Gaines for Girls with Riley Gaines - Allie Beth Stuckey： Progressive Christianity Exposed ｜ The Riley Gaines Show

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00:02:03.840 Today, we are talking to Allie Beth Stuckey.

00:02:08.240 You'll see in today's episode, if you don't follow her online, if you don't watch her,

00:02:12.440 which you should, she has a podcast called Relatable with Allie Beth. 0.99

00:02:15.280 She is just an incredible disciple for Christ, and I would argue an expert in what it means

00:02:22.640 to be biblically literate.

00:02:25.520 Check it out here.

00:02:27.720 Well, Allie, thank you for joining the Riley Gaines Show.

00:02:30.980 When I first announced the show on social media, I put up like a little comment box, you know,

00:02:35.780 let me know who you want to see on the show.

00:02:37.280 And I had you as the most requested person to come on.

00:02:42.040 Oh, I know.

00:02:42.660 I'm so honored.

00:02:43.500 I love the show.

00:02:44.160 You're doing such a good job.

00:02:45.120 So, I'm so glad to come on.

00:02:46.660 You're so sweet.

00:02:47.520 Well, you are someone, truthfully, that I constantly and consistently watch to form a

00:02:53.060 lot of the thoughts that I have.

00:02:54.080 So, thank you for being so fierce and just keeping a basis of a biblical worldview.

00:03:02.640 I think that's few and far between, especially of these people, commentators and influencers,

00:03:07.200 if you will, online.

00:03:09.020 Before we get into anything, it was a big week for the state of Texas.

00:03:12.960 Of course, you are a Texan.

00:03:15.980 You had a pretty special role in the attorney general debate.

00:03:19.860 You got to moderate that.

00:03:21.020 Can you speak to some of the races that we saw in Texas this week and what that means going

00:03:25.820 into midterms into the next few years?

00:03:28.400 Yeah, I had an interesting perspective on the Texas attorney general debate.

00:03:32.160 I think a lot of people don't really pay attention to the attorney general position.

00:03:37.160 And not every state, this isn't always an elected position, but in the state of Texas,

00:03:40.840 it is.

00:03:41.460 And we reached out to the attorney general association and just said, we want to host

00:03:46.140 a debate.

00:03:46.540 We thought it would be fun.

00:03:47.980 And so, I really got a front row seat to see, okay, not only what policies do these attorney

00:03:53.060 general candidates represent, but also what is their personality?

00:03:56.940 For the top lawmaker in the state or the law enforcer in the state, rather, I want them

00:04:01.880 to be aggressive.

00:04:02.720 I want them to be assertive.

00:04:04.000 I want to see moral clarity from them on what good versus evil is and, like, how are you

00:04:09.960 going to use your power to make sure, for example, if a student is not abiding or a school

00:04:15.360 rather is not abiding by Title IX, is not abiding by the law, that you should not be allowing

00:04:21.960 boys into girls' restrooms. 0.99

00:04:23.420 I want to know, what are you as the attorney general going to do about that?

00:04:27.120 That is in a runoff.

00:04:28.200 So, we've got Congressman Chip Roy, a Republican representative, and we've got state senator

00:04:33.520 Mays Middleton, who doesn't actually have any lawyer experience, which is not necessarily

00:04:39.640 a bad thing.

00:04:40.460 He's just bringing a different kind of experience to the table.

00:04:43.500 I actually think my opinion is that either of those guys could beat the Democrat for attorney

00:04:47.860 general in Texas.

00:04:48.960 Not worried about that race. 0.99

00:04:50.860 What I'm more worried about is the Senate race.

00:04:53.000 Right now, we're in a runoff between John Cornyn, who has been the Republican senator from

00:04:57.580 Texas for a very long time, and then we've got Kim Paxton, who is the previous Texas

00:05:02.100 Attorney General, very aggressive on conservative policy.

00:05:06.460 A lot of people like him.

00:05:07.640 Turning Point USA endorsed him.

00:05:09.680 But he's got some personal things in his past.

00:05:13.100 He's had some very open public marriage problems, different kinds of allegations related to that.

00:05:19.580 And the only reason I bring that up is because whoever wins that runoff will be going against

00:05:24.620 a state representative named James Tallarico, who is extremely progressive.

00:05:30.460 And why I find him very troubling is because he kind of weaves in his form of Christian theology

00:05:35.180 into justifying his unfettered support of abortion, believing that boys can become girls,

00:05:40.700 all kinds of extremist progressive positions.

00:05:42.980 He presents in a way that's like, OK, these positions are not only sane, but they're also

00:05:47.420 holy.

00:05:48.020 They're also what Jesus would think about abortion and gender and all of these things.

00:05:51.260 And his Christian, a Christian schtick is actually very persuasive, I think, for a lot of moderates

00:05:56.700 and independents that might be turned off by some of Paxton's like personal things and

00:06:02.100 maybe even just his aggressive disposition.

00:06:04.320 And so I just encourage the Texans out there when you are voting for someone in this runoff

00:06:09.840 to vote for the person.

00:06:11.140 I'm not even giving my opinion on who this is, but vote for the person, especially for

00:06:14.840 Senate that you think will beat the Democrat.

00:06:17.540 That's really all that matters.

00:06:18.860 Whatever you think about their past record, whatever you think they're going to do once

00:06:22.680 they're in office, they will be better than James Tallarico.

00:06:26.160 So vote for the person that you think gives us the best chance to beat him in November.

00:06:30.920 Yeah.

00:06:31.620 And James Tallarico, of course, he beat Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.

00:06:35.780 And in watching some of the clips that I have seen surface online of James Tallarico and

00:06:40.780 his stance on several of these, especially cultural issues, I think this is far more consequential.

00:06:46.620 Him being the Democratic nominee, as opposed to Jasmine Crockett, because what Jasmine Crockett 0.60

00:06:50.520 does is she argues politics.

