Marxist revolutionaries have invaded the church and academia and it is time the Church stood up and preached the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Dr. Michael Youssef said on the Todd Starnes Show.
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The following is a rush transcript from The Todd Starnes Radio Show. Listen to the program live Monday – Friday from 12 p.m. until 3 p.m.Click here to listen to the full interview.
JEFF STEIN: [01:22:42] Joining us now on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker Line is Dr. Michael Youssef. Pastor Youssef has a new book just came out about a month ago called, “Never Give Up.” He is well known for the Leading the Way broadcast Ministries. Dr. Youssef, Jeff Stein filling in for Todd. Thanks for being on the Starnes show today. How are you, sir? [01:23:03][21.0]
PASTOR DR. MICHAEL YOUSSEF: [01:23:04] Oh wonderful, Jeff. Thank you for having me. Glad to be with you! And I hope that brother Todd gets better soon. [01:23:10][5.9]
STEIN: [01:23:13] Yeah, it’s tough to talk for three hours when your voice is just a little under par as it were, and I trust with everyone’s good thoughts and prayers, he’ll be back sooner as opposed to later, probably tomorrow. Alright, give us the thesis of this new book, “Never Give Up.” It seems that it’s quite appropriate in these times where so many, at least according to my way of thinking, just feel like there’s nothing they can do, that things are out of their hands, but there’s quite a lot they can do, correct? [01:23:41][27.7]
YOUSSEF: [01:23:42] Well, absolutely. I was just reading a story that came from the Washington Press Club where somebody was revealing that communism has invaded the church, and that’s what I’m really speaking to with leaders within the Christian community and the church community. I said, you’re giving up, you’re giving up to woke, and you’re giving up to critical race theory, and you’re giving up to socialism. And we must never give up the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ as the only hope for this country, in fact, the only hope for mankind. And so, I’m pleading through the pages of the scripture, the very last words that the Apostle Paul had written in II Timothy saying to his disciple, Timothy, don’t give up on the truth and don’t surrender the truth. And then he prophesied that in the end times the last days, there’s going to be this kind of thing happening with vengeance. And I’m saying it’s happening now, and we need to instead of surrendering to the woke revolutionaries and the other terrorist groups that are trying to assassinate the church, and the church doctrine, and the faith that was once delivered, that we need to stand up and never, never, never give up on the truth, because I mean, that’s what really started and what got us in the mess we’re in right now. [01:25:15][93.3]
STEIN: [01:25:16] I imagine for some people of strong faith, they are affiliated with a church, they have attended services there, they have worshiped there for decades, generations. It is probably hard for those individuals to make a break to a more independent way of thinking. In other words, if they are to never give up, in one respect, they have to break with those who are woke and who are taking the church in the wrong direction. Do I have that right? And if so, what can you say to those individuals who just don’t feel that their church is home anymore? [01:25:57][40.3]
YOUSSEF: [01:25:58] Ok, well, two things they can do. First of all, if they are in a position of leadership, they need, and many churches actually have done this, and I’ve heard of three or four where they’ve brought a new pastor who turned out to be a woke pastor and they basically said, hey, good to have you with us for those few months, go and find another job. And I think that’s ideal. The church is not the pastor. The church is the body of Christ as the believers and those in leadership with the elders or deacons or whatever tradition that church has in terms of leadership, they need to stand up and say, no, we’re not going to follow you in this direction and this is our church you need to leave. Now, if they can’t, and if the whole leadership has moved in that direction, then they have no option but to find another place where they are upholding the truth, because otherwise, we will end up in worse shape than we already are in. [01:27:07][69.4]
STEIN: [01:27:09] Dr Michael Youssef joining us on the Todd Starnes show, the new book is called, “Never Give Up.” Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today – and I’m guessing again, that all sounds good, but it is difficult for an individual. And what you’re basically saying is you came to God for a very good reason with very firm belief and trust that your thoughts about that church if in fact it has gone woke. Trust in yourself and what’s in your heart with regard to the beliefs that you had to begin with? [01:27:43][34.6]
YOUSSEF: [01:27:44] Well, yeah, trust in the Word of God. If the Word of God itself is compromised, and if the Word of God is undermined, and absolute truth of the scripture is no longer adhered to, then that church is no longer the Church of Jesus Christ and is no longer a Christian church. It’s something else. And that’s why unless those faithful believers to whom I’m pleading take a stand, and if they go along with the flow, and if they keep supporting financially, and keep supporting with their presence, then nothing is going to happen. And we need to be as strong, in fact stronger, than these Marxist elements that have invaded the church. [01:28:32][48.2]
