INTRODUCTION
And first, as regards the meaning of the word itself, it is easily to be seen, that the Biblical meaning thereof is radically different from that assigned to it by the "Scofield Bible," where it is stated that: -- "A dispensation is a period of time during which man is tested in respect to some specific revelation of the Will of God" (note to Gen. 1:28).
Again in Ephesians 3:2 Paul speaks of "the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward"; the meaning being that the ministry given him was to dispense the grace of God to the Gentiles. And lastly, in Colossians 1:25 he refers to "the dispensation of God," that had been given him, "to fulfill the word of God"; the reference being to that which God had made him responsible to administer or dispense, in fulfillment of the word of God concerning His previously concealed purpose as to the salvation of the Gentiles. These are all the occurrences of the word.
In the English Version of the Bible, therefore, the word "dispensation" means always administration or stewardship. Our English word "economy", comes directly from the Greek word rendered, "dispensation" in the four passages above referred to. It is to be deplored that a biblical word of definite signification should have been chosen for the purpose of this new system of doctrine, and a radically different meaning assigned to it.
Then further we are told, in the words of a prominent dispensationalist, that each of these seven distinct periods of time has "a character exclusively its own," being "wholly complete and sufficient in itself," that it "is in no wise exchangeable for the others, and cannot be commingled." That is to say, each "dispensation" has its own peculiar and distinguishing characteristics, insomuch that, when one succeeds another, there is a complete and radical change in the character and principles of God's dealings with the world. So say the dispensationalists; but I find in the Scriptures no evidence to support the statement. On the contrary, I find that, in every age and era, God has accepted those who believed Him and refused those who disbelieved Him. Salvation has always been "by grace, through faith," and upon the ground of the sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Adam and Eve and Abel and Enoch and Noah and Abraham and David were one and all saved precisely as we are.
LAW, THE FIFTH DISPENSATION
This is said to be the dispensation of "Law," and it is put in the strongest possible contrast to 'the next succeeding "dispensation," that of "Grace." And further we are told that "This dispensation [of Law] extends from Sinai to Calvary; from the Exodus to the Cross; from Ex. 19:8, to Matt. 27:35" (S. B. notes).
Here is where some of the most serious evils of dispensationalism come clearly into view; for the aspersions which the teachers of that system cast upon the holy law of God constitute in their totality a complete and grievous misrepresentation thereof; and in certain extreme instances they assume the character of slanderous vilification. But before glancing at some of these, let it be noted that the much maligned "dispensation of law" is said to have embraced the entire lifetime of our Lord--"from Ex. 19:8 to Matt. 27:35"; for it is one of the points upon which the dispensationalists mainly insist, that the Gospels belong to the era of law, and not to that of grace; which I am bold to say is palpable and pernicious error. For as regards the termination of the era of the law, we have the word of our Lord that "The Law and the prophets were"--not until Calvary, but--"until John; since that time the kingdom of God is preached" (Lu. 16:16). And in agreement with this it is written: "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
These Scriptures declare in the plainest terms that the life and words and works of our Lord "in the days of His flesh," including the "Sermon on the Mount" (concerning which we have something special to say) belong, not in the twilight era of the law of Moses, but in the full daylight era of "grace and truth." They also make it plain that the era of "the Kingdom of God" followed immediately upon that of "the law and the prophets"; and further that the era of "the Kingdom of God," and that of "grace and truth" are one and the same. And this a matter of special importance because, as I expect to point out in some detail later on, the humanly concocted scheme of the "seven dispensations," which we are now considering, has had the effect of blotting out, for those who accept it, the illuminating truth which the Scriptures reveal concerning the Two Covenants, "the old covenant," whereof Moses was the mediator, and "the new covenant" whereof Jesus Christ is the Mediator. Therefore, one object I have in view, in exposing the unfounded character of dispensationalism, is to clear the ground for the presentation of the truth concerning "THE TWO COVENANTS" (Gal. 4:24).
But apart from the palpable error of placing our Lord's life and ministry in the era of law as distinguished from that of grace, the strongest exception is to be taken to the teaching that grace was entirely absent from the era of law, even as law is said to be absent from the era of grace; this being a two-fold error. And in this connection I would particularly like to ask those who hold that view, and who place the ministry of Christ in the dispensation of law, was not His ministry a ministry of grace? and were not His words "words of grace"? I wonder that this grievous teaching does not evoke bursts of indignation from those who love the Lord and who are accustomed to go for their comforts to the Gospels.
This brings us to what the "Scofield Bible" teaches concerning the holy law which God gave at Mount Sinai to the people He had delivered out of the "iron furnace" of Egypt. And first I call attention to these extraordinary statements: "It is exceedingly important to observe . . . that the Law was not imposed until it had been proposed and voluntarily accepted" (Note on Ex. 19:3). "At Sinai they (Israel) exchanged Grace for Law. They rashly accepted the Law" (Note on Gen. 12:7). Here we have in brief the teaching (which is amplified in the writings of this new school of theology) that Israel was given an opportunity to choose between Law and Grace, that they were put under the law of God by their own choice; and further that they chose "rashly," and hence made, -- not a bad choice merely, but-- one that was fatal, if so be that the differences between Law and Grace are what the dispensationalists aver.
GRACE, THE SIXTH DISPENSATION:
And well may we rejoice that "the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared" (Tit 2:11). But it is quite another thing to say that God's Grace characterizes this era exclusively; that Law and Grace cannot be commingled; and that "They are as far asunder as Mount Sinai and the place called Calvary, and can no more mingle than the iron and clay of Nebuchadnezzar's dream-statue."
The truth in this regard is that there was grace during the era of the Law, and that there is law during this era of the Gospel; that the New Covenant is the completion of the Old; and that the Gospel of God finishes the work that was begun by the Law of God. It would seem from the language our Lord used in Matthew 5:17 that He had this very error in view; for His words were "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." And likewise Paul, in the question he asks and answers concerning the Gospel: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."
LAW VS GRACE
Law vs. grace is one of the most important contrasts a Christian must grasp. The Bible lays a tremendous emphasis upon it. For example, the gospels are full of the conflict between the Pharisees and our Lord -- showing the conflict between the law and God's grace. Paul devotes at least three of his epistles to the subject alone: Romans, Galatians, and Colossians. Plus we find it cropping up in one form or another in every other book of the New Testament. Make no question; this is a topic I can ill afford to neglect. To do so is to neglect the foundation of Christianity: The grace of God in Jesus Christ.
To get to the Truth of law vs. grace, we must ask two important questions. First: Are we "under law" or "under grace?" Actually, the answer to that question is easy: We are "under grace." Romans 6:14, quoted above, say so. But the second question, well, that's not so easy: What do the terms, "under law," and "under grace," really mean? It is confusion as to what these terms really mean which has caused much bondage and deception among God's people.
