The Eric Metaxas Show - Scott Curlee | Losing the Plot: How Secular Stories are Rewriting our Souls

Episode Date: August 9, 2025

Professor Scott Curlee shares his book: Losing the Plot: How Secular Stories are Rewriting our Souls. ...

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:10 Welcome to the Eric Mataxis show. Do you like your gravy thick and rich and loaded with creamy mushrooms? If no one was looking, would you chug the whole gravy boat? Chug, chug, chug, chug, chug, chug. Stay tuned. Here comes Mr. Chugelag himself, Eric Mat, Texas. Hey, folks, welcome to Thursday, August 7th. If it's Thursday, August 7th, you know what that means, Chris?
Starting point is 00:00:40 We are also in the future again? Well, no, it means that today, August 7th, Thursday, I mean, I know this because I'm actually here, but in case you didn't know, and the audience didn't know, I'm in Los Angeles, I'm in the West Coast. I flew here yesterday. I'm here today, and Charlie Kirk's TPSA, Faith, is hosting a conference, and I am speaking today, four o'clock Pacific time. So I'm in Los Angeles. I travel. I don't know how I do all this stuff. But if it weren't for planes, man, I'd be in trouble. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Wow, that's incredible. You're, you're, you are a jet setter. I do think when you
Starting point is 00:01:29 stay someplace for long enough, it starts to affect you. So I don't think you, it would take a lot longer for you to become a Californian. It'll, it would mess, it would mess me up, man. It would messed me up. So today I'm in, I have to look at my calendar. Today I'm in Rancho Palos Verdes, I guess. It's LA, basically, right? So next week, Suzanne is forcing me to take three days vacation. So I don't know, we're going to be in the Hamptons or something at an undisclosed location in a bunker with Dick Cheney. But of course, I'm working on a book on the American Revolution. so I don't really get vacation vacation. Like I'm working on the book.
Starting point is 00:02:11 I'm working hard on the book. And you know what? This is a good opportunity for me to ask my audience here, folks. If you're a praying person, I ask you to pray because this is, a lot of this stuff is tough. It's tough. Writing is not easy to get it right. And when I do something like write about the American Revolution, I take it very seriously. I believe this is God's assignment.
Starting point is 00:02:36 to tell an important story in the right way, in a way that communicates the truth of it. And so to use the Christian phrase, I covet your prayers because I've been working hard. And it's, I take it seriously. It's a joy. It's a privilege, but it's a serious thing. Next week, I don't think I've mentioned this,
Starting point is 00:03:00 but John Zmirak is going to be in New York. He may be staying with us. And he's a wild child. So pray about that. But John, I just am thrilled to think of him as in New York. So John's visiting New York. But when I look at my schedule in the weeks coming up, it is just, I mean, I'm going to be in Colorado Springs in October. I'm sorry, in September.
Starting point is 00:03:24 I'm going to be in Colorado Springs. I'm going to be in Washington, D.C. in Colorado Springs because I've been appointed to the President's Commission on Religious Liberty. So every six weeks or so, I'm going to be in Washington. DC. I'm going to be doing stuff in Dallas in September. I got a lot. I got a lot going on. How am I going to do all this? This is absolutely nuts. I'm going to be back in Colorado in October. I'm going to be in Waco, Texas, October 7th. I'm speaking here in that pregnancy center of Central Texas in Waco on October 7th. I'm going to be in, I'm doing something for Summit Ministries.
Starting point is 00:04:03 I love those guys. That's in Colorado Springs. I'm going to be in Pensacola, Florida. I better stop reading because I'm getting dizzy. I'm going to be in Houston, October 28th, and on and on it goes. Unbelievable. So I'm traveling a lot. But you didn't tune into this program to hear my travel schedule. You can find that, by the way, at erikmetaxis.com.
Starting point is 00:04:24 Let me just say that. If you want to know if I'm going to be in your town, go to ericmetaxis.com. My schedule should be posted there. Today, on this program, two special guests. in a moment I'm speaking to Scotty. Curley, that's his real name. You know, Curley is usually a nickname, Chris. Did you know that?
