The World, And All That Dwell Therein

Editor's Note: Joel Belz is the CEO of God's World Publishing, the publisher of God's World News, a weekly, graded news and activity publication for children. God's World News is one of the most widely read publications of its kind in the world, particularly popular among homeschoolers and Christian schools. They also publish World Magazine, which now claims the fourth largest circulation among all newsweeklies – behind only Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report. The co-author (with Marvin Olasky) of Whirled Views, Belz is also a weekly columnist for WORLD, and a close observer of the culture and a respected teacher and mentor to many who attempt to apply a biblical worldview to the craft of journalism. At a recent meeting of the Council for National Policy in suburban Washington, DC, Charlotte World publisher Warren Smith spoke with Belz about WORLD Magazine and about how a biblical worldview can and should inform both journalism and the ways we live.

Warren Smith: Joel, in one of the presentations we heard today, a speaker said that in 1930, there were only 20 to 30 Christian radio stations in the country, and today there are thousands. Does that sound right to you?

Joel Belz: I don't believe either one of those statistics. I think the record would show that there were more Christian radio station even in the early years of broadcasting. And though there are a great number now, I don't think they dominate. 

WS: What struck me about those numbers is that even if those are true, they don't say much about the state of the media then and now. Secular radio stations of a half-century ago had more true Christian programming than many so-called Christian stations today.

JB: I'm not sure there is such a thing as a “Christian radio station.” Let's put “Christian radio station” in quotation marks. I think there is a profound difference between a “Christian radio station” and a radio station, or a newspaper, run by Christians.

WS: Right. In Scripture, the word “Christian” the word seems to refer only to people, not things, and particularly not markets. All that said, we do have to identify our market in some way. How do you folks at WORLD preserve a Biblical worldview in your publication without on the one hand losing your focus on your target market or on the other hand becoming a part of the Christian ghetto.

JB: First of all, we have to say we want deliberately to set aside some of the stories that are of natural interest to Christians over the last generation. Topics like abortion, gambling, and pornography. Those are the hot button issues for Christians. But there are other issues that Christians should be concerned about. Zoning and taxes and where highways go. So, first of all, we need to change the subjects we're concerned about. We need to spend time on those issues that aren't hot button issues. We need to pick back up on them. 

WS: But is there a Christian position on those issues?

JB: I don't pretend to know God's position is on all of these issues, but I do believe that God has an opinion about everything. I go so far as to say that God has opinions on the aesthetics of the neckties you and I are wearing. The reason I say that is that God created color, and if he takes note when a bird falls out of the sky, and they hairs on our heads – which is easy for you and me – then I say he cares about the pattern of colors we use.

Now, does He care about things equally? That is a little iffy, but who am I to sit down here and say, well, God you are not supposed to care about pastels and stripes on a tie. He may surprise me one day. But certainly He cares when poor people get displaced by a superhighway going through their neighborhood. Certainly he cares about the justice of taxation and certainly he cares about zoning.

WS: Your life and magazine have been devoted to biblical worldview journalism, sometimes called biblically directing reporting, and to the larger issue of biblical worldview in general. Can you describe in 25 words or less what a biblical worldview is?

JB: I'll say it in fewer words than that. A biblical worldview entails seeking to see things the way God sees them, or as Marvin Olasky sometimes calls it, a “God's eye perspective.”

WS: Why is that important? Let me say it another way. Why is it as important as evangelism or other endeavors that Christians spend an enormous amount of resources on.

JB: I think developing a Christian worldview is logically part of evangelism. It is the far end of the evangelistic process. It is a part of discipleship. It is a part of obedience to Jesus who says to go into all the world and teach people everything I have commanded. You see, we are made in His image. If he hadn't fallen we would see things His way. We would have that “God's eye view.” But we did fall, so our vision is blurry, and there is a lot of stuff we don't notice, and things we do notice in a warped way, so the development of a Christian worldview is the task of redeeming our perspective on things, so that we once again see things the way He sees them.

Evangelism is the task of helping me see myself accurately. I see myself as a sinner in need of a redeemer, and I see God as the redeemer through Christ. That is the first step, and you go from there.  

WS: The evangelical subculture is sometimes called a mile wide and an inch deep. Do you see this lack of a biblical worldview as a reason why we are so shallow, and as a reason why we are having so little impact on the culture? 

JB: Absolutely. We reduce the Christian experience to stepping out of Satan's kingdom and stepping into God's kingdom, and that's all there it is to it.