Let's begin by examining how the Bible uses the term "under the law.”Now we know that whatever the law says, it says it to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight. For by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference. (Romans 3:19-22)
Let's stop right here for a moment and glean some important facts from this passage in Romans. Note especially the first sentence. It reads, "Whatever the law says, it is saying it to -- WHO?” To those who are UNDER THE LAW." Note that: Whatever the law is saying -- it is saying it to those "under the law." This tells us what the term "under the law" means: If I am "under the law," the law is speaking to ME. Or to put it in reverse: If the law is speaking to me, I am "under the law." I am listening to it and allowing it to govern my living. Ok. But what is the law saying to those who are "under the law?" It is defining good and evil. It is commanding that we DO the good and refuse the evil. Then it is judging our works to see whether we have perfectly obeyed it. If we haven't -- and we can't -- the law tells us we are condemned to death.
That is what the law says to those who are "under the law." It also sounds quite a lot like the life of many Christians. Many Christians look to the law to tell them what to do and not do. They believe that if they do not obey the law they will be judged -- even condemned. For some, the law is the only voice they hear. What is wrong with that? Isn't the law holy, just, and good? Sure it is. But that is precisely why if you live under the law it will condemn you. There is no escape from the holy judgment of God's law! But God has something better for us. He has put us under His grace He has put us where the condemning voice of the law cannot speak: In Christ.
Notice how clear this Truth becomes once we put our two scriptures together: Paul said: "Whatever the law says, it says it to those under the law." He also said: "But you are not under law, but under grace," If the law is speaking to those "under the law," and God tells us we are NOT "under the law" -- but "under grace" -- then the law cannot be speaking to US. There is simply no other conclusion possible. This is further verified if we read on in our passage from Romans 3. Paul says, "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." (Rom. 3:28) Now ask: If those "under grace" are justified WITHOUT the deeds of the law, then how can the law be speaking to them? It can't be speaking to them.
CONCLUSION
The law has absolutely nothing to do with their justification. It is not judging their deeds or passing sentence upon them. They are justified solely by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Now we can better see what the terms "under the law and "under grace" really mean. Being "under the law" means that my works -- as directed and judged by the law -- determine my justification and standing before God. Being "under grace," however, means that I am justified before God completely apart from my works. In effect, to be "under the law" means that my works determine everything. But to be "under grace" means that my works determine nothing. By faith I stand "under" the finished work of my Saviour. "Now wait a minute. If the law doesn't speak to those under grace, then they can sin all they want. There will be no restraint; no holy standards to follow." Once we grasp the Truth of God's grace, we will know that it does not do away with obedience to God. Indeed, rather than do away with obedience, the grace of God is the only real means of obedience there is. Why? Because through God's grace I don't merely do righteous deeds, I become a righteous person -- through the Living Christ in me. In Christ, obedience to God becomes natural and voluntary -- simply because I love Him.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
CAN A CHRISTIAN SUFFER? GIVE EXAMPLE FROM THE BIBLE, AND YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE OF SUFFERING
CAN A CHRISTIAN SUFFER? GIVE EXAMPLE FROM THE BIBLE, AND YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE OF SUFFERING
Introduction
Why me? Why now? What is God doing? Suffering is a tool God uses to get our attention and to accomplish His purposes in our lives. It is designed to build our trust in the Almighty, but suffering requires the right response if it is to be successful in accomplishing God’s purposes. Suffering forces us to turn from trust in our own resources to living by faith in God’s resources. Suffering is not in itself virtuous, nor is it a sign of holiness. It is also not a means of gaining points with God, or of subduing the flesh (as in asceticism). When it is possible, suffering is to be avoided. Christ avoided suffering unless it meant acting in disobedience to the Father’s will. “In the day of prosperity be happy, But in the day of adversity consider—God has made the one as well as the other so that man may not discover anything that will be after him” (Eccl. 7:14)
Suffering Defined
What are these bends in the road that God puts in the path of life that we are to carefully consider? Simply stated, suffering is anything which hurts or irritates. In the design of God, it is also something to make us think. It is a tool God uses to get our attention and to accomplish His purposes in our lives in a way that would never occur without the trial or irritation.
Illustrations of Suffering
“It may be cancer or a sore throat. It may be the illness or loss of someone close to you. It may be a personal failure or disappointment in your job or school work. It may be a rumor that is circulating in your office or your church, damaging your reputation, bringing you grief and anxiety.” It can be anything that ranges from something as small and irritating as the bite of a mosquito to facing a lion in the lions’ den as did Daniel (Dan. 6).
General Causes of Suffering
(1) We suffer because we live in a fallen world where sin reigns in the hearts of men.
(2) We suffer because of our own foolishness. We reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7-9).
(3) We sometimes suffer because it is God’s discipline. “For those whom the Lord loves he disciplines and he scourges every son He receives” (Heb. 12:6).
(4) We may suffer persecution because of our faith—especially when we take a stand on biblical issues, i.e., suffering for righteousness sake (2 Tim. 3:12).
The Nature of Suffering
(1) Suffering is Painful: Suffering is hard; it is never easy. Regardless of what we know and how hard we apply the principles, it is going to hurt (cf. 1 Pet. 1:6—“distressed” = “to cause pain, sorrow, grief”).
(2) Suffering is Perplexing: Suffering is somewhat mysterious. We may know some of the theological reasons for suffering from Scripture, yet when it strikes, there is still a certain mystery. Why now? What is God doing? Suffering is designed to build our trust in the Almighty.
(3) Suffering is Purposeful: Suffering is not without meaning in spite of its mystery. It has as its chief purpose the formation of Christ-like character (Rom. 8:28-29).
(4) Suffering Proves (tests) us: “Trials” in James 1:2 is the Greek peirasmos and refers to that which examines, tests, and proves the character or integrity of something. “Testing” in this same verse is dokimion which has a similar idea. It refers to a test designed to prove or approve. Suffering is that which proves one’s character and integrity along with both the object and quality of one’s faith. Compare 1 Peter 1:6-7 where the same Greek words are used along with the verb dokimazo which means, “Put to the test,” “prove by testing as with gold.”
(5) Suffering is a Process: As a process, it takes time. The results God seeks to accomplish with the trials of life require time and thus also, endurance. Romans 5:3-4 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; James 1:3-4 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
(6) Suffering is a Purifier: No matter the reason, even if it is not God’s discipline for blatant carnality, it is a purifier for none of us will ever be perfect in this life. Philippians 3:12-14 12 Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
(7) Suffering Provides Opportunity: Suffering provides opportunity for God’s glory, our transformation, testimony, and ministry, etc. (See reasons for suffering given below.)
(8) Suffering Requires Our Cooperation: Suffering requires the right response if it is to be successful in accomplishing God’s purposes. “We all want the product, character; but we don’t want the process, suffering.” Because of our make up as human beings, we can’t have one without the other.
(9) Suffering is Predetermined or Appointed:
1 Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;
(10) Suffering is Inevitable: The question we must each face is not, ‘if’ we are going to have trials in life, but how will we respond to them? 1 Thessalonians 3:3 so that no man may be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. 1 Peter 4:19 Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.
(11) Suffering is a Struggle: It’s going to be a battle all the way. That’s why they are called “trials” and “testing.” Even when we understand the purposes and principles of suffering, and we know the promises of God’s love and concern given in the Word of God for handling suffering, dealing with the trials of life is never easy because suffering hurts. Trials simply give us the capacity to cooperate with the process (Jam. 1:4). They allow the process to work and allow us to experience inner peace and joy in the midst of the trials.
