A super lively discussion about evangelism and Buddy the Elf.
Andrew RappaportYes, that's coming your way on this episode of the Rapper Port.
Andrew RappaportI'm your host, Andrew Rapp Report, the executive director of Striving for Eternity and the Christian podcast community.
Andrew RappaportWe're here to give you biblical interpretations and applications for the Christian life this episode.
Andrew RappaportWell, I was on the Caleb Gordon podcast with a good friend of mine, Chris Hahn holds from Voice of Reason Radio.
Andrew RappaportWe got into some fun, lively discussion at the beginning, beginning just kind of having a little bit of fun at Chris Hun holds his well at Chris Hunholtz and so but then we, you know, he likes to dress up as Captain America and he loves Buddy the elf or not.
Andrew RappaportYou can listen, but how did James White create a, a nightmare for Chris?
Andrew RappaportWell, we got into that.
Andrew RappaportWe also got into talking about things like evangelism and more serious things at the end.
Andrew RappaportSo I hope that you enjoy this episode of the Rap Report.
Speaker B1, 2, 3.
Andrew RappaportWelcome to the Rap Report with your host Andrew Rapoport where we provide biblical interpretation and application.
Chris HonholzThis is a ministry of striving for.
Andrew RappaportEternity and the Christian podcast community.
Andrew RappaportFor more content or to request a speaker for your church, go to strivingforeeternity.org.
Speaker BChris or Chris and Andrew, however you want to, however you want to do this.
Speaker BHere's what I want to do.
Speaker BJust quick 30,000foot view who you are and what, what you do.
Speaker BChris, I'll start with you.
Chris HonholzMy name is Chris Honholz.
Chris HonholzI am a retired law enforcement officer now working in private security.
Chris HonholzI've spent a number of years, eight years, having done a podcast by the name of Voice of Reason Radio is currently in hiatus because my podcast partner Richard Story has had a lot of family issues that have come up.
Chris HonholzSo we've kind of just taken a break from everything while he, his, he and his family take their priority in taking care of those things.
Chris HonholzI do some blogging on our website slavetotheking.com and that's, that's pretty much me in a nutshell.
Chris HonholzI'm a father of two now, adult sons, married for 23 years and, and not too exciting after that.
Speaker BAwesome.
Speaker BVery cool.
Speaker BAnd then Andrew, he is being way.
Andrew RappaportToo humble because there are, listen, there are kids across his area in children's hospitals that are thrilled when he comes in the room.
Andrew RappaportI'm just saying.
Chris HonholzAnd that happened once.
Chris HonholzOnly once.
Andrew RappaportOkay, well then you have to explain.
Andrew RappaportI leave it to you to explain.
Chris HonholzOkay.
Chris HonholzOne of the things my family and I have done and Enjoy to do is go to comic book conventions.
Chris HonholzAnd we have, you know, we've.
Chris HonholzWe've dressed up and I've done a variety of suits, primarily Captain America.
Chris HonholzI have been involved with at least one charity group.
Chris HonholzWe did go to one event at a hospital.
Chris HonholzWe have also, you know, appeared when there was a kind of a walk slash run event for raising money for a young boy who sadly died from a disorder.
Chris HonholzThey were raising money to help that.
Chris HonholzFor a foundation to help find cures for that and a couple other events like that.
Chris HonholzSo we have done that occasionally.
Chris HonholzNot too much these days.
Chris HonholzOur boys are grown now.
Chris HonholzOne is living out of state and the other one, he enjoys coming with us, but he doesn't dress up so much.
Chris HonholzWe.
Chris HonholzSo we don't do it as much as we used to.
Speaker BSo that's okay.
Speaker BSo that's why your Facebook has a Captain America.
Speaker BI did not know you dressed up and did comic Con Captain America stuff.
Andrew RappaportSo that he even did.
Andrew RappaportWas it softball that you did dressed as Captain America?
Chris HonholzNo, it was.
Chris HonholzIt was a dodgeball event.
Chris HonholzMy Daredevil.
Chris HonholzA suit which in the middle of summer in a heavy cloth outfit is a really bad.
Speaker BSwampy.
Speaker BIt's very swampy.
Chris HonholzVery swampy.
Chris HonholzEspecially when you're old and out of shape and you look like.
Chris HonholzNow you look like Santa wearing spandex when you don't realize how bad you look.
Speaker BOr.
Andrew RappaportOr you look like Buddy the Elf.
Chris HonholzWell, that one you'll never know because I'm not doing that.
Speaker BYou're never going to do Buddy the Elf ever.
Speaker BYou're never going to have anything to do with Buddy the Elf.
Chris HonholzNope.
Chris HonholzThat.
Chris HonholzHey, you can play.
Chris HonholzI know you say this is the music.
Chris HonholzI wouldn't have a clue.
Chris HonholzI've never watched the movie.
Chris HonholzNever will.
Speaker BI just.
Speaker BI mean, it's sad that you're not going to.
Speaker BYou're not going to do anything here.
Speaker BI mean.
Chris HonholzNo.
Speaker BNo.
Speaker BSo, okay, so this is how we starting the conversation.
Speaker BIs it James White's fault that.
Chris HonholzWell, it's James White's fault.
Chris HonholzIt's James White fault.
Chris HonholzBut Andrew jumped on board and just took it to levels unknown.
Chris HonholzSo this is now.
Chris HonholzThis has got to be about three or four years ago now where I.
