How the News Steals from God's Glory

About two months ago I read Dr. Sommerville's eye-opening critique of the news media.  Here is my brief review of the book, which only touches on a few of the issues it made me think about.  The conversation that Dr. Sommerville started has been ongoing ever since in my mind, and here's one of the conclusions I came to the other day:

I do think news media is one of Satan's strategies to steal glory from God.  From its necessity to constantly focus on the new, to cluttering of our minds with insignificant, stupid conversations, to clouding our judgment about what is scientific and real (to name just a few)... As Dr. S points out, news business is not in it to tell us "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable."  Most of the time, there is no truth and beauty to be found there (once in a while, a bored journalist may write a half-hearted story about philanthropic efforts of rescuing a stray dog that got stuck in a local retention pond).

Finally, with its constant emphasis on the ugly and bad, the news media taints our hearts with distrust in God.  I have noticed this in myself.  I looked outside the other day and saw the beautiful place that my Heavenly Father has put me in.  I saw the goodness in my work; I saw the beauty in the world that He has created; I saw that He has taken care of me from birth and has never let me down.  The very things that the news media does not want me to reflect or to think about.  In the end, what do I, a redeemed child of God, have to fear or to be sad about?

One may suggest that the news media informs us about the fallenness of the world.  I think there is already a book written about that--yes, in fact, the Book.  It would be more beneficial for us to read the Book to learn about the world's fallenness than to consume the product of this world to do it... because the news only wallows in the world's fallenness.  It does not teach us how to view the fallenness or how to live with it.

Dear friends, you can probably rightly assume that I am becoming more Baptist year by year.  But seriously, put down that newspaper.  Quit snacking on the unhealthy morsels and sit down with a book, or the Book, for a more complete meal.  I trust that you will find it quite fulfilling.