Purposes and Reasons for Suffering
(1) We suffer as a testimony, as a witness (2 Tim 2:8-10; 2 Cor. 4:12-13; 1 Pet. 3:13-17). When believers handle suffering joyfully and with stability, it becomes a marvelous testimony to the power and life of Christ that we claim and name. Suffering provides key opportunities to manifest and magnify the power of God through His servants in order to verify and confirm the messenger and his message. It provides opportunities to reveal our credentials as ambassadors of Christ (1 Kings. 17:17-24; John 11:1-45). This includes the following areas:
a. To glorify God before the angelic world (Job 1-2; 1 Pet. 4:16).
b. To manifest the power of God to others (2 Cor. 12:9, 10; John 9:3).
c. To manifest the character of Christ in the midst of suffering as a testimony to win others to Christ (2 Cor. 4:8-12; 1 Pet. 3:14-17).
(2) We suffer to develop our capacity and sympathy in comforting others (2 Cor. 1:3-5).
(3) We suffer to keep down pride (2 Cor. 12:7). The Apostle Paul saw his thorn in the flesh as an instrument allowed by God to help him maintain a spirit of humility and dependence on the Lord because of the special revelations he had seen as one who had been caught up to the third heaven.
(4) We suffer because it is a training tool. God lovingly and faithfully uses suffering to develop personal righteousness, maturity, and our walk with Him (Heb. 12:5f; 1 Pet. 1:6; Jam. 1:2-4). In this sense, suffering is designed:
a. As discipline for sin to bring us back to fellowship through genuine confession (Ps. 32:3-5; 119:67).
b. As a pruning tool to remove dead wood from our lives (weaknesses, sins of ignorance, immature attitudes and values, etc.) The desired goal is increased fruitfulness (John 15:1-7). Trials may become mirrors of reproof to reveal hidden areas of sin and weakness (Ps. 16:7; 119:67, 71).
c. As a tool for growth designed to cause us to rely on the Lord and His Word. Trials test our faith and cause us to use the promises and principles of the Word (Ps. 119:71, 92; 1 Pet. 1:6; Jam. 1:2-4; Ps. 4:1 [The Hebrew of this passage can mean, “You have enlarged, made me grow wide by my distress”]). Suffering or trials teach us the truth of Psalm 62:1-8, the truth of learning to “wait on the Lord only
d. As a means of learning what obedience really means. It becomes a test of our loyalty (Heb. 5:8). Illustration: If a father tells his son to do something he likes to do (i.e., eat a bowl of ice cream) and he does it, the child has obeyed, but he hasn’t really learned anything about obedience. If his dad, however, asks him to mow the lawn, that becomes a test and teaches something about the meaning of obedience. The point is, obedience often costs us something and is hard. It can require sacrifice, courage, discipline, and faith in the belief that God is good and has our best interests at heart regardless of how things might appear to us. Regardless of the reason God allows suffering into our lives, rarely does it not reveal areas of need, weaknesses, wrong attitudes, etc., as it did in Job. James 1:2-4; 1 Pet. 1:6-7: The key word is “the proof of our faith.” “Proof” is the word dokimion which looks at both the concept of testing which purifies, and the results, the proof that is left after the test. The Lord uses trials to test our faith in the sense of purifying it, to bring it to the surface, so we are forced to put our faith to work.
(5) We suffer to bring about continued dependence on the grace and power of God. Suffering is designed to cause us to walk by God’s ability, power, and provision rather than by our own (2 Cor. 11:24-32; 12:7-10; Eph. 6:10f; Ex. 17:8f). It causes us to turn from our resources to His resources.
(6) We suffer to manifest the life and character of Christ (The Fruit of the Spirit) (2 Cor. 4:8-11; Phil. 1:19f). This is similar to point (4) above with more emphasis on the process and defining the objective, the production of the character of Christ. This has both a negative and a positive aspect:
a. Negative: Suffering helps to remove impurities from our lives such as indifference, self-trust, false motives, self-centeredness, wrong values and priorities, and human defense and escape mechanisms by which we seek to handle our problems (man-made solutions). Suffering in itself does not remove the impurities, but is a tool God uses to cause us to exercise faith in the provisions of God’s grace. It is God’s grace in Christ (our new identity in Christ, the Word and the Holy Spirit) that changes us. This negative aspect is accomplished in two ways: (1) When out of fellowship with the Lord: Suffering becomes discipline from our heavenly Father (Heb. 5:5-11; 1 Cor. 11:28-32; 5:1-5). This involves known sin, rebellion and indifference to God. (2) When in fellowship: Suffering becomes the loving and skillful handy work of the Vine Dresser to make us more productive. It involves unknown sin, areas we may not be aware of, but that are nevertheless hindering our growth and fruitfulness. In this case, suffering often constitutes mirrors of reproof (John 15:1-7).
b. Positive: when believers live under suffering joyfully (i.e., they endure and keep on applying the promises and principles of the faith), Christ’s life or character will be more and more manifested as they grow through the suffering (2 Cor. 4:9-10; 3:18). This means trust, peace, joy, stability, biblical values, faithfulness, and obedience in contrast to sinful mental attitudes, blaming, running, complaining, and reactions against God and people.
(7) We suffer to manifest the evil nature of evil men and the righteousness of the justice of God when it falls in judgment (1 Thess. 2:14-16). Suffering at the hands of people (persecution, violent treatments) is used of God to “fill up the measure of their sins.” It shows the evil character of those who persecute others and the justice of God’s judgment when it falls.
(8) We suffer to broaden our ministries (cf. Philippians 1:12-14 with 4:5-9). In the process of producing Christian character and enhancing our testimony to others, suffering often opens up doors for ministry we could never have imagined. Paul’s imprisonment (chained daily to Roman soldiers in his own house) resulted in the spread of the gospel within the elite imperial Praetorian Guard. The Apostle was undoubtedly continuing to rejoice in the Lord, but if he had been complaining, sulking, and bitter, his witness would have been zero.
My experience of suffering as a Christian came when I was unjustly accused of fornication because I was sick unto death. I examined myself thoroughly before God. My name was stained all around the environment. After thorough investigation, I was exonerated from the entire allegation. I became well again.
Bibliography
Ron Lee Davis, Gold in the Making, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, 1983p. 17-18.
Introduction
Why me? Why now? What is God doing? Suffering is a tool God uses to get our attention and to accomplish His purposes in our lives. It is designed to build our trust in the Almighty, but suffering requires the right response if it is to be successful in accomplishing God’s purposes. Suffering forces us to turn from trust in our own resources to living by faith in God’s resources. Suffering is not in itself virtuous, nor is it a sign of holiness. It is also not a means of gaining points with God, or of subduing the flesh (as in asceticism). When it is possible, suffering is to be avoided. Christ avoided suffering unless it meant acting in disobedience to the Father’s will. “In the day of prosperity be happy, But in the day of adversity consider—God has made the one as well as the other so that man may not discover anything that will be after him” (Eccl. 7:14)
Suffering Defined
What are these bends in the road that God puts in the path of life that we are to carefully consider? Simply stated, suffering is anything which hurts or irritates. In the design of God, it is also something to make us think. It is a tool God uses to get our attention and to accomplish His purposes in our lives in a way that would never occur without the trial or irritation.
