Some Thoughts On Listening to Christian Radio

Recently I began listening to Christian radio. It was both encouraging and in some ways alarming. It inspired me to return to my old blog so I could put some thoughts about listening to Christian radio in writing.

I began listening to Christian radio at work a few weeks ago. A friend recommended AM 900. I enjoyed the mornings on the station as there is a lot of encouraging stuff, like sermons from Alister Begg and R.C. Sproul. I noticed as I listened to sermons all morning I was greatly encouraged hearing the scripture preached. It helped focus my attention on God during the work day.

Sadly, in the afternoon the sermons end, and there is all sorts of talk radio. One of the programs I found most disturbing was New Life Ministries. In this radio program there are various Christian counselors who help callers, who call in seeking help from their three experts. So often when I hear the caller’s questions I am burdened for them, as the answers they get are often not scriptural. Too often the show states they are giving “Biblical” advice, yet there is no scripture. Their counsel often is secular psychology in somewhat Christianized packaging. I often hear the caller, the advice they are given, and wonder if they have received any real help at all. Very often when I hear the caller speak it makes me want to know if the caller is saved. Yet, the people on New Life Ministries do not often seek to stop and find out first. They dispense advice and do not give the caller much time to respond to the comments. I can’t help thinking about how some of these callers are not even born again, and how they sought “Christian counseling” but have not been pointed to the gospel. I feel bad for these people as they have been perhaps instructed on how to clean “the outside of the cup” but have not had any of the dirt on the inside dealt with. I also think how frustrating it must be for these callers to be given advice on how to change their life, when they may be completely unable to do so because they don’t have the Holy Spirit in them.

It is also alarming to see Christian counselors not probe and go into the deeper and spiritual issues. They trade the power of the scriptures for things that cannot save or heal. If you believe that the Bible is the word of God it seems like a no brainer that one would counsel by it. One familiar scripture comes to mind:
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

What counselor would not love to have a tool that discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart?!? It does not seem like you would need seminary training or Biblical counseling classes to see that. Yet, these people who are called doctors seem to miss what should be obvious to biblically literate Christians.

I could go on. But for the brevity of blog posts I will begin wrapping up. What was disturbing to me about “Christian radio” is how from the same source can come things both proclaiming scriptural truth and at the same time have other programs, that though they don’t state it, deny the sufficiency of scripture by not applying the word of God to people’s lives and problems. My fear is that people will not make a distinction between truth and error as both are coming from the same place. Thinking about this makes me thankful for the sufficiency of scripture and that, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness…” (2 Peter 1:3). God did not just give us scripture for something to hear in sermons but he gave us a divine book that we can trust and put into practice in all areas of life.