WS: Barrett Mosbacker, whom you know, is fond of saying that biblical principles inform all human pursuits, from theology and philosophy to physics and engineering and math. He sometimes uses the example of building an airplane. It is theoretically and technologically possible to make a passenger airliner that is crash-proof, or at least one in which most crashes are survivable. But the cost would be astronomical. So the engineers who make airliners, and the public who rides in airliners, essentially make moral and ethical decisions about the value of life, and the risk to life, and the cost of these decisions. His point is that having a Biblical worldview is essential even for these kinds of decisions.

JB: I would add, too, that it is important not to make false distinctions. Some people, for example, that when it comes to brain surgery they would rather have a totally unbelieving, but excellent, brain surgeon operate on them, rather than a believer who is a bad surgeon. Well, of course. But what I would really rather have is a believing brain who is very good at his craft, because he sees the person. He sees his patient as an image of God. He sees his hands as accomplishing God's handiwork. He puts that whole package together.

WS: He sees the pursuit of excellence as a spiritual act. All that said, there are still some topics that are particularly interesting to the Christian community. A story you guys did a few years ago that still resonates in the Christian community is the story of the gender-inclusive Bible translation, the so-called “Stealth Bible” controversy. In retrospect, is there anything about that story that you regret, or did you draw any particular lessons from that story? 

JB: Well, for one thing, let me say how odd it was, that that story -- which was about the Bible -- is perhaps still the biggest story in our history. The attention it brought to our magazine is odd because we want to focus on the broader aspects of life.

We said three things in our story. We said there is an effort being made to produce a gender-inclusive edition of the Bible. Second, we said that it was being done in a quiet way. Thirdly, we said that the translation is being culturally driven and not textually driven.

I still think all three of those things are very true, and the more that became known the more true they seemed to be. Was it possible to say what we said in more temperate language? Probably. Do I have regrets about it? That is a very hard question, because in some ways I would have liked to have said it in a little quieter manner. But I am not sure, given the size and resources of the people we were challenging, that we could have stopped what they were doing. We brought it to the attention of the Christian public. That is what were trying to do, I am not sure we could have done it if we were quieter and softer in our approach.

WS: Another story was the McCain coverage. You guys did a story on McCain which made people think twice about him at a time when many evangelicals were trying to make up their minds during the presidential race. Also, William Safire editorialized about your coverage, and that increased your notoriety. But the real issue for me, the one I want to ask about, is about the tension you feel as a Christian journalist who is also an active participant in the issues and events you cover. Marvin Olasky, World's editor, for example, is actively involved in the “compassionate conservatism” movement. How do you draw a line between being a citizen and a Christian and a journalist in situations like this? 

JB: First, everyone involved in journalism lives in the world, so every journalist has to deal with those things, because every journalist has to deal with the topic of environmentalism. Do you believe in global warming or don't you? Are you an activist about it or aren't you? Do you want your city to be a better city? I don' t know anyone who is neutral on any of those topics.

But we do say that if you are immediately involved in a story, a couple of things have to happen. If you are involved as a decision maker in the story you better withdraw from reporting the story. If you don't withdraw, then certainly your participation should be made very, very clear to the reader. So, in practical terms, in the primary season last year, because Marvin Olasky was well known as a supporter of George W. Bush, we asked not to participate in the reporting on the primary election season, and he stepped aside from that. There was not any surprise to any of our readers that we would be more supportive of George W. Bush than Al Gore, and so we did not feel we had to withdraw from the scene during the general election season.

Let me come back to the Bible issue. I would argue from the get-go I didn't want the publishers of a gender-inclusive bible to be successful. So we were participants in that battle. But I didn't think in my wildest dreams that we would stop them, so it was a surprise to me that the stories we did actually changed the publishing plans of one of the biggest evangelical publishers in America.

WS: This brings me to my final question. The “Stealth Bible” issue is a great example of Christian journalism making a positive difference. But there are a lot of issues, and not very many journalists pursuing that brand of journalism. Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of Christian journalism, or biblically-directed reporting?

JB: I can say two things in that respect, and we should add to that Christian radio stations like Salem are now beginning to take the work of news seriously, as well as a host of Christian talk shows. People are now working at it pretty hard.

But, on the other hand, I think we barely scratched the surface because there are so many topics that no one has begun to talk about. Certainly at WORLD there are many topics we want to cover more -- like healthcare and personal finance, science and technology. Those are all topics Christians need to be thinking about and talking about. We are not doing that well.

So, again, we have just barely scratched the surface. On the other hand I take great encouragement because even to scratch the surface reaps rich rewards. I think you felt that way with The Charlotte World and The Triad World and The Raleigh World with some of the stories you've covered. From doing just this little bit you can bring so much benefit. And people are going to discover the riches of living the Christian worldview.