That's A Good Question: Recent Episodes
Community Bible Church of Trenton, MI
The That’s A Good Question podcast considers questions related to current events, culture, and worldview issues from a biblical perspective.
With our new monthly publishing schedule, there is a lot to cover in this episode. Buckle up and come along for our survey of the latest headlines from a Pastoral perspective.
Our last episode aired the very week that the FBI searched former President Donald Trump’s home in FL with a subpoena to confiscate documents that the president had but which belong to the government, some of them classified at a very high level. In this episode, we discuss what has transpired since.
In this episode we discuss the unprecedented news this week of an FBI search warrant executed on a former President's residence and we answer some listener submitted questions.
In this episode we reflect on what we've accomplished in nearly 100 episodes of TAGQ which means we reminisce a little about what was going on in 2020 when we began, AND what it was we were trying to address for which we thought a podcast would be a good method of communication.
In this shorter episode, we add to last episode's discussion of the 1/6 Committee's findings and highlight some of the most recent facts revealed in the hearings. We also point to TAGQ 31 from 1/9/2021 in which we discuss the events of 1/6 while they were still fresh in our minds.
TAGQ 31 - Why did the Capitol Riot happen?
This week the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th attack on our nation’s capital met for the eighth and final SCHEDULED time. An attempted disruption of our governmental process should concern us as citizens, but more so as Christians since it can have effect on our mission. In this episode, we discuss how and why.
Is it true that all judgment is off limits to Christians? If so, what of other passages that tell Christians to make judgements? It's common to misapply statements the Bible makes or even sometimes attribute to the Bible things it doesn't say. Join us this episode as we review a few of the "Greatest Hits" when it comes to misapplication of the Bible.
Books recommended in this episode:
- The Most Misused Verses in the Bible: Surprising Ways God's Word Is Misunderstood by Eric J. Bargerhuff
- Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View by Garry Friesen
In this episode, we address an inquiry by one of our viewers who asked about the apostle Matthias in the Bible, and his contribution to the early church. To answer that, we address the broader question, “What Will the Apostles Be Doing in Jesus’s Kingdom?”
Just yesterday, the Supreme Court released its Hobbs decision which overturned the 49-year precedent of Roe v. Wade. So, as of right now, abortion is no longer a constitutional right. In this episode, we discuss what that means, practically, and then spend some time discussing when and why Christians would seek to impose our version of morality on others.
We conclude our discussion related to the latest news in the 3 years plus investigation led by John Durham as well as several other noteworthy topics including the January 6th Hearings that should have conservative Christians reevaluating our trusted news sources and recommitting to apply biblical standards of truth to our news consumption and political commitments.
Back after a two week break, we discuss the latest news in the 3 years plus investigation led by John Durham as well as several other noteworthy topics from the past few years that should have conservative Christians reevaluating our trusted news sources and recommitting to apply biblical standards of truth to our news consumption and political commitments.
In this episode, we conclude the discussion we began in episode 89 of the viewer submitted question, “What Is The Church Of Christ Denomination?”.
Articles referenced in this episode:
Water Baptism And Salvation: An Abbreviated Word Study (Part One)
Water Baptism And Salvation: An Abbreviated Word Study (Part Two)
John 3:5 And The Life-Giving Work Of The Spirit
In this episode, we address the issues surrounding the leaked Supreme Court opinion in a highly anticipated abortion case.
In this episode, we discuss the viewer submitted question, “What Is The Church Of Christ Denomination?”.
We all consider the resurrection to be good news because, it obviously means that death has no ultimate hold on those who are in Jesus – His resurrection is a precursor to ours – that means WE will be raised. But in the Bible the death of Jesus is often spoken of in positive terms too, and we don’t normally think of any death as a good thing, especially one that was a murder, and a murder of a completely innocent man on top of that! But we call the day Jesus died ‘Good Friday’, and we likely take that name for the day for granted as Christians. But for anyone who is not very familiar with Christianity it would be very reasonable to wonder, "Why do you call it that? What’s so Good about Good Friday?" That IS a good question and so we've made it our question for this episode, “What’s so Good about Good Friday?”
In this episode we discuss some issues Pastor Ken has been rethinking and we issue some retractions.