STEIN: [01:28:34] Dr. Michael Youssef joining us on the Todd Starnes show, the Leading the Way Ministry, Broadcast Ministry online, LTW.org, and the book, of course, “Never Give Up.” There are so many who look at the situation the world is in today, pastor, particularly now with regard to Ukraine, and there is great fear about what might happen, and we need to be cognizant of the reality, the facts that we know them to be. But this is also a time to respond with good faith, correct? [01:29:11][37.3]
YOUSSEF: [01:29:12] Yes. But I tell you the truth, and I hope none of your audience would misunderstand me, but I can tell you truthfully, I am far more concerned about five-year-old’s in schools being taught about transgender and homosexuality, and all this invading the minds of five-year-old’s than I am about Russia invading Ukraine. That’s going to work out in the political world. But my deepest concern for America, as a man who has immigrated to this country 45 years ago and I love this country so dearly, and I want to make sure that we stay on the faith of the founders and the truth, and therefore that’s far more of concern to me than Ukraine. Not that I’m not concerned about it. We just sent a lot of aid to the neighboring countries in Poland and particularly Hungary, and so we are involved with that. I’m not minimizing it at all, but I am far more deeply concerned about what is happening in this country, brainwashing our children to grow up godless without understanding biblical morality and biblical Judeo-Christian ethics and moral lifestyle, then I’m really concerned about anywhere else. [01:30:36][83.8]
STEIN: [01:30:38] I imagine there are some people, because they are good people and good people of faith, they tend to think the best of others. In other words, it is not their first inclination to think the worst of others. But it is high time to just be factual about it, is it not? In terms of what others are trying to do, it’s not simply a matter of broadly educating young people. I’m trying to think of any sort of phrase they would use for this indoctrination that you just so adequately described. But that’s part of the problem, too, is that people think too kindly of others and this sneaks up on them [01:31:16][37.6]
YOUSSEF: [01:31:16] When they realize there’s evil in the world, and evil is invading the schools – I just saw a clip on one of the news networks where a teacher of five-year-old’s in Florida was very upset about the new legislation and said, Well, I can’t talk to my kids about my love life. Well, you’re not there to speak to the kids in the classroom, they’re not your kids, they’re somebody else’s kids, about your love life. You’re supposed to teach them mathematics, and you’re supposed to teach them English, and you’re supposed to teach them geography and history. And furthermore, a five-year-old should not be talking about these kinds of things, and this is what started in the churches. We in the Church of Jesus Christ, I’m talking about all across the board, and I used to be part of the mainline denomination, that we have abdicated our responsibility, and we have left education system. We abdicated academia, we abdicated the media, and what is happening today? the evil is gripping the culture, and this is the sad part about where we are. [01:32:20][63.3]
STEIN: [01:32:21] I saw that same story, and it inspired me to put together a piece for my morning commentary, but I think back to when I was educated in schools in the Midwest, I no more knew the marital status of my teacher other than back then, we would call them Mrs. If it was a female. So, we knew that they were married, but I no more knew what their husband’s name was, job was, etc. than anything else. Similarly, with the male teachers, and I’m just trying to figure out how we got to that point. And I guess the short answer is because we let them, isn’t it? [01:33:01][39.9]
YOUSSEF: [01:33:02] Absolutely. In fact, I as a pastor, I am pointing the finger at us pastors that we have ceased to proclaim truth, believe truth, and live truth. And as somebody said years and years ago, as goes the pulpit, so goes the pew, and as goes the pew, so goes society and culture. And this is where it started, really. And that’s why I’m calling back folks. In the “Never Give Up book,” I said, don’t surrender. Go back to the truth. Hold on to the truth. Fight for the truth. And if you have to, die for the truth. Oh, my goodness gracious. Look, our founding fathers pledged to each other, their own possessions and their own lives. And this is a more serious time than even back then. And so that’s a cry that I am crying through the pages of that book, pleading with people, showing them the importance of going back to biblical truth and the absolute truth of the Scripture, the Judeo-Christian Bible. [01:34:06][63.8]
STEIN: [01:34:07] “Never Give Up” is the name of the book, Pastor Dr. Michael Youssef, thank you so much for an enlightening conversation, and best of luck in continuing to spread this word, sir. [01:34:16][9.4]
YOUSSEF: [01:34:17] Thank you, Jeff. Thank you for having me. [01:34:19][1.6]