Illustrations of Suffering
“It may be cancer or a sore throat. It may be the illness or loss of someone close to you. It may be a personal failure or disappointment in your job or school work. It may be a rumor that is circulating in your office or your church, damaging your reputation, bringing you grief and anxiety.” It can be anything that ranges from something as small and irritating as the bite of a mosquito to facing a lion in the lions’ den as did Daniel (Dan. 6).
General Causes of Suffering
(1) We suffer because we live in a fallen world where sin reigns in the hearts of men.
(2) We suffer because of our own foolishness. We reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7-9).
(3) We sometimes suffer because it is God’s discipline. “For those whom the Lord loves he disciplines and he scourges every son He receives” (Heb. 12:6).
(4) We may suffer persecution because of our faith—especially when we take a stand on biblical issues, i.e., suffering for righteousness sake (2 Tim. 3:12).
The Nature of Suffering
(1) Suffering is Painful: Suffering is hard; it is never easy. Regardless of what we know and how hard we apply the principles, it is going to hurt (cf. 1 Pet. 1:6—“distressed” = “to cause pain, sorrow, grief”).
(2) Suffering is Perplexing: Suffering is somewhat mysterious. We may know some of the theological reasons for suffering from Scripture, yet when it strikes, there is still a certain mystery. Why now? What is God doing? Suffering is designed to build our trust in the Almighty.
(3) Suffering is Purposeful: Suffering is not without meaning in spite of its mystery. It has as its chief purpose the formation of Christ-like character (Rom. 8:28-29).
(4) Suffering Proves (tests) us: “Trials” in James 1:2 is the Greek peirasmos and refers to that which examines, tests, and proves the character or integrity of something. “Testing” in this same verse is dokimion which has a similar idea. It refers to a test designed to prove or approve. Suffering is that which proves one’s character and integrity along with both the object and quality of one’s faith. Compare 1 Peter 1:6-7 where the same Greek words are used along with the verb dokimazo which means, “Put to the test,” “prove by testing as with gold.”
(5) Suffering is a Process: As a process, it takes time. The results God seeks to accomplish with the trials of life require time and thus also, endurance. Romans 5:3-4 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; James 1:3-4 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
(6) Suffering is a Purifier: No matter the reason, even if it is not God’s discipline for blatant carnality, it is a purifier for none of us will ever be perfect in this life. Philippians 3:12-14 12 Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
(7) Suffering Provides Opportunity: Suffering provides opportunity for God’s glory, our transformation, testimony, and ministry, etc. (See reasons for suffering given below.)
(8) Suffering Requires Our Cooperation: Suffering requires the right response if it is to be successful in accomplishing God’s purposes. “We all want the product, character; but we don’t want the process, suffering.” Because of our make up as human beings, we can’t have one without the other.
(9) Suffering is Predetermined or Appointed:
1 Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;
(10) Suffering is Inevitable: The question we must each face is not, ‘if’ we are going to have trials in life, but how will we respond to them? 1 Thessalonians 3:3 so that no man may be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. 1 Peter 4:19 Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.
(11) Suffering is a Struggle: It’s going to be a battle all the way. That’s why they are called “trials” and “testing.” Even when we understand the purposes and principles of suffering, and we know the promises of God’s love and concern given in the Word of God for handling suffering, dealing with the trials of life is never easy because suffering hurts. Trials simply give us the capacity to cooperate with the process (Jam. 1:4). They allow the process to work and allow us to experience inner peace and joy in the midst of the trials.
Purposes and Reasons for Suffering
(1) We suffer as a testimony, as a witness (2 Tim 2:8-10; 2 Cor. 4:12-13; 1 Pet. 3:13-17). When believers handle suffering joyfully and with stability, it becomes a marvelous testimony to the power and life of Christ that we claim and name. Suffering provides key opportunities to manifest and magnify the power of God through His servants in order to verify and confirm the messenger and his message. It provides opportunities to reveal our credentials as ambassadors of Christ (1 Kings. 17:17-24; John 11:1-45). This includes the following areas:
a. To glorify God before the angelic world (Job 1-2; 1 Pet. 4:16).
b. To manifest the power of God to others (2 Cor. 12:9, 10; John 9:3).
c. To manifest the character of Christ in the midst of suffering as a testimony to win others to Christ (2 Cor. 4:8-12; 1 Pet. 3:14-17).
(2) We suffer to develop our capacity and sympathy in comforting others (2 Cor. 1:3-5).
(3) We suffer to keep down pride (2 Cor. 12:7). The Apostle Paul saw his thorn in the flesh as an instrument allowed by God to help him maintain a spirit of humility and dependence on the Lord because of the special revelations he had seen as one who had been caught up to the third heaven.
(4) We suffer because it is a training tool. God lovingly and faithfully uses suffering to develop personal righteousness, maturity, and our walk with Him (Heb. 12:5f; 1 Pet. 1:6; Jam. 1:2-4). In this sense, suffering is designed:
a. As discipline for sin to bring us back to fellowship through genuine confession (Ps. 32:3-5; 119:67).
b. As a pruning tool to remove dead wood from our lives (weaknesses, sins of ignorance, immature attitudes and values, etc.) The desired goal is increased fruitfulness (John 15:1-7). Trials may become mirrors of reproof to reveal hidden areas of sin and weakness (Ps. 16:7; 119:67, 71).
c. As a tool for growth designed to cause us to rely on the Lord and His Word. Trials test our faith and cause us to use the promises and principles of the Word (Ps. 119:71, 92; 1 Pet. 1:6; Jam. 1:2-4; Ps. 4:1 [The Hebrew of this passage can mean, “You have enlarged, made me grow wide by my distress”]). Suffering or trials teach us the truth of Psalm 62:1-8, the truth of learning to “wait on the Lord only
d. As a means of learning what obedience really means. It becomes a test of our loyalty (Heb. 5:8). Illustration: If a father tells his son to do something he likes to do (i.e., eat a bowl of ice cream) and he does it, the child has obeyed, but he hasn’t really learned anything about obedience. If his dad, however, asks him to mow the lawn, that becomes a test and teaches something about the meaning of obedience. The point is, obedience often costs us something and is hard. It can require sacrifice, courage, discipline, and faith in the belief that God is good and has our best interests at heart regardless of how things might appear to us. Regardless of the reason God allows suffering into our lives, rarely does it not reveal areas of need, weaknesses, wrong attitudes, etc., as it did in Job. James 1:2-4; 1 Pet. 1:6-7: The key word is “the proof of our faith.” “Proof” is the word dokimion which looks at both the concept of testing which purifies, and the results, the proof that is left after the test. The Lord uses trials to test our faith in the sense of purifying it, to bring it to the surface, so we are forced to put our faith to work.
(5) We suffer to bring about continued dependence on the grace and power of God. Suffering is designed to cause us to walk by God’s ability, power, and provision rather than by our own (2 Cor. 11:24-32; 12:7-10; Eph. 6:10f; Ex. 17:8f). It causes us to turn from our resources to His resources.
