“No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life” (2 Timothy 2:4).
I like to know what is going on in the world, so I enjoy keeping up with the News. I have lived long enough to know that I have my own ideas and that most of them, due to my faith, do not align with most of the major News outlets; I don’t expect them to!
Although News outlets can be powerful forces for good when used to move the population to unity and goodwill, they can also be powerful forces for evil. You would think that News Programmes would be turned off when hearers are left worse off for listening to them, but not so. The reason they are left on is because many struggle to tell the difference between good and evil before it is too late. Worse still, accountability is often slow and misguided.
I am always glad to hear that Christians keep up with the current News. Those I know who enjoy discussing the events of the day often express their views openly and all is well. However, openness has its limits—not everyone sees the decisions of our powers-that-be alike and those differences can evoke adverse reactions.
Therefore, all Christians must take care that the News that they hear does not “entangle them in the affairs of everyday life.” Though we are reluctant to believe it, most information exchanged in the name of News is a waste of time to the believer. Once the smoke and mirrors are cleared away, that which was presented as earth altering News usually comes to nothing.
Realistically, there is only one way for Christians to be able to listen to what passes for News around them and to stay on Mission. It is this:
Soldiers of the Cross are to process everything they hear through the Divine Filter of God’s Word.
John Staiger