Crosstalk America from VCY America

This broadcast began with a break in the usual format as Jim interviewed Congressman Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin who represents the state's 7th congressional district. He discussed the possibility of another government shutdown, a move afoot by Democrats in the House to defund ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Minneapolis debacle, and more. As the program continued, Jim presented the following news stories: --Iran has issued a sickening threat against President Trump, broadcasting a picture from the attempted assassination at the 2024 Butler, Pennsylvania, rally with the words, "This time it will not miss the target." --In a public address yesterday, a senior Iranian general issued a direct threat against President Trump saying they will cut off his hand and his finger. This came after President Trump's warning of U.S. military action against the Iranian regime. -The U.S. has designated three branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations in a move that could impact Washington's relationships with Qatar and Turkey. --President Trump's administration announced sanctions against more than 20 Iranian individuals and entities responsible for the Islamic republic's deadly crackdown on protesters and skirting of international sanctions on Iran's oil output. --After weeks of escalating tensions, U.S. and Iranian officials faced each other Thursday at the U.N. Security Council, where America's envoy renewed threats against the Islamic republic, despite President Trump's efforts to lower the temperature. --The Pentagon moved a carrier strike group from the South China Sea to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

Mat Staver is founder & Chairman of Liberty Counsel. Mat is a constitutional attorney with three landmark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He's an author and the host of the radio broadcasts Faith & Freedom and Freedom's Call and the TV broadcast, Freedom Alive. On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two consolidated landmark cases: Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J. These cases determine whether Idaho and West Virginia can ban gender confused males from participating in female sports. The decision will likely have significant implications across America since at least 27 states have similar laws protecting women and girls. Little v. Hecox involves an Idaho law from 2020 called the Fairness in Women's Sports Act. West Virginia v. B.P.J. involves West Virginia's 2021 Save Women's Sports Act. As Mat noted, both of these, "...protect the safety and opportunities of female athletes by barring biological males from female competitive sport teams at public schools and universities." A common thread in these cases is Title IX, which Mat said was, "...to protect and provide opportunities for women in sports." However, when Title IX was established as federal law in 1972, was it based on sex or gender identity? This question is fundamental to the debate as you'll see as Jim provided audio from Justices Samuel Alito, Katanji Brown Jackson and Amy Coney Barrett, along with a tense exchange between Senator Josh Hawley and Dr. Nisha Verma who is an OB/GYN.

Olivier Melnick is the founder and executive director of Shalom in Messiah Ministries. Olivier is the son of Holocaust survivors from France. He is an international speaker and an authority on the topic of antisemitism, speaking against it in all forms. He seeks to educate and mobilize Christians to fight the hate while rebuilding bridges with the Jewish people. He's the author of the book, Antisemitism in the End Times. This past Saturday, the oldest synagogue in Mississippi was set ablaze in an arson attack. The FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force are investigating. Last week, an anti-Jewish mob descended on a synagogue and Jewish school in New York City screaming, "Long live October 7th!" Such incidents directed against Jews are unfortunately becoming more common. But why? The answer starts by defining certain terms. For example, do you know who the "Semites" are and their history? Do you know what the terms "Zionist" and "Zionism" mean and that there are numerous forms of the latter? How does Oliver define "antisemitism"? These are some of the things you need to know so that you can better understand how the rise of the world's oldest hatred is paving the way for the return of Christ. Find out who the major players are in this effort and much more when you review this edition of Crosstalk.

Chris Katulka is Vice President of North American Ministries at The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry and host of The Friends of Israel Today radio program. He is a Bible teacher and writer for Israel My Glory magazine and is author of the book Israel Always. Violent protests have been building and are rocking the foundations of Iran. The death toll is climbing day after day as streets erupt to bring downfall to the present regime. Iranian authorities have slaughtered many. The Iranian government is actively seeking to interrupt all intent access to keep video footage from going out from Iran. Israel is on high alert. President Trump has signaled possible intervention today, canceled all meetings with Iranian officials and posted, "Help is on the way." What is causing this groundswell of opposition? How does all of this impact Israel? Is there a prophetic nexus to all that's unfolding? More information: FOI.org Call 1-800-257-7843 to obtain a free one year subscription to the magazine Israel My Glory Text 424-444-1948 for 50 free "I Love Israel" stickers

At Nuremberg courthouse, Pastor Lutzer stresses transcendent divine law above human courts, warns of redefining justice, and highlights amazing grace—that even repentant Nazis found forgiveness through Christ's gospel of redemption and hope.

From Hitler's Nuremberg podium, Pastor Lutzer recalls Nazi deception, warning such evil can reoccur. He urges moral courage to resist destructive agendas, even at personal cost, praying for strength and faithfulness.