00:06:53.340 Now, whether she does that effectively or intellectually, that's up for debate.

00:06:57.320 But she argues politics.

00:06:59.380 Tallarico, as you alluded to, he argues that Jesus supports progressive ideology.

00:07:05.760 So one is partisan.

00:07:06.960 The other one reframes Christianity itself.

00:07:09.680 Now, we actually have a video really quick.

00:07:11.480 Let's play it of James Tallarico.

00:07:14.240 Before we go further, I want to acknowledge that our trans community needs abortion care

00:07:18.760 too.

00:07:20.620 Defending trans Texans is something we have to do every day at the state capitol.

00:07:25.400 And you better believe I'll be giving sermons on that too.

00:07:28.580 So when I use the word woman, it should not be understood as an exhaustive term, but rather

00:07:33.140 as a, as a lens through which to understand, examine and interrogate patriarchy, similar

00:07:40.940 to how we specify anti-black racism.

00:07:43.260 He's talking trans and abortion and anti-black racism and patriarchy and the word woman, like

00:07:48.940 there were so many buzzwords in like a 20 second clip.

00:07:52.660 I can't even keep up.

00:07:54.300 What in the world does that mean?

00:07:56.100 Like, okay, you're bringing a woman into the emergency room and she's got like uterine 1.00

00:08:01.240 pains and you're like, Hey, this woman has pains. 1.00

00:08:04.040 And the doctor is like, do you mean biological woman?

00:08:06.360 Or are you talking about the mechanism by which we are trying to tear down the patriarchy?

00:08:12.720 I need to know before figuring this out.

00:08:14.900 This is such a convoluted way to see the world.

00:08:17.340 And when you listen to this presented as a sermon, not just, you know, a politician behind

00:08:22.260 a podium, but really like a preacher behind a pulpit saying that it's okay, moral, normal

00:08:30.280 to transition to the opposite sex.

00:08:32.160 That's one position that he articulated and that these people who transition to the opposite 0.98

00:08:36.080 sex, particularly trans men need the legal taxpayer funded right to kill their unborn 1.00

00:08:41.780 children. 1.00

00:08:42.260 And also when I say woman, I'm talking about dismantling the patriarchy, not actually what

00:08:46.660 it means by woman. 0.81

00:08:47.340 And also I am talking about the systemic racism that plagued our country today.

00:08:53.180 I mean, he got that all into like a 30 second clip that he is sermonizing in front of a

00:08:59.100 church.

00:08:59.440 And so I think you're absolutely right that this is more troubling to me than Jasmine

00:09:02.960 Crockett. 0.99

00:09:03.460 She was kind of a ridiculous person. 0.99

00:09:04.880 Of course, she's got bad policies, but this person is also appealing to spiritual seekers. 0.99

00:09:09.740 He is kind of like the left-wing atheist version of a good Christian, someone who is locked 0.98

00:09:16.280 up with a secular world when it comes to every issue is not really interested in the exclusivity

00:09:21.260 of Jesus or sin, repentance, or salvation, but simply sees Jesus as a mascot, as a means

00:09:26.580 to his progressive ends.

00:09:29.100 And I'm more concerned, even more concerned about the effect that that has on people's

00:09:34.000 souls than I am the effect of his policies on our country.

00:09:38.780 Yeah, that's right.

00:09:40.020 And in watching this, is he himself, is he a pastor?

00:09:44.020 He's not.

00:09:46.340 He comes from a line of pastors.

00:09:48.340 He says that his grandfather was a pastor, maybe even his father too.

00:09:52.440 He definitely has the oratory skills and the cadence of a preacher, which I think has probably

00:09:58.140 really helped him in his political career.

00:10:00.660 Yeah, which is, again, another concerning thing.

00:10:03.520 Yep.

00:10:04.480 To that point, do you think that churches in general, Bible-believing churches, or at least

00:10:10.100 those that claim to be, do you think that they are doing enough to disciple people in

00:10:16.140 this culture that is increasingly hostile to Christian beliefs?

00:10:20.900 Yeah, I mean, obviously I want politicians to oppose and completely conquer the policies

00:10:26.760 that are represented.

00:10:27.420 But even more than that, I want pastors to stand up and to speak the truth in opposition

00:10:32.800 to what he's saying, because right there, he's not saying primarily political or culture

00:10:37.380 war things.

00:10:37.800 He's making theological statements.

00:10:39.660 He's saying that Genesis 127 isn't true, which says that God made us in his image, male

00:10:45.000 and female, he created us.

00:10:46.700 He was on Joe Rogan, I'm sure your listeners and viewers know, several months ago, saying

00:10:51.120 that the reason that he supports abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, so poisoning,

00:10:55.560 dismembering of babies, is because Mary consented to being pregnant with Jesus, which, by the

00:11:01.640 way, what he said actually happened, and that interaction between Gabriel and Mary isn't

00:11:06.220 even true.

00:11:07.020 But even if it was an accurate description, using the conception of Jesus to justify violently

00:11:14.520 butchering babies in the womb is absurd, and it's evil.

00:11:18.460 And so pastors, when the political becomes theological, which, when it comes to sexuality and gender

00:11:24.460 in marriage and abortion, it is theological, they've got the responsibility to say something 0.59

00:11:29.820 because this is their turf.

00:11:32.000 And pastors who are unwilling to talk about abortion and things like that, it's not that

00:11:35.780 they're unwilling to be political, you're unwilling to be biblical, because the Bible is so clear

00:11:39.960 on all of these issues.

00:11:41.300 When politicians get into your turf, then it is your responsibility as the shepherd of your

00:11:46.260 flock to say something about it.

00:11:48.380 Yeah, you know what a big red flag for me was, and ultimately led me to switching churches.

