The Eric Metaxas Show - Phil Roberston

Episode Date: August 4, 2020

  Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty goes from duck blind to Eric's bunker for a thought-provoking look into our nation's trials and challenges using key chapters from his new book, "Jesus Politics."

show. It's the show that Mark Twain once called Smartern, a Blue J, what can talk possum, and faster than naked fat man riding a bolts of lightning. So here's your plain spoken homespun host, Eric Mataxis. Hey, the folks, welcome to the Eric Mataxis show. I get to have fun. This is not work. I get to talk to my friend, and if you weren't listening to me right now, I would say one of my heroes, Phil Robertson, Phil, welcome. Hey, good to be here, Eric. Think about it, Eric. Think about something. I'm down here surrounded.

I have a couple of men brushing duck blinds this morning. The trees are big giant oak trees. There's deer running in every direction, squirrels playing in the trees. I hear no hollering. No human beings are in pain. We're down here in the woods. There's no people, no friction, no friction, none in the streets. There are no streets.

I'm down here. You've been here before. We're just all camped out here. And what's going on is, listen, love for each other and our God, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. That's what's going on here, all the time. If I had not been there, I would just assume I'm talking with somebody who has, God, on over to the other side and that you're in glory because it sounds pretty sweet. I, my brother, I'm still living in a broken, fallen world, but the Lord Jesus has called me

to this place to New York City. If he had not, I think I would be with you because I have seen where you are. But God has called me to be here, you know, to interview folks like you. I just enjoy talking to you. I don't want to forget, before we get off, because you and I love to talk. You have a new book out. The book is titled What? Jesus Politics, because it occurred to me, you and I are inside a Democratic Republic,

a constitutional republic. However, it was, its foundation is, in fact, like John Adams said, the Constitution that James Madison has hammered out for us, It's written for a religious and moral people, and it is wholly inadequate for any other. So the book is about how the kingdom of God, Jesus being the king, it was set up in the Roman Empire 2000 years ago, 2020 years ago, roughly. So you say, when Jesus came down and set that kingdom up, The kingdom, the manifesto is love God, love your neighbor. Make sure you implement that.

Be kind, joyful, the fruit of the spirit, all coming up together, rises. Watch this. As you come to him, the living stone rejected by men, but chosen by God and precious to it. you also like living stones. I know Pink Floyd was not aware of this when they wrote another brick in the wall, but that's exactly, and they might have got that wordage from here. We're like living stones, Eric, you and I, we're being built into a spiritual house inside the United States of America.

We know what governmental policies are. We know where they went wrong. We know where they spent too much money, this and that. We are a spiritual house. Check this out, Matajas, to be a holy priesthood. Look, Eric, when I'm walking down the road and they see me walk by, I'm a priest in a royal priesthood. They would think I was some kind of redneck homeless man, see?

but they see you walking down the road they're like i don't know about that that one he's pretty spiffy pretty spiffed up there well i'm your brother and we're together under one head even jesus as all of these politics and swirling around and disorder and factions and envy listen factions go to dissensions that leads to that, then discord, then strife, then anarchy, and these things just keep repeating them to selves. What you and I have to realize is we're a member of a holy priesthood. Listen to this. You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God. And check this out. You say, Phil, what are you and I doing right now?

We are worshipping the God of heaven, and we're speaking out so that you can declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness. I've been there and brought into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God, white, black, red, yellow, Jew, Gentile, slave, free, all under one head working underneath these empires. And look, these human empires, they rise and they fall. But the kingdom of God, Eric, is an eternal kingdom. We'll last forever. That's, you know, something that brings us to the title of your book, Jesus Politics. You know, and I know that that we are citizens of a heavenly kingdom first.

But we also know that the founders, you quoted one of them, John Adams, they understood that it would be possible to have freedom like there had never existed in the history of the world before if the people were moral, if the people, and I don't mean everyone, but most of them had a culture of virtue. And they understood that that would almost certainly have to come about through faith. And they understood that to be Christian faith, but they also then understood that, by the way, we cannot force faith by the law, so we have to have religious liberty. And they created this thing, I call it the golden triangle of freedom.

