Page 3 - March 2026 - Truth & Tidings

t might be time to cancel your subscrip- until the next major news story breaks.
tion. No, not for this magazine, please. Every big national or international event
IBut there are times when we should must be seized upon to provide the right
reevaluate our many subscriptions and angle and proper entertainment value for
decide which ones we desire to keep and loyal listeners.
which ones we want to cancel. There are As believers, do we ever honestly ask
even apps that help us keep track of it all. ourselves if what we are ingesting is ac-
As far as news is concerned, the options curate information? Do we really believe
are nearly endless. In my own country, the show hosts to be infallible and their
it was not that long ago that three major motives altogether honorable? And even if
networks and a handful of leading news- they are, do we properly assess before the
papers provided consumers with over Lord, to whom we will give account, how
90% of their daily news intake, which much time we might be wasting?
didn’t require much time to absorb. The It might also be helpful for us to exam-
internet and social media have changed ine the fruit of our streaming services. Do
everything. There are currently over 4.5 they make us feel despair, anger, disgust,
million total podcasts available globally, frustration or fear? Are we likely to express
with news-related content being one of such feelings online with others, sparking
the largest categories consumed daily. the same emotions within them? This is
Each news podcast obviously hopes to be hardly consistent with Paul’s list of things
unique. Plain news won’t necessarily bring to focus on in Philippians 4: “Do not be
in the subscribers required to profit from anxious about anything … whatever is
ad revenue, so many of these podcasts honorable, whatever is just, whatever is
become news with a twist with words like pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is com-
angle, perspective, take, or view in their mendable, if there is any excellence, if there
show titles. So, it isn’t enough to inform is anything worthy of praise, think about
the public about the shooting. The truth these things” (vv6-8 ESV). Do our stream-
surrounding it will be unraveled by the ing services make us feel intellectually or
show host with the promise of more to morally superior to other believers who are
come if you tune in tomorrow. It isn’t “less informed”? Pride manifests itself in
enough to report on the war. You need to many ways and Scripture is saturated with
know the real reasons why it began, why warnings about prideful thoughts.
it hasn’t ended, and why you must listen Stepping away from the non-stop stream
to Friday’s bombshell episode. Amazingly, of tragic, depressing and enraging news
“the truth” cannot be communicated in two can only be for our spiritual good. This is
minutes or even twenty. It takes an hour not a plea to put our head in the sand, but
today, another 60 minutes tomorrow and our finger on the unsubscribe button. And
every Monday through Friday thereafter you may have to hit it more than once.

Article Clarification: The article "A Plea for Outreach in the Gospel"
by Wallace Buckle in February's issue was edited by Gaius Goff.

TruthandTidings.com I March 2026 67 67