00:11:53.320 I went to the same church my entire life, but it was actually after President Trump was

00:11:57.700 shot at back in 2024, leading up to, of course, the election.

00:12:02.180 I go to church the next Sunday, and I wasn't expecting my pastor, my preacher, to stand up

00:12:07.600 there and deliver this overly political sermon.

00:12:09.920 That's not what I was expecting.

00:12:11.280 But of course, I recognized the moment that we were in, and I was certainly expecting us

00:12:16.700 to pray, not just for Donald Trump even, but for the direction of our country.

00:12:20.640 But I didn't get that.

00:12:22.320 My pastor didn't mention the circumstances situation at all, and it was a big red flag

00:12:27.160 to me.

00:12:27.660 And so I ended up looking into my church, ultimately switching church after I found other things

00:12:32.340 that didn't necessarily align with the life that I want to live and the Christ that I

00:12:36.800 follow.

00:12:38.300 Flash forward several months to Charlie Kirk's assassination.

00:12:41.740 I go to church, and my pastor, the message that he delivered was so very needed, and every

00:12:47.680 single seat in that entire church was filled by people who were desperate to hear that message.

00:12:53.260 So now I have confirmation, I believe, that I'm at a place that fulfills the need that both

00:12:59.220 me and my husband spiritually have from a biblical lens.

00:13:03.380 And in listening to you talk about James on Joe Rogan, it reminded me of you on the Jubilee

00:13:09.560 forum, the debate that you had.

00:13:13.340 Can you kind of explain the setup of this?

00:13:16.380 And if you were nervous going into this, because admittedly, they have asked me to engage in this

00:13:22.220 debate format before, but truthfully, I was very scared to do that.

00:13:29.080 It's a pretty nerve-wracking thing, no?

00:13:31.280 Yeah.

00:13:31.900 And if you do decide to do that, we can talk beforehand, and I can tell you what I learned

00:13:36.660 and my tips going into it.

00:13:38.040 I do just want to say something about the story that you told about switching churches.

00:13:42.820 I think so many people can relate to that.

00:13:44.920 And I always want to make clear my perspective that a pastor isn't a newscaster, and a pastor

00:13:50.360 isn't bound to the 24-minute news cycle that we have, and they're not politicians.

00:13:55.200 However, when something major happens that you know your entire congregation was disturbed

00:13:59.960 by or wondering about, like President Trump almost being assassinated, like Charlie Kirk

00:14:04.380 being assassinated, I believe that it is your responsibility to shepherd your flock with

00:14:09.800 clarity and compassion.

00:14:11.660 It doesn't have to be that you are going through every political position and talking point and

00:14:16.020 all of that.

00:14:16.680 But it's to acknowledge that this happened and then to give them clarity from the Word

00:14:20.720 of God.

00:14:21.560 And I always tell pastors that do a great job of this, because there are so many pastors

00:14:25.200 who do, that a clear and courageous pastor makes my job, makes your job, Riley, a lot

00:14:31.440 easier.

00:14:32.160 Because when Christians are leaving church every Sunday and they're like, okay, yeah, I got 1.00

00:14:37.140 a good story, but I'm still totally unsure about what to think about this subject.

00:14:41.740 Wait, does the Bible have anything to say about abortion or gender or even immigration?

00:14:46.080 I'm left still really confused about what I should clearly think about these issues.

00:14:50.820 And so they have to tune into Relatable or the Riley Gaines show to get any clarity.

00:14:55.560 Obviously, we want people to tune into us.

00:14:57.700 That's part of why we exist.

00:14:59.060 But I want to be a fun addition to People's Week.

00:15:01.820 I want to be like auxiliary to people's walk with Christ.

00:15:05.760 I don't want to be the main or the only source of clarity and truth that they have in their

00:15:09.580 lives.

00:15:10.020 I want their pastor to be that.

00:15:11.720 I want their husbands to be that if they're married. 0.98

00:15:13.580 And then I can, you know, add a little spice and information to their day.

00:15:18.100 But when people are getting more clarity from podcasters than from pastors, we've got a

00:15:22.440 big, we've got a big problem.

00:15:24.160 So I just wanted to give my soapbox it.

00:15:27.300 All right.

00:15:27.680 Jubilee.

00:15:28.940 Jubilee was very nerve wracking.

00:15:30.780 I remember when I was originally asked to do it, it was, you know, go against these 20 so-called 0.83

00:15:35.520 progressive Christians, which is kind of like the perfect niche for me.

00:15:39.480 I will not.

00:15:40.360 I'm not the kind of person that will debate on anything.

00:15:42.120 I'm not like Charlie, who really could just pull anything out of his hat at any moment,

00:15:47.200 no matter what the question was, and always have this very historically precise answer.

00:15:51.580 I know my range and I know the realm that God has like given me some wisdom in.

00:15:58.600 And so I stuck right there, like within my niche, because I kind of battled these progressive

00:16:05.040 so-called Christian arguments all day.

00:16:08.100 And I knew that I could probably hold my own, but I was nervous going in.

00:16:11.920 And this was the last texting conversation that Charlie and I had because he had gone on Jubilee,

00:16:18.140 crushed it, but they were very cruel to him, very harsh, very intense towards him.

00:16:22.700 And I just remember texting him, asking him, you know, what should I do?

00:16:25.600 How should I think about it?

00:16:26.880 And as you experienced too, and your friendship with him, he was such an encourager, just gave

00:16:32.220 me so much wisdom, said, you know, I'm praying for you.

00:16:34.640 He was so excited for me.

00:16:36.620 And the filming of Jubilee was the day before his memorial.

00:16:41.280 And so it was a crazy weekend.

00:16:43.180 We were all sad, tired.

00:16:44.980 It was hectic.

00:16:46.200 I didn't want to do it.