That's what you were just talking about. We cannot have the freedoms that we have to preach the gospel without being imprisoned. unless we have this kind of a system. So we do not worship America or we don't worship the American system, but we would be fools not to understand that God's hand is in our form of government, not for us, but so we can share the gospel and share our freedoms with those around the world who do not yet have them. And they were wise enough, my man, to understand that you don't want a theocracy.

Don't go down that road. You don't want to put these men in power, positions of power to rule over you. Because when the real, when the the bureaucratic, the Bible thumpers, when they get power and a taste of it, it can go south too. They were wise enough to say, nope, we don't want a theocracy. What we won't is a constitutional, the constitution, the declaration of independence, our rights come from God. They can't be taken away. You know, this old thing about they lined up Sunday morning. I drove to town.

I'm armed with a Bible and a pistol in my pocket. SWAT is there. SWAT is on the premises. I've converted these SWAT guys. Now they're brothers in Christ, but they're also members of the police force, the SWAT team. A couple of weeks ago, I pulled up some guys standing over there saying, white supremacy. I mean, these are racist. Now, our congregation is 60% African-American and 40% white people.

We all know that we all came from the blacks and the white from one man, Adam. God brought us out from Adam. He determined the time set for us, the exact places we should live. He did that. so we'd reach out and seek him and perhaps find him. But he's not far from us. So here I'm being called a racist across the street. So the SWAT man, my bodyguard, a couple of them, they go over there. They say, why are you screaming about this guy who's fixed to go in there? And it's black and white all together.

The human race are all meeting together remembering Jesus. Why don't you come over and sit down and listen to what the man has to say? Let's hit pause on this because I want to hear the rest of this story. I don't want to rush it. We're going to go to break. Folks, I'm talking to Bill Roberts, and I know you're not going anywhere. We'll be right back. Folks, I got some embarrassing news to share with you.

But you know what? This is just the kind of a show where I don't care. I'm willing to lay my heart, you know, on the line. Here's the issue. Mike Lindell with my pillow, you may notice that I have a Bible hello. head of him near me. He's here to remind all of us that when you go to mypillow.com, you get whopping discounts if you use the code Eric.

Okay. Now, there are a lot of people who haven't done that, and we have your names here. And Chris Heim's Ann Albin pointed out to me that there's like three pages of you whose first name is Eric. You, yourself. I mean, that's humiliating for me,

that even though your name is, Eric. You're still not willing to use the code Eric. I mean, if you don't want to use it because it's my name, use it because it's your name. The point is that I see who you are, and I just feel humiliated by this. Please go to go to mypillar.com. It's okay, Mike. It's going to be okay. Go to mypillar.com. Use the code Eric. You're going to get whopping savings and really high quality products. Did I mention that? Thank you. Hey there, folks. I'm talking about Phil Robertson. You may know him as. as the duck commander.

Phil, you're just telling a story. When I had the privilege of visiting you twice in your home and even of going hunting with you, which one of the greatest things in my life, thank you for that opportunity. But I want to say that what it really moved me in my time with you was that you're at this point, you could do whatever you want, right?

You know, because the TV show and stuff, you've made some money and whatever. You don't need to do anything, but you have a ministry to homeless people where you faithfully every week preach the gospel, it's an amazing thing to me. And that's what you're just describing when we went to the break. You're talking about this scene.

And that's the church we're talking about, right? There's a lot of homeless people as part of that congregation. Everybody is invited. And look, we have a meal. You said, why would you have a meal every time that you meet? because we have some of our brothers. They're sleeping under bridges. So when they get there, we have a nice meal for them.

They all show up. Miss Kay is there. Even when we're not there during the week, we've got little bags. They love chips, vienna sausage. They say that's our favorite. So look, we make sure, and we're all sitting there. We're eating a meal. There's donuts, you know, and fried chicken

and sometimes jambalai and everyone's eating. So we stop in the middle of all that. There's about 100, 150 on up to a couple hundred. They're all in there together. Cross section of humanity. Colors, who cares? We're all together as brothers and sisters. In the middle of our meal, we stop.