(6) We suffer to manifest the life and character of Christ (The Fruit of the Spirit) (2 Cor. 4:8-11; Phil. 1:19f). This is similar to point (4) above with more emphasis on the process and defining the objective, the production of the character of Christ. This has both a negative and a positive aspect:
a. Negative: Suffering helps to remove impurities from our lives such as indifference, self-trust, false motives, self-centeredness, wrong values and priorities, and human defense and escape mechanisms by which we seek to handle our problems (man-made solutions). Suffering in itself does not remove the impurities, but is a tool God uses to cause us to exercise faith in the provisions of God’s grace. It is God’s grace in Christ (our new identity in Christ, the Word and the Holy Spirit) that changes us. This negative aspect is accomplished in two ways: (1) When out of fellowship with the Lord: Suffering becomes discipline from our heavenly Father (Heb. 5:5-11; 1 Cor. 11:28-32; 5:1-5). This involves known sin, rebellion and indifference to God. (2) When in fellowship: Suffering becomes the loving and skillful handy work of the Vine Dresser to make us more productive. It involves unknown sin, areas we may not be aware of, but that are nevertheless hindering our growth and fruitfulness. In this case, suffering often constitutes mirrors of reproof (John 15:1-7).
b. Positive: when believers live under suffering joyfully (i.e., they endure and keep on applying the promises and principles of the faith), Christ’s life or character will be more and more manifested as they grow through the suffering (2 Cor. 4:9-10; 3:18). This means trust, peace, joy, stability, biblical values, faithfulness, and obedience in contrast to sinful mental attitudes, blaming, running, complaining, and reactions against God and people.
(7) We suffer to manifest the evil nature of evil men and the righteousness of the justice of God when it falls in judgment (1 Thess. 2:14-16). Suffering at the hands of people (persecution, violent treatments) is used of God to “fill up the measure of their sins.” It shows the evil character of those who persecute others and the justice of God’s judgment when it falls.
(8) We suffer to broaden our ministries (cf. Philippians 1:12-14 with 4:5-9). In the process of producing Christian character and enhancing our testimony to others, suffering often opens up doors for ministry we could never have imagined. Paul’s imprisonment (chained daily to Roman soldiers in his own house) resulted in the spread of the gospel within the elite imperial Praetorian Guard. The Apostle was undoubtedly continuing to rejoice in the Lord, but if he had been complaining, sulking, and bitter, his witness would have been zero.
My experience of suffering as a Christian came when I was unjustly accused of fornication because I was sick unto death. I examined myself thoroughly before God. My name was stained all around the environment. After thorough investigation, I was exonerated from the entire allegation. I became well again.
Bibliography
Ron Lee Davis, Gold in the Making, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, 1983p. 17-18.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Christian fundamentalism and the media
The term Christian fundamentalism is generally used to describe the doctrines and attitudes of a number of Christian groups and sects who are united in their belief that Christian triumphalism is mandated in the Gospels and that, as such, Christians are duty-bound to translate this vision into political reality through the ballot box and by influencing the political agenda of their governments. The alliances between successive US Presidents and the Religious Right – Reagan, Ford, Bush Sr and Jr and the Christian Coalition – illustrate this tendency. The launch by the US government of its Arabic language satellite TV news station for Muslim Iraq on 2 May 2003 in collaboration with the US-based fundamentalist Christian organisation Grace Digital Media is a recent example of such an alliance.*
There are also less well-known alliances between state leaders in Africa and conservative Christian groups – Paul Mbiya (Cameroon), Frederick Chiluba (Zambia), South African government support for the US-based Trinity Broadcasting Network in the townships during apartheid, between conservative politicians and the religious right in different countries in Latin America. General Pinochet was avidly supported by the Chilean Evangelical Church and the Guatemalan President Efraín Ríos Montt was an elder of a mission of the California based Gospel Outreach network during his presidency.** In 2003 he campaigned for re-election using his ‘born again Christianity’ as a vote winner in impoverished rural districts where American evangelical churches are expanding fast among the Mayan population (The Guardian, 8 September 2003).
While the term Christian fundamentalism is generally reserved to describe those who have opted for an understanding of Christian mission as an aggressive crusade, it also used to describe the attitudes and doctrines of those who have opted for a softly-softly approach – for instance, the Summer School of Linguistics and the many ‘charismatic’ churches and ‘neo-Pentecostal’ sects involved in low-intensity forms of combative Christianity. ‘Fundamentalism’ is more easily sensed than defined. However, it is widely acknowledged in mainstream Christian circles that the globalisation of Christian fundamentalism has contributed to a rise in inter-faith tension, resulting in a backlash against minority Christians and curbs against the social witness of the church. This is the case in parts of Africa, Latin America, South Asia and the Middle East.
Furthermore, their media and public campaigns have contributed to a rise in anti-Christian actions in different parts of the world. See for instance, the well-documented web site – Indians Against Christian Aggression – www.christreview.org .
In contrast some of the conservative ‘Pentecostal’ churches that were once tarred with the ‘fundamentalist’ brush are now actively involved in the social witness of the church. There are groups and individuals allied with the Southern Baptists who take a different line to that of their mother church. While it is important to acknowledge ‘complexity’, there is no denying the fact that there has been a massive rise in Christian fundamentalism over the last two decades and a proportionate increase in their use of the media in support of aggressive Christian crusades.
Overt and covert struggles
It is one of the central paradoxes of our time that precisely when we have been told that we are moving forward to a qualitatively new era characterised by sisterhood, brotherhood, global unity and togetherness, aided by the technologies of networking, that our familiar world is perceptibly and imperceptibly breaking up into an unfamiliar, unforgiving landscape. This landscape is home to a variety of fundamentalists. Overt and covert struggles aimed at establishing the primacy of one religious worldview over another are commonplace today and unite the world in a fratricidal embrace. Such crusades link the most unlikely of countries – the USA, Sudan, Egypt, Israel, Italy, India, Pakistan, Indonesia – and have led to very untypical alliances between fundamentalist groups – for instance the Jewish and Hindu religious Right against Islam.
While other types of religious fundamentalism (Islamic, Hindu) and the media have been extensively written about, there is precious little material available on the relationship between Christian fundamentalism and the media, especially from the developing world.
It is a recognised fact that the media play an important role in the formation of identity – personal, religious, national. Religious fundamentalists have from time immemorial, assiduously used the media to proclaim the truth, mobilise the masses, protect the faithful and lay down the gauntlet to non-believers. Christian fundamentalists are renowned for their pragmatic use of the media. Broadcasting has traditionally been their forte and they have individualised the encounter between products, technologies and personal salvation. They are motivated by their belief that every successive technology is a manifestation of God’s design to be used by fellow Christians to fulfil the promise of the Great Commission.
A characteristic feature of Christian fundamentalist organisations today is their use of broadcasting and web-based information strategies to conduct aggressive campaigns against non-believers. These communication campaigns support on the ground activities that include church planting, conversion, and development. The use of broadcasting (radio and television) and the Internet are core features of many of these organisations and networks.