Here is a sampling of the headlines Jim shared today: • Iran uprising explodes, police defect, IRGC collapses in Tehran as banks burn and towns go regime-free • Iran's crown prince just made a huge statement amid protests against Islamic regime • Blood in the streets: Iranian regime guns down protestors as uprising explodes, regime cuts internet, phones, total blackout • Millions pour into Iran streets as regime nears possible tipping point, protestors looking to Pahlavi • Abortion was the leading cause of death worldwide in 2025, killing 73 million people • 115 abortion centers across America kill viable babies in abortions • GOP, pro-life groups forcefully defend Hyde Amendment amid Trump's backpedaling • Planned Parenthood abortion biz will close three Pennsylvania centers • Minnesota abortions surged 35% under Tim Walz • Colorado to pay pregnancy center $5.4 million after losing bid to ban abortion pill reversal • Wyoming Supreme Court strikes down pro-life laws banning abortions • 'You're going to be Kirked': Leftists threaten Nick Shirley with Charlie Kirk rhetoric • Reporters rage at Tim Walz as he flees without taking a single question • Tim Walz issues extraordinary warning to Trump after ICE-involved shooting • DHS Secretary Kristi Noem set the record straight on the ICE shooting in Minneapolis • Breaking: Agitators flock to Minneapolis federal building, clash occurs • NBC did something no other outlet will likely do regarding the ICE shooting in Minneapolis • Renee Good's lesbian partner made a devastating admission moments after the shooting while on camera • Hilton gives the boot to hotel that refused to accommodate DHS ...and several more!

In Part 2 of our conversation, Steve and Matt McCully explain how their father, martyred 70 years ago in Ecuador, has affected their lives.

Steve McCully is the son of Ed and Marilou McCully and the oldest of three boys. Steve was born in 1952 while his parents were receiving missionary medical training. In December 1952 the family sailed to Ecuador where he spent the next 10 years of his life. After just 3 years there his father was killed, speared to death by the Aucas. It was January 8, 1956, 70 years ago today, that five men, Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Peter Fleming and Roger Youderian, were martyred in the jungles of Ecuador. These five men along with their wives and children went to Ecuador to bring the Good News of the Gospel to a tribe that had never before heard this Good News. In the words of T.E. McCully, the father of Ed McCully, "The incident has proved to be one of the greatest chapters in the annals of missionary martyrdom." More information: Several novels have been written about their story. One of the most famous is Elisabeth Elliot's Through the Gates of Splendour. On our website, vcy.org, you will find a lot of information that Randy Melchert has compiled regarding this 70th anniversary.

We are only seven days into our New Year and look at all that's unfolded: • Just after the stroke of midnight of this New Year, a socialist took the oath of office on the Qur'an to be Mayor over our nation's largest city. The ceremony was said to be narrated by an iconic transgender New Yorker. • The Governor of New York lit up 16 state landmarks in the color green to promote Muslim American Heritage Month. This happened in a state that just 24 years earlier was attacked by Islamic terrorists and nearly 3000 were killed. • Tensions are rising between China and Taiwan. • Russia and Ukraine remain at war. • This past weekend, in what was called "a law enforcement operation," the President of Venezuela was snatched from his compound, brought to the United States and indicted on narco-terrorism charges. • This morning two sanctioned oil tankers were seized by U.S. Forces in the Atlantic. • Also this morning a woman in Minneapolis, who allegedly was using her vehicle to ram ICE agents, was shot and killed. • Each day that passes seems to find more and more fraud in Minnesota, in essence the stealing of tax dollars. • This week the head of the LA Fire Department revealed that the analysis of the Palisades Fire that ignited a year ago, the third most destructive in California's history, was edited multiple times to protect the leadership. • And we are on the brink next week of the U.S. Supreme Court hearing oral arguments about biological males in women's sports. There's this and so much more. What a reminder as to how bad this world stands in need of Jesus. How very thankful we should be that amidst all these storms in life God's Word remains, and His Word is truth.

Jay Seegert is Founder and Managing Director of the Starting Point Project. He holds degrees in Physics and Engineering Technology. He is President of Logos Research Associates, the world's largest group of scientists who are Christians and Biblical creationists. Jay is an international speaker and author who has been speaking on science and the authority of Scriptures for 40 years. If you would take a scan of society, you would find it is filled with very divergent worldviews. While some follow a theistic worldview, others hold to pantheism and others to polytheism. Some follow after humanism and others cling to postmodernism. The list and its many variants go on. Have you ever given thought to your worldview? Have you ever thought about the worldview that you may be passing on to the next generation?

Alex Newman is an award-winning international freelance journalist, author, researcher, educator and consultant. He is senior editor for The New American. He is founder & CEO of Liberty Sentinel and a national syndicator of radio and TV programs including Behind the Deep State which airs on WVCY Television and VCY.tv. This past Saturday the breaking news alerts came in rapid fashion indicating that U.S. Military forces descended upon (as President Trump described it) a "heavily fortified military fortress in the heart of Caracas" to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores." They were flown out by helicopter to a U.S. warship and later flown to the United States. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that U.S. forces had rehearsed over and over again the procedures that would be followed. The President said, "They actually built a house which was identical to the one they went into with all the same, all that steel all over the place." The U.S. Atty General Pam Bondi has indicated that Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been indicted in the Southern District of New York and charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machine guns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machine guns and Destructive Devices against the United States." She said, "They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts." This morning Nicolas Maduro pled not guilty during his arraignment in federal court. So, who exactly is Nicolas Maduro and what are the implications of this precision-guided operation?

