What Happens To A Nation That Forgets Virtue

A desperate father says the quiet part out loud: I believe—help my unbelief. That honest confession from Mark 9 becomes our doorway into a wide-ranging, deeply practical conversation about faith that holds under pressure, marriages that model covenant love, and the civic virtue required to keep a free people free. We start with the Transfiguration and the healing that follows, where Jesus links real power to real prayer, then ask what it means to live that dependence when our homes and headlines feel chaotic.

From there, we turn to Ephesians 5 and talk plainly about leading by example. Children don’t learn healthy marriages from lectures; they learn them from what we prioritize when work, entertainment, and screens compete for attention. Sacrificial love and grounded respect are not relics—they are skills we practice. Psalm 43 helps us push back on discouragement with hope, while Proverbs 10 warns how fast a loose tongue can undo wisdom. The through line is simple and demanding: pray first, love with grit, tell the truth.

History sharpens the point. We examine the Red Army Faction as a case study in how ideology turns grievances into violence, then spotlight First Sergeant James H. Bronson’s Medal of Honor moment as courage in the storm. Samuel Adams joins the chorus with a bracing reminder that liberty erodes when virtue thins. The lesson is personal and public: honest doubt is not disqualifying, but it must be yoked to prayer, discipline, and moral clarity. If we want homes that hold and a nation that endures, we can’t outsource the work of character.

Join us for scripture, story, and straight talk that aims to strengthen your faith, your marriage, and your resolve. If this conversation moves you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help others find the show. Then tell us: where do you need courage today?

#SamuelAdams, #KateSteinle #DailyScripture

Transcript

Scripture And A Father’s Plea

Welcome And Opening Prayer

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Mark 9, verses 21 through 24. How long has this been happening? Jesus asked the boy's father. He replied, Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us if you can. What do you mean if I can? Jesus asked. Anything is possible if a person believes. The father instantly cried out, I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief. Kate Steinl, july first, twenty fifteen, San Francisco, California. Thirty-two-year-old woman who was shot and killed while walking on Pier 14 with her father by Jose Inez Garcia Zarati, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who had been deported five times. Hey folks, this is Jesse Cook, back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Hope y'all are doing well wherever y'all are in whatever part of the day you're in. Sure to appreciate y'all joining me, giving me a little bit of your time and attention, a little piece of your day. I will try and use it wisely. Hopefully, y'all are getting to listen to it with somebody else. For those of y'all who continue to share the podcast with others and tell others about it, thank you. For those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast, thank you very much. Very, very grateful for your prayers. Father, thank you for today. Thank you for you, Father, and your Son Jesus Christ and your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your love and your mercy, your grace, and your forgiveness of sins through the merit of your son Jesus Christ alone. Thank you for all those listening to the podcast. Father, please be with them. Bless the marriages of those who are married. Help those who have children to raise them to know you and your son Jesus Christ. Guide our steps, forgive us our sins. Help us to help those that have less than we do. Help us to help our country turn back to you. Be with our leaders in the pulpit and in the state. Give them wisdom and courage and a strong faith. Be with our military, law enforcement, firefighters, EMS. Be with our families. Keep them safe, bring them home safe. Be with our farmers and our ranchers, foresters, fishermen. Give them bountiful crops and harvests. Herds. Thank you for all those who work and labor so hard to provide us food and materials to build with. Keep them safe, Father. Be with their families. Be with those who are alone, Father, who are scared, who feel abandoned. Be close to the brokenhearted. And God, my words here, Father, please. In your Son's name we pray.

unknown 3:09

Amen.

