Not Gullible with Vanessa Hunt

Vanessa
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  • Christianity

Faith, News and the Stories That Matter A Biblical View of the Week

  1. 3d ago

    Episode 32: Young adults cutting off parents for perceived "trauma"; Hosting down 71%

    This week on Not Gullible: A WSJ article highlights the trend of young people cutting off their families over things that used to be ordinary, life situations. And they're being egged on by therapists and algorithms. Plus, a survey released shows that hosting and being invited into homes is down 71%. How do these two stories tie together? We'll be talking about all of that and more in today's episode!  Follow me on Instagram

  2. Sep 25

    Episode 31: Greta Gerwig Makes Narnia About Her; Toys R Us is Back; Homeschooled Firefighter Rejected

    This week on Not Gullible: Modern writers/directors/producers see classic stories as simply raw material for their own subversive ends. Toys R Us is reopening stores but it's not all good news. And a volunteer firefighter is rejected from paid job because he was homeschooled. All of this and more in today's episode!  Follow me on Instagram

  3. Sep 18

    Episode 30: Don't Fall for the AI Psyop; Immigrant Act of 1882 & Sweden Election

    This week on Not Gullible: Trump administration is going to enforce a law from 1882 and save American taxpayers over $13 billion. And the recent election in Sweden is a cautionary tale about what happens when you import an entirely different demographic. Finally, Christians of all people should stop freaking out about everything including AI. All of this and more in today's episode!  Our first story this week centers around the Trump administration’s determination to enforce the long-standing Immigration Act of 1882 which prohibits entry into the United States of quote, “any convict, lunatic, idiot, or any person unable to take care of himself or herself without becoming public charge.” I’ll bet you’ve never heard that one before right? I kinda feel like this should be rules for your home if your adult children ever want to come back to live with you. Can’t be a convict, lunatic, idiot or require us to financially support you. Ok so getting back to the story now, ultimately this allows the Trump administration to deny green cards to immigrants who are likely to use federal welfare, food stamps or Medicaid and it would revoke the green cards of immigrants who are currently using these programs. This is expected to save American taxpayers over 13 BILLION dollars PER year. 13 BILLION…with a b. In response to this, 20 Democrat run states are now suing to block the enforcement of this existing law. Their argument seems to be that anybody from anywhere in the world should be allowed to come into our country, cross our borders both legally and illegally and immediately be entitled to our money. In a recent interview on the Don Lemon show, California Governor Gavin Newsom said, “We are the only state in America providing universal healthcare regardless of your immigration status. I know how offensive that is to people but we delivered that.”  What I find fascinating about that statement is that we’ve been repeatedly told that illegals weren’t getting healthcare paid for by taxpayers which everyone knew wasn’t true. But, as is the typical pattern, what was once declared to be not true eventually leads to an admittance that is true and it’s actually a good thing don’t ya know!  There is a depth to this issue that surpasses even what we can comprehend in terms of how greatly it’s impacting our nation. This story only highlights one prong of it. Green card applicants are supposed to be able to prove that they will contribute rather than be a drain on the system. But that’s not what is happening. And when you add that to those who are getting social services who are coming through the asylum and refugee system which has become a complete farce because ANYONE can claim that these days even though there is tons of evidence showing these people go back and forth to the countries that they are supposedly fleeing from out of fear for their lives. When you add that prong to the prong of people crossing the border illegally and getting social services its just unsustainable. And then you add in the prongs of citizens who are abusing the welfare system and it’s just an absolute disaster for us as a country. I cannot imagine for one minute thinking that I could apply for a green card to another country and expect THEIR taxpayers to fund my lifestyle including my healthcare. We have completely inverted who is actually selfish in this scenario.  Milton Friedman was an American economist and won the 1976 Nobel prize for his work. He famously said, “You cannot simultaneously have a welfare state and free immigration.” As I mentioned in the last episode, we have to stop caring about whether or not people say we aren’t being nice. We HAVE to stop being so gullible. The future of our nation depends on brave people willing to stand up and say that enough is enough.  Ok so our second story today is a quick one but it ties in with the first segment. A major election just took place in Sweden and they had the narrowest results in recent history. The left wing social democrats won and ousted the current leadership there which held a more center-right position. The most shocking part is that the left-wing would not have won if it weren’t for the fact that 70% of voters who are of non-European origin voted for them. Meaning that it was those who are not native to Sweden who tipped the scales. Even though the leadership elected in 2022 tried to curtail the sweeping waves of migrants coming into their country, it wasn’t enough and those are the people who then voted to oust them.  