____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20) ____________________________________________________ July 14, 1996 ____________________________________________________ Christ and the News by Steve Klein The American public's perception of Christ and Christians is, to say the least, flawed. This fact is of great concern to those of us who believe that men and women must come to truly know Christ if they are to have a hope of eternal salvation. America's misapprehension of Christ can, in part, be attributed to the news media. The reason is that the news media fails to cover or mis-covers many religious events as well as the effect that religion has on the lives of Americans. Religion is a major part of life in America, but you could not tell it by the amount of news coverage it gets. Statistical evidence reported in the June 1994 AFA Journal and the August 6-12, 1994 TV Guide attests to this fact. It was reported that 90% of Americans say they believe in God or a higher power, and eight out of ten pray regularly. Money contributed to religion in 1992 equaled $56.7 billion compared to $4 billion spent to attend major league baseball, football, and basketball combined. According to a Gallup Pool, attendance at religious services in 1993 totaled 5.6 billion, about 55 times greater than the total 103-million reported by three major professional sports leagues. One ABC media executive said, ``on any given weekend there are more people in houses of worship than attend major baseball games all year long.'' Yet, in 1993, evening TV news shows on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and PBS offered only 212 stories on religion out of a total of more than 18,000 stories aired. To add insult to injury, besides the lack of coverage, the stories which are carried by the news media often leave wrong impressions. From the news, one might get the idea that every person with a pro-life conviction based on Scripture is prepared to murder abortion doctors. Or that, anyone who wants the evidence for creationism taught in our public schools is an ignorant, uneducated bumpkin who has never examined the evidence for evolution. This kind of problem is not really new. The published reports (and thus the public perception) concerning Christ and his followers were off the mark in New Testament times as well. In Matthew 28:13-15, we find that the story told by the guards (that Jesus' disciples had removed his body ``while they slept'') was ``commonly reported among the Jews'' for years. In Acts 17:5-8, the Jews in Thessalonica claimed that Paul and his companions were ``acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king; Jesus.'' No doubt, these false reports and others like them skewed the opinions of those who heard them. There is evidence from outside the Scriptures that this was a pervasive problem in the first and second centuries A.D. Tacitus, a Roman historian who was born about A.D. 52, reported the following: ``(Nero) punished with the most exquisite tortures the persons commonly called Christians, who were hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius, but the pernicious superstition, repressed for a time, broke out again, not only through Judea, where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also...a vast multitude were convicted, not so much of the crime of incendiarism, as of hatred of the human race.'' In his History of the Christian Church, Philip Schaff explains that the common people of the Roman Empire ``readily gave credit to the slanderous rumors of all sorts of abominations, even incest and cannibalism, practiced by the Christians at their religious assemblies...'' The charge of cannibalism resulted from false reports concerning the nature of the Lord's supper observance. Public opinion regarding the true nature of Christianity was at least as flawed in [early] New Testament times as it is today. What was done about it? The apostles and other New Testament Christians recognized that it was not the job of unbelievers to accurately report the message of Christ. It was theirs. Today, it is not the news media's job to present an accurate picture of the religion of Jesus Christ to the public. It is ours. The gospel, the good news, is to be proclaimed to all, so all men might know Christ (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:16). In the days of the apostles, this charge was vigorously carried out. The gospel ``was preached to every creature under heaven'' (Col. 1:23). Edward Gibbon, in Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, wrote, ``When the promise of eternal happiness was proposed to mankind, on condition of adopting the faith and of observing the precepts of the gospel, it is no wonder that so advantageous an offer should have been accepted by great numbers of every province in the Roman empire.'' Our quest, in the words of the Psalmist, is to ``Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples'' (Psalm 96:2b-3). We can sit back and complain about the slanted misrepresentations of Christianity in the news media, or we can become ``lights in the world, holding forth the word of life'' (Phil. 2:15b-16a). What are you doing to spread the news? -- Via