Starting point is 00:04:46 Chris, hello? Come in, Chris? Yeah, sorry. I lost my question. Curly is only a nickname. Yeah, like Mo, Larry, and Curley. Right. I think it's his last name, though.
Starting point is 00:05:01 I don't think it's his first name, although I'm sure. But when it's the last name, it is not a nickname. It's a real name. Scotty, that's a nickname. His real name is Scott. Well, I have no doubt in high school he was known simply as Curly. As Curly, right. Wouldn't that be great to have a friend named Curley?
Starting point is 00:05:17 Okay, so can I call you Curley? I used to be mocked. I had crazy hair, and my carpooling associate was a couple of years older than me. He slurred me with the name Medusa because it looked like I had a bedhead of snakes on top when he would pick me up in the morning. That's, I wasn't expecting to hear that. Yeah. Okay, so, it's hurtful.
Starting point is 00:05:43 But I should, I should explain to the audience who they're tuning out by the second here. Scotty Curley teaches at Liberty University and he teaches about media and film and TV. He's, so the conversation with him is right up my alley. You can, you know this. This is close to my heart. So I'm talking to Scotty Curley, um, for, in hour one, in hour two, our dear friend Doug Giles is coming on. He has a book called The Bible and Hunting, not making it up. So we're going to have some fun with Doug Giles in hour two today.
Starting point is 00:06:23 He is just a blast. I don't know how it is that he talks the way he talks, but you'll see if you haven't heard Doug Giles before. Like he just, he comes up with stuff. I think that does he have a scriptwriter? How did this, how did this just come out of his mouth? He comes up with amazing stuff. Yeah, he's very clever. He's very funny. He's, he's got a comedy writer in there somewhere up. No, he's he's a genius. So, so we have him coming up. All right. So before we go to Scotty Curley, do I have any announcements that I have to make? I'm trying to think. Tomorrow we're doing, actually, this is crazy. For Socrates in the studio, I recently, I recently, interviewed a young reporter with the free press. So the free press is a conservative leaning
Starting point is 00:07:12 newspaper. Many of you know it. And the young reporter, her name is Olivia Rheingold. And she has been covering the mayor's race in New York City. So tomorrow I will play my conversation with her about Mamdani, Zoran, whatever his name is. And Chris, I don't know if you know this. But. You know, to show his solidarity with the third world people that he hopes will vote for him. Yeah. He doesn't use utensils. He just eats with his hands.
Starting point is 00:07:42 Did you know that? I saw, I did see some clips of that. He seems like a chameleon. He seems like, you remember United Colors of Beneton, that store that had all the flags from all the nations? Yeah. It seems like he just, like, puts a different flag on his head and adopts an accent, depending on who he's talking to or wants to appeal to. Well, no, that's right. And by the way, he thinks that using toilet paper is part of the patriarchy and it's a white thing.
Starting point is 00:08:09 So he has come out against he is going to outlaw toilet paper in New York City because he believes that we should show solidarity with the people in the third world who do not have access to toilet paper. And so Mamdani has come out against using it. And he's going to, he's going to shut that down. It's not going to be available in New York City. if he's elected mayor. And I wish I were kidding. And thank God, I am kidding. But close not, he would really try.
Starting point is 00:08:40 He's going to try to make that happen. I know he's going to try. And that's why we need to elect Curtis Slewa or anybody. We got to get Curtis Slewa on the program, by the way. I love Curtis Slewa. Yeah. Well, okay. He's been on before, but we definitely need him back.
Starting point is 00:08:56 To tough his ambitions to win as mayor. Before, before we go. to my guest today, Scotty Curley, Hour 1, Doug Giles, in Hour 2. I want to remind everybody, we have a fire sale at Eric Mataxis.com. My brand new book, Religionless Christianity. Actually, it's not brand new anymore, but it's my newest book. Religion is Christianity. The hardcover is available for $10.
Starting point is 00:09:22 Ladies and gentlemen, if you need something substantive to read on the beach, that's like a good read, but it actually, you're not wasting your time. religionless Christianity, $10 at Eric Mataxis.com. Needless to say, I recommend it. There's all kinds of stuff there. And you can get all my books autographed at Socrates in the city.com. And if you want to get my books very inexpensively, go to my store.com and use the code, Eric, my store.com.
