My God and My Neighbor

“You do not know what a day may bring forth” (Prov. 27:1). The 1990s ended with a soaring stock market and fear of a Y2K meltdown. But no one imagined the changes that the next decade would bring. The 1990s were a “time to gain” and the new millennium began with a “time to lose” (Ecc. 3:6) when the tech bubble burst. The emergency numbers 9/11 took on a whole new meaning when the Pentagon was attacked and the famous Twin Towers fell. Americans were vaguely familiar with the word “terrorism,” but after that fateful September day we grew painfully aware of it. The United States felt the wrath of an enemy with no regard for rules of conventional warfare. And while politicians and the media blamed the attack on radicals in the Islamic religion, those who took the time to look into the Quran and the life of Muhammed began to see that this religion is actually a militaristic movement masquerading under the protection of the First Amendment. This decade was full of surprises and it is packed with lessons. Read about this subjectScriptures: I Timothy 6:17; Matthew 10:28“How Did 9/11 Happen?”

From the end of television to the end of the world—this was the talk in the 1990s. We entered this decade in a conflict known as the Gulf War. Many preachers said it was Armageddon. Then we saw one crisis after another—violent riots in Los Angeles in 1992, the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, a school shooting in Columbine, Colorado in 1999, and finally the Y2K scare as the next millennium approached. This was an age when Silicon Valley became more powerful than many governments, a time when the stock market soared with high-tech companies leading the way. But what were the moral and spiritual issues of the 1990s? What changes and challenges did we see?Read about this subjectScriptures: Acts 17:16-34; II Peter 3:10; Jeremiah 6:15Listen to more about this subjectThe End of Time: Bible Teaching vs. Man’s Teaching

Pac Man. VCRs. AIDS. Chernobyl. The 1980s was a time of change and challenges to the home, the church, the country and the world as a whole. But as Christians, we must remember that what makes the news is usually not what makes a difference in the long run. And, what is news to us was already seen by the foreknowledge of God. Two moral issues stand out in this decade: abortion and divorce. Both reached an all-time high in this period. The rebellion of the 60s and 70s had taken its toll, but the Bible and Bible believers stood firm. Read about this subjectScriptures: I Corinthians 5:1-13; Matthew 18:15-17My Sister’s KeeperListen to more about this subjectAmerica Through the Eyes of Isaiah, tracks 4-9 

Classic music, muscle cars, great sports—all these and more defined the special decade known as the 70s. It was a relaxed time of newfound freedom. It was also a turning point in our history as a people. Abortion was legalized. Premarital sex and divorce skyrocketed. Drugs seemed to be everywhere. Television and movie standards changed for the worse. Moral and religious convictions began to fade. We could say that the Baby Boomers declared a culture war in the 60s and enjoyed the spoils in the 70s. Travel back to that time in this episode as we look at the 1970s through the lenses of Scripture.Read about this subjectScriptures: Luke 8:14; Romans 1:25; Luke 1:36The Day America Declared War, Kerry Duke

If you're going to understand how the morals of this country have turned upside down, you must understand what happened in America in the 1960s. A President was assassinated. A Civil Rights leader was killed. Thousands of young men were sent to Vietnam. Drugs poured into our streets and schools. The cover of TIME magazine read “God is Dead.” “Sex, drugs, and rock and roll” became the theme of American youth. Many feared nuclear war after World War II, but the moral explosion of the 1960s devastated our culture. We have never recovered. Whether you are old enough to remember this decade or too young to know much about it, this episode will help you to see how we got to this point and how we can survive morally and spiritually.Read about this subjectScriptures: Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:4; Psalm 14:1Right from the Beginning in a World of Wrong, Kerry Duke

“Present homosexuality, degeneracy, and promiscuity as normal, natural, healthy.” Does that sound like something a left-wing group promotes today? It’s actually from a movement that worked hard to change America in the 1950s. This was a decade of strong family values and regular church attendance, but the devil was plotting against the church and the home. This episode uncovers some of the cracks in the moral foundation of American culture and helps us to understand how we arrived at where we are now.Read about this subjectScriptures: Matthew 19:3-9; II Tim. 3:13The Naked Communist, Cleon SkousenFirm Foundation, 1950s