00:16:47.300 The last thing I wanted to do was be surrounded by a bunch of liberals.

00:16:51.120 But let me tell you, when I walked in and everyone is super serious, it's very hot in

00:16:55.720 that room.

00:16:56.920 It's very like an intense, just, just feeling.

00:17:00.800 I walk in and the first person comes to approach me.

00:17:05.080 And the first thing that he says, and they didn't leave this in the final cut of the debate,

00:17:10.120 he just reaches out his hand and he says, I'm so sorry about your friend, Charlie.

00:17:14.480 And when he did that, it just felt for me, at least that the tension just melted and that

00:17:21.400 I was like, okay, like I'm not actually doing this to try to defeat this person or to own

00:17:27.980 this person, but to persuade this person, because wow, this is like a person made in God's image

00:17:32.880 whose soul I care about.

00:17:34.000 So like, how can I charm them?

00:17:35.740 How can I try to persuade them?

00:17:37.860 And when I shifted my mentality to that, rather than just thinking about the camera and what

00:17:42.040 the audience is going to think, I actually think that's what helped me try to really win them

00:17:48.040 over.

00:17:49.400 That would be my biggest tip to anyone in a debate.

00:17:52.160 Don't worry about like what's going to be clipped and like how to get the right talking

00:17:55.500 point in, or if you're going to get trapped, like try to persuade them.

00:17:58.980 And that does take some logical jujitsu and all of that kind of stuff, which I can get

00:18:03.080 into.

00:18:04.220 But yeah, I was nervous.

00:18:06.120 And then I just really felt like the Holy Spirit met us there and it ended up being a

00:18:10.020 productive dialogue.

00:18:11.800 Well, and what I saw in watching the debate online, of course, the clips, I think you really

00:18:18.040 did just that.

00:18:19.340 And not just the 20 progressive Christians in the room, but the millions and millions of

00:18:23.640 people who interacted with this clip as well.

00:18:26.740 I think you did a really, really beautiful job of that.

00:18:29.920 And you mentioned Charlie and just the kind of friend that he was to you, obviously how

00:18:36.220 intellectual, how effective he was in communicating, especially in influencing my generation, young

00:18:43.080 men, young women who are just like me, recent college graduates.

00:18:46.620 I mean, that was his, his passion.

00:18:48.160 And since his murder, we have seen just some of the most crazy and insane and profitable,

00:18:55.600 quite frankly, conspiracy theories that are circulating online surrounding his death, who

00:19:02.120 was involved in his death.

00:19:04.140 And I don't even know if it's worth mentioning the names or what those conspiracy theories are,

00:19:09.640 but I took so much comfort and strength truthfully and watching you come out very quickly and

00:19:19.260 combating that and combating it with the truth from a biblical lens.

00:19:26.460 And because of that, you have people like Candace Owens who says that, you know, you're using

00:19:30.060 the Bible as a shield, just some of the most crazy things.

00:19:33.520 But I guess I just wanted to ask you, how do you personally decide when to speak out versus

00:19:39.560 when to stay silent on a trending controversy?

00:19:42.680 Because for me, honestly, as someone who's called courageous and brave all the time, I

00:19:48.680 was a coward initially.

00:19:51.040 Charlie was a friend of mine. 0.94

00:19:52.600 He was a mentor.

00:19:53.500 He was technically my boss at Turning Point USA.

00:19:55.940 But I didn't know what my role in defending him and his legacy and his wife and the organization

00:20:01.500 that he dedicated his adult life to.

00:20:04.240 I didn't know what role I had there.

00:20:06.580 But watching you so beautifully do this, it gave me a lot of courage.

00:20:11.560 Look, I think it's really hard to know, especially when it's something that is personal.

00:20:16.020 It's one thing when it's an issue.

00:20:18.160 Sometimes we look at an issue or an event that happened and I might say, you know what?

00:20:22.900 I don't really know that I have a lot to contribute to that.

00:20:25.020 That's not my area of expertise.

00:20:26.840 I don't, you know, I'm not the top expert on geopolitics.

00:20:31.080 So maybe I'll just give my Christian perspective, but I'm not going to be like leading the leading

00:20:35.420 voice about like the war in Iran.

00:20:37.880 That's just not what people are coming to me for.

00:20:40.320 And I can say my piece and just kind of move on from that.

00:20:43.380 Sometimes there are stories like I remember with the Russia collusion thing.

00:20:47.460 I ended up never covering that on my podcast because I'm like, that story got away from

00:20:51.160 me.

00:20:51.380 And now I don't even know what's happening.

00:20:52.900 I'm just going to let Dan Bongino and other people talk about that.

00:20:55.860 I think that's fine.

00:20:56.600 You have to pick and choose because you don't have the capacity to talk about everything.

00:20:59.800 You don't have the capacity to know everything about everything.

00:21:03.400 And there are so many different commentators.

00:21:05.480 I think that we like really have to stay within the niche in which God has placed us and just

00:21:10.740 do our very best there.

00:21:12.440 Like, what is my audience?

00:21:14.000 What are they craving when it comes to clarity?

00:21:16.580 What are they confused about?

00:21:17.840 What kind of traps of deception do I see them falling into?

00:21:21.560 And am I falling into those traps?

00:21:23.600 Do I have experience in that area?

00:21:25.660 Do I have wisdom and experience that I can give my audience?

00:21:28.880 Am I helpful in this or am I just going to contribute more confusion because I don't

00:21:34.620 have it figured out myself when it came to the whole Candace thing, basically making all

00:21:39.960 these kinds of insinuations about people who were close to Charlie, not based on evidence,

00:21:44.140 but based on hunches, based on different alleged patterns that she claimed to see.

00:21:48.360 And I just didn't see truthfulness behind the things that she was saying or a lot of substance.

