w # hen G ospel broadcasters from all over the » » world gather in Church House, near 900- year-old Westminster Abbey in London next April, a new milestone in communications will be set. “Microphone men” of every color and many lan guages will gather freely to meet for an exchange o f ideas in an atmosphere o f Christian fraternity. The missionary engineer from the Philippines will rub shoulders with the program producer who is a highly-esteemed national from Africa. Mission ex ecutives from several continents will face the in creasing challenge o f Radio and TV in overseas operations o f the Church today and in the future. Diverse and distinct cultures and concepts will be fused into the one great objective before the II International Christian Broadcasters Conven tion —greater and more effective use of broadcast ing in all its forms and phases for Gospel purposes on a universal scale. “Television is the newest missionary,” says Dr. Eugene R. Bertermann, Director of the vast Lu theran Hour TV program outreach. Paul Finken- binder echoes this view among evangelicals and reinforces his opinion by producing sacred films with Spanish personnel for release over the bur geoning TV systems of Latin America. Robert B. Clark, Manager of HCJB-TV in Quito, Ecuador, tells of the outstanding spiritual success in a recent TV evangelical campaign : “During a week of special evangelism in our TV station, scores of viewers phoned in their questions and carried on sustained interviews with the evangelist. He was still ‘in camera’ after having given the Gospel for 10 minutes and opened the telephone lines to all who wanted a ‘live answer’ to their questions right then. “ Some were so interested, they were led to the Lord right on the phone during the pro gram. Many came out to HCJB-TV offices later for counsel and to receive their copy of the Bible. Better still, in a week o f meetings in a local church conducted by the same evan gelist as further ‘follow-through’ on the TV campaign, over 100 TV viewers attended. Of these, 33 made public profession of accepting Christ. This response is all the more remark able since these TV viewers are mostly from the ‘upper classes’ of professional, diplomatic and government people who have been quite inaccessible heretofore.” The direct and “ personal” confrontation with dynamic Christianity by individual listeners and JANUARY, 1967
viewers which Radio and TV afford is not to be minimized by the Church. There are hundreds of preachers using Radio and TV locally as well as full-time broadcasters who insist that “ roof-top” evangelism as an entrance to homes and hearts must be expanded as a valid influence of the Church and its Gospel in community and world affairs. “ Every alert and concerned pastor and mission group is eventually going to be involved in Radio or TV expansion of their other basic ministries,” says Robert H. Bowman, President of the Far East Broadcast Co., with transmitter and studio com plexes throughout the Orient. “ Some groups will continue to be formed that will concentrate upon ‘electronic evangelism and Bible teaching’ as do ELWA of Africa, Trans-World Radio o f Monaco and Bonaire, HCJB of Ecuador and Panama, as well as FEBC.” This is truly a “ space-age,” not only for orbit ing missiles with astronauts, but for orbiting the Gospel “ ’round the round world.” Psalm 19 has “ come alive” for Christians of the 20th Century in a new and almost fantastic fashion as “the heavens declare the glory of God,” pouring forth Gospel programs 24 hours daily in hundreds of languages over the entire global surface. In a strange and amazing manner, science has provided the key to world communication o f Christ’s saving message so that truly “ their line has gone out through all the earth,” in ways never before realized. Soon it will be a daily fact of life that “ there is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.” What should this current status o f modern broadcasting potential mean to Christians every where? It should mean that we look upon our opportunities for using Radio and TV facilities everywhere and anywhere they open up to us as a God-given sacred trust and privilege. It means we should throw away our short-sightedness and “ sus picions” concerning this “new thing,” and grasp eagerly the chance to air the Gospel far and wide. It means we need to stop our negative attitudes which calculate everything in terms of cost where open doors of advance are concerned. Money is not our chief or first need to “ get on the air” ; rather it is men and women (young ones, especially) of vision, faith and courage who are ready, like Joshua, to move ahead at God’s command. “Every place that the sole of thy foot shall tread upon that have I given you” (Joshua 1 :3). Where are the modern Joshuas, ready to enter the “Canaan” of Gospel broadcasting today, to do battle at the walls of “ Jerichoes” that surround many islands of 15
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