. But we can't just face the future thinking, oh, things are always going to be as they are now.
Starting point is 00:28:20 As a matter of fact, here in America, we see a huge decline. That's the first lesson. And then a second lesson is this, and this is so critical. Churches go into darkness, oftentimes not by one big leap, but one compromise after another. And if you ask why the churches of Europe were unable to stand against Nazism, and Eric, I know that you're an expert on this, but we have to remember this. There were certain streams already in the church that had weakened it. If we go back to Schleiermacher, with a name like that, you know that he's German. If we go back to him, he was born in the 1700s and then he died in the 1800s.
Starting point is 00:29:08 He defined religion as a feeling of absolute dependence. Well, how does that come into our society? Where truth no longer is something to be sought, it is sought by looking within a feeling of dependence. But then there was something else that happened, and that is Hitler had a very crafty and very brilliant idea. It didn't work well, and I'll explain why, but it didn't work well because it was called Operation Grief. The word in German is a little different than that. The reason it didn't work is because what he did is he took the uniforms of allied soldiers, such as American and British soldiers, soldiers who have been killed. He took their uniforms and put them on German soldiers who then went behind the lines and were able to confuse the Allies.
Starting point is 00:30:09 They gave them wrong instructions. They turned around road signs. They did all the hassle that they could. Now, it didn't work too well because even though the Germans knew English, they didn't know they, of course, had a German accent. But, Eric, this is what false teachers do. They wear the uniform of Christianity, but they're actually playing for the other side. By the way, thank you for not mentioning Russell Moore by name because we don't do that on this program. Please continue.
Starting point is 00:30:43 So the point to be made is simply this, that it is so easy for people to make incremental steps toward a sense of a possible. and abandoning the gospel and so forth. So that's a second lesson. The third is this, and this one breaks my heart. The third lesson is to remind ourselves that good men and women, we can include them, can be led astray when they are under pressure. What you find in Germany, and it's true here in America and elsewhere, what you will find is that there are many good people who really love God and love the gospel, who when pressure comes, try to find a middle way. That's it right there. That is it right there, and it is genuinely heartbreaking.
Starting point is 00:31:40 You're exactly correct. Yeah. And so they make these compromises. Now, in the book that we're talking about that I've written entitled, The Eclipse of God, I show how in Oxford, England, churches are evaluated on the basis of their relationship to the LGBT-Q-plus community. And the time is going to come here in America, if it's not already here,
Starting point is 00:32:05 when we are going to have to declare ourselves. Forgive me. Before we get to the rest of that, folks, I'm talking to Erwin Lutzer. The book is The Eclipse of God. Hey, folks, you asked and My Pillow listened. They're finally bringing you the most requested offer ever. Right now, you can get the queen-size premium My Pillow
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Starting point is 00:33:26 Welcome back talking to, he's almost as professor, author and pastor, Erwin Lutzer, and the book, the new book is The Eclipse of God. So you were just about to say something. thing, Irwin? Well, what I was going to emphasize is that the time is coming when we do have to declare ourselves, and the mushy middle is no longer an option. And the burden of my book is this. We have to get back to God, but not the God of culture, the God of Christianity. And one of the chapters I have in the book is entitled, Nearer My God to Me. And that actually, comes from an article that was written in The Economist, where it says that God is becoming more liberal. He's beginning to agree with same-sex marriage and other things that are happening in our culture,
Starting point is 00:34:19 and the online version was nearer my God to me. God is becoming just like us. Well, of course, I expound on this in the book, and I point out what a disaster this is. As a matter of fact, in the Psalms, God actually says, you think that I am like yourself. And so what we have done in our society is we have made God into a God that is compatible with our culture. And here's where you have this new spirituality. Oh, I'm spiritual. But I don't necessarily believe any doctrines. Oh, really?
Starting point is 00:35:01 Yeah. What happens then is, and I explain this, that God becomes your consciousness. You become your own God, in effect, and you connect with God, and just think of the arrogance of the spirituality craze that is happening in our society. They think they can come to God without a sacrifice, without him transforming them. They can come to God to receive help, but not. transformation. They don't have to deal with their sins. They are just looking for approval for their lifestyle, and there is no there there. As a matter of fact, there's a passage of scripture in Isaiah. I think it's 29. That is so perfect. I want everyone to hear this when you're into new spirituality.
Starting point is 00:35:56 It says that the false gods, if you believe in a false god, you are, hungry and you go to bed and you dream that you are eating, but you wake up hungry still. Furthermore, you are thirsty and you go to bed and you dream that you are drinking. But lo and behold, you wake up and you're still thirsty. What a picture of modern man. And what promises spirituality makes that it cannot possibly. possibly deliver. And yet we're living at a time when people want to believe in God. They don't want to do what Nietzsche did, namely to stare into the abyss and to say that there isn't a God. Everyone wants to
Starting point is 00:36:47 say that there's a God. Our politicians and everyone, oh yes, I believe in God, as long as it's the God that I approve of. Well, if you think that God agrees with you about everything, look into the mirror because you are really looking at yourself and you are looking at a self-made God that cannot keep its promises. As a matter of fact, in the book, the eclipse of God in that chapter, what I'm talking about is I only went golfing once.
Starting point is 00:37:21 Do you golf, Eric? Not that I know of. All right. I went golfing once many years ago. Some friends convinced me. And I got a great illustration out of it. of it. I had the highest score and they told me I lost. I said this game. Isn't that crazy? You get the highest score and then they claim that you lose? What kind of a game is that?
Starting point is 00:37:41 It makes no sense. Anyway, I reject it. Anyway, getting back to the story, a duck flew off from a pond and she pretended her wing was broken. I'm a farm boy, so I understood that very well. I looked into her nest and Eric, she was sitting on one lone golf ball. Now I want everyone to think about that. I'm a little confused, but please continue with the anecdote. I have thought about that duck very often.