And it's on your table in front of you. It's not pews. It's like tables where people can interact, have a meal. So we stop. We remember the blood of Jesus. that was shed on the cross for our sins, his resurrection three days later, we protect up his blood,

we drink his blood, we protect up his body, the Lord's supper. Every time we meet a meal, the Lord's supper, I give him a few words, and we're on out the door till we meet again. So we don't care whether there's a pandemic.

Look, you can only do this and do that and do the other, and you can't sing and you can't. With us, we're two or three gathered together. Jesus said in my name, I'll be there. So we don't worry about all of the government edicts. You're never going to see me, Eric, ever with a stick, with a sign on top of it.

I saw one other day, a bunch of little girls. They were about 25 years old, white girls. They're up there, and it said, we're going. going to hell and we're proud. That's what the sign said. We're going to hell. Where were they standing? Why were they doing that? I don't know. Get that. What were they trying to communicate with that? It's a fair question. I don't know. But I'm looking at it saying, you can see it on the internet. Dan showed it to me. Dan said, look at this. And I'm like, what does that mean? What kind of mind says, we're going to hell. I don't know who told them that, but they had, I guess, surmised that

I know we're on the wrong path. I know we're going to hell, but we're proud doing it. I'll be honest with you. I think it's real simple. I don't think they believe in hell. Otherwise, they would never say anything like that, or they don't have any understanding of what hell is. Otherwise, they wouldn't say anything like that. They're just trying to be provocative and trying to make a statement. But it's tough for you and for me to read things like that. So in the midst of all of this chaos, Jesus politics, love, joy, peace, patience.

We're giving them the qualities. We're giving them a goal. We're showing them how to behave. And we're just presenting a different look. Why don't you check out this king of an eternal kingdom. operating inside the governmental system of the United States. Why don't you check this out? It'll give you peace of mind, which is pretty rare these days.

Peace of mind is flying away before our very eyes, Eric. You know what I'm saying? Yes, I do. And you know, it's funny, Phil, because obviously I live in New York City, right here, Manhattan. And I think to myself, if I didn't, oh, there it is. You show me on the video. for those who are listening on the radio, I'm just looking at a picture of what Phil was describing.

Well, what I was going to say, Phil, is that I have said this so many times before this pandemic and before these riots and looting and violence, I say to my wife and my daughter, how do people live without Jesus and the comfort of God because we are living in tough times? Now, people have lived in tough times since the beginning of time, but I'm just saying that when you see all these things happening around you, if you do not have the comfort of God and his promises in the word and his love and the knowledge that he goes with you wherever you go and that you can call on him when you're in trouble, if people don't have that, I would think that there are people dying of fright in their apartments in their houses right now, watching TV. It's one of the reasons you, and I need to share the good news of Jesus Christ because there's so many people, they don't even know, they don't even know it's possible to have the peace that you and I have.

When we in the 60s, beginning when I was about a sophomore in high school, when the edicts began to come coming from a group of individuals, the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court forgot one key element. there's a vast difference between the Supreme Court, a man-made court, and the supreme being. There's a vast difference. They forgot that, and they started passing the edicts. So we've been on a no-god, no discipline, no love. We've been on that, and now it's turned to hatred. Would you have ever believed that the human race would slaughter each other?

I mean murder each other at this rate in our major cities in the United States of America. Eric, I'm looking at it thinking, come on, whatever happened to love, joy and peace and patience and peace of mind. Come on. But it's a hard sell. So you know, Eric, it has to be satanic versus godly. it has to be the old adage, the difference between good and evil. Solid food, these scriptures, if you ingest them through your ears, your eyes, you ingest them, you ingest them, you upload them, and you get it in your mind.

Solid foods for the mature, who by constant use, constant use, have trained themselves, Nobody's doing it for them. They are constantly training themselves. Listen to this. This is profound. To do one thing. To know, to distinguish good from evil. They know what is good and they know what is evil.

