The negative impact of "instantaneous news" on the church.
I remember when the Challenger space shuttle exploded. I remember watching it on TV, the rocket’s dance across the sky in one of NASA’s most horrific accidents. As a child I didn’t quite grasp the concept of death but I did understand something horrible had just occurred that day...
It’s only recently, within the last hundred years or so, that news has become a minute-by-minute event. Today a man or woman can log on to any news website from their office PC, home MAC or even their cell phone and find out what is going on in the world NOW. Serious news, sad news, funny news, celebrity news and odd news beg for our attention.
What effect has “instant news” had on the church?
If you ever read anything I write about the church, you will begin to pick up on my frustration with our church leadership that would rather discuss politics and frivolous current events from the pulpit. Many are more concerned with the lyrics in a rap song or what the latest opinion or accusation some right-wing commentator has to say about world policy and economics. Don’t get me wrong, these are issues that we should think through and attempt to grasp and understand, but ultimately our focus and discussion should be about Christ and God's Word.
Sometimes instant news is good for the church, bringing home the reality of the depravity of man, the serious consequences of sin and the brevity of life. The day the tsunami struck Indonesia and a few other countries (thousands upon thousands died), I spoke at a church and made mention of how important it is to remember the families of the dead and how crucial it is we take the Gospel to them. Though instant news is a good way to communicate and relate with those in a congregation, it is not what we are to rely on when delivering God’s Truths. His Word is sufficient.
Ultimately the effect of “instantaneous news” on the church is a bag of mixed results, some good and some bad. I try to understand both sides of the concept, but I see more harm to the assembly than good. Since we’ve had this minute-by-minute delivery of current events, it only seems to have distracted us from life’s True Goal (Honoring and Glorifying Christ) and adding anxiety and depression (over things we can’t control) to worrisome believers. This question could be probed more, but truly the issue should be thought through by all of those in church leadership as they press on to evangelize the lost and edify while educating the believer.
I remember when the Challenger space shuttle exploded. I remember watching it on TV, the rocket’s dance across the sky in one of NASA’s most horrific accidents. As a child I didn’t quite grasp the concept of death but I did understand something horrible had just occurred that day...
It’s only recently, within the last hundred years or so, that news has become a minute-by-minute event. Today a man or woman can log on to any news website from their office PC, home MAC or even their cell phone and find out what is going on in the world NOW. Serious news, sad news, funny news, celebrity news and odd news beg for our attention.
What effect has “instant news” had on the church?
If you ever read anything I write about the church, you will begin to pick up on my frustration with our church leadership that would rather discuss politics and frivolous current events from the pulpit. Many are more concerned with the lyrics in a rap song or what the latest opinion or accusation some right-wing commentator has to say about world policy and economics. Don’t get me wrong, these are issues that we should think through and attempt to grasp and understand, but ultimately our focus and discussion should be about Christ and God's Word.
Sometimes instant news is good for the church, bringing home the reality of the depravity of man, the serious consequences of sin and the brevity of life. The day the tsunami struck Indonesia and a few other countries (thousands upon thousands died), I spoke at a church and made mention of how important it is to remember the families of the dead and how crucial it is we take the Gospel to them. Though instant news is a good way to communicate and relate with those in a congregation, it is not what we are to rely on when delivering God’s Truths. His Word is sufficient.
Ultimately the effect of “instantaneous news” on the church is a bag of mixed results, some good and some bad. I try to understand both sides of the concept, but I see more harm to the assembly than good. Since we’ve had this minute-by-minute delivery of current events, it only seems to have distracted us from life’s True Goal (Honoring and Glorifying Christ) and adding anxiety and depression (over things we can’t control) to worrisome believers. This question could be probed more, but truly the issue should be thought through by all of those in church leadership as they press on to evangelize the lost and edify while educating the believer.
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