00:21:53.020 And, you know, I can't say, oh, I was so courageous and clear out front because honestly, for a

00:21:58.760 while I had so many people messaging me and saying, what do you think about this?

00:22:02.760 What do you think about this?

00:22:03.500 What do you think about this?

00:22:04.280 I don't want to say anything about it.

00:22:05.800 I just didn't.

00:22:06.740 I didn't want to comment on it.

00:22:07.980 And so I started just kind of saying things, not trying to attack anyone, but just to say,

00:22:13.500 hey, guys, like insinuation and investigation aren't the same thing.

00:22:17.700 Implication and critical thinking aren't the same thing.

00:22:20.560 Asking questions is good, but questions framed as accusations or accusations framed as questions

00:22:25.680 actually have the power to ruin people's lives.

00:22:27.840 And we just need to be really, really sure about the things we say because we're actually

00:22:31.440 judged by the things we say.

00:22:33.440 We're going to have to give an account to Jesus about all of the things that we say.

00:22:37.220 So we just need to be really careful, not only about what we're saying, but what we're

00:22:40.020 listening to.

00:22:40.660 And especially if we're believing allegations that have the potential to really harm people.

00:22:45.740 I'm all for questioning the government, by the way.

00:22:48.160 I'm all for questioning the FBI, state authorities, media narratives.

00:22:52.080 That's all fine.

00:22:53.480 But I am going to stop short of making public allegations or insinuations about people based

00:23:00.040 on no evidence, you know?

00:23:02.200 Um, and so I would say all of that, but I didn't want to like mention any names because

00:23:07.840 there was a level of fear in me.

00:23:09.860 And there was also a level of like, I want to maintain alliances and friendships.

00:23:13.200 Maybe there was like some pure motivations behind that, but there was definitely fear

00:23:17.580 because like, you're not only afraid of someone attacking you, but if someone doesn't have

00:23:23.760 moral limits and someone is willing to lie just like completely, then there's really

00:23:28.940 no, like there's no parameters around what a person could try to do to you.

00:23:34.580 And I understand why people would be fearful of that.

00:23:37.700 But ultimately, and there's been a lot of different times in my career like this, where

00:23:41.100 I had to face my own cowardice and say, why am I not being clearer about this?

00:23:46.200 And so that's when I just came out.

00:23:47.620 I tried to be as gracious as possible.

00:23:50.880 And yes, one of the things that she tried to hit me on was using scripture and trying

00:23:54.960 to like, I don't know, use scripture for my brand.

00:23:57.540 Of course, I'm a Christian.

00:23:58.500 That's what Christians do.

00:23:59.620 Christians use the word of God because we actually don't think our wisdom and knowledge

00:24:03.380 and strength comes from our, comes from ourselves.

00:24:06.060 I actually don't think I have as much to offer as the word of God does.

00:24:09.920 And so, yeah, I'm always going to be seeking truth and seeking clarity from that.

00:24:13.540 That's what I do on every episode and in confronting that, I wanted to also use the truth of God's

00:24:20.160 word and I won't apologize for that at all or change that part of what I do.

00:24:24.240 But it was scary.

00:24:25.720 And, you know, I still wonder sometimes I'm like, do I still have a role in this?

00:24:30.700 Is there something else that needs to be said?

00:24:33.540 Like, am I being cowardly?

00:24:35.560 Am I being discerning?

00:24:37.720 Can I contribute anything that would be helpful or have I done my part?

00:24:42.840 And I just need to stay in my lane and focus on what I need to focus on.

00:24:46.240 I don't know what you think about that, but I think it can be difficult to make those kinds

00:24:51.240 of decisions in the midst of it.

00:24:53.540 Got PC optimum points?

00:24:55.200 Visit Shoppers Drug Mart for the bonus redemption event and get more for your points.

00:24:59.040 Friday, March 6th to Wednesday, March 11th.

00:25:01.080 Valid in-store and online.

00:25:05.840 No, I absolutely agree.

00:25:07.920 Um, I think there's almost this level of pressure and I don't know if it's, it's self-inflicted,

00:25:15.140 uh, where you feel as if, at least speaking for myself, I feel as if I need to comment

00:25:19.680 on everything because of the platform that I have, because there are millions of people

00:25:24.200 who follow you on Instagram and, and X or Tik TOK, whatever it is, you feel as if there's

00:25:29.160 an obligation to speak on every single thing.

00:25:31.440 And it is so funny, um, actually attempted to do a podcast episode with my husband who

00:25:39.140 grew up in the middle East actually, in Kuwait and Dubai, he lived over there.

00:25:42.760 So he's like my foreign policy expert, if you will.

00:25:47.260 Um, we attempted to do a podcast episode talking about Iran.

00:25:50.780 It was so bad that I was like, why did I even just do that?

00:25:54.740 Like we filmed it, we did it, cut it up, put it together.

00:25:57.280 And then I'm like that, just as you just said, it's like, my audience is not coming to me

00:26:02.180 for that.

00:26:02.840 I need to remove this pressure from myself to speak to things that truthfully I feel

00:26:07.280 ill informed about.

00:26:09.220 So I absolutely agree with you.

00:26:11.060 And it's kind of funny.

00:26:11.780 You say that.

00:26:12.840 Yeah.

00:26:13.480 I think it's funny that you even, I think it's great that you even like tell that story

00:26:17.940 though, because all of us have had moments like that.

00:26:20.880 Like I actually prepared an episode the other day and I was going to respond to Huckabee

00:26:26.720 and, um, Tucker and some of the things they said, which I had done to the Ted Cruz, uh,

00:26:32.720 interview.

00:26:33.120 And I really felt equipped to do that for the Ted Cruz interview.

00:26:35.980 I like had a whole document prepared and I was looking at this.

00:26:38.740 I was like, I don't freaking know enough geography for this.