And they choose good and they shun evil. It's that simple. But if you take that away from children coming up, look at what we've done to our education. system. There's a college professor in our congregation. In front of the audience the other day, I said, Professor, what word came down from the, you're a history professor. What word came down to you or did someone come down to you on what to do with Jesus, the historical Jesus? He said, the word was, do not cover the historical section 50 BC to 200 AD. Do not cover that section of history.

That's what his administrators told him that he could not cover that. And he balked at him and they fired him and he's no longer a member of the history department at the University of Northeast, we call it. Well, listen, it's one thing when colleges get crazy, and you and I, we can talk about that. But the bigger issue for me is that this secular humanist, culturally Marxist mindset has found its way into public schools K through 12. That, to me, is ultimately what has led to the level of ignorance that would allow people to hate cops, to hate their country. and so on and so forth. And that to me is the most grievous thing because I know that we need to love our country, not just because it's exceptional and because God has used it, but just because it's kind of like loving your kids. You know, even when they're bad, you love them. You try to get them to turn their mistakes around and to repent, and so you can celebrate their repentance.

but we have people cursing this country and declaring that this country can never be good. It never was good. It cannot be great. We're going to go to a break. Folks, I'm talking to Phil Robertson, the duck commander. He is not in his blind, but there are Venetian blinds behind him. We'll be right back. Don't go away.

I'm so aimless, I wouldn't let my dear savior in. And Jesus came like a stranger in the night. Hey folks, Eric Mattaxas here. The Trump campaign has a special offer just for you. The president really wants to give you a sign, 2020, Make America Great Again hat. He wants to make sure the lucky winner is one of his top supporters. Be sure to enter soon because this is an opportunity you don't want to miss.

The offer is only going to a select group of supporters and you're one of them. All you have to do is text Metaxus to 88022 today for your chance to win a piece of history, a 2020 make America great again, hat. Again, that's M-E-T-A-X-A-S, M-E-T-A-S to 880-2 to enter to win this contest and join President Trump in the fight to keep America great for four more years. This was paid for by Donald J. Trump for President Inc. Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die. Once upon a time there lived a man and his name was his car.

He walked with Godful day and night, but he didn't want to. Folks, you're watching the York Metaxon show. I got all dressed up for no reason because I'm talking to my friend Phil Robertson. He obviously didn't get dressed up. For me, he didn't even shave. Phil, I love you as you are, just as Jesus loves you as you are. So let's just keep talking. I have fun.

Just looking at you. I have fun. I know where you are. What are we going to talk about? Well, before we talk about something, just remember, I've never found a need for a suit. I just found no need for one, so I don't have a suit. I've never purchased a ring, a watch, a cell phone, nor a computer.

Dan set this thing up this morning because he has one, but I don't. So, Eric, I'm just going to ask you a simple question. Yeah. I don't have those devices, high-tech devices, and suits and rings. What am I missing? I'll tell you what you're missing. Not much, but the point is if it weren't for Dan, let's be honest, let's not be a hypocrite. If it weren't for Dan setting this up, all the people that are watching this and hearing this right now would not be able to hear it.

And I praise the Lord that he can use this technology so that people can hear what you have to say. So listen, I met the president when he was running for office. This is Trump. I've talked to him one-on-one three times. President Trump, okay. President Trump, all three times. I started when I first met him, don't miss this, Trump. He's my age. So I considered him one of my ex-classmates, whatever. I just said, well, he's my age, so I'll call him Trump. So I said, Trump, whatever happens, do not miss this while you're running for office. Whether you win the presidency, I'm not, don't forget what I'm fixed to tell you. So I had written out the gospel with arrows. A error coming down out of heaven, God be coming flesh, his death on a cross the way I put it to him, the president. I said, he died for Donald Trump's sins. I said, Donald, you do have sins, right? He said, oh, yeah. I knew then he was an

honest man. He said, oh, I have a lot of sins. I said, so do I, and so does everyone else. So we're all in the same boat. I said, he dies for the sins of the world, yours and mine and everyone else's. they put him in a tomb because one of these days, I said, Trump, you're going into a tomb. As surely as I'm standing here, you're going to die. So am I, and so does everyone else. I said, when Jesus was raised from the dead, that was your ticket out of here. I said, what do you think? He said, huh. He went, huh. I said, he stayed 40 days, and he went back into heaven. He's there 24-7, Trump. He's already removed your pass-in.

