The Swiss theologian Karl Barth told preachers, “Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.”
Today, we’d pour over screens (and coffee!) rather than papers, but the point remains. Reading the Bible helps us understand the good news of Jesus Christ. Reading websites helps us understand, well, the bad news of this world. Sad but true!
When we read both, we discover how relevant God’s Word is for the issues we confront today. The Bible is ancient yet always applies. It has the answers our world needs.
Knowing this, we can deal with Scripture and the newspaper in two ways. One is to use contemporary events as illustrations of biblical principles. For example, Moses warned the Israelites,
“But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” – Numbers 32:23
The idea that people can’t cover up sin for long is a common one in sermons. And every time a story breaks that exposes a hidden crime, preachers are apt to mention it as evidence of the truth of the Bible.
And that’s correct.
But there’s another way to deal with God’s Word and the news media. It’s a slower approach and it requires some discipline, but it’s fruitful.
Do a verse-by-verse study.
For instance, if you’ve ever read the book of Ecclesiastes, you know it’s not uplifting! Quite negative, it can depress you if you’re not careful!
But it’s in the Word, so God must have had a reason for including it. When we read through it, with diligence and openness, we learn how bitter and unfulfilling life is in a fallen world. Distance from God depresses. That’s the unavoidable truth of the book of Ecclesiastes.
Allow the themes and details of a whole chapter, or an entire book of the Bible, to instruct you. Let these confirm what’s right in your heart and challenge what needs to change.
Don’t force the Bible to fit contemporary ways of thinking, and don’t edit the Word so it fits your preferences. Let the Lord lead you as you travel with Him long-distance. When you go slow with Scripture and let it speak to you, you’ll grow in Christ. You might not notice, but you’ll mature in matters of heaven and earth.
At the moment, it’s impossible not to recognize the turmoil our society is in. We’ve had contagious diseases, political discord, and now war in Europe. Our culture is becoming less tolerant of absolute or transcendent truth, and it’s taking particular aim at Christianity. Each day, it’s a little less safe to be a follower of Jesus.
This describes the current scene. But it’s also quite old, even ancient. The apostle Peter wrote his first letter to help Christians deal with similar trials. At that time, Christians were starting to feel economic and social pressure in the Roman Empire for their commitment to the Lord Jesus. This would soon include physical persecution, even martyrdom.
So Peter wrote to believers (living in what is now Turkey) to encourage them in every test they’d face. Peter didn’t despair. He ends his letter with a note of victory:
And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11To Him be the power forever and ever. Amen. 12With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. – 1 Peter 5:10-12
I’m preparing to teach a Sunday School class on 1 Peter. The news of this world is negative, but Christians need more than an isolated verse or two if they’re going to endure.
Going through the entire letter helps us to think about personal and social issues from God’s point of view. It takes time; it’s slow work, but it pays off. In the long run, we mature as disciples of Jesus Christ when we give His Word priority.
The world has many voices; the media ever shouts for our attention. But the quiet voice of the Spirit calls to us. It’s in His Word. Will we listen?