Just this week the issue of defining male and female came up in a very significant way during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. She was asked by Senator Marsha Blackburn, “Can you provide a definition for the word ’woman’?, and after a short back-and-forth, Jackson ultimately said: “No, I can’t.”
“You can’t?” Blackburn asked. “Not in this context. I’m not a biologist,” Jackson said.
This occurs in the context of our culture grappling with things like who can use which public restrooms and allowing biological males to participate in female sports. Since it’s prominent current issue, today we want to answer the question, “How Should Christians Think About Transgenderism?”
We pick up where we left off last episode, answering the question, “How Can I Understand the Bible?” People often say things like, “That’s JUST your interpretation”, as if that's the same thing as saying, “That’s JUST your opinion.”. But contrary to what many people think, interpreting the Bible is NOT the same as simply expressing your opinion about something that it says.
Book Recommendation:
The Old in the New: Understanding How the New Testament Authors Quoted the Old Testament by Michael J. Vlach
Is the Bible hopelessly obscure? Is it’s teaching subjective such that it cannot be truly known? Is it just up to each of us to arrive at what we THINK it means? In this and our next episode we discuss the questions, "Can I Understand the Bible?" and, if so, "How Can I Understand The Bible?”
It's the two year anniversary of the beginning of Covid-related shutdowns across the country and so much has happened. It's a good time to take a look back and review what we’ve learned.
The news this week has been dominated by events in Eastern Europe with Russia invading its neighbor, Ukraine. In this episode, we discuss how things got to this point, what happens next, and why this matters to us as Christians.
In this episode we discuss current news items including the recent filing by John Durham, Special Counsel for the United States Department of Justice.
You hear the term in the news and even in popular conversation about politics and culture to refer to conservative Christians but do you know what it means? That's our topic in this episode as we continue our discussion about the question, "What is Evangelicalism?"
"Who Is John Stott?" NYT article mentioned in this episode: https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/30/opinion/who-is-john-stott.html
You hear the term in the news and even in popular conversation about politics and culture to refer to conservative Christians but do you know what it means? That's our topic in this episode as we discuss, "What is Evangelicalism?"
Whether you're struggling with doubts about your relationship with God or you are sure you're a Christian but would like to improve your ability to present the Gospel clearly, we think you'll benefit from our discussion of the question, "How Do I Know I’m a Christian?".
Links to the resources on our website mentioned in this episode are below:
- The Bridge
- Connection Form
If you've accepted Christ as your savior or would like to know more about how to do that, we'd love to help. Please reach out to us using the contact information linked above.
We "pull the curtain back" again this week as we discuss the behind the scenes work of Pastors... answering the question, "What Do Pastors Do All Week?"
Join us for our 2021 Year in Review, Part 3 as we discuss the religious and doctrinal topics we covered over the last year.
In this episode, we stretch a two-part year in review series into three so that we can cover breaking news related to one of the political topics we've covered in 2021. In our first episode of 2022, we'll recap our spiritual and ministry related topics of 2021.
NOTE: At frequent points in this video you will hear the computer fan and other audio distortion. We apologize for the poor audio quality in this episode as we had to use the audio recorded by our computer's built-in microphone.
We begin a two-part year in review in this episode by recapping some of the political topics we've covered in 2021. Next episode we'll recap our spiritual and ministry related topics of 2021.
Lot's of developments related to court cases in the news over the past two weeks. So, in this episode, we discuss the question, "What About Rittenhouse, Arbury, and the Abortion Case?"
We continue the discussion of discipleship in this episode. Below are several key ideas mentioned in the discussion...
Acts 2:38-47 points to three experiences the very first church in Jerusalem had, as pointed out by author Gene Getz:
- Learning experiences with the Word
- Relational experiences with one another
- Witnessing experiences with the world
We talked last episode about how a church can be structured to facilitate corporate witnessing/evangelism. In this episode we talk about what needs to be present in a church for effective discipleship – learning and following – to occur.
There are seven progress reports in the book of Acts, documenting the advance of the Mission, but regularly tying it to the multiplication of churches, because the churches are where the disciples are made. – see Acts 2:47; 6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20; 28:30-31.
We believe that churches must place the emphasis on discipleship that the Great Commission demands and that Scripture and history have modeled. We think that a discipleship plan that can do that must be...