The Transfiguration And Resurrection Claims

Deliverance, Doubt, And Prayer

Psalm 43 And Proverbs 10

Book Plug And Podcast Support

Red Army Faction And Violence

Honor And Courage: James H. Bronson

Samuel Adams On Liberty And Decline

Closing Prayer And Blessing

SPEAKER_00 3:13

Marriage verse for today, Ephesians 5, 22 through 33. For example, wives should submit to their husbands as if to the Lord. A husband is the head of the wife, like Christ is the head of the church, that is the Savior of the body. So wives submit to their husbands in everything, like the church submits to Christ. As for husbands, love your wives just like Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. He did this to make her holy by washing her in a bath of water with the word. He did this to present himself with a splendid church, one without any sort of stain or wrinkle on her clothes, but rather one that is holy and blameless. That's how husbands ought to love their wives, in the same way as they do their own bodies. Anyone who loves his wife loves himself. No one ever hates his own body, but feeds it and takes care of it just like Christ does for the church, because we are parts of his body. This is why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two of them will be one body. Marriage is a significant allegory, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. In any case, as for you individually, each one of you should love his wife as himself, and wives should respect their husbands. So often, folks, we talk about wanting, you know, for our children, we want better, we want the best we can offer them. And I think if you talk to most people, hopefully, they would want great marriages for their children. And yet, how many of us don't exemplify those great marriages? You know, in the Marine Corps, they always hammered, uh, and my parents did as well, lead by example, lead by example, show people, don't tell them. We can tell our children until we're blue in the face what they need to do in order to have a great marriage, but it won't have near the impact as actually showing them. And yet so many of us put so many things sports, entertainment, social media, profession, career, in front of our spouse. And then we wonder why our children, we look up one day and they have a dysfunctional marriage. They have problems in their marriage, they have no idea what to do to fix their marriage. Scripture, Mark 9, 1 through 29. Jesus went on to say, I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the kingdom of God arrive in great power. Six days later, James took Peter. Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus' appearance was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them. Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter exclaimed, Rabbi, it's wonderful for us to be here. Let's make three shelters as memorials, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. He said this because he didn't really know what else to say, for they were all terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, This is my dearly loved son. Listen to him. Suddenly, when they looked around, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus with them. As they went back down the mountain, he told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept it to themselves, but they often asked each other what he meant by rising from the dead. There's a great book. I've talked about it a couple times on the podcast, The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. And the little bits that I'm reading right now are actually addressing this specific thing, evidence for Jesus' death and resurrection and reappearance to people after the resurrection. It's a great book, if you get a chance, highly recommend it. Then they ask him, Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes? Jesus responded, Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready. Yet why do the scriptures say that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be treated with utter contempt? But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they chose to abuse him, just as the scriptures predicted. When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him. What is all this arguing about? Jesus asked. One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won't let him talk. And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I ask your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn't do it. Jesus said to them, You faithless people, how long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me. So they brought the boy, but when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground writhing and foaming at the mouth. How long has this been happening? Jesus asked the boy's father. He replied, Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into the water trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us if you can. What do you mean if I can? Jesus asked. Anything is possible if a person believes. The Father instantly cried out, I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief. That is one of my all time favorite scriptures because when doubts assail me, for whatever reason I identify with this Father, I do believe Christ, Father. Help me overcome my unbelief. If you struggle with doubts, folks, I would take great comfort in this exchange between Jesus and this Father. When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. Listen, you spirit, that makes this boy unable to hear and speak. He said, I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again. Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, He's dead. But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up. Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, Why couldn't we cast out that evil spirit? Jesus replied, This kind can be cast out only by prayer. I need to remember how often prayer, right? We forget how powerful, how important prayer is. I do, anyway. Psalm 43, one through five. Declare me innocent, O God, defend me against these ungodly people. Rescue me from these unjust liars. For you are God, my only safe haven. Why have you tossed me aside? Why must I wander around in grief oppressed by my enemies? Send out your light and your truth, let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. There I will go to the altar of God, to God the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God. Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God. I will praise him again, my Savior and my God. Proverbs ten eighteen. Hiding hatred makes you a liar. Slandering others makes you a fool. Pretty good reminder, huh? Before we start talking about other people saying things, especially that we know aren't true. That makes us foolish. Countryside, middle grade fiction. If you're looking for a series kind of like Narnia the Hobbit, Thirsty Jackson, Harry Potter, that kind of stuff. Definitely not saying it's the same quality, but if you get a chance, here's some of the reviews you can check out. That's the first book in the series. Second book is here. And if you enjoy it, you could leave a review online. I would very much appreciate that. Does help immensely, especially the five-star reviews, and same thing for the podcast? The reviews help a lot. And also, if you have five or ten dollars a month, you can donate to the podcast. That helps a great deal too. There's a link down at the bottom of the show notes. Or you can do that. Both, either or. September 29th, 1970, in Frankfurt and other West German cities, members of the Red Army faction, this is leftist, Marxist, Leninist right group, they carried out three synchronized bank robberies to get money to fund their activities, obviously. They netted funds while resulting in a lot of violence. Casualty figures are low, no deaths reported. But there was one police officer wounded in the process. They were claiming their war against fascist West German state, capitalism, U.S. imperialism. The interesting thing, again, about the RAF, the Red Army faction, is that it really came from students, college, uh, I would assume some high school, but I don't know about that too. Bombings, assassination, kidnappings, robberies, right? And it is again leftism, right? One more example we're gonna read. Uh Celine Dokran, Dukran, July 19th, 2017, London. A 20-year-old woman of Indian Muslim heritage was kidnapped, raped, and murdered, had her throat slit by her uncle, Mujahid Arshd, a Muslim man who was disapproving of her relation with an Arab Muslim man outside of family approval. Her body was found in a deep freezer, and Ashrid was convicted of murder, rape, and related charge charges. Medal of Honor citation for today, James H. Bronson, first sergeant, U.S. Civil War, Delta Company, 5th, U.S. Colored Infantry, U.S. Army, September 19, 1864, Chapin's Farm, Virginia. Took command of his company, all the officers having been killed or wounded and gallantly led it. Credited to Trumbull County, Ohio, not awarded posthumously, presented April 6, 1865, born 1838, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, died March 16, 1884. Buried Charters Cemetery, Vets, Tac 1, Tac 15, Carnegie, Pennsylvania, United States. James H. Bronson. So this is probably going to take a couple days. We're going to read a letter written by Samuel Adams, signed as uh candidates. He wrote quite a few of these leading up to the revolution. This is out of the Boston Gazette, October the 14th, 1771. See if we can get through the first paragraph today. Ambition saw that stooping Rome could bear a master, nor had virtue to be free. I believe that no people ever yet groaned under the heavy yoke of slavery but when they deserved it. This may be called a severe censor upon by far the greatest part of the nations in the world who are involved in the misery of servitude. But however they may be thought by some to deserve commiseration, the censor is just. When we're reading through this, folks, uh, you think about the Latin South American countries, and you want to have this commisery with these people fleeing, and you do have sympathy. But we ought to have a lot more respect with the people staying and trying to fix it. And we're probably going to end up in the same situation pretty quick. The difference is there's nowhere else to go. So our choice is to willingly submit to slavery or to resist, right? But uh but you don't see that resistance against the drug cartels, against the slavery, the communism, the socialism, and a lot of those by by the pr large percentage of the population. Oh, Zunglius, one of the first reformers in his friendly admonition to the republics of the Switzers, discourses much of his countrymen's throwing off the yoke. He says that they who lie under oppression deserve what they suffer, and a great war, and he bids them perish with their oppressors. The truth is all might be free if they valued freedom and defended it as they ought. It is possible that millions could be enslaved by a few, which is a notorious fact, if all possessed the independent spirit of Brutus, who to his immortal honor expelled the proud tyrant of Rome, and his royal and rebellious race. If, therefore, a people will not be free, if they have not virtue enough to maintain their liberty against a presumptuous invader, they deserve no pity and are be to be treated with contempt and ignomy invader, illegal immigration, mass Muslim immigration into the United States. Right? If a people will not be free if they have not virtue enough to maintain their liberty against a presumptuous invader. That's that's today. Had not Caesar seen that Rome was ready to stoop, he would not have dared to make himself the master of that once brave people. Do you not hear in every sentence us today? He was indeed, as a great writer observes, a smooth and subtle tyrant who led them gently into slavery, and on his brow or daring vice diluting virtue smiled. By pretending to be the people's greatest friend, he gained the ascendancy over them. By beguiling arts, hypocrisy, and flattery, which are even more fatal than the sword, he obtained that supreme power which his ambitious soul had long thirsted for. The people were finally prevailed upon to consent to their own ruin. By the force of persuasion, or rather by cajoling arts and tricks always made use of by men who have ambitious views, they enacted their lex rega regia, whereby quad placiat principa legis habuit vigorum. I know I murdered that Latin folks. I know some of you all know Latin way better than I do, I'm sorry. That is, the will and pleasure of the prince had the force of law. His minions had taken infinite pains to paint to their imaginations the godlike virtues of Caesar. They first persuaded them to believe that he was a deity, and then to sacrifice to him those rights and liberties which their ancestors had so long maintained with unexampled bravery and with blood and treasure. By this act they fixed a precedent fatal to all posterity. The Roman people afterwards, influenced no doubt by this pernicious example, renewed it to his successors, not at the end of every ten years, but for life. They transferred all their right and power to Charles the Great Inum Translit om sum jus et potislatum, and again I murdered that, sorry. Thus they voluntarily and ignominiously surrendered their own liberty and exchanged a free constitution for a tyranny. We'll read the rest of this letter or over the next couple days. But can you not just hear modern America today, folks? Because it's pretty blatant. We've given more and more of our rights and liberties over to the government. We've allowed invasion by illegal and mass Muslim immigrants, people that hate our nation, that don't share our virtues. But maybe that's the point. Maybe we we don't have enough virtue left to defend our freedoms and liberties, like Adams, Mr. Adams was saying here. All right. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not to temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is a kingdom of the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. God bless y'all. God bless your families. God bless your marriages if you're married. God bless your nation wherever you are around the world listening. God bless America. We'll talk to y'all again real soon, folks. Looking forward to it.