The Importance of Christian Worldview Journalism

The Importance of Christian Worldview JournalismBy Warren Smith<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Is it important to have Christians who have a solid and mature biblical worldview involved in the media?  Indeed, is it important for Christians to have their own alternative media?  With the huge size advantage that the liberal and anti-Christian worldview has in the media today, can a small, fledgling, alternative media make a difference?
I think the answer is yes, but to understand this answer, perhaps it would be helpful to look at a famous lesson from history.

In 1940, Hitler's Nazi troops had overrun <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Europe.  England had been a free and sovereign nation for a thousand years.  But in 1940 that freedom was threatened.  England was all that stood against the Third Reich's totalitarian ambitions for the entire world.  Hitler knew that so long as Great Britain remained free, he would never be able to fully secure his gains on the European continent.  So Hitler decided to attack.

But he knew that a ground assault on Britain would be a bloody and endeavor.  So it was imperative that Hitler use his air force, the fearsome Luftwaffe, to begin bombings against England, to soften the nation's defenses so that his ground attack would be successful – or to motivate England to surrender or "sue for peace."

Thus began the Battle of Britain in the early fall of 1940, and extending into the spring of 1941.  On some days, more than a thousand German planes would attack Britain.  But on each of those days courageous though overwhelmingly outnumbered Royal Air Force pilots suited up to meet them.  Winning the battle outright was impossible, because on some days the RAF fighters were outnumbered 10 or even 20 to one.  So the goal of these RAF pilots was much more focused -- and desperate:  If we can't defeat Germany, we can at least keep England alive. 

And so they did.  The RAF fighters did not actually defeat the Luftwaffe, but they did force Hitler to change both his strategies and his tactics.  The Germans had to abandon their deadly accurate daylight raids.  They were forced to bomb only at night.  These night time raids were terrifying to the people of London, and – to be sure – they were catastrophic in many ways.  But they were much less damaging than daylight raids would have been.   Hitler discovered that even though his air forces were superior, their effectiveness could be diminished just enough to allow Great Britain to maintain some semblance of defense against a ground and water assault.  Hitler's plan for a ground invasion of England had to be abandoned.

In the end, a few hundred RAF fighters – and those who supported them – turned back the most fearsome war machine that had ever been assembled.  Some historians believe it was the true turning point of the war.  Whether you accept that assessment or not, no one has ever quarreled with Winston Churchill's famous summary of those days:  "Never before in the annals of valor, has so much been owed by so many to so few."

I tell this story because I see many parallels between what happened then and what is happening today. 

Today, we are involved in a spiritual battle.  Just as World War II was in many ways a battle for the survival of freedom against tyranny, so today we are in a battle for the very survival of faith, family, and freedom.  And today, as it was then, the enemy controls the air.  His message is getting out on the airwaves and in print. 

And that's why Christian journalism is so important.  Just as a small number of RAF pilots could keep England alive until it could be victorious, so Christian journalism can keep the truth alive until, ultimately, Truth itself is victorious. 

There has been much debate in recent years about whether our nation has a "Christian past."  Honest people can debate that question; I will acknowledge that there has been much in our history that does not bring glory to Christ. 

However, of this I am quite sure:  whatever our past, our nation and our world can have a Christian future.  Jesus Himself taught us that the Great Commission was not merely to make converts, but to make disciples. 

I believe that Christian journalism can – by giving Christians the knowledge and the language to stand firm in the Public Square – be a vital tool in helping the fulfillment of the Great Commission come to pass.

Warren Smith is the publisher of The Charlotte World and the Evangelical Press News Service.  He was a speaker at this year's National Conference on Apologetics hosted by Southern Evangelical Seminary.  He can be reached at warren.smith@thecharlotteworld.com

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