- Intentional — refers to a deliberate plan to make disciples.
- Church-centered — means the local church is involved in reaching and maturing disciples.
- Evangelistic — requires the local church is structured to make contact and communicate the gospel to unbelievers and the unchurched.
- Inclusive — entails that those who come to Christ and his church are disciples and are urged to participate.
- Progressive — necessitates that the disciple is moved forward to the next steps of growth.
- Wholistic — creates opportunities for education, relationships, and ministry.
Sometimes evangelism is viewed as individual activity that Christians carry in their personal lives. Sometimes evangelism is thought of as what happens at church when we pick just the right music and the Pastor delivers a powerful Gospel presentation to reach the seekers we've drawn into the meeting. But evangelism is the mission of the local church in which individual activity and our corporate efforts each play an indispensable role. That's the topic of this episode as we consider the question, "How Can Churches and Individual Christians Evangelize Together?"
In this episode, we revisit some recent headlines to discuss "What's the Latest with Durham, the Election, and the 1/6 Commission?".
In this episode, we discuss the question, “How Should Christian Relate to the Culture?”.
Many Christians have been tempted to be fearful over the past many months because of things they’re hearing from certain news sources. In fact, we talked about some of those fears just about seven months ago, just two months after the inauguration of Joe Biden as we were concerned about how afraid some Christians were based on what we were hearing and reading. In this episode, we revisit some of what we said back then because the things we get worked up about change so quickly that we forget what it was we were afraid of once the new boogeyman begins to be touted by our chosen news sources.
If all you know about Satan is gleaned from some Christian broadcast media, you might be giving the Devil more than his due. Learn why in this episode as we discuss viewer-submitted question, "What Can Satan Do to Christians?".
It’s important that we’re careful about what WE teach, but also that we only endorse teachings of others that are consistent with the Bible. That means there are times at which we might need to keep our distance from someone because we’re concerned about what they’re teaching, even if they’re Christians. But that’s troubling to consider because if we’re Christians then we want to be unified not divided. So it raises the question for today’s episode, “What Things Should Christians Divide Over?”
In this episode we discuss the initial report released by the AZ election audit, Ravi Zacharias Ministries, and media ministries in general.
In this episode, we answer more viewer questions and discussion current news items from a Biblical perspective.
This week we continue looking at recent topics from the news including the new Texas law essentially banning abortion and the withdrawal of the U.S. from Afghanistan.
We’re starting something new that we plan to do at least once each month, at the end of the month, but perhaps more often as events warrant, and that’s to offer what we hope is a biblical perspective on current events. To put it generically, we'll be asking, “How Should I View the Latest News?” Today we discuss the current events going on in Afghanistan.
This episode we continue our discussion we began last episode to answer a question from one of our viewers, "How Can I Have Personal Peace?"
This episode we continue to go through our mailbag, and today we’re going to answer a question from one of our viewers, "How Can I Have Personal Peace?"
In this episode, we continue to go through our mailbag. A viewer recently asked, “How does our God-given purpose translate to every thought, word, and action, word, and even things like the food we eat, and our health?” We've summarized that question as, "How Do We Bring All of Life Under the Lordship of Christ?"
It is important for our own personal understanding of who God is and our testimony to the world around us that we have a right understanding of what the Bible says about slavery. So in this episode, we discuss the viewer-submitted question: “Does the Bible Condone Slavery?”
We continue answering viewer -submitted questions this episode and talk about the question, "How Should Christians View Cancel Culture and CRT?"
Download the David French article we mention in this episode here.
In this episode we begin discussing several recent questions from our viewers. We cover three viewer-submitted questions in this episode:
- "Why don't we recite "The Lord's Prayer" in church?"
- "Does the Bible Allow for Life on Other Planets?"
- “Who are the church fathers and what relevance do they have for us?”
We’re off this week as Pastor Larry is traveling but we’re not leaving you empty-handed. See you next week for our regularly scheduled episode!
This episode we discuss a question from our viewing audience about cremation and whether it’s biblical and therefore something a Christian can consider.
Download the paper Pastor Ken mentions on the subject of cremation here.
We've talked a lot about what God says about the church and its mission in recent episodes. In this episode, we discuss how to structure a churches ministries to best pursue that mission.