Starting point is 00:38:12 I was thinking about the images she had in her mind of taking care of her little duckling. How tenderly she was thinking she would deal with this little duckling. Right. But the problem is all of that was fake.
Starting point is 00:38:27 You know, this idea of positive thinking Well, it's helpful to be positive if you're thinking about truth, but the little engine that said, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, when it got to the top of the hill and discovered that the tracks were washed out, it wouldn't matter how optimistic it was or how it thought because of the fact that thinking and optimism and belief in oneself is like sitting on a golf ball. And you stop to think of it. Much of society today is believing in a God who cannot deliver on promises. And speaking, I was going to say deliver on his promises.
Starting point is 00:39:13 You know, the Church of England is thinking about changing the he, God being a he to God being a she. Well, Eric, don't you think that we should honor God's preferred pronouns? and in the scripture he reveals himself as he. Now, of course, God is neither he nor she, but he does reveal himself as he, and I think that we should stick with the pronouns of scripture. So what I do in the book is I discuss these issues
Starting point is 00:39:44 trying to continue to help people to understand why it is absolutely critical we get back to the God of the Bible and not these false gods of modern color. culture. Irwin, when does the book come out? We've got one short segment after this, but before we go, is the book out now, right now? The book comes out in early September. Okay, so just about right now.
Starting point is 00:40:11 Okay, folks, the book is titled The Eclipse of God. Pastor Erwin Lutzer is the author. And Erwin, before we go, you know, you're one of a tiny handful of people who probably know know more about Nazi Germany and what happened with the church there than I do. I've learned a lot from you on that subject. And in case people don't know, I ought to have mentioned it by now, you're the pastor emeritus of the Moody Church in Chicago, where you were the senior pastor for 36 years consecutively, folks. You do the math in your head. That's so impressive, a great church. We'll be right back talking to Dr. Irwin Lutzer.
Starting point is 00:40:54 Hey there, folks. Before we let you go, uh, shut the doors. Lock him. Yeah, shut the door. No, before we let you go, I want to ask you a question. The question is, have you given to food for the poor? You know that this is that time of the year. Uh, when we make an appeal, we ask you to help people.
Starting point is 00:41:44 These are the poorest of the poor. The poorest of the poor. People in this world who literally cannot afford food. They can't feed their kids. they do not have access to clean drinking water. Think about that. Think about kids, girls usually walking for hours to get water, which is not clean. The whole story is like almost unbelievable.
Starting point is 00:42:07 So food for the poor meets them where they are, but food for the poor can't do anything for them without your help. So please give generously, make a commitment to do this, go to Metaxus talk. You can see the banner right there. It says give life. Metaxistalk.com. $100 will feed a kid for a year, for a year.
Starting point is 00:42:35 This is how far they can stretch your money. It's a great investment. $100 will feed a kid for a year and give them access to clean drinking water. This is just huge stuff. So I'm asking you please go to metaxestalk.com. You'll see the banner right there. If you'd rather give monthly, if that's a lot of money, if that's easier for you, but it's important that we give back, that we do what we can.
Starting point is 00:42:57 If you prefer to text, you can text Eric, E-R-I-C to 5-1-55-5-5-5. Again, you can text Eric to 5-1-55-5-5-5. You may have a phone nearby. You could do it right now. Text Eric to 5-1-55- Please give there. And if you've already given, you can pick up your friend's phone and also text on their phone. Yes, text on their phone. And before I go, let me remind you about our friends at the Herzog Foundation.
Starting point is 00:43:26 This is one of these great things that there's so many people getting involved in homeschooling in Christ-centered K-12 education. If you are interested in figuring out, what do I do with my kids? What about my grandkids? What are they getting for school? Go to Herzog Foundation.com. If your child came home from public school today and thinks they're a horse, Maybe look these guys out.
Starting point is 00:43:51 Maybe they identify as a horse or as a kitty cat or as something other than what they actually are. Yes, maybe you might consider at that point Christ-centered K-12 education, might consider homeschooling. If you're considering any of those things, you need to check out the Herzog Foundation. HurtzogFoundation.com. Hurtzog Foundation.com. These guys are heroes. They want to help you do what you probably want to do. Hurtzog Foundation.
Starting point is 00:44:19 And they've done a lot of work, so if you're just venturing into the decision-making process on how to educate your kids with this new alternative way to go, it makes it a lot easier. Hurtzog Foundation.com. And don't forget our friends at Americans for Prosperity, they're America's largest grassroots organization. They're out there every day fighting for you. What's their goal to reignite the American dream? That's all to reignite the American dream. Their priorities are simple. secure the border, end inflation, make energy more affordable.
Starting point is 00:44:54 And AFP gets results the old-fashioned way through grassroots activism. That involves us, folks. They bring like-minded conservatives together, turning them, turning us into a grassroots army, defeating the left's terrible big government agenda in the states and in Washington, D.C. That's where you come in with the media celebrities and universities stacked against us. It's the grassroots that will help us win. And please find an Americans for Prosperity chapter in your state. Get in the fight.
Starting point is 00:45:20 Go to Americansforprosperity.org. And you can also find out more at SecureBorder, SecureAmerica.com. That's secure border, secure America.com. Do not forget to follow us on social media. You can find me at ericmetaxis.com. Ericmataxis.com. Don't forget to support our sponsor, Mike Lindell. Go to MyPill.
Starting point is 00:45:42 Or MyPill. Or MyStore.com. Please use the code. Eric, please tell your friends to use the code. Eric, God bless you.

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