Episode DescriptionThis episode is like everyday discussions in the halls and classrooms of Tennessee Bible College. We look at the philosophies that shape politics, religion, and culture. In the 1940s fear gripped the hearts of people everywhere because of a madman who wanted to rule the world. But there were intellectuals before this decade that influenced the unconscionable atrocities of Hitler’s Nazis in World War II. And although this movement is not the threat it once was, the philosophies that gave it a rationalization are now popular in American education. In this episode you will learn how the U.S. changed its moral direction during the crisis of the 1940s.Read about this subjectScriptures: Judges 21:25; Proverbs 23:7Right From the Beginning, Kerry DukeThe Warren-Flew DebateThe Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, William L. Shirer

Imagine a time when the economy was devastated but morality was strong, a decade when one out of four people were unemployed and bedroom scenes and nudity were not allowed in movies. This was life in America in the 1930s. Times were hard, but those trials built character. Financially it was the age of the Great Depression; spiritually it was a time of great revival. Learn how the “Roaring Twenties” led to the “Trying Thirties” and see how the church not only survived but flourished in this era of American history in this episode.Read about this subjectScriptures: Ecclesiastes 7:10; Romans 15:4Gospel Advocate, 1930

It couldn't have happened all at once. It isn’t a recent generational change. The radical shift in American morals goes back further than the cultural revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. This ethical landslide began in the “Roaring Twenties.” This episode is the first of a ten-part, decade-by-decade look at how and why this country is so different today. It is not just another American history series, however. It is a biblical view of what causes these changes in our or any other nation past or present.Read about this subjectScriptures: Ecclesiastes 1:9-10, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Judges 21:25Gospel Advocate 1921Right From the Beginning, Kerry DukeOnly Yesterday, Frederick Lewis Allen. Chapter five: “The Revolution in Manners and Morals.”

What’s your favorite Bible verse? There’s nothing wrong with memorizing special sayings in the Bible, but we shouldn’t play favorites with the Scriptures. This is a mistake many Bible readers make. It is easy to look at only one or two favorite verses and neglect reading other verses that have a bearing on the subject we’re studying. When this happens, the “Bible” people know is only a few sentences long. This episode challenges us to see the context of the Bible as a whole.Read about this subjectScriptures: II Timothy 2:15; II Peter 3:15-16“Ox in the Ditch” by Kerry DukeListen to more about this subject:Bible Commentary 

He almost killed himself. It was a normal day at work for this prison guard until two men were arrested that were unlike any prisoners he had ever seen. At first he was not impressed by them. But when an earthquake struck one night he started to commit suicide because he thought the prisoners had escaped. One of those two men assured him that all the prisoners were still there. That man was the apostle Paul. The fearless guard came out with a light trembling. He asked the most important question anyone could ask: “What must I do to be saved?” That night a man who came very close to leaving this world in a lost condition was baptized. This is the story of the Philippian jailor in Acts 16.Read about this subjectScriptures: Acts 16:25-34; Acts 22:16, Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16, I Peter 3:21Reading: “A Jailer Converted”—(Teacher’s Annual Lesson Commentary, Lesson 11, June 11, 1967)Listen to more about this subject:Salvation - "The Plan of Salvation" 

“Beyond Good and Evil” is a book written by the German philosopher Nietzsche. He didn’t believe in moral absolutes. Not surprisingly, Adolf Hitler was one of his fans. Are we beyond good and evil today? Do we think these words have lost meaning? There was a time in Israel when “every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). Centuries later the Roman historian Tacitus said that the ancient city of Rome was so immoral that it was like a common sewer into which the filth of the nations flowed. Are we seeing this same experiment today when men test the God of heaven by denying moral boundaries?  One of the most revealing sections of the Bible on moral anarchy is found in the epistle to the saints in that ancient city. The first two chapters of the book of Romans show that men are still making the same mistakes. It also shows us the only hope in a world full of darkness and confusion.Read about this subjectScriptures: Romans 1:18-32; 2:14-15Right From the Beginning in a World of WrongListen to more about this subject:Salvation - Sin Series 

