Are Religious Broadcasters Racketeers? By Percy B. Crawford, D.D.* A PHILADELPHIA business man called me on the telephone and asked me to reply to an article
panies for this time. The critics then talk about “take.” Who gets the “ take” ? The radio stations and networks, and rightly so. They deserve payment for their services. On the other hand, the Federal Council of Churches could not stay on the air if their programs de pended upon popular interest because they have no message. As a result, in their jealousy and hatred for our belief in the old-time rel'gion of our fore fathers, they attack us as religious racketeers. Yet they themselves sol'cit funds through their churches, receive thousands of dollars from contributors, and pay nothing for their radio time. What happens to all of this money? I say “ Let’s live and let live.” When the time comes in our democratic country that religious leaders prevent us from purchasing radio time on radio stations or television, then it is high time we look elsewhere. I for one would fight for re ligious liberty and against religious in tolerance and bigotry, even if it comes in the guise of organized religion. We resent these slurs on our character by some of these supposedly tolerant reli gious leaders. YOUTH ON THE MARCH is on Tele vision (A.B.C. Network 10:30 P.M. EST Sundays) Coast to Coast. We say it humbly, “ Our program is not a reproach and yet it is sustained by the freewill contributions of all denominations, in cluding Jews and Catholics. Let’s keep our country free from these organized religious despots.” *President of The King’s College, King’s Collene, Delaware. Pastor of The Young People’s Church of the Air, Director of YOUTH ON THE MARCH Television Program, and graduate of The Bible In stitute of Los Angeles.
in the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin dated November 30, 1949, entitled. “ Cler gyman Is Critical of Some Religious Programs on Radio.” I am happy to answer Mr. Bringhurst. I agree with Mr. Bringhurst only when he says, “ Many religious programs on the radio are a reproach to the cause of Christianity.” Variety magazine states, “ Commercialized religious pro grams have a ‘take’ of $200,000,000.00 from their listeners.” Now, please let us analyze this. Free network time is not offered to all alike. No network has ever offered free time to The Young People’s Church of the Air even though we have been broad casting for nineteen years. Jews, Catho lics and the Federal Council of Churches receive radio time without cost. The lat ter is supposed to represent us because we are Protestant, but this is not so. We believe the entire Bible to be the in spired Word of God. We believe in the deity of Christ, His virgin birth and in the blood of Jesus as the only remission of sins. We believe in a literal hell, the Second Coming of Christ, etc. But these views are not held by all of the members of the Federal Council. Now what are we forced to do to broad cast our message? We must petition the networks to sell us time, as do those who sell beer, wine and cigarettes. This the radio stations agree to do with this ex ception: they say we must not ask for donations. Now if this is their policy, well and good; we gratefully accept it and go on the air paying regular com mercial rates. ' People are solicited through the mails and because of popu lar interest the money is voluntarily donated to pay the broadcasting com
The King’s Business Gospel Team READER REACTION (Continued from Page S) Free Fund This week your letter has come an nouncing the gift of The King’s Busi ness for this year. How much we ap preciate this! — M rs . P a u l A . U h linger Congo B eige, A fric a The Cults I would like to say how very much I enjoy your publication—with one excep tion. In nearly every issue at least one article or more is in strong denounce ment of some other religious group : Catholics, Christian Scientists, etc. Many of the very best Christians in the world today are members of the above—and it seems to be extremely anti-Christian to constantly harangue with derogatory statements other sects. — A R eader We would like to call this anonymous reader’s attention to the fact that in none of these articles have we attacked persons, but only the teachings, which we bel'eve to be contrary to the Word of God. Read 1 John 4:1-6. — E ditor NO COMPLAINT A parlor had on his desk a notebook labeled, "Complaints of Members Against Members." When one of his people called to tell him the faults of another, he would say, "Well, here's my Complaint Book. I'll write down what you say, and you can sign it. Then when I have to take the matter up officially, I shall know what I may expect you to testify to." The sight of the open book and the ready pen had its effect. "Oh no, I could not sign any thing like that." And no entry was made. The minister says he kept the book for forty years, opened it probably a thousand times, and never wrote a line in it.—Selected.
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