Chris HonholzSomewhere along the line, James White started following me and some other people that I knew just because he wanted to find some more people to interact with, I guess.
Chris HonholzAnd he seemed to enjoy.
Chris HonholzWell, I think he got tired of all the crazy people flooding his account.
Andrew RappaportSo he followed you.
Chris HonholzHe did.
Chris HonholzBy comparison.
Chris HonholzThink about it.
Chris HonholzThink about me versus the people he has to deal with.
Chris HonholzI mean, so it was around this time a few years ago where a meme was going around and said, hey, out of these nine movies, you have to pick three, and the rest go bye bye.
Chris HonholzAnd they were all Christmas movies.
Chris HonholzAnd there was a.
Chris HonholzThere was a trend of picking Elf.
Chris HonholzWell, I don't like Will Ferrell.
Chris HonholzHe only plays one character, Will Ferrell.
Speaker BAnd that's what Sandler.
Chris HonholzYeah, that's all they do.
Chris HonholzI mean, well, Adam Sandler can play some movies that are not stupid.
Chris HonholzHe actually has more range.
Chris HonholzYou know, it's not a big range, but it's range.
Speaker BShampoo is better.
Chris HonholzLike I said, not a huge range, but.
Chris HonholzSo I just don't care for him, and I had no interest in watching it.
Chris HonholzSo I jok.
Chris HonholzSaid, here's a.
Chris HonholzHere's an unpopular take.
Chris HonholzI've never watched Elf.
Chris HonholzI don't want to watch Elf, and I probably will never watch Elf.
Chris HonholzThat got James White's attention real fast.
Chris HonholzAnd the next thing I knew, he was threatening to expose me on his show as a grinch.
Chris HonholzHow dare you not like this show.
Chris HonholzHey, you like Mandalorian?
Chris HonholzThe guy that directs Mandalorian directed this.
Chris HonholzYou need to watch this.
Chris HonholzI'm like, I don't want to watch it.
Chris HonholzAnd for next thing I.
Andrew RappaportHe did not.
Andrew RappaportHe didn't just threaten.
Andrew RappaportHe actually did.
Chris HonholzOh, yeah, He.
Chris HonholzHe.
Chris HonholzHe hounded me from his own show so that I.
Chris HonholzI ended up with followers because of this, which I still did not understand.
Speaker BHey, bad news is bad press is better than no press at all.
Chris HonholzWell, it's.
Chris HonholzIt's really embarrassing when you show up at G3 for your first time, and people walk up to you and go, I know you.
Chris HonholzElf, right?
Chris HonholzOh, man.
Chris HonholzSo it just a little history.
Speaker BDo you know who they originally were going to cast in?
Chris HonholzNo, I have no clue.
Speaker BWhy would I know Chris Farley was originally going to be Elf?
Chris HonholzWell, who's Chris Farley again?
Chris HonholzI wouldn't know, but so did you.
Speaker BWow.
Speaker BOkay, so.
Speaker BSo Andrew doesn't know who Chris.
Andrew RappaportNo, I'm pop culture illiterate.
Andrew RappaportI watched Elf.
Chris HonholzVery much so.
Andrew RappaportI watched Elf.
Andrew RappaportOnly because Chris wouldn't.
Chris HonholzOkay, you need to understand Andrew's involvement in this.
Speaker BSo, yes, I need to know this story.
Chris HonholzMy own podcast partner betrayed me, and he gave James White my address and for my birthday.
Chris HonholzAnd it's.
Chris HonholzYou can kind of see it up above me up here.
Chris HonholzThere's a buddy, the Elf Pull string doll right about there.
Speaker BYes, yes.
Chris HonholzIt was Sent to me because my podcast partner betrayed me and gave me my address and told him my birthday was coming up, which is in February.
Speaker BYou gave me.
Speaker BYou tried to publish his address on my Facebook account.
Chris HonholzYeah, that's why I was like, don't you dare.
Speaker BNow I know why.
Chris HonholzNow this is.
Andrew RappaportNo, you don't.
Andrew RappaportNot yet.
Chris HonholzRealms unknown of weird.
Chris HonholzTo the point that I actually deleted my account for about five days.
Chris HonholzAnd this is all Andrew's fault.
Chris HonholzSo I jokingly said.
Chris HonholzNow Andrew has had a habit of sending me gifts.
Chris HonholzVery generous.
Chris HonholzHe'll never tell or he won't tell me, or he'll tease that something's coming, but he'll be very quiet and be very sneaky about it.
Chris HonholzSo I jokingly said on the show.
Chris HonholzAnd Andrew took the greatest offense.
Chris HonholzWhy?
Chris HonholzI have no idea that, that James White a little bit outdid him.
Chris HonholzOnly because he made it an Internet thing and went after me and was in hounding me about this.
Chris HonholzWhere Andrew doesn't do that, he tends to be more sneaky.
Chris HonholzSo thank you, Andrew.
Chris HonholzI now have somewhere in the, in the garage, two six foot standees of Buddy the Elf.
Chris HonholzI have.
Speaker BFantastic.
Chris HonholzI have a mug, I have a noise maker.
Chris HonholzI.
Chris HonholzSomebody.
Chris HonholzThis was during COVID Somebody sent me a face mask.
Chris HonholzBuddy the Elf on it.
Speaker BThat's fantastic.
Chris HonholzI ended up with more garbage than I ever wanted to see involving Buddy the Elf.
