Friday, June 5, 2026
6/5/202627 min
This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview.
On today’s edition of The Briefing, Dr. Mohler discusses decrease in work by American young men, businesses hiring less teens for summer jobs, and he answers questions about heaven, receiving a Christian jury of peers, contemporary Christian music, hymns, and the desire to be with Christ in heaven.
Part I (00:14 – 08:32)
American Young Men Have a Work Problem: The Work Rate of American Young Men is Decreasing, and That’s a Big Moral Problem
- American Idle: The Work Ethic Goes Out of Style by The Wall Street Journal (Jason L. Riley)
Part II (08:32 – 11:25)
Businesses are Hiring Less and Less Teens: This is a Net Negative for Developing Work Ethic in Young People
- Summer jobs for teens expected to fall. Where can they still find work? by USA Today (Rachel Barber)
Part III (11:25 – 14:28)
Will I Be Tall in Heaven? — Dr. Mohler Responds to a Letter From a 6-Year-Old Listener of The Briefing
Part IV (14:28 – 16:40)
If I Was in Court as a Christian and Needed a Jury, Would It Be Wrong for a Court to Deny Me a Jury of Christians? — Dr. Mohler Responds to Letters From Listeners of The Briefing
Part V (16:40 – 19:59)
Is Contemporary Christian Music Problematic? — Dr. Mohler Responds to a Letter From a 14-Year-Old Listener of The Briefing
Part VI (19:59 – 23:03)
How Should Churches Decide What Hymns to Sing? — Dr. Mohler Responds to Letters From Listeners of The Briefing
Part VII (23:03 – 26:31)
I Have a Deep Desire to be in Heaven with Christ. Is That Feeling Healthy and Christ-Exalting? — Dr. Mohler Responds to Letters From Listeners of The Briefing
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsAlbert Mohler· Host0:00
[upbeat music] It's Friday, June 5, 2026. I'm Albert Mohler, and this is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Work. When you say that word, you invoke a lot more than a realm of human endeavor. When you say work or labor, you're bringing in a very important biblical category, and work is central to the assignment given to human beings. And one of the things we need to remember is that in the timeline of biblical history and the unfolding of biblical theology, work is not a condemnation or a punishment after the fall, after sin. Work is there in the garden. Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and exercise dominion. There was going to be work in the garden. However, that work is transformed into labor, the sweat of a man's brow, just in terms of the curse after Adam and Eve had sinned. And here's where we need to recognize that work, labor, both have a very important place in the biblical worldview. And one of the things we come to understand is that if you have, uh, you have someone who should be working who isn't and instead is idle, well, there are biblical words for this. There are very clear condemnations of this. "He who will not work, let him not eat." Uh, there are very strong exhortations towards labor, and not just for personal income and personal gain or even just