Gospel broadcasting plays a key role in the Great Commission.
God placed the powerful tools of radio and television into the hands of committed Christians who are using electronic media to help build the Church around the world.
1. Gospel broadcasting brings the salvation of Jesus Christ “to the ends of the earth.”
Since the 1920’s, gospel broadcasting has been used by the Church to reach people everywhere for Christ — whether in West Virginia or in West Africa.
It has allowed more individuals than ever to be exposed to the Christian faith.
Today, 2.5 billion people listen to or watch some form of gospel broadcasting at least once a month.
2. Gospel broadcasting brings community and fellowship “to God’s holy and faithful people who are united with Christ.”
The gospel builds community. Gospel broadcasting helps spread deeper discovery and understanding of spiritual things, uniting hearts throughout all sectors of society. Christian radio and TV allows believers to enjoy a communal celebration of faith, family and life. Working with ministry partners, broadcasters promote unity around the great fundamentals of the Christian faith.
3. And lastly, Gospel broadcasting brings answers, “the way, the truth and the life,” to critical questions.
Periods of economic distress and political turmoil prick our collective consciousness and cause individuals to seek out answers about life’s purpose, ethics, morality, death, life after death. Pastors, teachers, and commentators use their broadcast platforms to provide “life-giving” answers.
Three ways the culture is changing Gospel Broadcasting
1. Today, religious content is abundant. On the Internet. Cable. Satellite. Twitter. Facebook. YouTube. iTunes. The playing field has been leveled. New agers, false religions, cults, false Christs are broadcasting. A search for “salvation” on the Internet is just as likely to turn up a publisher of erotic thriller videos as it is a New Testament teaching.
2. The Digital Age has produced the ability for a new generation of pastors to build media ministry platforms without radio or television. As the number of national TV and radio programs decline, listeners may begin to lose that sense of belonging to the collective community, long nurtured by the ministries and local broadcasters.
3. In the wake of the shootings in Tucson, Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) said he will introduce a bill reinstating the “Fairness Doctrine. That would have a negative effect on Gospel broadcasters the day it’s implemented. “If I happen to say declaratively that the Bible tells me that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and nobody comes to the Father but by Him,” said Christian talk show host Janet Parshall, “I am not interested in giving equal time to Buddha, Hinduism, or L. Ron Hubbard.”
More is not always better
Gospel broadcasting is “more spread out,” across an expanding universe of channels and networks. Could a fracturing of audiences and resources for the gospel in a city actually create “less concentration” of spiritual influence for that city?
Could diminished impact of Christian broadcasting nationally open the door to aggressive enemies, that seem to be forgetting their own differences and uniting in opposition to the gospel?
Scoffing and persecution against believers of Christ is getting worse in secular media. “The spirit of antichrist is everywhere,” said Franklin Graham.
It is time to pray for those cursing and persecuting us and turn our fight toward the unchurched and unsaved. But with a change in our media strategy.
Sound the call
It’s time for Christian communicators to unite and reclaim our position on the wall.
You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
2 Chronicles 20:17
God is giving the Church abundant opportunities to embrace new communication technologies for evangelism.
We need to figure out how to work together – young and old – to reach every unchurched man, woman and child with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And when we find what works in one city, then we will move on to the next.
And what better partner to sound the call for the Church to come together for prayer and action than Gospel broadcasting. Faithful communicators that have been bombarding the world with a continuous aerial barrage of the Word of God for nearly 100 years.
Dream Year Weekend
This weekend, I will be assessing ideas for change in Gospel broadcasting with 85 thinkers and doers gathering at Cross Point Church in Nashville for Dream Year Weekend. I look forward to participating in this collaborative laboratory, refining ideas, shaping action plans, and making new friends. Ben Arment is our guide.
Questions: What changes have you seen in gospel broadcasting? What changes do you think are needed?