As against the wealth of information generated in the USA, there is very little information on the use of the media by Christian fundamentalists in the South. And yet, countries in the South continue to be used as a staging post for aggressive, media-centred, Christian fundamentalism campaigns.
To Christian fundamentalists, the ecumenical movement is a sign of all that is wrong with Christianity. The social Gospel, tolerance of other faiths and life styles, rabid inclusiveness and the contextualisation of faith are all seen as antithetical to the original, Christian mandate, often cited as reasons for the decline of Christian civilization. WACC’s understanding of mission as outlined in its Christian Principles of Communication, grounded in a vision of greater ecumenism, contains the kind of sentiments that Christian fundamentalists have difficulty in identifying with.
While little information is available on the impact of global Christian fundamentalism, it is generally acknowledged that there is a correlation between Christian fundamentalism and a breakdown in inter-faith relationships, a rise in inter-faith tension, to increasing levels of identity crisis among recent converts, the unravelling of cultural consensus at local levels, the rise of animosity against minority Christians, threats against the social gospel witness of mainstream churches – their development, health, education projects, a visible rise in anti-Christian lobbies and in their equally fervent anti-Christian activities.
What does ‘fundamentalism’ mean?
The term fundamentalism, meaning an entirely self-sufficient and self-referential doctrine or worldview, is often used to describe the worldview of an individual or a group and their interpretation of things immanent and eschatological. In common usage, it is specifically applied to the doctrinaire beliefs and action of religious zealots everywhere regardless of their religious affiliation.
In the aftermath of 9/11 and the war in Iraq we were treated to the routine demonisation of Islamic fundamentalists by the media. In the words of Anthony Giddens, ‘Fundamentalism is beleaguered tradition. It is tradition defended in the traditional way – by reference to ritual truth – in a globalising world that asks for reasons.’ While fundamentalism may be beleaguered tradition from the point of view of sociologists, the fact remains that it has established itself as a dominant aspect of the world’s leading religions, inclusive of Christianity.
While most Christian denominations believe in fundamentals such as the creed, virgin birth, trinity, salvation, only a fraction can be considered fundamentalist. The word fundamentalism was first coined in the USA to refer to Christians within the ‘evangelical’ movement, who, in addition to being ‘born again’, maintaining a direct personal relationship to God, and actively winning souls for Christ, advocate active opposition to liberalism (abortion, feminism, ‘deviant’ sexualities) secularism, communism and other religions.
Fundamentalists have an explicitly political agenda. They abide by a handful of Bible-inspired core tenets – evangelism and the salvation of souls, belief in the inerrancy of Scripture, belief in ‘premillennialism’ (Bible-based knowledge of the end times) including a belief in prophecy and the ‘Rapture’ (Mathew 24:37-41 ‘Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left’; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 – ‘caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air’) and separatism.
They can be described as grateful ultra-conservatives who fervently believe that they must share the message of God’s redeeming presence in their lives with others thus contributing to fulfilling the great commission and playing their part in saving the unsaved world. They fight against perceived lapses in Christian civilization, they fight for a Christian world order, they fight with resources that they use as weapons – for example broadcasting, they fight against others and they fight under a God-given mandate.
Relationship between the media and fundamentalism
From time immemorial, the media has been a fertile and well-used (manipulated) tool by religious fundamentalists. This is to be expected since one of the primary aims of the religious fundamentalist is to persuade people to accept the authenticity of an eternal message valid for all time and for all people. Fundamentalists have employed scribes and Pharisees, preachers and mullahs, used dance and drama, song and verse, edict and artifice to communicate eternal and unchanging Truths.
The modern-day fundamentalist however operates in a very different milieu to that which prevailed even half a century ago. The marketing of Paradise is big business today. God sells. There is a battle on for the souls of the global community as much as for its purse in a context teeming with a variety of communication options – video and audio, terrestrial, cable and satellite broadcasting, the Internet along with print and older forms of communication. Christian fundamentalists in particular rank among the world’s foremost users of the media, for in their way of thinking, every medium of communication is a gift from God and a potential ally in the dissemination of God’s truth. Instrumentalism, professionalism and pragmatism are typical attitudes underlying media use by religious fundamentalists.
Religious fundamentalists normally have a political agenda – and the media are used to further that agenda. The meticulous, systematic uses of the media by Hindu nationalist forces in India, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bharatiya Janata Party, by the Taliban, as much as by Pat Robertson and others of his ilk in the USA, backed by the technologies of marketing have played a key role in their ascendance in the public domain. The family and community as much as the nation are targets for the fundamentalist.
The fundamentalist message is simple, straightforward, literal and promises an important value-added extra – it guarantees all believers the promise of salvation. Fundamentalists do not have time for Irony, or subscribe to diversity. In fact in their way of thinking Satan lurks in every outsider opposed to their cause.
The use of the media by religious fundamentalists has varied from context to context. Hindu fundamentalists in India have used video to great effect and more recently satellite television. Their mass leaders such as Sadhvi Rithambara are what they are today because of their cassette ministries. A tradition perfected by the late Ayatollah Khomeni whose popularity was boosted by his sermons delivered via audiocassettes. In the USA Christian fundamentalists such as Pat Robertson control vast media empires and in addition have substantive interests in wealth creation activities such as banking and real estate.
Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Cable Network is one of the largest cable providers in the USA. Such synergies and links with secular media moghuls effected through the sale of his International Family Entertainment to Rupert Murdoch reinforce the point that it is very difficult to monitor the inroads made by fundamentalist media in the mainstream. Televangelism however, is a lot more than an adaptation of television for religious ends. It has also, perhaps in a fundamental sense, changed the way religion is experienced by vast numbers of people. More importantly, it is the vehicle by which conservative political views are given global legitimacy and aggressive forms of Christianity promoted.
Media and Christian fundamentalism
God TV Vision Statement: ‘To recognize, source, create, package and present world-class anointed, prophetic, supernatural content in a spirit of excellence across the globe into every nation, reconciling man, woman and child with God by the power of the Holy Spirit’ ( http://www.godnetwork.com )
Christian fundamentalists use a variety of media to fulfil their mission. However, broadcasting – both radio and television remain their favourite tools. There are a number of defining characteristics of the media and Christian fundamentalism. These can be categorized in terms of structure, process, audience, policy, strategy, ideology:
1) While they have a massive presence in print, their core media is undoubtedly broadcasting, and of late, the Internet.
2) Since one of the key raisons d’être of Christian fundamentalism is the Great Commission – the media have traditionally been used to further the goals of outreach including church planting, preaching, conversion and global evangelism. Print, broadcasting and new information technologies have been used extensively. Today, when we speak of Christian broadcasting, it refers almost exclusively to the networks owned by televangelists, most of whom are resident in the USA. However, their networks are global.
3) While the most ubiquitous expression of Christian fundamentalist media is represented by globally networked Christian television such as CBN and TBN, there are also local expressions of Christian fundamentalist media that are bounded by language, region, nation. Local Christian TV supported wholly by local entrepreneurs also plays a role in reinforcing a conservative politics and interpretation of Scripture at local, regional or national levels.