00:26:41.420 And I could go up there and read this document, but I'm not going to be confident because it's

00:26:46.200 going out of the realm of theology into the realm of geopolitics into the realm of like

00:26:51.040 geographical history.

00:26:52.440 And I am not going to get up there and pretend like I'm an expert on it because I'm not.

00:26:56.060 So yeah, I think it's just a part of like, of learning and learning your limits.

00:27:00.280 And there's actually a lot of freedom, like to stay within your limits.

00:27:04.220 Totally.

00:27:04.880 It is.

00:27:05.440 It's almost like a liberating feeling when you understand the people who watch you or follow

00:27:10.900 you or what they're looking for advice on.

00:27:12.640 And if you're able to deliver that in a way that I think impacts someone, even if it's

00:27:17.880 just one person's life or how they think in a way that is beneficial or good, um, it is,

00:27:23.740 it's liberating.

00:27:24.360 It's a, it's a satisfactory feeling.

00:27:26.720 Yeah, totally.

00:27:28.400 Following Charlie's assassination and in talking about some of these bad actors, uh, I think

00:27:34.640 we've witnessed a fracture amongst the conservative movement.

00:27:39.100 Do you view Charlie in a similar light that I do where he really was like a connecting

00:27:46.020 fiber and a coalition builder, kind of like the glue of the conservative movement.

00:27:51.700 And in that, I guess, looking forward, there's kind of two ways you can handle this.

00:27:56.400 You could overlook some of the things and, you know, kind of hold hands and unite.

00:28:01.840 We hear this all the time.

00:28:02.660 We need to unite if we want to win the midterms in 2028 or 2026, whatever it is.

00:28:08.520 Um, or do you feel it necessary to call out the bad actors?

00:28:15.200 You know, I've debated this a lot.

00:28:17.180 There was definitely a time when I was kind of thinking, at least in my mind, like, yes,

00:28:22.760 no enemies to the right, especially after Charlie, because I'm like, okay, clearly this is the

00:28:27.460 one enemy.

00:28:28.640 I need to like focus all of my attention on this radical form of progressivism that is 1.00

00:28:33.520 killing people or is motivating people to kill people on our side and to kill Christians. 0.96

00:28:39.180 But then, you know, as I've started thinking about it, especially as we see so much fracturing 0.99

00:28:43.300 on the right, I'm like, gosh, defining your terms though, is so important.

00:28:47.260 What does it mean to be on the right?

00:28:48.680 What does it mean to be a conservative?

00:28:51.040 Because the reason why it's so much harder to unite and build things on the right than it

00:28:55.100 is on the left, it's actually a feature of progressivism versus conservatism.

00:29:00.400 Progressivism is trying to destroy.

00:29:01.940 They want to dismantle the system.

00:29:04.300 They want to dismantle Western civilization.

00:29:06.480 They don't think America and how it's built or even the constitution is good.

00:29:10.120 So they want to tear it down.

00:29:11.160 If you're tearing down a building, you don't have to agree with the people who are trying

00:29:14.680 to tear it down with you.

00:29:15.840 Okay, you use a mallet.

00:29:17.260 I'll use a bulldozer.

00:29:18.720 You take the roof.

00:29:19.900 You take this.

00:29:20.440 It doesn't really matter.

00:29:21.600 You just whack at it until it's destroyed.

00:29:23.480 But if you're trying to build something, which I would say conservatives are trying to do,

00:29:27.540 you're trying to preserve and build something good.

00:29:29.380 You have to agree on the foundation.

00:29:31.000 You have to agree on the materials.

00:29:32.340 You have to agree on who does what and what tools you use.

00:29:34.820 And that is a lot harder, which is why we have so much debate and disagreement on our

00:29:39.100 side, which is not inherently a bad thing.

00:29:41.820 But we have to agree on the foundation.

00:29:44.160 If we don't agree on the foundation of what we are, who we are, and what we're trying to

00:29:48.780 build, then none of the other debates that we have really matter.

00:29:52.180 So can you be a conservative and believe that, I don't know, like that Islam is not, that 0.98

00:30:01.760 Judaism is a bigger threat than Islam or like whatever it is, that Israel is a bigger threat 1.00

00:30:06.200 than the radical Islamification that we see in our country.

00:30:09.340 Can you be a conservative and reject the idea that we are all made in God's image and that

00:30:14.780 we were all given inherent rights by a creator?

00:30:17.460 So those are the things fundamentally we just need to decide.

00:30:21.980 And maybe the Israel question isn't even like part of the fundamental identity debate

00:30:27.040 that we need to be having, although it seems to be like a center of so much of our disagreement.

00:30:31.980 But we just need to be able to define our terms and work from there, because I'm not sure

00:30:35.980 that everyone who calls themselves on the right, like is actually on the right.

00:30:40.520 And I think it's okay for us to say that, but we need to come to a consensus on what

00:30:46.540 that actually looks like.

00:30:48.300 Yeah, I think there's a lot of people, to your point, who kind of hide under the cloak

00:30:51.940 of conservatism.

00:30:53.200 Even people like Nick Fuentes, who took to X the other day and tweeted, after the strikes

00:30:57.920 in Iran, you know, are you still happy with your vote for Trump?

00:31:01.420 And it's like, yes, yes, I very much am.

00:31:05.700 Like, what's the point you're trying to make here?

00:31:07.500 Think of all of the wins and the success and the victories that we have seen.

00:31:11.260 Now, with that, are we going to agree with every single thing the president does at all

00:31:16.020 times?

00:31:16.680 No, I think it would be concerning if we did.

00:31:19.960 But I think there are lots of people on the right who are certainly hiding under this cloak

00:31:25.260 of conservatism.

00:31:27.300 Yeah, I put a little text box up yesterday, engaging my followers and saying, you know,

00:31:35.280 what questions do you want to ask Allie?