As our own government here in America fails to secure our elections largely thanks to the Republicans in congress, we have this two-fold problem of not only dealing with the very real issue of voter fraud but also the influx of entirely new voting blocks brought in purposely to influence the results. The likelihood is that this is it for Sweden. It’s hard to see how they will ever be able to reverse course. I fully expect to see the newly elected leadership in Sweden begin to make sweeping changes to their elections and enact new laws that will seal the deal and make it virtually impossible for them to ever lose power. It’s exactly what happened here in Oregon especially when mail-in-voting was made the ONLY way that we can vote in our elections. What happened in Sweden is a cautionary tale and evidence of what happens when you have massive demographic change all at once. I typically try to avoid talking about the Covid era because I think we all have some level of PTSD from that time period. But, my next story has a direct correlation to it so I feel like its important for us to look back a bit.  One of the things that truly baffled me when Covid hit was the complete panic and extreme fear among Christians. I can understand what it must feel like for these things to happen when you don’t have hope in Jesus but I have a much harder time understanding what I witnessed among those who profess faith in Him. There are many explanations for this but one big one I believe is that the majority of Christians in America today have never had to face any real hardships or challenges. Ours is a pretty cushy existence when you compare it to Christians in other parts of the world and especially throughout history.  We experienced a smidge of the panic during Y2k when everyone was filling up their bathtubs and taking out all of their money from the bank, but Covid was definitely next level. And it seems to me that very few lessons were learned from it. By now, though, we should all have our radar up and be able to detect when we are being whipped up into a panic. We should be able to recognize the signs of orchestrated manipulation but sadly, what I saw this week was reminiscent of cult leaders and false teachers who declare that the world is coming to an end on a very specific date.  I have heard words this week like apocalypse and human extinction and some of the people saying them are Christians. It’s like they’ve never actually read the Bible all the way through. And maybe they haven’t. But some of the people saying these things write for publications like The Gospel Coalition so there’s that. If you haven’t guessed yet, I’m talking about the conversations surrounding AI and if and how much the government should be involved in oversight. Now, people feel really passionately about AI so take a deep breath if your heart rate is going up already. My daughter who is an artist absolutely HATES AI and wants it banished. My son works in IT and cyber security so he has a totally different take on it. The fact of the matter is that AI is here and it doesn’t appear like it’s going to go away. Now things have really come to a head this week because there are certain people and groups really pushing for centralized control of AI and whenever I hear words like “centralized” and “control” the warning lights start going off in my mind. And when they are all saying the same thing at the same time, it’s like a neon sign that something is coming, or at least they are going to TRY and do something. Whether it was Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, suddenly this week we got this extreme push for the government to step in and take control. This all happened at the same time that the CEO of Anthropic, a company that touts itself as an AI safety and research business, well he declared that he has found an outside team that can regulate AI and quote unquote “Make sure it doesn’t destroy the world.” Who is this team comprised of you ask? Great question! Quoting now from the New York Post, “it’s a group of globalists who believe in open borders, genderless pronouns and promote effective altruism with the belief that all the world’s problems can be solved with technology.” I mean, what could possibly go wrong, right?  Essentially, Anthropic needs the government to give it control so that they can hold the top dog position and put all others out of business. It’s a monopoly. I’m not going to get further into the weeds with this but when it seems like all of the sudden there is this great panic coming from all sides and you feel like they are urging you to panic too you always have to stop and ask yourself, “WHO benefits from all of this?” Whether it’s the climate change hysterics which used to be the global warming hysterics or the end of times predictions or whatever the latest thing they want to use to whip people into a frenzy, Christians, of ALL people should be calm, level-headed, not fearful and exemplifying the hope we have in Christ to a watching world. Scared people are much easier to control and manipulate and we MUST not fall for this playbook again.  I want to read to you now from 1 Chronicles 29:11 which says, "Yours, O Lord, is the gre Follow me on Instagram