Starting point is 00:09:51 Use the code Eric. We'll be right back with Scotty Curley, followed by the great, Doug. Folks, just to remind you, the flooding in central Texas has taken over 100 lives. Many people still missing. We on this program are asking you to join us in Food for the Poor as we rush. Emergency relief to devastated families, please call 844-863-4673 or text Metaxus to 51555 to give right now, or you can click on the banner, metaxis talk.com. Thank you.
Starting point is 00:10:30 A major retail chain just canceled a massive order, leaving My Pillow with an overstock of the classic My Pillows, and this is your gain, because for a limited time, my pillow is offering their entire classic collection at true wholesale prices. Get a standard MyPillow for just 1798. Want more, upgrade to queen size for only 2298 or king size for 2498? Snag body pillows for 2998,
Starting point is 00:10:54 and versatile multi-use pillows for just 998. Give your bed a whole new pillow set. only while supplies last. Visit MyPillow.com today. Use promo code Eric or call 800-978-3057 to score these amazing deals while they're in stock. Plus, when your order totals $75 or more, you'll receive $100 in free digital gifts, no strings attached. That's right.
Starting point is 00:11:15 Premium pillows at unbeatable prices and bonus gifts to top it off. Don't wait. Head to MyPillow.com today or call 800-9783057. Now. Don't forget to use promo code Eric to grab your standard MyPillow for only 1798 only while supplies last. Folks, right now in Texas, families are reeling from this historic flooding. Food for the poor is delivering life-saving relief, but they need our help.
Starting point is 00:11:40 I'm Eric Metaxus. Call 844-863-4673 or text Metaxus to 51555 to send emergency supplies or visit Metaxistalk.com. Click on the banner. Metaxistalk.com. Thank you. When you get the blues, come on get rhythm. When you get the blues. Hey, folks, welcome back.
Starting point is 00:12:08 If you listen to me or this program, you know that nothing is closer to my heart than the culture, right? We talk about politics a lot. We talk about faith and theology a lot. But at the heart of it all for me is the culture. And it has been my thesis for decades that, Christians and conservatives have abdicated the culture telling stories, TV, movies, media to the secular left. And anytime I see somebody who gets that the way I do is passionate about it, I want to talk to them on this program, which is why today I have, as my guest, Scotty Curley is his name, assistant professor of cinematic arts at Liberty University.
Starting point is 00:12:55 I love Liberty. Scotty, welcome to the program. Thank you for having me. Looking forward to this conversation. And you do go by Scotty and not Scott. I do. All right, just want to make sure.
Starting point is 00:13:08 Now, I'm not seeing your face on my screen, so I don't know if... Hang on a second here. Something can be done about that, but we... There you are. Okay. All right.
Starting point is 00:13:18 So tell us about how you got involved in... I mean, the book is called Losing the Plot, how secular stories are rewriting our... souls. What led you to work in the cinematic arts at Liberty? What led you to write the book called Losing the plot? Yeah. So, Eric, I'd been a filmmaker for almost two decades now. I'm a writer, producer, and director have made movies that have had theatrical distribution. You can actually see my movies on Netflix and Amazon. I've been an educator at Liberty University teaching in cinema for a past decade. And I've seen the same patterns that are young people who are Christian young people
Starting point is 00:14:01 and we're seeing the same patterns in our Christian young people that we do in our secular young people. So I started doing a deep dive. What is going on here? Why are they being affected with these issues when they grow up in Christian homes, go to church, go to Wednesday night Bible study? And what I learned is that between the ages of 2 and 18, every young person gets approximately 23 to 26,000 hours of programming disguised as entertainment. And this programming informs their worldview on life, love, marriage, sexuality, their relationship with Jesus Christ, right? And we know if you can control three things, you can control the trajectory of the future.
Starting point is 00:14:48 What are those three things? Number one, the introduction of ideology through entertainment. Number two, the indoctrination of that ideology through the public school system. Number three, the implementation of that ideology into law. Entertainment, academics, politics. If you can control those three things, you can control the trajectory of a nation. And you look at what's been going on here in the United States and how things have played out in the last 20 years. And you begin to see why we're headed in a particular.