Chris HonholzAs you can see, Andrew's turning purple over as he's laughing.
Chris HonholzAnd this was all Andrew's fault.
Chris HonholzIt actually got so bad that I actually had to beg people to stop because I had.
Chris HonholzI am, I don't mind a joke, but I tend to be a fairly serious person.
Chris HonholzSure.
Chris HonholzAnd so.
Speaker BWell, you've got a criminal justice background, of course.
Chris HonholzRight.
Chris HonholzI'm 25 years law enforcement, retired now.
Chris HonholzAnd so when I go on the Internet and I'm trying to post stuff and trying to share stuff, I'm getting bombarded.
Chris HonholzI mean, I could not go online without having, you know, being dogpiled about this.
Chris HonholzI couldn't go to my mailbox.
Chris HonholzI was terrified to open my mailbox.
Chris HonholzI'm not kidding.
Chris HonholzAnd at one point, Andrew was hounding me enough and I had gotten so frustrated I said, knock it off or I'm deleting my account.
Chris HonholzAnd he dared me and I did.
Chris HonholzI shut down my account.
Chris HonholzI was done.
Speaker BWell, this is, I mean, and now we've.
Speaker BWe've taken up the first 10 minutes of the podcast.
Chris HonholzSorry.
Speaker BTalking about.
Speaker BAbout Buddy.
Andrew RappaportWell, this was how this podcast started.
Andrew RappaportRight.
Andrew RappaportSo so it is technically how we started.
Andrew RappaportIt is because you.
Andrew RappaportYou put record.
Speaker BAnd we just started talking about.
Speaker BWell, no, you about it.
Andrew RappaportYou posted something about Buddy the Elf, and I tagged Chris and said he would love this.
Andrew RappaportAnd you actually took that serious.
Andrew RappaportBecause he didn't know Chris, and I.
Speaker BThought it was serious.
Andrew RappaportAnd.
Andrew RappaportYeah, yeah.
Andrew RappaportNo, I.
Andrew RappaportSo, so, so I am Andrew Rapper.
Andrew RappaportSo folks realize.
Speaker BBut all this intro.
Speaker BAndrew, what do you do?
Speaker BTell me about your life.
Chris HonholzWell, harassing Chris at every.
Andrew RappaportI like to harass Chris at every opportunity.
Andrew RappaportAnd look, he said that James White outdid me.
Andrew RappaportI cannot be outdone by James White.
Andrew RappaportIt's just.
Andrew RappaportSo I made sure that.
Andrew RappaportAnd I told Chris I wasn't going to stop till he admitted that I did better than James White.
Chris HonholzI succeeded better as a relative term.
Chris HonholzWell, depending on your perspective.
Andrew RappaportSo, yeah, so I'm with a ministry called Striving for Attorney Ministries.
Andrew RappaportFor the most part, we're very serious.
Andrew RappaportUnless Kristen's involved.
Andrew RappaportI'm saying that.
Andrew RappaportAnd Caleb is going, look, I hung out with you at Fight Laugh Feast, and, yeah, I.
Andrew RappaportI know you're a jokester.
Speaker BHe's a practical jokester, which that's immediately why I thought we should be friends.
Speaker BYes, continue.
Andrew RappaportYeah, so I do.
Andrew RappaportI do a couple podcasts.
Andrew RappaportMy.
Andrew RappaportThe two that I mostly do is Andrew Rappaport's Rap Report, which is basically Biblical Interpretations, Applications, the Christian Life, and then a live stream on Thursday nights, 8 Eastern time, which is called Apologetics Live.
Andrew RappaportAnd you just go to apologeticslive.com and I can.
Andrew RappaportI tell people every week I can answer any question they have about God in the Bible.
Andrew RappaportAnd if they doubt me, come on in the show, ask me their hardest question.
Andrew RappaportThe thing that most people struggle with is they don't realize that I don't know is actually an answer.
Speaker BYeah, yeah, yeah.
Andrew RappaportSurprise.
Speaker BI'm not afraid to use that either.
Speaker BI'm not afraid to say I don't know.
Speaker BI'm not.
Speaker BI'm not sure, but I can find out.
Speaker BI've got friends that are smart enough to figure things out, too.
Speaker BSo I just, you know, I can ping them and say, hey, you know, can you answer this for me?
Speaker BCan you help with this?
Speaker BSo, yeah.
Andrew RappaportYeah.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker BSo, Chris, what.
Speaker BTell me how you got started in.
Chris HonholzDoing the podcast that's so convoluted.
Chris HonholzIt started when you got volunteered for it.
Chris HonholzI was just gonna say I got voluntold.
Speaker BSure.
Speaker BKind of like this podcast.
Speaker BYes.
Chris HonholzYeah, exactly.
Chris HonholzSo what happened was the person I was friends with at the Time was starting his own podcast, and it was hosted on something called blog Talk radio.
Chris HonholzAnd it was a live radio type show.
Chris HonholzAnd he was looking for somebody to help run the sound, the virtual soundboard.
Chris HonholzAnd all I did was hit the like button.
Chris HonholzAnd next thing I know, I'm being told, I was hoping you'd volunteer, Chris.
Chris HonholzThe next thing I know, I'm out buying a new laptop because the one I didn't have at time was completely incapable of doing it.
Chris HonholzAnd this is well before the variety of equipment that's available today for recording podcasts was available.