Steve and Matt McCully recount their father, Ed McCully's life story. National oratory champion, student body president at Wheaton, and would-be lawyer, until a change of heart led him to martyrdom as he reached the unreached tribes of Ecuador.

With stories ranging from Mamdani to Minnesota, the news cycle continues to flow as we surge into the new year. Here's a selection of stories that Jim presented: --Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as mayor of New York on the Qur'an and claims he wants to replace individualism with "the warmth of collectivism." --Mamdani used his first day in office yesterday to hit the ground running with new executive orders targeting city landlords and housing development. He said that the city will take precedent setting action to intervene in the private landlord bankruptcy case he said was tied to 93 buildings. --The Council on American/Islamic Relations of New York called Mamdani's inauguration, "a historic moment of progress for American Muslims and the entire nation." --Mamdani announced that Ramzi Kassem, a 9-11 terror lawyer, is going to serve as the city's occupying chief counsel. --Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, at the forefront of expanding federal funding for pandemic-era food and child care programs; those programs are now at the center of fraud allegations among the Somali immigration population in her home state. --U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Monday that the Department of Justice has already arrested and charged 98 individuals with fraud in Minnesota, 85 of whom are of Somali descent. --A child care center licensed under Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's administration raised eyebrows by having a publicly listed phone number leading to Walz's office. --The Health and Human Services Department announced Tuesday it's freezing all child care payments to Minnesota amid allegations of widespread fraud.

What was it like growing up in the Jones family? Where did Bob Jones University come from? Bob Jones III, Chancellor of Bob Jones University shares stories of the founding of the school, and its impact on the world in this episode of Our Christian Heritage

Pastor Erwin Lutzer, speaking at Nuremberg Stadium, reflects on Nazi rallies, Christian nationalism, church-state relations, America's role, moral issues, human rights, and urges prioritizing the gospel above politics while preserving freedom.

Dr. Richard Schmidt is pastor of Union Grove Baptist Church and founder of Prophecy Focus Ministries. He's the speaker on the weekly TV program, "Prophecy Focus" and the radio broadcast, "Prophecy Unfolding." He spent 32 years in law enforcement until his retirement. He's authored several books including: Are You Going to a Better Place?, Daniel's Gap Paul's Mystery, Tribulation to Triumph: The Olivet Discourse, Globalism: The Great World Consumption and Artificial Intelligence: Transhumanism & the De-Evolution of Democracy. James 4:14 says: "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." Then there's Hebrews 9:27 that says: "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Knowing this, you may have more questions such as: Why is there physical death? How did Dr. Schmidt deal with the issue of "going to a better place?" Can we trust in the reliability of the Scriptures? How does the Gospel play into the idea of going to heaven? These are serious questions people must face if they are to find peace concerning their future because unless the rapture takes place in your lifetime, you too will face death. Are you ready for that appointment? Don't live on assumptions. Get your questions answered from the Bible on this edition of Crosstalk.

This edition of Crosstalk began with good news as Jim read Christmas messages from President Trump and Packer great, Brett Favre. However, as we all realize, we live in a world in flux. This is seen by the following headlines, just a sample of what Jim presented during this broadcast: --Authorities say one-third of Kiev is without heating after a deadly Russian drone and missile attack on the Ukrainian capital cut off power supplies leaving hundreds of thousands of people facing freezing temperatures. --President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a joint press conference at Mar-a-Lago following their meeting over a proposed peace deal. Both men signaled that an agreement to end the war was nearing finalization. --Washington has offered a 15 year security guarantee to Kiev as part of a proposed peace plan. --Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida today for a meeting with President Trump to discuss phase two of the Gaza peace plan. --China launched its largest military exercises ever around Taiwan, surrounding the island with warships, aircraft and live fire drills. This was in response to a record U.S. arms sales deal to Taipei. --President Trump said the U.S. launched a powerful and deadly strike against forces of the Islamic State Group in Nigeria, after spending weeks accusing the West African nation's government of failing to rein-in the targeting of Christians. --Antisemitic mobs stormed a Paris performance of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, throwing bombs and attacking attendants and musicians.

Dr. David Saxon, professor of Church History at Maranatha Baptist University, tells Randy about the life of William Kiffin, a key Baptist forefather who used his riches for God's glory

Jim began the program by sharing a couple stories on how Christmas is under attack. No matter how hard you try, you can't cancel Christmas. He then shared the fulfillment of prophecy given hundreds of years before Christ, followed by several Scriptures which lay out the the birth of Christ and the reason for which He came. For the remainder of the program, phone lines were opened to give listeners an opportunity to share a brief thought as to what makes this time of year special to them - perhaps a word of testimony, a verse of Scripture, a Christmas carol or a brief Christmas greeting.