Starting point is 00:15:24 trajectory. And so what we need to do is, you know, when a student comes into my class at age 18, I'm reverse engineering all this programming that they've been receiving. Why are you having these thoughts? Why are you speaking the way you do? Why are you acting out in such ways? Why are you dealing with depression and self-worth issues? It's all tied to the entertainment. It's all tied to the programming, Eric. And that's what I'm trying to help these young people to see. But more importantly, I need parents to see this. I need parents to understand this, the moms, the dads, the grandpas, the grandmas, the aunts and uncles, because it needs a start at age two. The first time a kid is on this little device. And by the way, if you look at the Apple logo, what do you see? An Apple
Starting point is 00:16:12 with a bite out of it, the knowledge of good and evil. We're not giving kids the access to the world. We're given the world access to our children. And we need to be. aware of what we are doing when we put them in from an iPad and help, you know, give them access to all these shows. I'm amazed when I see young children staring at screens. I want to beat the parents with a stick, perhaps even literally. It really is amazing to me that young parents could be so ignorant not to understand that what they're doing is not good.
Starting point is 00:16:52 Now, look, I understand we all want to break from our kids and, you know, we want to give them something to occupy them. But I have to say, even if what they're looking at on the screen is good, it's bad. Just to be staring at a screen, by definition, at that age, is bad. But as you're saying, they're being catechized along certain lines. And what I have said for years, Scotty, is that it wasn't always this way. You know, we didn't live in a media culture. In the 1930s and 40s, we didn't live in a media culture where we were saturated with media. And so you got your values from your local community.
Starting point is 00:17:34 But something happened where Hollywood, New York, it's almost like they built a pipeline into Middle America. And the values of the secular cultural elites in places like Hollywood and Manhattan, particularly, were fed into middle America so that middle America over the decades more and more and more had this direct pipeline to celebrity culture, to secular narratives, which simply didn't exist before. And it has increased and increased and increased through the decades. And I myself have been a victim of it. I mean, I've noticed this, that what you kind of think what you see on the screen is normal. So even when things were good, I always think of like, you know, when were things good?
Starting point is 00:18:24 Like, let's say the 70s, who was Johnny Carson having on in the 70s? What were movies like in the 70s? Well, it was way better than it is now, but it still was not great. It was still pushing forward a sexualized view in the culture of humanity, of women as sexual objects, you know, of men as players. That was the kind. These are the things. And this goes, so this goes way. way, way back. And so we are, I guess, decades behind in this. But by the grace of God, folks like
Starting point is 00:18:58 you and me, we're talking about it. And now, how did you get into this? What is your story? Where did you grow up? Yeah. So I grew up in South Korea. My father was U.S. military. I grew up on a base called Camp Red Cloud, named after a medal of an honor winner. I came to the U.S. to pursue the American dream. I competed at the Olympic trials and the sport of cycling. And then from there pursued my education, went into the pharmaceutical industry, worked for one of the top three pharma companies in the world. After a decade had a crisis of ethics and decided to leave the pharma industry and do something more meaningful. And God let me in the film and television. And so, you know, yeah, it's a really, it's an interesting
Starting point is 00:19:42 story. Well, it's definitely an interesting story. So now you are assistant professor of cinematic arts at Liberty. And I just want to to always give a shout out. I love Liberty University. My great friend, Ryan Helfenbine, is there with the Freedom Center. And Liberty is just one of a tiny handful of universities or colleges that I can recommend to people. It might not be perfect, but it's getting close. And so I want to say, you know, kudos to Liberty for having you there teaching this. Now, the title of the new book is called Losing the Plot, How Secular Stories Are Rewriting Our Souls. So let's talk about that.