Chris HonholzI mean, we were cobbling things together.
Chris HonholzYou're doing things over cell phones, you.
Chris HonholzYou're, you know, using cheap headsets, trying to make it work.
Chris HonholzAnd so I learned on the fly how to get involved in.
Chris HonholzIn podcasting.
Chris HonholzAnd eventually myself and Richard Story, who was also recruited at one point, would begin to kind of host alternatively when our friend was.
Chris HonholzWas not available and, you know, he might be out at a conference or some evangelistic evangelism event.
Chris HonholzAnd so we would host in.
Chris HonholzIn the interval.
Chris HonholzAnd so over time, we spent a couple of years doing that, and then at one point, I felt compelled to step away.
Chris HonholzWas being introduced into a whole new world that I'd not really been part of, and that was just how insane Christian social media can be.
Speaker BSo, I mean, they're so kind all the time.
Chris HonholzNobody ever takes shots.
Andrew RappaportYou're obviously not on my feet.
Chris HonholzSo I had stepped away for a time, and unfortunately, me doing that, I think kind of was the tipping point for the show and things kind of wound down.
Andrew RappaportWell, Chris, I don't know, you know, Caleb, this might be a bad thing thing, but you know that his very last guest on that show he's referring to was me.
Speaker BYou broke his show.
Andrew RappaportI broke.
Andrew RappaportSo just saying, if this, folks, if this is the last episode you hear of Caleb Gordon, you know why?
Speaker BYeah, Caleb Gordon program is completely just shattered because Andrew's now on it.
Speaker BWell, not.
Speaker BWait a second, you've been on once before.
Speaker BThis is your second time, Andrew.
Speaker BSo you didn't bring it last time.
Speaker BSo I'll.
Andrew RappaportGive me time.
Chris HonholzSo.
Chris HonholzBut anyways, I had taken a step away trying to discern why I did what I did.
Chris HonholzAnd.
Chris HonholzAnd over time, Rich and I maintained our friendship, and we began talking about, well, what if we did something, you know, and it was back and forth and back and forth, and it came out that it came to fruition that Voice of Reason Radio was born.
Chris HonholzAnd that was a really bad marketing decision because we had no idea how many atheist programs use that name.
Speaker BOh, wow.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker BYeah.
Chris HonholzSo we're like, well, we had to constantly qualify.
Chris HonholzAnd for the first couple years that we did it, it was really hit and miss.
Chris HonholzYou know, we would record when we were able.
Chris HonholzWe have very small audience, like double digits, if we were lucky.
Chris HonholzSmall.
Chris HonholzAnd 2019, I had the opportunity to go to.
Chris HonholzAnd this was something Andrew actually made happen.
Chris HonholzI had a opportunity to go to Shepherd's Conference.
Chris HonholzI told you, occasionally he's a nice guy and he's generous.
Chris HonholzHe's occasionally nice and generous.
Chris HonholzThis was one of those things.
Chris HonholzAnd it was there that I actually ended up getting to meet some of the people that knew of what we were doing, even if they weren't regular listeners and they appreciated what we were doing.
Chris HonholzAnd that prompted me coming back to say, we need to be more respectful of the listeners and try to put out something more consistently.
Speaker BSure.
Chris HonholzAnd that's where we became a bit more.
Chris HonholzAs best.
Chris HonholzAs much as we could to be more weekly.
Chris HonholzAnd we, for a time, had a decent little audience.
Chris HonholzIt was probably in the.
Chris HonholzYou know, we would be thrilled to see, like, three, 400 downloads of an episode on a regular basis.
Chris HonholzAnd so there was a period where we kind of spiked really high, and then it kind of tapered off, which is fine.
Chris HonholzIt's not about the numbers.
Chris HonholzAnd we were just thrilled that people were listening at all.
Chris HonholzSo that brought us up to this last summer when things for Rich really just had been.
Chris HonholzHe had him.
Chris HonholzHe and his family just had a lot of difficulties, and the show takes a back seat.
Chris HonholzWe always had.
Chris HonholzWe always had two goals.
Chris HonholzNumber one was to honor God in anything we did.
Chris HonholzAnd number two was to edify the saints.
Chris HonholzBut we always said that our priority was our own family and our own churches, and if that.
Chris HonholzIf ever the podcast was an obstacle to that, that podcast would be shelved.
Chris HonholzAnd so Rich became the priority.
Chris HonholzHe had to take care of his family.
Chris HonholzI tried to do it for a little while, but I was also newly retired at the time.
Chris HonholzI was getting into a new job, and I just started attending seminary this last semester virtually.
Speaker BOh, very cool.
Chris HonholzAnd, yeah, and I'm now part of a Reformed Baptist seminary.
Chris HonholzJust wrapped up my first semester with the preparatory classes.
Chris HonholzAnd next semester.
Chris HonholzNext semester will be my first real, real course, and it'll be in apologetics.
Chris HonholzAnd so it was like, with all that going on, hey, the podcast has got a.
Chris HonholzGotta be on pause for a time, but I've continued to keep writing, trying to put out, you know, Some articles on Twitter, slash X, whatever you want to call it, and, but also echoing those over on our website.
Andrew RappaportSo he was so dedicated to his audience, he actually read the book White Fragility so that he could explain to.
Speaker BHis audience that was painful.
Speaker BIt sounds like, yeah, that would be a painful thing to do.
Chris HonholzIt very much is.