How can an old book like the Bible address today’s problems? Spend just a few minutes in the book of First Timothy and you’ll be amazed at how current the Bible is. This epistle deals with issues people discuss every day—homosexuality, a Christian’s relationship to government, the role of women in the church, exercise, drinking, money, and much more!Read about this subjectScriptures: The book of I TimothyListen to more about this subject:Bible Commentary: I Timothy 

In a world of war and killing, it might appear that God doesn’t know or doesn’t care what is happening. Even some prophets of God in the Bible couldn’t understand why God didn’t put an end to evil. But God has reasons. He does things in His own time. He takes into account everyone in all ages. Yes, God sees and He cares. More importantly, He is at work in the world in ways we cannot see—even in great and powerful governments. He sets up kings and puts down kings (Dan. 2:21). He rules in the kingdoms of men (Dan. 4:17). And He does this not to toy with nations but to accomplish His purposes, the most important of which is the greatest kingdom of all—the church.Read about this subject:Scriptures: The books of Daniel and Isaiah Listen to more on this subject:American Through the Eyes of Isaiah

“God Looks on Your Inside, Not Your Outside”Have you ever heard that “Man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart”? We’ll talk about this statement in I Samuel 16:7 and discuss what it means for our lives. We’ll also look at some interesting evidence for the divine inspiration of the Bible and consider “partisan politics” from a very different viewpoint than most discussions of politics today. Read about this subject:Scriptures: I Peter 3:15; Daniel 4:17; Isaiah 48:10; II Corinthians 1:3-10“Church, State, and Disease” by Kerry Duke, chapter nine, “The Divine Dimension.”

Do you have a plan for the day you die? Not a will. Not a life insurance policy. Not your things or your business or your savings. Those things are on earth. But you won’t be here. But you will exist after your mortal life ends. Some educated people laughed at the apostle Paul when he taught this almost two thousand years ago, and some today sneer at the suggestion of the afterlife. In this episode we will look at skepticism then and now as well as other pertinent topics.Read about this subject:Scriptures: Acts 17:16-34; Mark 16:9-20Pillars of the Faith, Kerry DukeListen to more on this subject:tn-biblecollege.edu/endtimes, “Life After Death” series

How can you teach your children about right and wrong in a mixed-up world? This episode begins with Jewish training in the home according to Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Psalm 78:4-8. Next, we look at moral values in American history in an old school book called the “Blueback Speller” by Noah Webster. Then Paul’s words in I Timothy 5 about family responsibilities round out our discussion on this urgent topic!Read about this subject:“Right From the Beginning in a World of Wrong” by Kerry Duke — https://www.tn-biblecollege.edu/bookstore/“Children—The Future” by David Hill — https://www.tn-biblecollege.edu/07/children-the-future/Listen to more on this subject:tn-biblecollege.edu/thehome 

Episode DescriptionWas it the government’s fault? Maybe too much entertainment? Or have churches, schools and parents failed us? We need to dig deeper if we want the answer. In this episode we’ll look at a voice from long ago that explains our situation. That source is Romans 1:18-32. This amazing passage describes how a culture goes from admitting God to denying Him and the moral collapse that follows. This is definitely a perspective on history you won’t hear often.Read about this subjectScriptures: Romans 1:18-32; Psalm 19:1-4Pillars of the Faith, Kerry DukeListen to more on this subject:tn-biblecollege.edu/creation  (“Man” subcategory)

Does all the trouble in the world mean the end of the world is near? Many think so. But in this episode we’ll see that people have guessed wrong about this many times before our generation. What does God Himself say about this question? Be ready to open your Bible to Matthew 24 and other passages for the answer!Read about this subject:Scriptures: Mark 13:32; II Peter 3:10; I Thessalonians 5:1-3; Matthew 24 1-35Listen to more on this subject:tn-biblecollege.edu/endtimes 

Did God promise the land in Israel to the Jewish people—permanently? We hear this discussed from all sides today except God’s side. It all goes back to the promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 12. Was that promise an unconditional guarantee that this land would always belong to the nation of Israel?Read about this subjectScriptures: Gen. 12:1-7; Genesis 13:15; Deuteronomy 28; II Kings 17; II Kings 24; Deuteronomy 30; Nehemiah 1:8-10; Matthew 21:43; Galatians 3:26-29Listen to more on this subject:tn-biblecollege.edu/oldtestament