Starting point is 00:20:26 In the book, what do you cover in the book when you say how secular stories are rewriting our souls? What secular stories? What do you mean? Yeah, I'm talking about mainstream movies that we've been grandfathered into, right? So looking at movies like Star Wars, Episode 4, Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark, rear window we're talking about
Starting point is 00:20:49 guess who's coming to dinner pulling apart the themes pulling apart the agenda to ask ourselves what sort of worldview do these movies encompass and when we align it go ahead
Starting point is 00:21:01 no no when you just mentioned rear window you know that's a Hitchcock classic that's one of the few Hitchcock films I don't particularly care for I'm not a fan of Princess Grace you know
Starting point is 00:21:15 She's pretty, but I just don't enjoy her as an actress, and I don't enjoy that film very much. But I guess my question to you is, what do you see in Hitchcock's rear window that is guilty of what you're talking about? Yeah. So when we look at the movie, for example, for the seven movies we watch in class, I don't know if you know, but when you watch the movie and really analyze this, there is a massive age gap between a male lead. and the female lead. So there's normalization of this massive age gap. And when you look at society right now, with some of the things that young women are doing
Starting point is 00:21:54 with topics like only fans, right, dating much older men with that sort of sugar daddy mindset, where does that come from? All that has been acclimized to entertainment, right? Normalize, slowly being cooked in a pot like a frog where you get comfortable with certain sins, right? And so we have to look at the, this and go, okay, what are these agendas that are being normalized from a Christian worldview?
Starting point is 00:22:21 And then how does that affect from a secular worldview? Well, everything that we're looking at is against the nuclear family. So you think of all the letters, LGBTQIA plus. Every one of those letters go against the nuclear family principle and procreation, right? Actually, now we're going to go to a break, but this is great stuff. Folks, the new book by Scotty Curley, is called Losing the Plot. We'll be right back. Yes, I'll start it all again. You know, I need you.
Starting point is 00:22:54 Welcome back. We're talking about media. My guest is Scotty Curley, who is assistant professor of cinematic arts at Liberty University. We love Liberty. Okay, so the book is called Losing the Plot, and you're talking about this.
Starting point is 00:23:21 You just mentioned rear window, and you said, I mean, is that the main thing in that film that you see as problematic? No. I mean, voyeurism, you know, we go into, you know, nowadays you don't need to be a voyeur looking into other people's window. You do it through social media. You meet somebody. You can go on their Instagram.
Starting point is 00:23:42 You can go on all their modalities of social media and be a voyeur and do it in the privacy of your own home, right? So we talk about all these things. And especially with technology and AI, we're going to see things and be acclimated to things. where we don't know what is real and what is not. And that's what the next generation is going to have to discern through the Holy Spirit. So what are some of the other movies that you talk about in the course that you teach at Liberty? And I guess some of these are, they're in the book, right? In the book, losing a plot, you touch on this stuff?
Starting point is 00:24:16 Yeah, yeah. We touch on a lot of the movies that we watch. We actually watch seven in the curriculum. So it's going to be Raiders of the Lost Dark. We go through Toy Story, Rear Window, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Star Wars, and we end with Avengers Endgame. Now, I want to mention. Yeah, go ahead. Guess who's coming to dinner?
Starting point is 00:24:36 Yeah. That's like, which version of that? Is that the Sydney Portier version? Sydney Portier version, that is correct. Sandy Dennis. Yep. Yep. Eric Siegel.
Starting point is 00:24:49 I'm trying to remember. Yeah. So Sydney Bortier is the lead. So in that movie, when you pull apart, you know, again, the agendas in that movie, you're going to see common patterns that you see in some of the other movies. In fact, the father has a discussion with the son when he wants to bring Catherine Houghton's character home, right, his girlfriend. And he says, how old is she? And he goes, and he goes, oh, that's perfect. You're 37.
Starting point is 00:25:18 She's 23. Women age faster than men do, right? So again, the normalization of certain things are just out there, right? I mean, I don't see that as particularly troubling, but anyway. In other words, but I get the idea, yeah. Yeah, yeah. And there are some good things in there, too, because, you know, Sydney Porteie's character has the opportunity to be intimate with Count Thur and Houghton's character, and he chooses
Starting point is 00:25:49 not to because he is a man of integrity and he wants to wait until they're married. So there's some good things in there too. It's not all bad. But again, we have to be able to pull apart these agendas to understand what is going on, right? Because how many movies have you seen recently where a couple meets, next thing you know, a couple hops in the bed, right? Every single movie we watch, every single TV show. Well, that's the thing. I mean, it's gotten worse and worse and worse. I watch a lot of Turner classic movies. And I love old films because they have, even though, I mean, they're not perfect either, but they're way closer because they're giving you a sense.