Pastor Ken is out of town this week at a Church Planting Conference and we have the privilege of discussing our question this week with Pastor Rich Carrico. Pastor Rich is one of CBC's Associate Pastors who is a business owner who works full time in his secular business while still serving as a Pastor at CBC. Pastor Rich serves as Church Treasurer and leads CBC's Men's Ministry and Family Ministry. In this episode, Pastors Larry and Rich discuss, "How Important Is Serving In the Church?"
In our last episode, we discussed the Biblical support for the concept of Church Membership. In this episode, we continue the topic of Church Membership and discuss what the Bible says are reasons someone might be removed from church membership (a process often referred to as church discipline) and how it is to be done.
Where does the idea of church membership come from? Is it something created in modern times or is it a concept rooted in the New Testament? That's the subject we'll explore in this episode of That's a Good Question as we ask, "Is Church Membership Biblical?"
Did you know that the Bible teaches that there will actually a be judgment for believers? At first, that may seem contrary to something else that is taught in the Bible–that Christians cannot lose their salvation. So, today we’re going to answer the question, "Why is There a Judgment for Christians?"
If you've watched the last few episodes, you may find yourself asking, "Well, what do I look for in a church?" That IS a good question. But the church is God's idea. He decides what a church is for and what it should be about. So, in order to answer that question, you first have to ask, "What Does GOD Look for in a Church?"
We’ve been discussing philosophy of local church ministry the last few episodes. As a part of that discussion, we've seen that the philosophy behind the megachurch is often (not always) a man-centered approach that doesn't measure up to the biblical model of the church. This raises the question we’ll discuss today, "What is the Right Size for a Church?"
Last week we started to discuss the philosophy of ministry that undergirds the megachurch approach to church, asking the question, "Are Megachurches a Good Thing?" We concluded that, very often, they are not for a few reasons. We encourage our viewers to watch that as today’s session and probably the next are a continuation of it. This week we continue that topic asking the question, "Are Megachurches Man-Centered?"
In today’s episode we explore the question, "Are Megachurches a Good Thing?" In particular, we want to consider the philosophy that undergirds megachurches and whether it lines up with what we see in the Bible.
The article by Duane Liftin mentioned by Pastor Ken in this episode can be downloaded here.
"Contemporvent" Spoof Video mentioned in this episode.
We do not carry out our mission in isolation. We live and minister in a cultural context. And how we express the truth will be determined in part by the issues of the day. Today we’ll seek to answer a very relevant question for our particular cultural moment: "How Should Christians Think About Transgenderism?"
In a consumer culture like 21st century America, it is not uncommon for people to shop around for everything from childcare to groceries to vehicles and houses. And we often don't feel the need to stick to only one source for our consumer goods. We have the liberty to pick and choose in each category whatever we prefer or works best for us. But when this mindset is applied to the church, we find ourselves at odds with the teaching of the New Testament about what the church is and how central it is to what God is doing in his world. So today we take a look at the centrality of the Local Church in the New Testament as we discuss the question, "How Important is the Local Church?"
We cover an important list of Scripture references in today's episode and so we've included them here for your reference as you listen and so that you can reference back to them after hearing the discussion.
In the episode, Pastor Ken emphasized two really important points about the church and the Lord’s mission:
- The Church and The Great Commission started together.
- The Church and The Great Commission advanced together.
You don’t have one without the other – you don’t have the mission without the church, and you should never have a church that’s not about the mission. Here are the passages we discussed in support of those two main points:
First, they started together …
The Church started on Pentecost:
- 1 Corinthians 12:13
- Acts 1:5
- Acts 11:15-16
So, the church started on the Day of Pentecost and so did what we call the Great Comission:
Matthew 28:19 "baptizing"
- Luke 24:47, 49 "repentance and forgiveness of sins"
- Acts 2:1
- Acts 2:38
Not only did the church and the Great Commission begin together. They also progressed together. Luke provides seven “progress reports” in Acts for the advance from Jerusalem to Rome, where Acts ends.
- Acts 2:47
- Acts 6:7
- Acts 9:31
- Acts 12:24
- Acts 16:5
- Acts 19:20
- Acts 28:30-31
Now that there is light at the end of the tunnel with the pandemic, and those who want to are able to be vaccinated in the next month or so, then it raises the question: Will those who physically gathered for church before the pandemic return? So, today we’re going to examine the question, "Why is the Local Church Gathering So Important?"