4) While the political economy of televangelism is of real concern, the deliberate manner in which content is used to marginalize ‘others’, the ways in which Christian symbols are manipulated for marketing ends, the ways in which technologies are adapted to fundamentalist ends and communication campaigns used to sow distrust and discord in multi-religious contexts are some of the more immediate concerns for ecumenical communication organizations.
5)The mainstreaming of Christianity, which is an on-going process, has been achieved through global marketing strategies. Christian broadcasting is a multi-billion dollar business and it is therefore not at all surprising that its strategies at profit and audience maximization mirror the objectives of mainstream broadcasting. (http://godnetwork.
6) Some of these networks, given their global operations, are no longer owned by strictly Christian interests. Today Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Networking (CBN) empire is for instance connected through inter-locking directorships to a variety of secular institutions that are in agreement with his ultra-conservative views. In 1997, CBS sold International Family Entertainment Inc. to Rupert Murdoch and Murdoch merged his Fox Kids Worldwide with IFE. Pat Robertson remains co-chairman of the board. Brazil’s Universal Church of the Reign of God is a major player in commercial broadcasting in the region.
7) Since mainstreaming Christianity is a key objective, many Christian networks also broadcast wholesome, family entertainment – Hill Street Blues, the Mary Tyler Show and the like.
8) Global evangelism is a key objective and CBN’s WorldReach that was launched in 1995 and is seen in 200 countries is based on a combination of local production for terrestrial television and satellite and cable TV. The regions of focus include the USA, Latin America, the Muslim World, Europe, India, Indonesia, South-east Asia, the Philippines, China and the C.I.S. Similarly the UK-based God TV, transmits programmes via 10 satellites and numerous cable outlets to 212 countries.
9) Synergistic, multi-media strategies are a hallmark of contemporary Christian fundamentalist projects such as AD2003.
There are also less well-known alliances between state leaders in Africa and conservative Christian groups – Paul Mbiya (Cameroon), Frederick Chiluba (Zambia), South African government support for the US-based Trinity Broadcasting Network in the townships during apartheid, between conservative politicians and the religious right in different countries in Latin America. General Pinochet was avidly supported by the Chilean Evangelical Church and the Guatemalan President Efraín Ríos Montt was an elder of a mission of the California based Gospel Outreach network during his presidency.** In 2003 he campaigned for re-election using his ‘born again Christianity’ as a vote winner in impoverished rural districts where American evangelical churches are expanding fast among the Mayan population (The Guardian, 8 September 2003).
While the term Christian fundamentalism is generally reserved to describe those who have opted for an understanding of Christian mission as an aggressive crusade, it also used to describe the attitudes and doctrines of those who have opted for a softly-softly approach – for instance, the Summer School of Linguistics and the many ‘charismatic’ churches and ‘neo-Pentecostal’ sects involved in low-intensity forms of combative Christianity. ‘Fundamentalism’ is more easily sensed than defined. However, it is widely acknowledged in mainstream Christian circles that the globalisation of Christian fundamentalism has contributed to a rise in inter-faith tension, resulting in a backlash against minority Christians and curbs against the social witness of the church. This is the case in parts of Africa, Latin America, South Asia and the Middle East.
Furthermore, their media and public campaigns have contributed to a rise in anti-Christian actions in different parts of the world. See for instance, the well-documented web site – Indians Against Christian Aggression – www.christreview.org .
In contrast some of the conservative ‘Pentecostal’ churches that were once tarred with the ‘fundamentalist’ brush are now actively involved in the social witness of the church. There are groups and individuals allied with the Southern Baptists who take a different line to that of their mother church. While it is important to acknowledge ‘complexity’, there is no denying the fact that there has been a massive rise in Christian fundamentalism over the last two decades and a proportionate increase in their use of the media in support of aggressive Christian crusades.
Overt and covert struggles
It is one of the central paradoxes of our time that precisely when we have been told that we are moving forward to a qualitatively new era characterised by sisterhood, brotherhood, global unity and togetherness, aided by the technologies of networking, that our familiar world is perceptibly and imperceptibly breaking up into an unfamiliar, unforgiving landscape. This landscape is home to a variety of fundamentalists. Overt and covert struggles aimed at establishing the primacy of one religious worldview over another are commonplace today and unite the world in a fratricidal embrace. Such crusades link the most unlikely of countries – the USA, Sudan, Egypt, Israel, Italy, India, Pakistan, Indonesia – and have led to very untypical alliances between fundamentalist groups – for instance the Jewish and Hindu religious Right against Islam.
While other types of religious fundamentalism (Islamic, Hindu) and the media have been extensively written about, there is precious little material available on the relationship between Christian fundamentalism and the media, especially from the developing world.
It is a recognised fact that the media play an important role in the formation of identity – personal, religious, national. Religious fundamentalists have from time immemorial, assiduously used the media to proclaim the truth, mobilise the masses, protect the faithful and lay down the gauntlet to non-believers. Christian fundamentalists are renowned for their pragmatic use of the media. Broadcasting has traditionally been their forte and they have individualised the encounter between products, technologies and personal salvation. They are motivated by their belief that every successive technology is a manifestation of God’s design to be used by fellow Christians to fulfil the promise of the Great Commission.
A characteristic feature of Christian fundamentalist organisations today is their use of broadcasting and web-based information strategies to conduct aggressive campaigns against non-believers. These communication campaigns support on the ground activities that include church planting, conversion, and development. The use of broadcasting (radio and television) and the Internet are core features of many of these organisations and networks.
As against the wealth of information generated in the USA, there is very little information on the use of the media by Christian fundamentalists in the South. And yet, countries in the South continue to be used as a staging post for aggressive, media-centred, Christian fundamentalism campaigns.
To Christian fundamentalists, the ecumenical movement is a sign of all that is wrong with Christianity. The social Gospel, tolerance of other faiths and life styles, rabid inclusiveness and the contextualisation of faith are all seen as antithetical to the original, Christian mandate, often cited as reasons for the decline of Christian civilization. WACC’s understanding of mission as outlined in its Christian Principles of Communication, grounded in a vision of greater ecumenism, contains the kind of sentiments that Christian fundamentalists have difficulty in identifying with.
While little information is available on the impact of global Christian fundamentalism, it is generally acknowledged that there is a correlation between Christian fundamentalism and a breakdown in inter-faith relationships, a rise in inter-faith tension, to increasing levels of identity crisis among recent converts, the unravelling of cultural consensus at local levels, the rise of animosity against minority Christians, threats against the social gospel witness of mainstream churches – their development, health, education projects, a visible rise in anti-Christian lobbies and in their equally fervent anti-Christian activities.
What does ‘fundamentalism’ mean?
The term fundamentalism, meaning an entirely self-sufficient and self-referential doctrine or worldview, is often used to describe the worldview of an individual or a group and their interpretation of things immanent and eschatological. In common usage, it is specifically applied to the doctrinaire beliefs and action of religious zealots everywhere regardless of their religious affiliation.
In the aftermath of 9/11 and the war in Iraq we were treated to the routine demonisation of Islamic fundamentalists by the media. In the words of Anthony Giddens, ‘Fundamentalism is beleaguered tradition. It is tradition defended in the traditional way – by reference to ritual truth – in a globalising world that asks for reasons.’ While fundamentalism may be beleaguered tradition from the point of view of sociologists, the fact remains that it has established itself as a dominant aspect of the world’s leading religions, inclusive of Christianity.