  4. Sep 11

    Episode 29: 9/11- We forgot; A challenge to women

    This week on Not Gullible: The lessons we learned on 9/11 seem to have been forgotten by far too many and what we are witnessing is that ideologies can make for strange bedfellows when they have a common enemy. Also, I have a challenge for Christian women in the face of these threats. All of this and more in today's episode.  Intro music: Welcome back friends! I’m so thrilled to be kicking off a new season of the show after taking some time off. I made the announcement online that I am now a contributing writer for Women in Apologetics which is a truly wonderful resource and I highly recommend you head over to follow them. I’m working on a very special project for them so I needed a few weeks to be able to focus on that and just have some breathing room as summer wraps up. This week has been a bit of a heavy one for me though as it’s the one year anniversary of the last time I saw my dad on this side of eternity. I spent time with my parents last September and it was such a sweet few days together at their home in Georgia. But it would end up being the last time I ever gave my dad a hug. He passed away suddenly in early November and I truly cherish that time I got to have with them. It’s also a hard week for everyone in the conservative community as we’ve reached the one year mark since Charlie Kirk’s assassination. The tragic and horrific loss of this incredible young man is still hard to comprehend. In addition, today marks the 25 anniversary of 9/11 and that’s what we are going to primarily be talking about in this episode. Because not only is it important to remember that day in history but I also feel a real sense of urgency to warn particularly women about what is happening all these years later.  MUSIC BREAK On September 11, 2001 I was awakened by a phone call by my sister. It was very early for us on the west coast so I knew that something was wrong. She told me to turn on the television and once I did I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I immediately got off with her and woke up my husband who came downstairs and we sank down on the couch in disbelief, our eyes never leaving the screen. Anyone who was above a certain age on that day remembers exactly where they were and what they were doing when the planes hit the World Trade Center towers. We’d never witnessed anything like it on American soil. And we certainly had never watched it happening on televisions in our own homes.  In the days that followed there was a buzz in the air everywhere went. People were grief-stricken, horrified, furious and scared. In the midst of all of this though there was a bond that formed. While it had obviously greatly impacted some people more than others, we had shared this awful experience together and everyone, no matter where they stood politically, everyone was proudly American. A year later, the slogan ‘never forget’ began to be used as we commemorated that terrible day.  And now, here we are 25 years and it seems like we did, in fact, forget. If you had told New Yorkers back then that their beloved city would someday be ruled over by an Islamist apologist named Zhoran Mamdani they would not have believed you. In fact, they would would have been angry at the suggestion. If you had told them that 25 years later their governor would happily don a hijab so that her hair was covered in the presence of Muslim men while she praised them and their influence on the state, they would have thought you were crazy. If you told them that the Islamic call to prayer would be blasted throughout many regions of New York they would have said you were delusional.  But that is exactly what is happening and it’s not only in New York. All over the US, the UK and other western nations we are seeing unprecedented numbers of Muslims, primarily young men, moving into areas and taking over and it’s all being facilitated and orchestrated behind the scenes. Just look up what happened recently in Ceuta, Spain if you haven’t seen that news.  September 11 was a bellwether moment. Most young people have no ideas what airports were like prior to that day. We didn’t have to take our shoes off or be patted down by TSA agents. We could walk our family members to their gates to say goodbye or wait right there for them to come off the plane again. There actually was NO TSA prior to September 11th. That government program was created on September 19th. And this was also the point when we began to hear the drumbeat of the phrase “Islam is a religion of peace.” Whether it was President George W. Bush or reporters on TV, we were constantly being fed this line.  And it’s a lie. It’s simply not true. Islam is only peaceful for those who submit to it.  