Ever Wonder Why Big Cultural Moments Leave You Feeling Empty?

Wretched Radio with Todd Friel

Fortis Institute

Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.8 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 9 February 2026

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Segment 1 • Massive cultural moments, like last night’s Superbowl, promise fulfillment but fade almost instantly. • The halftime show controversy shows us how our entertainment is driving moral numbness for our nation and world. • A sharp challenge: if the biggest moments don’t last, why do we keep living for them? Segment 2 • Here’s what suffering for Christ’s sake in our life tells us about the character and attributes of God. • God values something more than your comfort - and this changes everything in your life. • First Peter’s uncomfortable but hope-filled call to lift your eyes above temporary victories. Segment 3 • How sentimental slogans weaponize empathy and shut down moral clarity. • Phrases like “love is love” feel compassionate but smuggle in serious worldview assumptions. • A smarter approach: asking the right questions instead of taking rhetorical bait. Segment 4 • Bible sales are up—but biblical literacy may not be. • What church closures, entertainment trends, and AI-driven depravity reveal about spiritual decay. • A sobering reminder: sin never satisfies, no matter how advanced the technology gets. ___ Thanks for listening! Wretched Radio would not be possible without the financial support of our Gospel Partners. If you would like to support Wretched Radio we would be extremely grateful. VISIT https://fortisinstitute.org/donate/ If you are already a Gospel Partner we couldn’t be more thankful for you if we tried!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Wretched Radio begins in three, two, one.
0:07.0	Your first mission is to keep yourself happy.
0:11.0	It's living for self that is so exhausting and frustrating
0:14.0	because you were made to live for him.
0:18.0	So when you begin to please him, you begin to thrive. It's not a burden. It's not a duty. It's a joy. I come alive. This is what I was made for. It's time for Rretched Radio with Todd Freel. Tell me, what's the word I word of? I was being sarcastic, which is another big word you'll learn in school. What's the word on the street?
0:40.2	FIFA! I think that's how you say it.
0:42.9	This is Wretched Radio.
0:45.6	Sorry if you hear a noise in the background.
0:52.1	I'm just waiting for my phone to alert me to let me know when my new bad bunny downloads are going to hit. Because, oh, wow.
0:55.9	Can't get enough of that.
0:56.7	Was that music?
1:01.7	Now, you got the Olympics on the one hand, and you've got Andrea Boccelli, whether he was actually singing it or not, that's up for debate.
1:06.1	Nessundorma, perhaps one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever, outside of Christian stuff.
1:14.5	Just a gorgeous piece that is so identified with Italy, it's sword.
1:20.1	And then in America, at the Super Bowl, you got the bad bunny fellow, whose name I don't even
1:25.7	know, couldn't understand a single word that he said.
1:29.5	But apparently, actually, I do have my phone. Good thing. Because I was sent the text that Donald
1:36.5	Trump sent out about this. Now, thankfully, this didn't have any images on it. You know what I'm,
1:43.9	that was a weird deal too. The president sent out,
1:47.9	and by the way, I will be able to stay on one subject for more than eight seconds today at some
1:55.0	point. He sent out a video and it had images that were clearly racist of the Obamas at the very end.
2:03.1	He's claiming, I didn't see it.
	...

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