In the past few episodes we've discussed issues the church will have to face in the next few years. At the end of last week we started to talk about religious liberty. So, in today’s episode, we discuss the question, “Is Religious Liberty Under Attack?”
We’re finally beginning to emerge from one of the strangest years any of us has ever endured. Now it's time to step back a bit and evaluate where we are and what challenges are ahead. So today we continue discussing the question, "What Challenges Do Churches Face in the Next Few Years?"
We’re finally beginning to emerge from one of the strangest years any of us has ever endured, almost exactly one year since all of the craziness began with the country experiencing its first lockdown due to Coronavirus in mid-March of last year. And, that happened to come during a presidential election year which unfortunately fused what should have been a strictly medical issue with politics. So with the vaccine providing some apparent light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, and the election over, we can step back a bit and evaluate where we are and what challenges are ahead. So today we’re going to consider the question, "What Challenges Do Churches Face in the Next Few Years?"
How in the world does someone make their way through the maze of churches and denominations that are out there? How can anyone keep track of the differences? Today we address the question, "What’s the Difference Between Denominations?"
Toward the end of last episode we made the point that, if the church hierarchy has the authority to tell people what they must BELIEVE, then they probably have the authority to tell people what they must DO as well, and we talked a bit about the things Roman Catholicism says one must DO to go to Heaven.
There’s a connection between that issue and today’s topic namely, if you believe there are things you must DO to EARN or MERIT Heaven, then it will affect your answer to the question, "Can a Christian Lose Their Salvation?".
In our last two episodes we’ve addressed the questions, "Why Are Christians So Divided?" and "Why Are There So Many Denominations?" Those two questions have led to today’s topic which is "What is the Basis for Roman Catholic Teachings?"
Today we’re going to conclude our discussion of a question submitted by a viewer, "Why Are Christians So Divided?". As we've discussed it, we've really ended up discussing the question, "Why Are There So Many Denominations?"
For further teaching about how the denominational divide has come to be what it is today, see our "What's The Difference?" series on our website.
In this episode, we’re going to answer a question submitted by a viewer, "Why Are Christians So Divided?".
Our last three episodes dealt with the issues related to the Capitol riot. We explored answers to "Why Did the Capitol Riots Happen?" and then, "Is the Deep State Out to Get Donald Trump?", and finally, "Who Was At the Capitol Riot?" In the meantime, we now have a new president in Joe Biden, and in this session we’re going to deal with the question, How Should Christians View the Biden Administration?
This episode concludes our 3-part series dealing with issues that have surfaced in the political arena, especially during the last Presidential Election. Our desire is to help Christians analyze what undergirds our positions and test them to see whether they correspond to Biblical principles. Today, we finish this series with the question, "Who Was at the Capitol Riot?"
We left off last week citing a narrative that many, many conservatives, Christian or not, have come to believe namely, that President Trump is the victim of a nefarious campaign on the part of the Deep State to get the president – at first to keep him from getting elected, and then after he was elected much to their chagrin, to get him out of office. Today we want to pick that up and address the question, Is the Deep State Out to Get Donald Trump?
We’re back after taking a break for the holidays, and it happens that we’re returning during a momentous week in our nation as everyone is aware by now that we had the riot on Tuesday in which the U.S. Capitol police were overrun, the Capitol was occupied illegally, lawmakers were moved to bunkers for safety, and five people died. So today we want to explore the question, "Why Did The Capitol Riot Happen?"
Wrap up 2020 with us as we survey highlights of the last 29 episodes and look forward to the coming year!
We can probably all agree that we don’t want our churches to become known as anything other than a community of Christians and a Bible-teaching and believing church. In other words, we need to avoid becoming distracted, especially with so much to call our attention away for what is most important – the Gospel mission to which the Lord has called us. But that can be easier said than done. That is our topic in this episode.
Join Pastor Ken Brown for a discussion of what the Bible says about living wisely in a foolish world.
It's two weeks after the election and it appears that Democrat Candidate Joe Biden has won the Presidential Election. Is this the end of the world for Christians who hold conservative values?