MUSIC BREAK  Last week in a ceremony that was supposed to be honoring the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Mayor Zohran Mamdani did something that is being called a slap in the face to the victims and their families.  Reading now from a Fox News article about it, quote “Mamdani signed executive orders Friday ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, designating the date a citywide day of remembrance and service and strengthening efforts to prevent future terrorist threats. After signing the final order, Mamdani handed the pen to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and asked her to pass it to chief counsel Ramzi Kassem. Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, who pleaded guilty to war-crime charges tied to al Qaeda plots against commercial ships and was the brother-in-law of Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon, killing 184.”I It’s really important for people to understand that this was a very intentional message being communicated by Mamdani. Many people wrongly assumed that he was more of a cultural Muslim rather than somebody who fervently held to the ideology. But his selection of Ramzi Kassem to serve on his staff makes it obvious that something much more serious is going on.  Kassem was the attorney for Ahmed al-Darbi who pleaded guilty to war-crime charges tied to al Qaeda plots against commercial ships, including the 2002 bombing of a French oil tanker off Yemen’s coast. Al-Darbi’s sister was married to Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the hijackers aboard the plane that crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.  Not only that, but Mamdani’s own father wrote a book praising suicide bombers and their role as soldiers for the cause. I could go on and on about this and the many ways Islam is being embraced but hopefully you can understand why this is all so shocking and angering to the people of New York city.  What we are witnessing is the inevitable conclusion of the intersectionality crusade. If you don’t know what intersectionality is, let me quickly explain. It’s the idea that different parts of a person’s identity like the color of their skin, their gender, economic status, sexuality, abilities and anything else you can think of all overlap and intersect with each other and this creates a unique experience through which you face supposed bias or discrimination.  What does this have to do with Islam? Well, we are witnessing some alliances forming that you would never think would join forces. Specifically, we are seeing those on the left and ESPECIALLY feminists welcoming and cheering on the spread of Islam in their cities and nation. You’re seeing Muslims aligning with communists and vice versa.  But here’s the thing about intersections…when everyone is crossing at the same time you end up with major collisions. It baffled me for so long that liberal women who shout about feminism or proponents of LGBTQ would align with Islam because it’s not merely a religion, it’s an ideology, a political framework that infects every aspect of society. And you have women screeching endlessly about Christian nationalism and the patriarchy while embracing a type of patriarchy that when it’s established in a country would literally remove every single right or freedom they have and put them in burkas. I couldn’t understand how this could possible until I realized that while all of these different factions may claim varying identities like feminist or gay or Muslim, they all have one thing in common and that is that they HATE Christians.  Adherents to Islam have the advantage though. They rely on the gullibility and cognitive dissonance of these other factions. They know that any alliance they might have is a complete facade which will be dropped the moment they have the upper hand. This is why I believe the biggest threat to our way of life today is Islam. The feminists will realize when its too late. The socialist communists will be no match for Sharia law. Those who identify as LGBTQ will be thrown from rooftops. And we, Christians and all of those who resist, will be facing another Crusade. I don’t want my children or grandchildren to have to fight this battle when we have an opportunity to head it off at the pass. It’s going to require us to make some changes and I want to pose two challenges to women specifically.  MUSIC BREAK:  What I’ve witnessed recently with the reaction to the Lindsay Clancy trial, the ongoing support of Candace Owens to continue her relentless attacks on Ericka Kirk and insane theories about what happened to Charlie and so much more has led me to one conclusion…the Follow me on Instagram

