All Things Considered, post 3
Just the Facts
Years ago, there was a detective police show called Dragnet in which Sgt. Joe Friday cut off people from talking too much with the phrase, ”Just the facts,” when he interviewed a witness. Now with crime dramas like CSI and the related spinoffs, evidence from the smallest clue can prove exactly who killed who and who didn’t kill anyone.
Facts are needed for a jury or judge to believe what is the truth. In other situations, reality shows artificially place people in different situation and the relationships or lack of them show the truth or the $100,000 winner. Even the best of magicians can make the Statue of Liberty disappear, turn water into wine and walk on water. Somehow, our minds process this as real because we see it, and therefore believe it is a fact.
Then there are journalists, both print and broadcast reporters, who give us the news. The better ones are trained to get important information in a timely manner stated in an objective way. Again, there are just the facts with both sides of the story, hopefully.
If Jesus were born today among the media today, would He be believed? Would his Good News be popular as it is now, 2000 or so years after his birth? Would his miracles be viewed as a performance of another magician? Would people need the facts about His message to prove his points because we physically could not see them? There is a book about these events, called the Bible, and it has been around longer than any TV station. Exactly what is required to benefit from the promise of the Kingdom of Heaven? The fact is all a person has to do is believe.
“But as many received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” - John 1:12 NKJ version
Peace be you with always,
Rev. Paul Abernathy
Contact Paul Abernathy at paulabernathy@gmail.com.
Want to know more about the members of Lambda Sigma Chi? Click here to meet the members of the unofficial fraternity.