There seems to be nothing new in the “news” these days. This in spite of the fact that the “news” is pumped around the world 24/7/365 in “real time” thanks to the wonders of modern communication technologies and tools! The week this little piece is being written (4/24-30/2016) the news is all about U. S. politics and personalities battling for the White House. And about the death of the singer and entertainer the world knew as “Prince.” And, oh yeah, maybe a smidgen of “news” about the Islamic extremists known as ISIS – you know, the terrorist group that wants to blow up anybody, anywhere who doesn’t think like they do about religion and about who ought to run the world – namely, themselves. These are the same folks who used to dominate the news until “news” about presidential politics and the death of the singer and entertainer the world knew as “Prince” proved to be newer news than them! It’s hard not to agree with a statement by Ron Dittenger – “In my opinion the nightly news on television is a big waste of time. It’s the same news every night. It just happens to different people.” Or this one by Elbert Hubbard – “An editor is a person employed on a newspaper, whose business it is to separate the wheat from the chaff, and to see that the chaff is printed.” Or yet again, this one by the late, great TV news-anchor David Brinkley – “The one function that TV news performs very well is that, when there is no news, we give it to you with the same emphasis as if there were.” So much of what we hear on the “news” these days is far from it – it’s just more sad views that quickly bring on the blues!
How about down at church? What news are the folks down there into? Sometimes, sadly, it’s more sad views, only with a religious twist. In the name of “gospel preaching,” some preachers and members of the church major mostly on the mad, the sad, and the bad. Instead of concentrating energy and effort in pointing people to Jesus – “the true Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world” (John 1:9) – preachers and Christians too often are found using their tongues to “curse the darkness.” Instead of majoring on and testifying that “the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14), some focus intensely and even solely on the sin in our world. The result is that the church becomes more of a moral policeman than a proclaimer of the gospel – more a bearer of negative views and blues than the “good news” that saturated the sermons and preaching in the book of ACTS! Please don’t misunderstand me. Jesus never winked at sin. He preached on and condemned sin, as did Peter and Paul and all the Lord’s other inspired messengers. But they didn’t get hung up there. Whether in ACTS or the letters to the churches, again and again and again Jesus Christ is the main subject of their sentences and sermons! I’m not saying sin and false teaching and teachers must not be addressed and exposed as dangerous spiritual diseases. I’m saying what the Bible says in places like Romans 10:15 where the apostle Paul (referencing Isaiah 52:7) proclaimed that preachers and Bible teachers and soul- winners have “beautiful feet” because they “preach the gospel of peace” and “bring glad tidings of good things.” As Christ’s church, the message we broadcast ought to be saturated with good news – not just bad views and spiritual blues. Just saying.
Dan Gulley
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