Related blog article mentioned in this episode: Why Are You Afraid?
It's two weeks after the election and it appears that Democrat Candidate Joe Biden has won the Presidential Election. Is this the end of the world for Christians who hold conservative values?
Related blog article mentioned in this episode: Why Are You Afraid?
In this episode we develop a topic we introduced in our previous episode, the idea of Christians being IN the world but not OF the world. In that episode we looked at how Christians can PERSONALLY avoid worldliness themselves – worldly thoughts and words and actions. Today we want to extend that to how Christians should view worldly PEOPLE; specifically, how we should regard non-Christians and whether they can provide anything of value for us.
Book Recommendations:Van Til and the Use of Evidence by Thom Nataro
The Myth of Religious Neutrality by Roy Clouser
The Bible has a lot to say about the world and the dangers of the world, and yet this is the place where God has placed us to serve Him. In this episode, we discuss something that is at the heart of living the Christian life, and that is, “How Should Christians Relate to the World?”
Book Recommendations:
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman
Art and the Bible by Francis Schaeffer
How Should We Then Live?: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture by Francis Schaeffer
In this episode we conclude our discussion of an issue that comes up often when a Christian attempts to point a non-Christian to the truth of the Bible, or even when two Christians are discussing a disagreement they have over a doctrinal issue. It's not uncommon to hear the response, “Isn't that just your interpretation?” Is the Bible hopelessly obscure? Can its teaching be truly known? Or is it just each of us arriving at what we THINK it means? Can we know the Bible’s message and, if so, how?
Related Articles by Dr. Mark Snoeberger
Over the next couple of episodes we'll discuss an issue that comes up often when a Christian attempts to point a non-Christian to the truth of the Bible, or even when two Christians are discussing a disagreement they have over a doctrinal issue. It's not uncommon to hear the response, “Isn't that just your interpretation?” Is the Bible hopelessly obscure? Can its teaching be truly known? Or is it just each of us arriving at what we THINK it means? Can we know the Bible’s message and, if so, how?
We conclude our discussion of the debate about worship that has at times been so intense that it’s referred to as “worship wars.”
We begin a discussion of the debate about worship that has at times been so intense that it’s referred to as “worship wars.”
In this episode we discuss the subject of whether or not the Bible addresses issues like trauma, raising teenagers, and unemployment.
Resources cited in this episode include:
- David Powlison, How Does Sanctification Work?
- David Henderson, Culture Shift: Communicating God’s Truth to Our Changing World
- How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Fee and Stuart
Today's episode provides an update to the church family at CBC about the "The Church and the Pandemic".
In this episode, we'll discuss the question, "Why are we so hesitant to give the Gospel?"
In this episode, we'll discuss the question, "How do we know we have the right books in the Bible?"
In this episode, we discuss the question, "How can I know the will of God for my life?".
In this episode, we conclude our discussion of the question, "Are miracles happening today?"
In this episode we discuss a question sent in from our audience, "What were the Crusades, religiously and historically?"
In this episode, we'll conclude our discussion of the question, "Should Christians be involved in politics?"
In this episode, we'll discuss the question, "Should Christians be involved in politics?"
In this episode we’ll continue our discussion of the question, “How does the US Supreme Court function and why should Christians care?”.
In this episode we’ll continue our discussion of the question, “How does the US Supreme Court function and why should Christians care?”.
In this episode we’ll continue our discussion of the question, “How does the US Supreme Court function and why should Christians care?”.
In this episode we’ll continue our discussion of the question, “How does the US Supreme Court function and why should Christians care?”.
In this episode we’ll consider the question, “How does the US Supreme Court function and why should Christians care?”.
Join us this week as we conclude our discussion of the question, "How does the church deal with racial issues?"
Join us this week as we continue our discussion of the question, "How does the church deal with racial issues?" Check out a great summary By Phil Vischer (creator of VeggieTales) of many of the issues we discussed In today’s episode. https://youtu.be/AGUwcs9qJXY *Correction for the “post-credits scene”: Phil Vischer is the voice of Bob the Tomato, not Larry the Cucumber as stated in the video.
Are Christians particularly susceptible to conspiracy theories? In this episode, we'll discuss that and the importance of being people of truth.