00:31:38.140 And so I've got a few kind of rapid, rapid fire ones here for you.

00:31:41.400 The first one being, how do you think toxic empathy plays into American foreign policy,

00:31:47.200 which is obviously timely with the news the past week or so?

00:31:51.820 Yeah, you know, I think I'm not sure about in relation to Iran, I'd have to think about

00:31:57.000 that a little bit more.

00:31:57.980 Although, like, actually, I already have seen some reporting, like the Ayatollah was basically

00:32:04.160 described by some outlets as this, like, warm, cheery, grandfatherly man instead of the brutal

00:32:10.400 dictator he was that ordered the slaughter of men, women, and children for protesting or

00:32:15.220 simply being a Christian, jailed people for exercising their Christian faith, and even wrote

00:32:22.460 an interpretation of Islamic law that justified the molestation of infants and justified the 0.89

00:32:28.980 brutal rape of child brides.

00:32:31.080 And so instead of just seeing evil for what it is, and I'm not saying even you could argue 0.99

00:32:36.520 whether or not that justifies the bombing of Iran.

00:32:39.040 But instead of just seeing evil for what it is, being able to call Islamic ideology and 0.70

00:32:45.040 brutal authoritarians what they are, which is evil, you have this softening of wickedness,

00:32:51.000 which could be a form of toxic empathy.

00:32:53.300 It could also be Trump derangement syndrome, that everything that Trump does is bad, so we

00:32:57.960 have to cast the other side is somehow good.

00:33:01.140 It's also a sickness that I think was injected into us by Obama, who had the exact opposite 0.57

00:33:07.020 mentality when it came to foreign policy, oh, America has been strong, we feel bad for

00:33:12.040 that, we have to apologize for that, we don't want to be strong, we don't want to be first,

00:33:15.620 we don't want to be top dog, so we just need to apologize, here's 56 billion dollars, Iran

00:33:20.480 is definitely going to infuse that into their economy and not use it to fund terrorism. 0.90

00:33:24.160 Of course, the exact opposite was true.

00:33:26.300 And so people just really need to step out of our feelings when it comes to not just foreign 0.94

00:33:30.260 policy, but any domestic policy, and ask ourselves, but what's true?

00:33:33.920 Not what the tone is, not what the stated intention of a policy is, but what is the outcome of

00:33:38.880 that policy?

00:33:39.560 The outcome of the policy is one of the ways that we determine whether or not it's a good

00:33:44.100 policy, not by how well it's presented to us and not by how it makes us feel.

00:33:49.020 Yeah, absolutely.

00:33:50.360 Which, um, I read your book, um, I'm going to plug your book for you right now because it

00:33:56.160 really is such a fantastic read in approaching how to approach conversations, even like what we've

00:34:02.440 seen recently with ice, where a lot of what you see, especially because of these media

00:34:06.800 narratives that you mentioned, um, it does, it tugs at your heartstrings when you see this

00:34:10.840 beautiful little boy and he's got this hat on and he's wearing his backpack and you're reading that

00:34:14.320 he's been detained by ice and they're deporting his father as a Christian.

00:34:18.520 Uh, I think those of us who don't have heart and hearts, naturally, you're going to feel

00:34:23.400 a certain type of way when you see that, whether it's true or not as a different story.

00:34:27.300 So how to approach even conversations pertaining to immigration, uh, really, really good read.

00:34:33.880 Okay.

00:34:34.100 Next question for you.

00:34:35.160 How do we specifically pray for our country?

00:34:38.020 Um, she says, what exactly do we, should we be praying for?

00:34:41.580 Yeah.

00:34:42.540 And I just want to say it's not an either or either compassion or cold, hard truth.

00:34:47.920 It's yes.

00:34:48.740 I feel for that little boy so much.

00:34:51.560 Wow.

00:34:51.840 An image bearer of God, an innocent boy who is vulnerable and I don't want him to be in

00:34:56.060 a bad position and you want what's best for him.

00:34:59.040 And what is factually true about this story?

00:35:01.780 Uh, did his father put him in that position?

00:35:04.040 What is biblically true?

00:35:04.860 What is politically true?

00:35:06.040 So having feelings is good.

00:35:07.520 Having compassion is good, but we can't let that cloud our judgment completely and steer us away

00:35:11.520 from what is actually true.

00:35:13.020 Okay.

00:35:13.420 Second question, how we can pray for our country.

00:35:16.580 Uh, is that what she said?

00:35:17.860 Yes.

00:35:18.180 Yes.

00:35:18.380 Yes.

00:35:18.580 The next question, how can we pray for our country?

00:35:20.940 Well, we should always be praying for our leaders.

00:35:22.840 We should be praying for them, whether they're Democrat or Republican.

00:35:25.600 I pray for president Trump that he humbles himself before God and that he realizes that

00:35:31.300 the strength and the wisdom that he needs doesn't come from him, but it comes from the God of

00:35:35.120 the universe.

00:35:35.540 I pray for God's favor over his life, that God would bring him into relationship with himself.

00:35:40.400 And I pray for all of our military.

00:35:42.860 I pray for all of the people in charge on the state, local level, whatever, that they

00:35:46.760 would know the gospel.

00:35:47.900 That's the best thing that could possibly happen even to someone evil like Gavin Newsom.

00:35:51.980 We want him to be saved.

00:35:53.200 That is the best case scenario.

00:35:54.740 And the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

00:35:56.900 We want wise leaders.

00:35:57.820 That means we want God-fearing leaders.

00:35:59.780 And so even the politicians that you hate so much that you feel like have made your life

00:36:03.420 a living hell, pray for them to come to know Christ.

00:36:06.140 That's the best case scenario for all of us.

