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Wretched Radio with Todd Friel

TRADING GLORY FOR A HOOK: WHAT HAPPENED TO CHRIST-EXALTING SONGS?

Wretched Radio with Todd Friel

Fortis Institute

Religion, Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.9 • 3.1K Ratings

🗓️ 5 May 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Segment 1



• Contemporary worship on YouTube is flooded with emotionally charged, man-centered music that feels more exhausting than edifying.



• Much of today’s worship music centers on emotionalism, not exalting Christ.



• When you hear biblically rich, Christ-centered lyrics like “The King in All His Beauty,” it’s clear—true worship exalts Jesus, not emotion, experience, or self.



Segment 2



• Churches are increasingly turning to recycled pop songs and rebranding them as worship music, blurring the lines between sacred and secular.



• The Catholic Church prepares for its next conclave this week which will select the new Pope.



• The bizarre tradition of showcasing the literal hearts of former popes—raising questions about relic worship and pagan parallels.



Segment 3



• “Side B Christianity,” which affirms same-sex attraction as identity but forbids action, is gaining ground in some corners of the PCA.



• The PCUSA has already shifted further, redefining missions as “whatever God is doing” and eliminating its missionary department entirely.



• Why our identity must be found in Christ, not our sinful proclivities.



Segment 4



• Odd stories from around the world–”Florida ants are the only animals besides humans that perform surgery.”



• Alpharetta Bible Church’s gospel-centered mission serves as a touchstone amid cultural confusion.



• Despite rising pornography use, the DSM-5 still contains no diagnostic category for it—underscoring how secular frameworks often ignore deep spiritual issues.



–



Preorder the new book, Lies My Therapist Told Me, by Fortis Institute Fellow Dr. Greg Gifford now! https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/liesmytherapisttoldme



–



Thanks for listening!



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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

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Richard Radio begins in three, two, one.

0:07.0

I started giving on that level so that God would owe me.

0:10.0

Whatever you do right now, don't you stop tithing?

0:13.0

Harvest responds only to seed, not to prayer.

0:17.0

This is not about material wealth.

0:20.0

This is about about material wealth.

0:24.0

This is about God in his providence,

0:26.3

orchestrating all of history in order to bring about that which we need more than anything else,

0:30.8

and that is to be rescued from God.

0:34.4

It's time for Wretched Radio with Totefriel.

0:37.8

From soul crushing to soul exulting.

0:42.1

This is, I hope so anyway, this is Wretched Radio.

0:45.1

We're simply going to share with you something that should make you go,

0:48.3

oh, yes, what is that something?

0:51.6

It is a video that I found on the YouTube machine. There I am,

0:55.4

trying to prepare the worship for Sunday morning. The theme, because we've got those at

0:59.9

Alfreda Bible Church, the theme, Jesus is coming back to separate the sheep from the goats.

1:07.0

What will that day look like for you? It'll either be the most transcendent, magnificent, breathtaking, and the best kind of way day,

1:17.0

if you're in Christ, if you're not, you're going to come apart.

1:20.7

It's going to be dreadful for you.

1:22.8

And I'm looking through the YouTube to find worship music that talks about the return of the king,

1:29.5

setting up his throne as he comes in glory with all of the angels.

...

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