What Easter Offers Each of Us: Faith, Redemption, and a Healthier America

On this Good Friday broadcast, Don Sweeting, Chancellor of Colorado Christian University, illuminates the profound significance of Holy Week, while Pam Long, Military Director of Children’s Health Defense, reports on the sweeping health policy changes underway at HHS.

The Meaning of the Cross and Resurrection

Start listening at 1:14 – Hour 1 Don Sweeting walks listeners through Holy Week, explaining how one-third of Jesus’ teachings recorded in the Gospels took place during this final week. He describes the cross as more than an instrument of execution, calling it an altar of sacrifice and the intersection of God’s love and justice.

“Think of it as the intersection of God’s love and justice, where God’s love for sinners and his justice against sin met.”Don Sweeting

Start listening at 19:53 – Hour 1 Sweeting addresses the mental health crisis among young people, connecting it to a deeper longing for meaning. He shares that The Economist interviewed him about a notable shift: Christianity’s decline has stopped, and young people are showing renewed interest in faith.

“Whoever’s listening to this, your life is not an accident. You are here for a purpose. God created you to know him.”Don Sweeting

Start listening at 27:30 – Hour 1 Discussing the reality of evil, Sweeting offers a memorable illustration: “Of all the Christian doctrines, the doctrine of original sin is the easiest one to prove. Empty your pockets. Show me your keys. What’s that key for? To lock my house. Why do you need to do that?”

Start listening at 49:41 – Hour 1 Sweeting connects Good Friday and Easter, explaining that focusing on the cross without the resurrection leads to gloomy Christianity, while focusing on the resurrection without the cross leads to triumphalism that doesn’t take sin seriously.

Transforming American Health Policy

Start listening at 60:05 – Hour 2 Pam Long provides a comprehensive overview of changes at HHS under Secretary RFK Jr., noting that the agency’s $2 trillion budget makes it the largest federal department.

Start listening at 74:24 – Hour 2 Long reports on vaccine policy reforms: Dr. Peter Marks, the top FDA vaccine official, resigned after disagreeing with Kennedy’s call for transparency. The February ACIP committee meeting was postponed, and the CDC was directed to create a tool disclosing conflicts of interest among advisory committee members.

Start listening at 84:08 – Hour 2 On nutrition, HHS is redesigning the food pyramid based on whole foods. Kennedy met with leaders from major food companies including Kraft, General Mills, and Pepsi to discuss eliminating harmful chemicals, particularly food dyes linked to behavioral problems in children.

Start listening at 86:07 – Hour 2 Long explains Operation Stork Feed, an initiative to remove heavy metals, corn syrups, and seed oils from infant formula, noting that U.S. formula differs significantly from European standards.

Start listening at 102:16 – Hour 2 Addressing military vaccine mandates, Long clarifies that while an executive order addressed COVID vaccine reinstatements, only 23 service members have returned. The influenza vaccine mandate remains in effect despite a Cleveland Clinic study showing negative efficacy.

Start listening at 110:09 – Hour 2 Kim closes the Good Friday program with a quote from William Penn: “No pain, no palm, no thorns, no throne, no gall, no glory, no cross, no crown.”