Information

News and Current Affairs

When a Christian doesn't take notice of what is going on in the world around him he is in effect saying that the message of the Gospel has nothing to say to people of today. This does the Gospel a profound disservice.

Most people tune in their radios to hear the latest news. The integrity of radio stations often depends on the quality of their informational programming. If they do it well and provide better coverage, their credibility increases. Throughout the world, there are societies where news is controlled by corrupt or authoritarian governments. Many people are eager to find global broadcasters who reach out to them, and satisfy their need for trustworthy and objective coverage of world events.

Christian radio stations attract significantly wider audiences by meeting this need. By doing this Christian broadcasters also put themselves in the arena of modern history. News is history in the making - and God is the author of history. His purposes, and His truths, abound in the unfolding global drama of news and current affairs.

Christian news broadcasters thus demonstrate Christian concern for life and the world around them. This is a dynamic part of the Gospel which relates to everyday life.

Christian stations lose their impact when they think their programming need not relate to news events. They lose out on vast potential audiences who would never tune into Christian stations purely to hear Bible teaching. Yet such non-believers are drawn to listen when they hear Christian programs present trustworthy and interesting coverage of the events which shape the world they live in.

This has two implications for Christian broadcasters. First, we need to select our news topics with discernment, and treat them editorially with great care. We should not report events in a way that exalts worldly values. We should interrogate raw secular material to filter out bias, prejudice and false assumptions. We should not necessarily accept the approach to a news event adopted by the secular media. A Christian perspective is necessary. This is particularly relevant to certain types of secular stories. These are stories that dwell on salacious detail, or obsessively see news events through political and material eyes, at the expense of the human side.

Web-pages provide some of the best sources of news today - especially as they are refreshed frequently. The BBC's web-site claims to be "updated every minute of every day" - so if it is reliable, varied, up-to-date world or local news one is looking for one could hardly do better than that. It is also without the clutter of advertisements. Powerful search functions also enable research into specific topics and the thread of background stories. They also provide for comment and feedback on topics under discussion.

There are many Christian web-sites that provide commentary and discussion on current issues.

Summary

In Christian news journalism, the biblical watchword is test everything with spiritual as well as professional discernment.

News-related contributions have a sharp cutting edge. This is especially true when they are done well. News programming graphically portrays situations and events where, in real life, both God and Satan are at work in opposition to each other. News analysis can interface directly with Bible teaching, or simply highlight Kingdom values instead of those of a fallen world. News programming directly engages real situations throughout society.

News eloquently tells the story of a fallen, sinful world. By doing so it provides a ready platform for the Gospel -- the Good News.