George R. Brunk, in Sword and Trumpet article, “Regulate or Relegate?” January 1931: “The radio is a live issue at the present time; many honest souls are wondering and questioning about it. “If Conference forbids their use the matter should be enforced or else the least conscientious will have them and the ones most likely to make best use of them are the only ones restrained.
“if they are to be allowed in Mennonite homes, certainly a definite campaign should be in progress to regulate them.”
Gospel Herald, October 3, 1950, editorial entitled, “The Television Age”: “Radio is bad enough. There is so much evil and so little of value to be heard on the radio that many of us seldom turn ours on except for a few choice programs that we are acquainted with and which we can listen to with profit. We still cannot have much quarrel with the people who have kept the radio out of their homes entirely. But now comes the television, which is far more potent in its influence, with much greater possibility of evil as well as good…“What should we do in this television age? We can, of course, call the invention entirely evil and keep it out of our homes. Some of our conferences are attempting this solution and they can give good arguments for it. But there are great difficulties involved…. It is most difficult to legislate out of our lives an invention which has come into common use…
“Let no parent think that they have won their children by giving in to their pleas for the television. if they are not wise enough and able enough to control its use, they surely have lost their children. Any Christian home that wants to use this marvelous new invention will have to cooperate most conscientiously in receiving only the good and rigorously excluding the evil.”
Paraphrased for today:
The internet is a live issue at present; many honest souls are wondering and questioning about it.
If the church forbids or regulates it, the matter should be enforced or else the least conscientious will have it and the ones most likely to make best use of it are the only ones restrained.
If it is to be allowed in Mennonite homes, certainly a definite campaign should be in progress to regulate it.
Radio and TV are bad enough. There is so much evil and so little value that many of our churches have taken a stand against their use.
But now comes the internet, which is far more potent in its influence, with much greater possibility of evil as well as good….
Some conservative churches have opened the door for only the most legitimate uses in business. We still cannot have much quarrel with the people who have kept the internet out of their use entirely.
What should we do in this internet age? We can, of course, call the invention entirely evil and keep it out of our homes. Some of our conferences are attempting this solution and they can give good arguments for it. But there are great difficulties involved…. It is most difficult to legislate out of our lives an invention which has come into such common use all around us….
Let no parent think that they have won their children by giving in to their pleas for the internet. if they are not wise enough and able enough to control its use, they surely have lost their children. Any Christian home that wants to use this marvelous new invention will have to cooperate most conscientiously in receiving only the good and rigorously excluding the evil.
What striking similarities between issues of the radio and TV and the current technology era we have moved into. One shudders to think of where many good churches of the past have gone under the influence of radio, TV, and other worldly accommodations.
We should ponder these questions: “What part did radio and TV play in taking those churches into apostasy? What was the rest of the package of spiritual life and godly desire for Bible obedience?”
It seems to me that the apostasy of the early 1900’s was, at least in part, a result of an overall lack of spiritual vitality and fervent zeal to live out the simple teachings of the Word. There was a push to accommodate to the world’s dress, philosophies, and education system. Soon the Word was explained away and human reasoning prevailed.
Today we have opened the door for some of these modern technologies, believing we can handle them. Much is said about the evils of them and controlling them. But where are we with the other part of this story—with spiritual zeal, love for Biblical simplicity, and simple Bible obedience to the teachings of Jesus that run counter to modern American ideals? Will we spend time considering this part of keeping the faith and helping our families and congregations grow strong in Christ?
We should be most cautious and yea, even a bit fearful as we move forward in our day of modern technology. This godly caution and concern will help keep us from being swept off our feet. Too much self-confidence about how safely we can use these things may well prove to be a snare!
We should open ourselves in accountability to one another in ways we have not done in the past. There have always been casualties along the path of life, casualties of hidden sin for many years, casualties from wrong associates and influence. But today, the opportunities press us like never before.
Can we as God’s people honestly define a line we agree to hold in relating to technology—ministry and laity alike? Can we hold that line consistently for all, without fudging behind the scenes? Can we commit ourselves to transparency in what we use and do? Or will we end up in the experience described above where, “the least conscientious will have it and the ones most likely to make best use of it are the only ones restrained.”
Isn’t it time we make opportunity for more discussions about moral purity and integrity? Wouldn’t it be wise to sit down as fathers in congregations and talk about pulling together with raising our families in our world today? Could we benefit by talking about each other’s convictions on issues not clearly legislated by the church?
Will we as fathers welcome the help from our church brethren to guide our lives and our families in right paths? Will we “cooperate most conscientiously in receiving only the good and rigorously excluding the evil” that begs to enter our homes? Will we take a stand as fathers, keep current with our children, and help them keep in line with our agreed upon practices? Will we walk with them and help them have a living relationship with Jesus Christ and a love for His Word? Will we help them turn their eyes from the glitter of modern things and entertainment to deeper Bible study, to sacrifice for the Kingdom, to reaching the lost?
Would these kinds of activities have made a difference in stemming the tide of apostasy in the early 1900’s? God help us in our day to pull together in an honest, God-fearing realization that the enemy lurks right on our heels. Our only hope is a strong faith in God and a commitment to personal integrity, regardless of the evil we could indulge in. May we each be spiritually alive and looking for Jesus—Behold, the bridegroom cometh!
~ Fredericksburg, PA
April 2013