Chris HonholzI have never written in a book as much as I did.
Chris HonholzI don't think I've written in my Bible as much as I wrote in that book.
Chris HonholzAnd that's not to say I don't do that.
Chris HonholzBut it was painful.
Chris HonholzIt was.
Chris HonholzSamuel, say, referred to it as he would rather do surgery on himself without anesthesia and never have to read that book again.
Chris HonholzAnd I firmly agree with him.
Andrew RappaportChris, did you ever get a chance to watch Am I Racist From Matt Walsh?
Andrew RappaportWhen.
Chris HonholzNo, I never have.
Chris HonholzI've heard lots about it.
Andrew RappaportI want to watch that.
Andrew RappaportSo the author of that book came on and I would like to love to see the full.
Andrew RappaportI think he said it was an hour and a half, two hour interview with her.
Speaker BInterview.
Andrew RappaportBut at the end of the interview, for folks who don't know, Robin D'Angelo is like big on reparations.
Andrew RappaportAnd also Matt Walsh actually brings on a black producer that's been working with him and he turns to her and goes, well, shouldn't we do reparations?
Andrew RappaportAnd he takes like 20 out of his wallet and gives it to the, to the guy.
Andrew RappaportAnd she goes, he goes, don't you think you should do the same?
Andrew RappaportAnd she's like, well, I don't want to offend him.
Andrew RappaportAnd he's like, I don't mind money.
Andrew RappaportAnd like he, he's.
Andrew RappaportMatt Walsh is going like, don't you think we should set the example?
Andrew RappaportI mean, we shouldn't let the, like, she's arguing that the government should do reparations, not her personally.
Speaker BYeah, yeah.
Andrew RappaportAnd he's like, well, don't you think, you know, we should set the example?
Andrew RappaportSo she, she gets guilted into going to her wallet and taking money out.
Andrew RappaportNow one of the things is that Matt Walsh, with every single interview, he, he puts the price tag of what they charged for an interview.
Andrew RappaportAnd so he, he did that at the beginning of the interview with her.
Andrew RappaportAnd then she gives like, I think it was $70.
Andrew RappaportSo he gives the price minus $70.
Speaker BSo, okay, so he had to pay these people.
Andrew RappaportYeah, it was really interesting.
Andrew RappaportThe person he paid the most at $50,000.
Andrew Rappaport$50,000 was a, was someone by me here.
Andrew RappaportSo there was a woman who brought her Child to Sesame street place, which is not far from where I live.
Andrew RappaportAnd she ended up trying to sue them for racism.
Andrew RappaportBecause one of the characters, and if you watch the video, the character shakes the hands of a child, looks up at an adult and passes right past her children.
Andrew RappaportAnd she says, that's racist.
Andrew RappaportAnd Matt Walsh actually asked her, do you.
Andrew RappaportDo you know the race of the person in the costume?
Andrew RappaportAnd she goes, well, no, because they won't tell me.
Andrew RappaportYou know, it's like really clear.
Andrew RappaportLike, how do you know it's racist?
Chris HonholzRight?
Speaker BYou don't know.
Speaker BYou don't.
Andrew RappaportYou have no idea.
Andrew RappaportShe charged 50, $50,000 for an interview.
Chris HonholzYeah.
Chris HonholzNow I can tell you the answers to why they can say that.
Chris HonholzBecause According to Robin D'Angelo, the intent makes no difference.
Chris HonholzIt is how it is received.
Chris HonholzSo as long as it is received as racism, end of story is racism.
Speaker BThat is so wild.
Andrew RappaportEven if it's from someone who's black, doesn't matter.
Andrew RappaportThat's right.
Chris HonholzAs long as it is received as racism.
Chris HonholzThe reception, not the intent, is common.
Speaker BSense is out the window, guys.
Chris HonholzIt's just crazy.
Chris HonholzSo.
Chris HonholzAbsolutely.
Speaker BSo I'm going to switch gears.
Speaker BThis is a 40 minute program, so I'm going to switch gears and we're going to jump into evangelism.
Speaker BI want to talk about.
Speaker BYou have Striving for Eternity Ministries, Andrew, what do you think needs to take place for effective evangelism?
Speaker BBecause I feel like there's.
Speaker BThe evangelism in the church, by and large is very faulty.
Speaker BI just, I feel it's very shallow and very faulty.
Speaker BGive us sort of a.
Speaker BWhat's the best way to evangelize?
Andrew RappaportWell, I don't have the advantage that Chris has of putting someone in the back of my patrol car and having a captive audience.
Andrew RappaportOkay.
Andrew RappaportSo I don't have that advantage.
Andrew RappaportHe has.
Andrew RappaportI, I know other police officers that take the long way back to the station, you know, when someone's in the back of their car.
Andrew RappaportBut I, I really think that.
Andrew RappaportBut what is effective?
Andrew RappaportWhat I find effective is really to a couple things.
Andrew RappaportSo we at striving turn, we refer to ambassador evangelism.
Andrew RappaportThat's what we train people with because it's not just the message, but how you conduct yourself.
Andrew RappaportAnd so we have three, three points to it.
Andrew RappaportOne, you want to disarm the person you're speaking to.
Andrew RappaportDisarm their defenses by using humor and being polite.
Andrew RappaportIt doesn't mean you gotta be a jokester, but it means that they anticipate when you talk about things of the spiritual realm.