Starting point is 00:26:27 They have a sense of, well, there's a lot that they bring that is closer to a biblical worldview. Again, not always. But so I think that we want to be clear to say that folks, there's no such thing as like, you know, the perfect movie or the, it's a continuing. and you have to use wisdom, just like living in the world. You know, every day is different and you have to react. But I do think that watching old movies can give you a sense of the sanctity of marriage
Starting point is 00:27:01 or the idea of honor, you know, the idea that I want to be honorable. That has pretty much leached completely out of the culture at this point. Those ideas don't exist in modern films. Yeah. No, you're absolutely right. And, you know, if you go, so let's go back a little bit, talk about. about a gentleman by the name of Yuri Besmeanov. Uri Besmeanov was a KGB spy.
Starting point is 00:27:23 And in the 80s, he defected from the Soviet Union at the time because he was disillusioned what was going on, defected to Canada and came to the United States. And he said, hey, guys, here's what we're doing to the United States. We cannot take you on, right, kinetically, because you guys spend more on national defense than the next 10 countries combined. So what we're going to do is we're going to ideologically subvert you. It's called active measures. There are four steps.
Starting point is 00:27:53 Demoralization, destabilization, crisis, and a new normal. The first stage is through film, television, and entertainment, right? So this is how our youth is under attack is through the content that they watch. It's this ideology that is being planted in their minds as being normal. and then that ideology is reinforced and indoctrinated in the public school system. So that is predominantly what we are seeing, and that's what I want parents to understand. It's absolutely critical. When you put your kid in front of an iPad because you've got to take a 15-minute shower at age two,
Starting point is 00:28:32 they're being normalized to certain content, and that's why it's so important to make sure it's content that you approve of from a Christ-centered worldview. Yeah, this is, look, nothing's my mind. more important than this, and I completely agree. And I'm shocked actually at people who are public Christians, who are serious Christians who don't get a lot of this stuff. They've been catechized along certain lines. I mean, one thing that you mentioned, because this stuff sounds subtle, it is a little subtle, but you mentioned rear window. Okay. So this is Jimmy Stewart and I can't think of her name, but it doesn't matter. But voyeurism is the issue, right? And I think,
Starting point is 00:29:13 you know, when you talk about social media, we need to guard against what? What is it exactly? Because when, you know, a bright line is like adultery is wrong. Murder is wrong. But the Bible talks about gossip, slander, malice. And I think that we have normalized knowing about other people's lives and talking about other people behind their back and whatever. And we need to be serious about this, folks. To keep our hearts pure. We'll be right back. We are talking with, well, we're talking right now with Scotty Curley, a citizen professor of cinematic arts at liberty, and the book is called Losing the Plot, How Secular Stories, Are Rewriting Our Souls. Welcome back talking to Scotty Curley. The new book is losing the plot, how secular stories
Starting point is 00:30:16 are rewriting our souls. So, Scotty, this is serious stuff, really, because we're, you know, when you're talking about media influence, it is effectively ubiquitous. We're not talking about a little thing. We're talking about how our souls and our minds are being shaped. And as you say, some of this is intentional. We don't want to get into this, you know, like, oh, it's a big conspiracy, but it is. In other words, if you are in Russia or in China and you want to bring the United States down, you're not stupid. You understand there are ways to do it. And one of the ways to do it, which does not involve missiles or aircraft carriers is to try to affect the way people think. And what I would say ultimately is that what has happened since the sexual revolution,
Starting point is 00:31:01 I mean, it goes before that. But it really is the weakening of, well, it's a kind of moral weakening. It's a kind of that when you think about, you know, in the 19th century, or the 18th century, what made a man a man, you know, honor, courage, a warrior spirit, standing up for the week. I mean, this was the basic stuff. That has really been eroded dramatically, let's say since the sexual revolution. And that affects absolutely everything.