He won't hold any of your future sins against you. It's called grace. And I said, he'll rescue you from physical death at the last day, and you'll go to heaven. I said, don't forget that. I said, have a nice day. So the whole thing lasted eight to ten minutes. I turned to walk away. And he said, hey, he said, can I have that paper what I had written on that sheet?

I said, sure. So I gave it to him. I'll leave. The next time I heard from him, we're going down the road in a vehicle, and someone says the president's on the phone. I had taken up for him a few days earlier because Caboodo, Neil, said, how come you guys through Bible thumpers carrying these Bibles? But you look right past the sins of a man and vote for him anyway. I said, Cabudo. I said, Donald Trump has sins, but so do I. I said, I bet over. Neil Cavuto's got a few cents. What about it, Neil? And Neil said, you're talking to me? I said, yeah, come on out with them. You know what? Neil did? Oh, Neil said, it's getting hot in here. He's doing like that. So Trump saw that. So he asked me about it. He saw it on TV. He saw me on TV. Right. And he was calling to thank me for taking up for it. So anyway, here's what Trump said on the phone. He said, Phil, I still have that paper you gave me. I I said, have they baptized you yet, Mr. President?

He said, no, I need to do that, don't I? I said, you need to do that. Jesus said, go make disciples and baptize them. You need to move on that. The next time I saw him, when he came to try to help one of our Republican candidates win the governorship down here, he didn't make it. But I saw him then. I had written down 10 or 12 verses on being baptized in water.

I gave him to him. He thanked me for that. I said, if you can't find somebody you trust to baptize you, call me up and I'll baptize you. I said, but you need to move on that. Here's some verses. Here's my point. All three times I've talked to one Donald J. Trump, irregardless of what the left ringers are saying about him, all three times our conversation were about spiritual matters. And he intently looked at these verses just like we are to hit here today. I know he's pro-God and pro-Christianity. He's done more for the faith than any president in my lifetime. He looks after the people of God. That's a good thing.

That's why I'm going to vote for him and everybody else should. Well, I think you know I'm with you on that. I got a laugh at the Neil Cavuto story. That is so funny. The idea you're on TV, you don't know who's watching. Maybe the president of the United States. I know. idea. Watching. And the fact of the matter is, Neil Cavuto, I found out, he and I grew up in the same town with the same age. He went to the Catholic high school. I went to the, I love O'Neill. I went to the public high school. So when I meet him in person, I can't wait to talk to him about Danbury, Connecticut, but that is so funny that he is challenging you. You know, he's just doing his job as a newsman, right? I mean, when he asks you those questions, it gives you an opportunity

to say what you said. I said, Neil, I said, Neil, if you think we're going to elect a group of human beings who haven't committed sins, we're going to have to clean out the whole government, son. And I hope we are going to do that. But hang on, we're going to be right back, folks. I'm talking to Bill Roberts. Coming for to carry me home. Swing low, sweet cherry up.

Come for to carry me home. Alman, I would like to talk about Relief Factor. Sure. But you know what? Even better than my talking about it. What about if we hear from Julia? Can we hear from Julia? Yeah. Is she here? Let's go. Let's go.

I had pain in my hands that kept me from work and doing projects around the home. I heard about Relief Factor on the radio and began taking it. And it left me with pain-free hands again. I was able to do the things around the house that I enjoy doing. I'm so glad I found Relief Factor. Okay. I got to say relief factor was actually created by doctors who wanted a 100% drug-free supplement that could help your own body deal with inflammation and those aches and pains due to aging, exercise, whatever it is, which is why I take it. Look, you can do all kinds of stuff, but this is, it's very inexpensive.