  5. Aug 28

    Episode 28: Gentle Parenting vs. FoolAFO Parenting: Is that the only choice?

    This week on Not Gullible: In response to the trend of Gentle Parenting a new model has emerged which harkens back to days gone by. But are these the only two choices? In today's episode we take a look at each model and what the Bible says about how we should approach parenting.  INTRO A recent article in the Wall Street Journal, entitled ‘Goodbye Gentle Parenting, Hello F-Around and Find Out’ claims that, in response to the popular Gentle Parent movement, an even newer trend has emerged which has been coined the FAFO parenting model. For our sake I’m going to refer to this as the “FOOL” around and find out rather than use the other version. As the acronym unambiguously implies, this method harkens back to the days when children were allowed to experience the consequences of their choices. And in a culture where Gen Z young people are taking their parents with them to job interviews, it’s not difficult to see the appeal in a form of discipline that goes in the exact opposite direction of whatever led to that disfunction. Pendulums are going to do what pendulums are going to do.  According to the Cleveland Clinic, “The goal of gentle parenting is to raise confident, independent, and happy children through empathy, respect, and understanding and setting healthy boundaries. This parenting style focuses largely on age appropriate development instead of focusing on punishment and reward, gentle parenting focuses on improving a child's self-awareness and understanding of their own behavior." If you dig in deeper to this parenting philosophy you’ll discover that parents are to be considered more as a coach to their child and that there is a very heavy emphasis on telling misbehaving child how you feel when they, oh I don’t know, hit someone on the head. “Tommy, I feel sad that you hit that child with a hammer.” This is supposed to take the place of any kind of harsh consequence and somehow keep your child from hitting anyone else with a hammer. You are also supposed to encourage everyone in your child’s orbit to follow this same method. Grandparents, teachers, friends and anyone your child might encounter should approach them “gently”. Who could’ve guessed that there might be some blowback from this trend?  On the other end of the spectrum, the Fool around and find out Parents (probably the ones who have the kids Tommy hits with the hammer) are recognizing the problems with the Gentle Parents and their children and have decided to go back a generation or two in search of a different strategy. Like so many people lately, they have a sense of nostalgia about a time in which they never lived but which looks appealing in it’s simple, Blockbuster video, stay outside until the streetlights came on, pre-iPhone aesthetic. Of course, the idea of a TV commercial being created specifically to come on at 9pm to ask parents, “Do you know where your kids are?” might help to temper their eagerness for a repeat of that era. One of the dangers of nostalgia is the tendency to romanticize history, elevating all of the positives and never tempering them with the negatives. You simply can’t copy the parenting styles of yesteryear and paste them into today. So, when I first heard about FAFO parenting, all I could think was that it was both an oversimplification and an overcorrection which isn’t surprising considering what those pesky pendulums like to do. Anytime we stray from the Biblical model for our lives we run into problems.  Hebrews 12:6 says, “For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives.” We live in a very un-disciplined culture. Whether it’s spending hours doom scrolling, overspending, indulging in gluttony or simply adhering to basic forms of decency and propriety, the world has elevated disorder and chaos and attempted to gaslight us into thinking that this is what is good and beautiful. To discipline means to train someone to obey, often using consequences for failing to do so. People who have been disciplined are more like to become disciplined people, able to hold themselves to a standard that contributes to the flourishing of society. In our ‘you do you’ world, it’s not hard to see why there would be a rejection of discipline-based parenting model. But what has been constructed is a false dilemma where people think they must choose between these two extremes when the reality is that God provides us with a roadmap that encompasses all of the best elements of each of them.  Here are few key points to keep in mind: Understanding and teaching our children that they, like all of us, are born with a sinful nature doesn’t mean that we completely ignore our child’s emotional nature. Taking into consideration the personality traits of our kids is vital in how we parent them. A strong-willed child is going to respond to discipline completely differently than a more compliant child. While we want our kids to face the consequences of their choices we don’t need to lay aside our compassion in the process. Gentleness is a fruit of the spirit which means that God gets to define it. Being gentle is not about having a permissive attitude but rather showing restraint and humility. We reflect these qualities to our children when we remain calm and controlled as we discipline them. Real quote unquote “gentle” parenting reflects the Lord’s patience with us as He corrects and rebukes. Neglecting our God-given responsibilities as parents is a sin. We have been charged with stewarding our children and when we abdicate that role we are not following God’s design. We are to nurture, admonish and disciple. The intense love we feel for our kids should never lead to us being permissive or dismissive when it comes to behavior that dishonors us and the Lord.  MUSIC BREAK As long as we keep treating parenting like a trend the pendulum will keep swinging back and forth. Gentle parenting, at it’s best, reminds us that children are image bearers who desire to be understood. At it’s worst, it takes empathy and uses it as an excuse to keep kids from experiencing consequences. FAFO parenting at it’s best brings back the forgotten truth that actions do in fact have outcomes. At it’s worst, it mistakes hardness for holiness and nostalgia for wisdom. Neither extreme is the correct approach.  God’s design refuses this false choice. He disciplines those He loves yet he is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He names sin but recognizes personality and giftings. He sets boundaries without losing the relationship. This is the pattern we are called to follow with our children. We don’t have to choose between understanding a child’s heart and requiring obedience. Both can happen at once.  We can acknowledge temperament without surrendering authority. We can stay calm in correction because gentleness is not permissive; it’s self-control under pressure. Real biblical parenting looks like being present, clear and unwilling to abdicate the role God assigned to us. The point isn’t to raise children who never make a mess or never feel frustration. The point is to raise sons and daughters who will know that we love them too much to not set limits and that their choices carry weight. This is how we reflect God’s love to them here on earth.  Follow me on Instagram

  6. Jul 24

    Episode 27: Early Clues That Someone is a False/Squishy/Heterodox Teacher

    This week on Not Gullible: Is there a way to have an indication that a teacher or speaker suggested to you might not align with historic Christianity or maybe just be more squishy on foundational truths? In this episode I'm sharing the clues I look for before I ever dive further into their content.  Follow me on Instagram

  7. Jul 17

    Episode 26: Titus 2; Poll results prove my theory about the gap between younger and older women

    This week on Not Gullible: Younger women say they want discipleship from older women but my poll results reveal the truth. How do we bridge the gap and put the Titus 2 model into practice? I'm asking some tough questions and giving my perspective on the subject in this episode.  Follow me on Instagram

  8. Jul 10

    Episode 25: Christ or Chaos; King Charles breaks his oath; American woman murdered by Pakistani refugee

    This week on Not Gullible: King Charles breaks his oath. Does this mean he's no longer the head of the Church of England? And an American woman moves to Ireland where she falls in love with a Pakistani man who then murders her. Women have GOT to stop being so gullible! All of this and more on today's show.  Follow me on Instagram

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Faith, News and the Stories That Matter A Biblical View of the Week

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