Andrew RappaportEverything in media is telling them that a Christian is a just a bigoted, mean person who's got no fun whatsoever.
Andrew RappaportI want to have a good conversation.
Andrew RappaportI've learned that using humor and being polite keeps the conversation going.
Andrew RappaportIt keeps it where they enjoy the conversation.
Andrew RappaportAnd the other thing is what that does is it keeps kind of light hearted on the minor things because the gospel's offensive enough.
Andrew RappaportSo I want the gospel to be offense and not me.
Speaker BCome on.
Speaker BYes.
Andrew RappaportBut guess what?
Andrew RappaportThey're not the only one that could be defensive.
Andrew RappaportSo our second principle is to disarm my own defenses by learning how to ask good questions.
Andrew RappaportSo I have learned the hard way that by asking questions I can control the conversation.
Andrew RappaportBut it keeps me off the defensive.
Andrew RappaportIt keeps me from getting where I start, like getting as agitated as they are.
Andrew RappaportAnd then we're getting into a debate.
Andrew RappaportI don't want that.
Andrew RappaportI want them to listen.
Speaker BAnswer correct.
Andrew RappaportAnd so, and the third, and this is, I think really important because the first two are not really about the gospel.
Andrew RappaportThe third is I have found that, that mo.
Andrew RappaportSo my background for folks who don't know anything about me, I'm from a Jewish background.
Andrew RappaportI knew nothing about Jesus Christ other than he was Hitler's God.
Andrew RappaportI'm sorry if that offends you, but that's how we're raised.
Andrew RappaportOkay.
Andrew RappaportHitler was funded by the Catholic Church.
Andrew RappaportThat's Jesus.
Andrew RappaportSo Jesus was Hitler's God in our mindset.
Andrew RappaportAnd so I was struggling when I was in college with how to share the gospel and explain what a sinner is.
Andrew RappaportAnd because that just sounds offensive, you call someone a sinner.
Andrew RappaportIt's true.
Andrew RappaportBiblically, but.
Speaker BRight.
Andrew RappaportSo I started to look for ways to define what sin is.
Andrew RappaportAnd I had some ways that I different.
Andrew RappaportI tried.
Andrew RappaportAnd then eventually I discovered this guy, Ray Comfort, and he did it well.
Andrew RappaportSo our third principle is avoid being called judgmental by using the law.
Andrew RappaportSo I use the law of God.
Andrew RappaportHave you ever told a lie?
Andrew RappaportHave you ever coveted.
Andrew RappaportHave you ever murdered somebody?
Andrew RappaportHave you ever committed adultery?
Andrew RappaportI can go through the law, and that is the definition of sin.
Andrew RappaportSo that no matter who I'm talking to, Jehovah Witness, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, atheist, it doesn't matter.
Andrew RappaportEvery single person knows lying is wrong, Stealing is wrong, murder is wrong, adultery is wrong.
Andrew RappaportThey know that because God has put his law in our hearts.
Andrew RappaportWe have this universal law.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BBy default.
Speaker BCy, Tim, Brook and Kate.
Chris HonholzHe.
Speaker BI mean, when he had.
Speaker BHe's on the show last year.
Speaker BAnd you know that's.
Speaker BYou know, that's you.
Speaker BI don't have to explain God to you.
Speaker BYou already know he's there.
Speaker BSo that's by default.
Speaker BIt's.
Andrew RappaportYeah.
Speaker BAnd when you start to lay those out.
Speaker BAnd I love how Ray does that.
Speaker BAnd that's, that's, that's how I stepped into evangelism, was through Way of the Master and did all those fun things.
Speaker BIn fact, that's how I saw you for the first time.
Speaker BAnd then you.
Speaker BYou look like your picture in.
Speaker BIn your little.
Speaker BIn your little box there with no beard.
Speaker BAnd you show up at 5 lapis with a beard and completely throw me off.
Speaker BAnd I talked to you for 20 minutes like a buffoon.
Speaker BAnd somebody walks by, he's like, hey, what's up, Robert Port?
Speaker BAnd I was like, wait.
Andrew RappaportSo, yeah, you know.
Andrew RappaportSo Sai came into my recent.
Andrew RappaportRecently I had Leighton Flowers on my apologies get invited to that podcast.
Speaker BThanks for no invitation.
Speaker BAppreciate that.
Andrew RappaportNo one needs an invitation.
Andrew RappaportApologetics live.com any Thursday night, 8 to 10 Eastern time.
Andrew RappaportYou can come in side took advantage of that.
Andrew RappaportThat although he had Internet trouble.
Andrew RappaportSo he was in and out, in and out.
Andrew RappaportBut.
Andrew RappaportBut yeah.
Andrew RappaportSai.
Andrew RappaportSo let me give some background.
Andrew RappaportSome people may not.
Andrew RappaportIf.
Andrew RappaportIf you've watched his film that he does, how to Answer a Fool.
Andrew RappaportHe tells the story of this Buddhist guy that he's talking to in California.
Andrew RappaportIt's in Santa Monica.
Andrew RappaportI don't know if he mentions that in the film, but he mentions a guy that he talks to that he's saying.
Andrew RappaportThe guy's saying, I don't believe God exists.
Andrew RappaportAnd he says, yes, you do.
Andrew RappaportAnd he's like.
Andrew RappaportThe guy just shakes his head.
Andrew RappaportYeah, yeah, you're right.
Andrew RappaportI was actually there in Santa Monica, Versailles, and I just went for pizza.