Guardian of Truth, May 2, 1996 ___________________________________________ ``The Cardinals' Advice'' by Ken Green Here is an excerpt from an address by the Cardinals in the Roman Church to Pope Pius III, which is preserved in the National Library of Paris, folio No. 1068, Vol. 2, pp. 650- 651. ``Of all the advice that we can offer your holiness we must open your eyes well and use all possible force in the matter, namely, to permit the reading of the gospel as little as possible in all the countries under your jurisdiction. Let the very little part of the gospel suffice which is usually read in mass, and let no one be permitted to read more. So long as people will be content with the small amount your interest will prosper; but as soon as the people want to read more, your interest will fail. The Bible is the book, which more than any other, has raised against the tumults and tempests by which we have almost perished. In fact, if one compares the teaching of the Bible with what takes place in our churches, he will soon find discord and will realize that our teachings are often different from the Bible, and oftener still, contrary to it.'' -- Via The Gospel Teacher ___________________________________________ ``Some Peculiar People'' People who want the preacher to be present at every service, but refuse to attend every service themselves. People who want favors, but are unwilling to give any. People who believe their children ought to be taught the Bible, but make little or no effort to bring them to where the Bible is taught. Women who say they believe the Bible, but refuse to allow their husbands to be the head of the house. People who demand visitation when they are ill, but never visit other people at all. People who believe that the gospel is God's power to salvation, but are never known to study or teach it. -- Selected ___________________________________________ A Squeak In The Pulpit by Steve Higginbotham Recently I read of an entry found in an old church record of a business meeting. It stated: A committee was appointed to investigate the squeak in the pulpit. Upon reading this, I couldn't help but think that today's world, even today's church, desperately needs more than a ``squeak'' coming from the pulpit. Now, as much as ever, we need the clear tones of the gospel resounding from our pulpits. We are hearing far too much about churches who are selling out to the culture. The distinctive preaching of New Testament Christianity is seldom if ever heard in some pulpits. Sermons that challenge our morals, expound our doctrine, question our ethics, and rebuke our mediocrity are exchanged for sermons that have an air of religiosity, but are lacking in substance. In 1 Chronicles 12:32, it was said of some of God's children that they ``understood the times.'' They understand that now is not the time for a squeak in the pulpit. There are many godly elders, and godly Christians who are demanding to hear more than a squeak from the pulpit. They have not bought into the idea that distinctive preaching has harmed the church. They want substance over style and flair. They want truth over a watered-down gospel. To put it in the words of John MacArthur, they realize that the weakness of the pulpit today does not stem from frantic cranks who harangue about hell; it is the result of men who compromise and who fear to speak God's Word powerfully, with conviction. There are many challenges that face the church today. If we are to rise up to the occasion and defeat our adversary, we must have a strong pulpit; Pulpits that well speak the truth in season and out of season, with all the love it can muster; Pulpits that will not compromise the truth; Pulpits that do more than just squeak! -- Via The Harvester, May 5, 1996 ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES I learned recently that Fannie Hick's brother, Howard Gullet (of Ashland, Kentucky), passed away the week before last. We extend our condolences to the family, friends, and relatives. Susie Lykins will soon be undergoing gall-bladder surgery. Let us be praying for her that all will work out fine. John M. Trigg has requested prayer for his mother who has been in intensive care because of her diabetes. She has been having trouble in regulating her blood sugar; and, though now her condition is fair, she is still not out of danger from slipping into a coma or worse. From ICU, she will be moved to a room or the rehab center where they will, hopefully, be able to diagnose her problem through constant monitoring. James Dunigan is also having more tests run and will soon be operated on. Richard Boone solicits prayer for Michael Bowen who was recently in a jet-ski accident that resulted in a skull fracture. (His parents, Chip and Lori, were also involved--but are all right.) Call us today for... * a FREE Bible course * information about Bible film slides shown in your home * a ride to church (provided by one of the members) * the answer--if we know it--to any Bible question you might have Greetings Visitors! You are very much welcome here! Please come again--and soon! __________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@wwd.net _______________________________________________