It's drug-free. It's safe. And within three weeks, you will know whether it works for you. It works for most people. So check it out. It's relieffactor.com. Highly recommended folks, relieffactor.com. Friends, I'm talking to Phil Robertson, the Duck Commander in that famous chair.

If you're watching this on YouTube or someplace, I have been there. I have seen that chair. And that is, you do everything in that chair, Phil, don't you? You eat your meals in that chair. You don't bother to sit with the people at the table unless the cameras are on you. I did two sessions with different individuals before I came on with you. Dan is the one that takes care of my schedule. You have some interviews and where I said that.

So he lines all all up. So here I am. You're number three today. But hey, you got to remember, offer your body. In view of God's mercy, Romans 12, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual act of worship. It's your life. That's the point of the book.

how we behave. They never hear profanity coming out of our lips, ever. You're like, why, when you look at all these looters and these rioters, why is it the F word keeps coming up on every building? What a word to use. And you say, why would that word keep coming out of them?

It's their identity. It's who they are. Well, here we are. you say you would never hear us say that kind of word ever ever ever so just is just cleaning up one's mouth it has a huge impact on the people who are listening a huge impact let me ask you a question when i was with you in the duck boat you told me a story about when you were when you were filming your tv series that somebody who had been there for a long time took you aside and said listen i've been with you guys a long, long, long time, and I've never heard you curse. And you use that as an opportunity.

What did you say to him? Because that's a big deal for most American men. If somebody's not cursing, it's a little shocking. In fact, what Peter said, and here's how people will view you, Dear friends, I urge you as aliens and strangers in the world. You say, you'll never hear any profanity coming out of somebody. That's strange. People, they cocked their head. The guy who was converted over this, this topic, he was the sound man on the film crew. He was converted over this.

He wasn't just impressed. Converted to Jesus. And look, that's been years ago. He caused me all the time. and I give him some encouraging words. But he said, Mr. Robinson, I have all of your family and you miced up. And I'm straining to hear at least once some profanity. Because the film crew, we have vile filth coming out of our mouth at all times.

And the production crew was told, don't curse around these people because they don't curse. And they were like, do what? They said, they don't curse. and they would appreciate it if they don't. We didn't tell them that. They just arrived at that conclusion. When he comes to me and he says, I have all your family miced up at all times,

even when you don't know it. I never hear any profanity. He said, why? Why? I said, I'll tell you about why. This afternoon I'll sit down with you. I pointed him to Jesus and told him he, Jesus died for him, was raised from the dead for him.

The guy was converted because, he wasn't hearing profanity, which is my point in the book. We have to be careful how we live, and we will seem strange. Watch, to abstain, live your life here as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires which war against your soul, and they do, live such good lives among the pagans. Check us out, Mataxis. That though they accuse you of doing wrong, and they do many a time, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. He said, let them heap abuse on you. Don't hold it against them. My point is, I'm more sad, Eric, from watching America these days. I'm more sad, way more sad than mad. I'm just looking at

and saying, come on. But the poor soldiers and the vile field coming. I said, what in the world have we done? Our education system and Hollywood and the news media and much of our government. We've just turned from God, and I'm hoping there'll be a mass repentance. Eric, to this day, I still do not see the downside of loving God and loving each other. What is the downside? Well, we know there is no downside, but there are a lot of people that they perceive a downside. They don't understand it, and we just have to, as you said, be patient and love them to the best of our fallen abilities. We're both sinners, and we know we don't get it right.

I make mistakes a lot. But, you know, Phil, everything you say, it is news to many people. There are many people that they've heard false religion. They've heard dead religion. They maybe had parents that were so legalistic. They didn't see Jesus. They just saw the law. And you know and I know that religion can be used of the devil.

