Choose your side, one of two simplistic ideologies ... those are the options we're given.
Today, the battle is for the minds and hearts of us all.
Neither side is a safe refuge for an individual of conscience and principle.
People of faith are particularly challenged as all this becomes visible in churches and leaders. Neither side is a safe refuge for an individual of conscience and principle.
"When we see a political figure on TV, we are not seeing the person as he necessarily is; we are seeing, rather, the image someone has decided we should see."
~Dr. Francis Schaeffer 1976
He was right, and he could have made the same observation today. We see most of them reading prepared statements shaped to persuade, not inform. We see them being portrayed as models of nobility and virtue, and most of us fall for it.
"There are certain news organizations, newspapers, news magazines, wire services, and news broadcasts which have the ability to generate news. They are the 'news makers', and when an item appears in them it becomes the news. This ability to generate news rests upon a kind of syndrome or psychology or mind-set, not only in the journalistic fraternity but also in influential circles comprised of congressmen, other government officials, and professors. The influence is not necessarily based on circulation, but rather on its reputation with the right people. This is at times consciously cultivated; for example, certain news outlets release their big stories to the wires and the radio and TV networks before the 'big story' hits the newsstands.
Not only do these 'news makers' make certain things news— in contrast to that which gets 'lost'— but the color they put on the news tends to be picked up as well. Often this tone is set by starting off with what is called a 'hard lead,' the first sentence of a news article which is supposed to sum up the story in an eye-catching way. If this is subtly slanted, the tone of the whole story tends to be set, and it becomes the stained-glass window through which that story and perhaps even related stories are comprehended."
These 'news makers' today are the life and breath of social media. Their 'news' and 'opinions' explode across the world not based on relevance or accuracy but on the shallowest standard of preferred perspective and memeability. Truth is neither valued nor pursued by a majority of media followers or their influencers. Meaningful conversation regarding most issues is abandoned.
Choose your side, one of two simplistic ideologies ... those are the options we're given.
Quotations are from Francis Schaeffer in his book How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture written in the early '70s.
We visited L'Abri (French for 'the shelter', a discipleship community based in Switzerland) in the years before this book was published. Schaeffer's influence in the early years of our marriage was a blessing.
~Dr. Francis Schaeffer 1976
He was right, and he could have made the same observation today. We see most of them reading prepared statements shaped to persuade, not inform. We see them being portrayed as models of nobility and virtue, and most of us fall for it.
Not only do these 'news makers' make certain things news— in contrast to that which gets 'lost'— but the color they put on the news tends to be picked up as well. Often this tone is set by starting off with what is called a 'hard lead,' the first sentence of a news article which is supposed to sum up the story in an eye-catching way. If this is subtly slanted, the tone of the whole story tends to be set, and it becomes the stained-glass window through which that story and perhaps even related stories are comprehended."
Choose your side, one of two simplistic ideologies ... those are the options we're given.
Today, the battle is for the minds and hearts of us all.
Neither side is a safe refuge for an individual of conscience and principle.
People of faith are particularly challenged as all this becomes visible in churches and leaders.
Neither side is a safe refuge for an individual of conscience and principle.
People of faith are particularly challenged as all this becomes visible in churches and leaders.
How then might we respond?
Can we sit and talk about the goals we share and the paths over which we disagree? Or will we be divided by what our culture has become? Is it our choice?
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Quotations are from Francis Schaeffer in his book How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture written in the early '70s.
We visited L'Abri (French for 'the shelter', a discipleship community based in Switzerland) in the years before this book was published. Schaeffer's influence in the early years of our marriage was a blessing.
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