Starting point is 00:31:38 And so we in the West, we don't have the, some people have called the cultural confidence, the moral will to stand against what's wrong, to stand against various, forms of tyranny. That's at the heart of it, isn't it? Yeah, you're absolutely right. Everything you are saying is is so dead on. And it starts, listen, if you want to affect the next generation, the best way to do it is programming disguised as entertainment. Because kids are going to, they don't have filters. And parents, on a Friday night, they're exhausted. They want to put something on on Netflix or Amazon. Check out for the next two hours. And what is it? this content that is being pumped into your mind that is affecting the way you think, the way
Starting point is 00:32:24 you speak, how you act. It's all entertainment, right? And so you look at society now and you look at how it has evolved and how certain things have been acclimated. Director of National Intelligence, Telsi Gabbard just recently said, hey, Operation Mockingbird is still happening right now. What is that? For those who don't know, what is Operation Mockingbird?
Starting point is 00:32:49 Bird. Yeah, Operation Mockingbird is, is intelligence agencies working with all the news outlets, so they're parroting the same information so that from a programming standpoint, you're getting the same messaging, whether it's CNN or, you know, Fox News or whoever it is, they're all parroting the same things to propagandize the audience. Yes, and so she said that's still going on. I mean, that's what she said. Yeah. Yeah. And listen, I can send you examples where, you know, newscasters from all around the country are parroting the exact same. Oh, look, we've all seen this. If you're on social media, you've seen this over the last few years where they're saying the same line, the same line, the same line. And look, let's break it down, folks. Journalists are supposed to do the job of journalism. They're supposed to dig, find the truth, report the truth. That's their job. If they're lazy, they will just kind of take the talking point.
Starting point is 00:33:49 from some piece of paper, and it's just easier to do that. Well, sometimes that's okay, but sometimes cynical people have figured out, like, let's just pump out these talking points, and enough people will say this, and it becomes part of the zeitgeist, and everybody believes it. It sounds like something out of a dystopian novel, you know, whether written by George Orwell or C.S. Lewis or Aldous Huxley, except now it's possible to pull this off. now it's been happening. It's been happening in our lifetimes. And this is just a fact. There's no way around it. This is real. And so we have to be vigilant. We have to be aware. It's why I'm talking to Scotty Curley about this because this is real and how we think has been shaped. And as you say in your book, shaped by a secular worldview. So even if these people aren't trying to do evil, they're coming from a point of view that in many ways is just flat out wrong. And it's a secular way. And I got to say, I am my creating a lot of program. We're raising millions of dollars to create programming along many lines that counteracts exactly what we're talking about here. So this is as close to my heart as it
Starting point is 00:35:01 gets. It's really my life's mission, the calling that God has put on my life. It's been something I've been observing for at least 30 years. And I'm thrilled that you're at Liberty, at Liberty University, teaching this stuff and that you've written a book about it because it's as central as it gets. The book is losing the plot, how secular stories are rewriting our souls. So what do you see as the solution? So, Eric, let me throw some numbers at you. Okay. So the world spends approximately $120 to $130 billion a year on programming.
Starting point is 00:35:39 Netflix alone spends about $18 billion. Disney spends somewhere between 24 and 28 billion dollars a year. Okay? So you compare that to the Christian filmmakers or Christian worldview filmmakers. We're spending approximately 50 million a year. That's 130 billion against 50 million. You can see why it's so lopsided. Now, I've got all the Christian filmmakers coming through Liberty University.
Starting point is 00:36:06 I'm the guy that does the Q&A with him, okay? House of David, John Irwin, Dallas, Jenkins, Dallas the Sun actually went through our film program. I know how skewed the world is in terms of the content to throw in our kids. What we need is more people like you, more Christian filmmakers, making content with our worldview and putting it out there in the world. Counter-programming is what we need. Well, look, I have to say this is, I mean, I've already said it. It's God's calling on my life, and I've been working for years on this kind of stuff. I mean, most people know I've, I've written a lot of books, but we're turning many of those books into TV series because we want to
Starting point is 00:36:48 get this stuff out there. And I have to say, you know, when I started writing these books, I never thought we would want to turn them into TV series. But you realize many of the things that I've written, there's stories about these Christian heroes, these amazing people. And you think most people don't know that story. You know, they know all kinds of other stories, but they don't know this story. And so we're working hard. on this. We're raising millions and millions of dollars because it's huge. And I'm one person, folks. I'm one person. So it's kind of, it's kind of dramatic. We'll be right back. Final segment coming up. Let me remind you, speaking of raising funds, we have a crisis in central Texas. If you can help
Starting point is 00:37:36 our friends, go to my website, metaxis talk.com. You'll see the banner to help Texas. We need your help. So step up, if you can. Relief kits are $50. That's what we're asking you to do. But go to metaxis talk.com. It's urgent, folks, this week.