Andrew RappaportWe are coming back and we run into this.
Andrew RappaportThis guy.
Andrew RappaportAnd it was.
Andrew RappaportIt was the funny.
Andrew RappaportI wish that I had my camera running because this guy was trying to say, well, God.
Andrew RappaportGod doesn't really exist as he's studying Buddhism.
Andrew RappaportAnd Cy just looks at him and says, you know, God exists.
Andrew RappaportAnd the guy just looks down, shakes his head and goes, yeah, yeah, you're right.
Andrew RappaportIt's like they suppress that in unrighteousness.
Andrew RappaportThat's the advantage that we have no matter who we speak to.
Andrew RappaportOur starting point is we already know from Romans chapter one, they know God exists.
Andrew RappaportThey just suppress that in unrighteousness.
Andrew RappaportI don't have to argue for God.
Andrew RappaportI can start with.
Andrew RappaportSo I have.
Andrew RappaportI have.
Andrew RappaportI'm A presuppositionalist.
Andrew RappaportI have two presuppositions, two things that I'm going to start with.
Andrew RappaportGod exists and he has spoken.
Andrew RappaportSo I start with his existence and his by his word, the Bible.
Andrew RappaportI don't give up the Bible to try to prove truth.
Speaker BAmen.
Andrew RappaportYou know, and no.
Speaker BNo sense in that.
Andrew RappaportAnyone that's listened to Voice of Reason radio, you.
Andrew RappaportYou hear, you know, in their back episodes now.
Andrew RappaportBut Chris and Richard deal with that a lot and talk about Evangelum a lot.
Andrew RappaportAnd especially Richard.
Andrew RappaportYou know, Richard will always end the show telling you to go evangelize someone that week.
Chris HonholzAbsolutely.
Andrew RappaportAnd they will point out that, you know, when you're speaking to someone, that person already knows God exists.
Andrew RappaportThey're just suppressing that.
Speaker BYeah, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker BAnd anytime I've gone that route, used the law, talked to these things that people start, they come around and they're like, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker BI mean, I've got an atheist friend.
Speaker BI know.
Speaker BIt's wild to think that I have a friend that's an atheist.
Chris HonholzNo, no.
Andrew RappaportI was just surprised that you have a friend.
Andrew RappaportNot that he's an atheist.
Speaker BChris, he's so mean.
Speaker BYou tried to warn me.
Speaker BI know.
Speaker BSo John has been to church with me 17 times.
Speaker BI pastor in Kansas, and he is down in the farthest, almost into Texas.
Speaker BAnd he showed up one day.
Chris HonholzI was shocked.
Speaker BIt's a small little country church, and he is standing in the back.
Speaker BI mean, if, you know this guy's got green Mohawk.
Speaker BAnd I was like, what is he doing?
Speaker BHe goes, I heard my buddy at a church and I had to come check it out.
Speaker BAnd I was like, you know, this is called the Effectual Call of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker BYou didn't drive all the way up.
Speaker BHe's like, whatever.
Speaker BI just.
Speaker BI have a friend that's in a crummy band.
Speaker BAnd, you know, you're.
Speaker BYou're in the band and I just support you because you're my friend.
Speaker BI'm like, I don't know.
Speaker BHe's been to church 17 times now, and we debate often.
Speaker BHe calls me on Christmas Eve and we talk for an hour, and he's like, hey, it's your God's birthday today.
Speaker BAnd, you know, I'm just like, it's, you know, that.
Speaker BDoing this stuff.
Speaker BAnd I'm like, okay, bring it on, on.
Speaker BAnd it's funny because he says this to me.
Speaker BYou're the nicest Christian I've ever met, and you have a good sense of humor.
Speaker BAnd I Was like we should all be that way.
Speaker BI mean we should be the happiest people in the world, right?
Speaker BChristians should not be that, you know, looking like we've been weaned on a dill pickle.
Speaker BSo I mean just, you know, I love that I credit my dad.
Speaker BThat was my dad's God rest his soul.
Speaker BThat was, that was his quip.
Speaker BSo yeah, I think go evangelize people.
Speaker BSo in the few minutes we've got left here, Chris, what is your plan for 2025 when it comes to your ministry your in seminary?
Speaker BDo you have a plan to expand what you're doing in your realm of kingdom work?
Chris HonholzA plan would assume I have any clue I'm doing in all honesty.
Chris HonholzI mean Rich's scenario is he's.
Chris HonholzAnd I've asked people, you know, please keep him in your prayers because they.
Andrew RappaportHave had they and for folks, Rich is your co host.
Andrew RappaportJust folks who may not know.
Chris HonholzSo after the holidays are done, I'm going to revisit whether or not we can, you know, what, what will Voice Reason Radio look like?
Chris HonholzWe've never plan to, you know, to turn it down and shut it, you know, close up the shop and be done.
Chris HonholzAnd so hopefully we will be able to reboot that and kind of it's definitely not going to have the same amount of traffic.
Chris HonholzI mean with me doing school and working full time and stuff like that, it was a little bit difficult to do as it was but you know, solo has made it more difficult.
Chris HonholzSo my hope is if we can do it, I can get Rich back.
Chris HonholzAnd that's my prayer for that and at least hopefully get at least one show out per month, maybe two if we're, if we're blessed.
Chris HonholzAnd I've really spent a lot more time starting to write more.
