David Morris

In response: 3 Pet peeves...

Thanks all for the input. I appreciate it.
Though delayed in publishing, I've continued to mull over my last blog and your comments, and I was thinking...

First, perhaps my displeasure at WMUU was a tad...unfair. Unfair because I don't really know what their purpose is, or what kind of philosophy drives them.
Maybe I'll moderate my anti-MUU rhetoric to stating I'm confused.

Confused because sometimes I get the idea they're a Christian radio station running a ministry, but the majority of what I hear is "secular" stuff. For instance, one Sunday morning on our way to church Cathy and I turned it on to hear a song from a musical. Despite the host of good preaching available, the only preaching I've ever heard is Dr. Bob Sr. reruns. And despite the pleas in Faculty/Staff meetings to encourage our friends and neighbors to listen, at this moment I can't really see enough value in it for me to listen, let alone proselytize for them.

What I think about the music they play really isn't the issue. I don't really care if they want to provide a classical (or whatever you call their daily conglomeration) radio station. I just wish a station with the possibility of a lot of influence would put more emphasis on any kind of Christian music and preaching. I don't particulary feel like the world's crying need is a classical radio station sprinkled with Christian allusions, but perhaps they do and I suppose that's fine and I'm willing to chalk that one up to the personal preferences of a very young person.

Secondly, I think my first two grievances exceed personal taste. While I would never expect or demand any radio station (or preacher or song or book) to match my every view and preference and opinion, there is one standard that we can apply to what we hear on any radio station. That standard is truth as revealed in God's Word, and though we may debate on application issues we all know the truth issues are not relative.

I would contend that the truth is that the Gospel is not primarily about man. The truth is also that we are starving for a genuine picture of God, and part of our fuzzy concept of Him springs from years of experience-based theology and not revealed truth-based theology.

I realize radio opens up a world of application issues, and I can live with that. I am happy to listen to BBN, though at times I disagree with the preaching I hear or don't particularly enjoy the style of a song. But perhaps my point in my pet peeves is that I don't like truth being misportrayed, reinterpreted, or twisted.

Some might say I don't like truth according to me being reinterpreted and twisted, but I'd have to say I can draw some very definite lines of truth. That's one of the great things about God's Word-it can be objectively studied. I don't have to worry about being the one to define "sound exegesis." If someone is true to what the text says, that's sound exegesis. I, and every other Christian, have perfect liberty to determine if preaching meets the standard of "good" as applied to exegesis. That's not lofty seminarian arrogance, that's the beauty of a written Word that can mean only what it says.

There will never be a radio station on this fallen planet that is perfect, but we can all learn from the imperfections. And we can all be passionate about the objective truth, on guard for definite error, and biblically constrained in our consciences.

Posted by apelles at June 16, 2003 01:38 PM