Starting point is 00:37:56 So help if you can. We'll be right back. Hey there, folks. So much going on in the news. I never know where to begin. But one of the things that I find interesting, as the news gallops along, we forget stuff. And most of us have already moved way past
Starting point is 00:38:22 the nightmare of the floods in Texas. It's horrible, but then something else happens, then something else happens and something else happens, and we forget about it. Well, the folks in Texas are suffering right now, and they need our help. And so they put the word out. This is an emergency disaster relief situation,
Starting point is 00:38:42 and our friends at Food Food Poor asked us to ask you to help. So I just want to say, let's not forget our friends in Texas. You know, you know, do it to others, as you would have others do unto you. If you have lost your home or your business and you're living in a tent someplace with your family right now waiting to get back to, who knows? I mean, this is the stories go on and on and on.
Starting point is 00:39:09 I want to thank those of you who've already given, but I know most of you haven't yet been able to do that. So the relief operations are underway. We're continuing our efforts with food for the poor. They are there rushing a murder. emergency relief kits. This is what your money is doing, rushing emergency relief kits to people throughout the flooded area. Texas Governor Greg Abbott had the privilege to meet him and speak with him. He says that the lives lost in this tragedy are still being tallied. Actually, we've got
Starting point is 00:39:42 a clip from him. Let's play that. The numbers that I have of those who have lost their lives statewide in this flooding episode in the month of July is now 135. Those who have lost their lives in the Currville area because of the floods, it is now 116. We will continue the search for everybody in every single region that was affected by these devastating floods. All right, that's Texas Governor Greg Abbott. So a gift of $50 rushes an emergency. relief kit to a hurting family displaced by these floods. $100 gets a kit packed with supplies to two
Starting point is 00:40:26 families. Whatever you can donate will make a powerful impact for the men, women, and children who are suffering right now in central Texas. So I want to remind you to the top of our website, there's a banner. Metaxis talk.com. There's a banner. The relief kits contain hygiene items, diapers, emergency medical supplies, essentials needed to ease the crisis facing these flooded out residents. and to remind you, Food for the Poor is working with a trusted partner in San Antonio delivering shipments of emergency relief supplies. So if you can help, this is a big deal. Now, some of you listening, I know, can give a lot.
Starting point is 00:41:03 If you can, I don't know, you've heard enough about these floods. Let me give you a phone number as well. It is 844-863-4673, 8473, 844-863-4673, 844-84673, 844-8-6-7-7-3, 8467, 8463, or you can simply text metaxis to 51555. Text metaxis to 5155.5. We really need your help. Before we go today, I want to remind you of our friends at the Herzog Foundation. If anybody listening to this program today is interested in homeschooling or you've thought
Starting point is 00:41:41 about it, you don't know whether you can do it, you're interested in getting your kids out of public schools because you understand that what they're learning there is not what you would want to teach them. Maybe you're interested in Christ-centered K-12 education. Our friends at the Herzog Foundation are there to help you. They're not asking for anything from you. They want to help you. Herzog Foundation.com is their website. Hertzog is H-E-R-Z-O-G.
Starting point is 00:42:08 Herzog. Herzog Foundation.com. And I've said this, and I will always say it, education is, everything, folks. If these kids, you know, that are getting this Marxist indoctrination in public schools, if they get the truth, this sets them up for life, and this is our future. And I keep meeting kids that have been homeschooled. And I'm amazed at their wisdom, at their knowledge. They are the hope for the future to use a cliche. So go to HerzogFoundation.com. HurtzogFoundation.com. And then to remind you, finally, metaxis talk.com, help Texas at the top of the page.

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