On Sunday, October 30, 1938, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) in New York aired, on Orson Welles’ radio show, The Mercury Theater on the Air, a dramatic reading, with sound effects, of ‘The War of the Worlds’ (based on H.G. Wells’ 1898 novel of the same name).The show caused national panic because it wildly described invading Martian armies, mostly through news bulletins that interrupted the program, without informing listeners it was entertainment. Some people fled their homes as they believed a Martian invasion was really taking place.
This infamous, although accidental, example of information being misconstrued has come into wide-spread practice these 96 years later. Recognizing the impact of things heard or read to sway a person’s thinking is being massively exploited. Foods that are good for you vs. foods that are not (subject to change without notice, of course), exercise that is healthful vs. that which is harmful, science that is beneficial vs. that which is toxic, the ubiquitous ‘us vs. them’ theories, the same statistics which are used in different ways to promote two different ‘proofs,’ and so many more. Now AI has arrived with the ability to replicate just about everything under the sun (gasp! Oh, No!). See what I mean?
Scripture is not immune to these abuses either. Over the Centuries, God’s Word has been maligned and twisted and contorted to fit into pre-determined beliefs. In the 1st Century AD, there were those who claimed God’s authority but who were unmasked as Satan’s synagogue (Rev. 3:9, NLT). Since that time, this kind of heresy has reproduced itself repeatedly. Today, ‘adapting’ Scripture to the tastes and trends of societal pressure is in vogue. The arguments are slick and convincingly presented in a way that loudly suggests that those who disagree are mired in old ways, refusing to accept what is now obvious to ‘everyone else.’
What are we to do? How do we respond to these things? Is there (shh!) an absolute anywhere to guide our thinking and bring peace to our hearts? The answer to that question is a resounding-from-Heaven, bells ringing, banners waving, crowds shouting, YES!! Scripture has not changed! God is neither dead nor asleep nor disinterested nor irrelevant. The Holy Spirit is eternally active and speaking the Word of God to our hearts, to our souls. The Bible is our Source, solely illuminated by his ministry. Jesus promised us his perfect peace (John 14:27, NIV). Amen! PD