Jesus was in the wilderness. Satan quoted scripture. Right, right. You're correct. You got to remember, you say, Phil, if you had to identify what you are doing with Eric Mattaxas, he's in New York, you're down here in the woods in Louisiana, what are y'all doing? What we are doing, in view of God's mercy, we are offering our bodies as living sacrifice, holy pleased to God, which is our spiritual act of worship. You say, it's here, what is it, Wednesday? You say, Wednesday morning, you say, you can worship anything. time, all the time. That's what I'm trying to get people to see. It's how we behave. It's who we interact with. It's what we say. It's who we point them to. You say it's a 24-7 worship lifestyle

inside a constitutional republic who in many ways have lost their ways with false edicts and all of this stuff. So we just try to infuse good in the all that. It's a tough job, I'm telling you. It's tough, but we're only here for a season. You know that, and I know that, and it's the least we can do. Sometimes recently, before we go to a break, I will just say, recently I was in the home of my sweet parents, who I'm blessed to have with me. And I was overwhelmed with gratitude to the Lord for how good he has been to me, for allowing me to have my parents. And I just thought, we need to live in that.

We're going to be right back, folks. I'm talking to my friend, Phil Robertson. Why I'm feeling so high must be the season when that love lights shine. I want the people to know that he saved my soul, but I still like to listen to the radio. They say rock and roll is wrong. We'll give you one more chance. I say I feel so good. I got to get up and dance.

Folks, I'm talking to Phil Roberts. whom I am blessed to call friend and brother. Phil, your book, it's called Jesus Politics. You were just going to say something about Carl Marx. Go ahead. Because in this book, I said, I called what I'm putting forth here, Jesus politics. We give them a kingdom manifesto.

The greatest two parts of it is love, God, love your neighbor. The kingdom foundation, where it came from, the king's capital, biblical environmentalism, life according to the king, life for the American family, kingdom centered health care, about mercy and forgiveness. I'm just giving them that. Carl Marx had his manifesto. Oh, Nikola Lennon, or whatever his name was, he reads it and he says, you know what, we'd have to get rid of one thing. Religion. He said,

religion is the opium of the people. It must be eradicated. So ever since mankind has been here, Eric, it's the same old, the same old age problem. Good and evil, good and evil.

And the friction. These empires rise and fall, they rot from within. I'm sure. shocked that we hadn't been here but 244 years and we're beginning to rot. It hurts. I don't know. I think that sometimes I think good can come out of strife. And I think that what's happening right now part of it, I hope, is that we're seeing with clarity a purely godless, angry, graceless view of the world versus whatever the other thing is, which is what we're talking about,

the anger, the vile language, the inability to forgive, the cursing not just in the foul language, but in the whole approach, it's kind of cursing the country rather than trying to bless the country. That's kind of what's going on today. And obviously, you look a little bit too much like Carl Marx, but I'm going to... We point them to Jesus and you say, and his people, and they're saying, Carl Marx is the one we have our allegiance to, we're going with Karl Marx. You would think, having seen these Marxist ideologies come and go, you would think by now we would have gotten off of that horse. But no, we just keep trying it. Anything but Jesus. You have to be historically ignorant to believe Marxism might work. But unfortunately,

we have tremendous historical ignorance because, as you said, the last 50 or so years, not only have we taken God out of the schools, but we have really, many of our leaders have imbibed this kind of thinking. But I tell you, Phil, there's so many people in America praying for this country, praying for this president. I have a sense that we're going to see God's hand in the years ahead more than some might say. Me too. Me too. That's our only hope. I think this silent majority you've been hearing about, the ones that don't talk too much, surely they can see the difference between the two parties going into this election. I'm thinking, man. It's never been clearer, and that to me is what's so

interesting. We're going to have to end here, but that's what's so interesting is that usually people keep this stuff under wraps, but because of Trump, he's kind of like the guy that takes to stick to the hornets nest, and we're just seeing all the hornets. And I think that, ultimately, by God's grace, it will lead to something good. We're at a time. I'll give you 10 seconds. Forgive me. I ask you this. I insist on it that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do in the futility of their thinking. Let's turn from that and go back to good old godliness. Amen. My friend, thank you. See you.