00:36:08.240 And it was one of the most remarkable things at Charlie's memorial service when you had

00:36:13.400 all of these elected officials, appointed officials who were on stage in front of millions

00:36:19.720 and millions of people watching online, declaring the name of the Lord.

00:36:23.980 And even amidst tragedy, the goodness and our merciful and just heavenly father, really,

00:36:30.460 really special to see with my own eyes in person.

00:36:33.260 Okay.

00:36:33.420 Next question for you.

00:36:34.420 There's only two left.

00:36:35.160 Next one, can women have it both ways? 1.00

00:36:37.800 So can women have a career and family, or is that a false belief? 1.00

00:36:42.760 You can, but you can't have all careers and be a present mom.

00:36:46.700 That's just the truth is that it is possible to do a job like Riley or I do that is flexible,

00:36:54.140 where you are essentially your own boss, you and your husband, you know, you Riley and your

00:36:59.480 husband work together.

00:37:00.200 My husband and I work together, which not everyone can do, but that makes it possible

00:37:03.880 for us to bring along our family as much as possible and really intertwine what we feel

00:37:08.340 like God has called us to do professionally with what God has called us to do first and

00:37:12.040 foremost as a mom and dad and husband and wife.

00:37:14.940 And so it's possible for you to possibly have an Etsy shop, for you to be an artist, for you

00:37:19.300 to work part-time, for you to have the kind of job that gives you autonomy and flexibility

00:37:22.840 and still be the present mom that God has called you to be.

00:37:26.780 I don't think it's possible to have a corporate job where you have to clock in at eight o'clock,

00:37:32.580 clock out at 530 if you're lucky, only spend two hours at home at night and be as present

00:37:38.000 as you want to be as the chief discipler of your kids.

00:37:41.800 Now, for those out there that you're like, I'm a single mom, that's the only way that

00:37:45.060 I can provide for my family.

00:37:46.480 Like there's so much grace for you.

00:37:48.040 I understand there are different exceptions and circumstances, but for those who have

00:37:52.420 the option, there is a period of time in our kids' lives that goes by so, so fast that

00:37:58.540 working constantly, working, you know, 50-hour weeks away from home, it's just not conducive

00:38:04.780 to shaping them in those little years.

00:38:06.680 So it's a little bit of a nuanced answer, which is kind of a yes and no.

00:38:11.720 Yeah.

00:38:12.220 Yeah.

00:38:12.560 And I entirely agree with you.

00:38:14.260 And to the point, you mentioned your husband.

00:38:16.880 My husband is the exact same way where we really are a team and we do things together

00:38:22.360 and without his support and kind of being like a constant for me, a rock for me throughout

00:38:27.800 all the ups and downs of this, these crazy lives that we live, I wouldn't be able to do

00:38:33.480 what I do.

00:38:34.300 So I thank God every single day for a supportive husband.

00:38:38.520 Same, same.

00:38:39.560 Last thing for you.

00:38:40.660 This person asked, what is the best book to read or podcast to listen to?

00:38:45.260 And how do you form your thoughts?

00:38:48.880 Ooh, the best book to read overall.

00:38:51.000 Well, if I can just let people in on something, which might be a little surprising or disappointing.

00:38:55.780 So one, I don't listen to very many podcasts.

00:38:59.480 Riley knows this.

00:39:00.220 When you record your own podcast and you have other things, personal, professional to do

00:39:04.220 throughout the day, it leaves very little time to consistently listen to podcasts.

00:39:09.140 I listen to Riley, I listen to Megyn Kelly, I listen to Ben Shapiro, I listen to Al Mohler,

00:39:14.880 The Briefing.

00:39:15.660 I listen to all kinds of people when I can.

00:39:18.380 For reading, I actually mostly only read fiction, which I know is kind of crazy for people.

00:39:24.700 I do, I will listen to an audio book that is informative, especially like science type books.

00:39:32.100 I like learning about all different kinds of scientific things, even though I'm not really

00:39:35.600 a science-y person, but I like to listen to those because I'm more likely to listen while

00:39:40.060 I'm doing something else to the informative books, the historical books.

00:39:43.380 I'm reading a fiction book called The Correspondent right now.

00:39:46.800 It has no necessarily redeeming value, except that I think reading fiction makes you a better

00:39:51.400 thinker and a better writer and a better communicator and more creative.

00:39:54.720 And I always, I never want to lose that part of my mind.

00:39:58.320 And I love being creative and reading fiction consistently helps me be that.

00:40:03.020 So I know that's not a very good answer to what this person asked, but that's the truth of it.

00:40:08.420 No, I love it.

00:40:09.180 And it, it shows you're a real person.

00:40:12.160 I think oftentimes when people are so intellectual and articulate, you think they spend all of their

00:40:17.860 time just consuming and consuming as much information as they can.

00:40:20.880 But you reading a fiction book, um, it personalizes you.

00:40:24.900 It shows you're a real human being.

00:40:26.700 So, uh, I really, really appreciate you and everything that you do and how you do it most

00:40:32.800 importantly.

00:40:33.500 So thank you very much, Allie.

00:40:34.800 Likewise.

00:40:35.420 Thank you so much, Riley.

00:40:36.340 Thank you.

00:40:36.480 Thank you.

00:40:50.880 Getting ready for a game means being ready for anything, like packing a spare stick.

00:40:55.720 I like to be prepared.

00:40:57.340 That's why I remember 988, Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline.

00:41:01.220 It's good to know, just in case.

00:41:03.400 Anyone can call or text for free confidential support from a trained responder, anytime.

00:41:08.100 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline is funded by the government of Canada.

00:41:12.100 1188 Suicide Crisis Helpline is funded by the government of Canada.

Gaines for Girls with Riley Gaines - March 06, 2026

Allie Beth Stuckey： Progressive Christianity Exposed ｜ The Riley Gaines Show

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