Chris HonholzThe class that the preparatory classes I had to take this semester were.
Chris HonholzOne was just how to use logos in general.
Chris HonholzAnd Andrew, I'm sorry it was your material was not on the, on the syllabus.
Andrew RappaportSo he's saying that, he's saying that for folks that don't get that inside joke is so I am a big Logos Bible software user.
Andrew RappaportI have an extensive library and a lot of people would ask me how do you even use this tool?
Andrew RappaportI don't know.
Andrew RappaportSo there's there I've done a couple of training videos to help people, you know, learn how to use it.
Speaker BHave they sponsored you yet?
Andrew RappaportYeah, they, they do.
Andrew RappaportIf you go to lagos.comsfa you, you can get discounts there.
Andrew RappaportIf you get Upgrades.
Chris HonholzSo.
Chris HonholzBut that was one of my classes.
Chris HonholzAnd then the other one was research and writing, which gave me heart palpitations because I haven't had a research paper in nearly 30 years.
Chris HonholzI graduated from University of Nevada Reno with a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice in 1996.
Chris HonholzSo the idea of going in and having to do research papers again with absolutely no clue was a bit terrifying.
Andrew RappaportWait, Chris, you do realize there's some people in the audience that weren't even born in 1996.
Chris HonholzShut up.
Speaker BYou're old man.
Chris HonholzAnyway, so that was a little terrifying.
Speaker BI was a sophomore in high school.
Speaker BIs that okay?
Chris HonholzWell, you weren't that far behind me, thank the Lord.
Chris HonholzBut anyway, this last semester I spent a lot of time learning how to relearn, how to research and interact with scholarship.
Chris HonholzAnd I haven't got my final grade back on my term paper.
Chris HonholzBut my second draft was an A minus.
Chris HonholzMy first draft turned in.
Chris HonholzThey always tell you expect that first draft to be a failing grade.
Chris HonholzI had a D and then it jumped up to an A minus.
Chris HonholzSo that was encouraging.
Chris HonholzAnd know reminding me how to read other stuff, other materials.
Chris HonholzHow to quote it.
Chris HonholzHow to quote it.
Speaker BYeah.
Chris HonholzAnd interact with it properly.
Chris HonholzWhich shockingly most people on the Internet don't seem to know how to do ever.
Chris HonholzEven when you just made a post five minutes ago, they have no idea how to argue.
Speaker BMost people don't read it.
Chris HonholzNo, they just.
Chris HonholzThey jump to whatever.
Chris HonholzYeah.
Chris HonholzSo how do people spend more time writing as I do more.
Speaker BSo where do people find your.
Speaker BAnd just.
Speaker BI've got just a couple minutes left here.
Speaker BSo how many or where can you find where you.
Speaker BWhat you're writing?
Chris HonholzThe easiest place to go is slavetotheking.com that's our one stop shop website.
Chris HonholzIf you are someone who spends a lot of time on Twitter slash X you can find me on there.
Chris HonholzAnd I actually have paid for the Blue Check service where you can have access to write articles.
Speaker BBlue Check Celebrity.
Chris HonholzWow.
Chris HonholzYeah, I did it because I wanted the character limit.
Chris HonholzI don't know how to be pithy.
Chris HonholzNo, I'm terrible at that.
Chris HonholzAndrew can confirm.
Chris HonholzI don't know how to talk that short.
Chris HonholzSo.
Chris HonholzSo I also put dark there.
Chris HonholzSo.
Chris HonholzSo slave to the king.com and you can also find me on Twitter as well.
Speaker BAnd Andrew, how do people get a hold of you in the.
Speaker BIn the two minutes we got left on here?
Speaker BHow do people find you?
Speaker BAnd if.
Speaker BIf they want to have you come speak at your.
Speaker BI mean do you guys go and Speak at conferences.
Speaker BIf you.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BWant to have you come speak.
Chris HonholzHe does.
Chris HonholzI don't.
Speaker BOkay.
Andrew RappaportYeah.
Andrew RappaportI try to get Chris to speak.
Andrew RappaportHe hasn't done it yet.
Andrew RappaportBut the easiest thing is to go to StrivingFraternity.org if that's too long for you, you can do SFE Bible.
Andrew RappaportBut we do have.
Andrew RappaportNot just me, we have three other speakers with the ministry.
Andrew RappaportSo the difference with us, Caleb and I think you've.
Andrew RappaportYou and I have talked about this is our ministry is to really help smaller churches.
Andrew RappaportSo we'll go.
Andrew RappaportSo if you're saying if there's someone listening and going, well, I got a small church, we'd love to have that conference like experience, but we can't afford it.
Andrew RappaportThat's where you call us.
Andrew RappaportWe could bring our speakers out, our monthly donors help us to support us so that we can go to churches that can't afford to pay us, and we fly out and give them a weekend seminar conference like experience so that their church can help to not only be discipled, but start growing.
Andrew RappaportAnd so if you want to check out any one of our speakers, just go to striving4enerity.org you can see all of our speakers that we have there.
Speaker BLove it.
Speaker BWell, thanks so much for taking time to talk to us on the show today.
Speaker BIt's been a blessing to meet both of you.
Speaker BI appreciate you more than you know.
Speaker BThank you for being faithful to the king.
Andrew RappaportWell, thanks for having us, Caleb.
Andrew RappaportGreatly appreciate it.
Chris HonholzThank you.
Chris HonholzYep, recording stopped.