While most Christian denominations believe in fundamentals such as the creed, virgin birth, trinity, salvation, only a fraction can be considered fundamentalist. The word fundamentalism was first coined in the USA to refer to Christians within the ‘evangelical’ movement, who, in addition to being ‘born again’, maintaining a direct personal relationship to God, and actively winning souls for Christ, advocate active opposition to liberalism (abortion, feminism, ‘deviant’ sexualities) secularism, communism and other religions.
Fundamentalists have an explicitly political agenda. They abide by a handful of Bible-inspired core tenets – evangelism and the salvation of souls, belief in the inerrancy of Scripture, belief in ‘premillennialism’ (Bible-based knowledge of the end times) including a belief in prophecy and the ‘Rapture’ (Mathew 24:37-41 ‘Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left’; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 – ‘caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air’) and separatism.
They can be described as grateful ultra-conservatives who fervently believe that they must share the message of God’s redeeming presence in their lives with others thus contributing to fulfilling the great commission and playing their part in saving the unsaved world. They fight against perceived lapses in Christian civilization, they fight for a Christian world order, they fight with resources that they use as weapons – for example broadcasting, they fight against others and they fight under a God-given mandate.
Relationship between the media and fundamentalism
From time immemorial, the media has been a fertile and well-used (manipulated) tool by religious fundamentalists. This is to be expected since one of the primary aims of the religious fundamentalist is to persuade people to accept the authenticity of an eternal message valid for all time and for all people. Fundamentalists have employed scribes and Pharisees, preachers and mullahs, used dance and drama, song and verse, edict and artifice to communicate eternal and unchanging Truths.
The modern-day fundamentalist however operates in a very different milieu to that which prevailed even half a century ago. The marketing of Paradise is big business today. God sells. There is a battle on for the souls of the global community as much as for its purse in a context teeming with a variety of communication options – video and audio, terrestrial, cable and satellite broadcasting, the Internet along with print and older forms of communication. Christian fundamentalists in particular rank among the world’s foremost users of the media, for in their way of thinking, every medium of communication is a gift from God and a potential ally in the dissemination of God’s truth. Instrumentalism, professionalism and pragmatism are typical attitudes underlying media use by religious fundamentalists.
Religious fundamentalists normally have a political agenda – and the media are used to further that agenda. The meticulous, systematic uses of the media by Hindu nationalist forces in India, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bharatiya Janata Party, by the Taliban, as much as by Pat Robertson and others of his ilk in the USA, backed by the technologies of marketing have played a key role in their ascendance in the public domain. The family and community as much as the nation are targets for the fundamentalist.
The fundamentalist message is simple, straightforward, literal and promises an important value-added extra – it guarantees all believers the promise of salvation. Fundamentalists do not have time for Irony, or subscribe to diversity. In fact in their way of thinking Satan lurks in every outsider opposed to their cause.
The use of the media by religious fundamentalists has varied from context to context. Hindu fundamentalists in India have used video to great effect and more recently satellite television. Their mass leaders such as Sadhvi Rithambara are what they are today because of their cassette ministries. A tradition perfected by the late Ayatollah Khomeni whose popularity was boosted by his sermons delivered via audiocassettes. In the USA Christian fundamentalists such as Pat Robertson control vast media empires and in addition have substantive interests in wealth creation activities such as banking and real estate.
Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Cable Network is one of the largest cable providers in the USA. Such synergies and links with secular media moghuls effected through the sale of his International Family Entertainment to Rupert Murdoch reinforce the point that it is very difficult to monitor the inroads made by fundamentalist media in the mainstream. Televangelism however, is a lot more than an adaptation of television for religious ends. It has also, perhaps in a fundamental sense, changed the way religion is experienced by vast numbers of people. More importantly, it is the vehicle by which conservative political views are given global legitimacy and aggressive forms of Christianity promoted.
Media and Christian fundamentalism
God TV Vision Statement: ‘To recognize, source, create, package and present world-class anointed, prophetic, supernatural content in a spirit of excellence across the globe into every nation, reconciling man, woman and child with God by the power of the Holy Spirit’ ( http://www.godnetwork.com )
Christian fundamentalists use a variety of media to fulfil their mission. However, broadcasting – both radio and television remain their favourite tools. There are a number of defining characteristics of the media and Christian fundamentalism. These can be categorized in terms of structure, process, audience, policy, strategy, ideology:
1) While they have a massive presence in print, their core media is undoubtedly broadcasting, and of late, the Internet.
2) Since one of the key raisons d’être of Christian fundamentalism is the Great Commission – the media have traditionally been used to further the goals of outreach including church planting, preaching, conversion and global evangelism. Print, broadcasting and new information technologies have been used extensively. Today, when we speak of Christian broadcasting, it refers almost exclusively to the networks owned by televangelists, most of whom are resident in the USA. However, their networks are global.
3) While the most ubiquitous expression of Christian fundamentalist media is represented by globally networked Christian television such as CBN and TBN, there are also local expressions of Christian fundamentalist media that are bounded by language, region, nation. Local Christian TV supported wholly by local entrepreneurs also plays a role in reinforcing a conservative politics and interpretation of Scripture at local, regional or national levels.
4) While the political economy of televangelism is of real concern, the deliberate manner in which content is used to marginalize ‘others’, the ways in which Christian symbols are manipulated for marketing ends, the ways in which technologies are adapted to fundamentalist ends and communication campaigns used to sow distrust and discord in multi-religious contexts are some of the more immediate concerns for ecumenical communication organizations.
5)The mainstreaming of Christianity, which is an on-going process, has been achieved through global marketing strategies. Christian broadcasting is a multi-billion dollar business and it is therefore not at all surprising that its strategies at profit and audience maximization mirror the objectives of mainstream broadcasting. (http://godnetwork.
6) Some of these networks, given their global operations, are no longer owned by strictly Christian interests. Today Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Networking (CBN) empire is for instance connected through inter-locking directorships to a variety of secular institutions that are in agreement with his ultra-conservative views. In 1997, CBS sold International Family Entertainment Inc. to Rupert Murdoch and Murdoch merged his Fox Kids Worldwide with IFE. Pat Robertson remains co-chairman of the board. Brazil’s Universal Church of the Reign of God is a major player in commercial broadcasting in the region.
7) Since mainstreaming Christianity is a key objective, many Christian networks also broadcast wholesome, family entertainment – Hill Street Blues, the Mary Tyler Show and the like.
8) Global evangelism is a key objective and CBN’s WorldReach that was launched in 1995 and is seen in 200 countries is based on a combination of local production for terrestrial television and satellite and cable TV. The regions of focus include the USA, Latin America, the Muslim World, Europe, India, Indonesia, South-east Asia, the Philippines, China and the C.I.S. Similarly the UK-based God TV, transmits programmes via 10 satellites and numerous cable outlets to 212 countries.
9) Synergistic, multi-media strategies are a hallmark of contemporary Christian fundamentalist projects such as AD2003.
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