Dietrich Bonhoeffer - How The Moravian "WatchWords" Equipped Him To Stand Against Nazism

Since my college years, I've wondered, "How was it that Dietrich Bonhoeffer came to take his stand against Nazism?  What was it that set him apart from so many of his fellow clergy in that regard?  Where did the discernment and the gumption come from?"

While not claiming any expertise, I'm happy to share what has emerged in answer to those questions as I have learned more about him.  Simply put: I think it was the Moravians!

Moravian Influences Growing Up

As it turns out, Dietrich - with his twin Sabine, the youngest of nine children - grew up with two devout Christian nannies that been trained in the Moravian community of Herrnhut.  The children's mother Paula had spent time at Herrnhut as well.  It is hard to imagine Dietrich NOT observing and learning the Moravian spiritual discipline of Bible Meditation using the Losungen - "WatchWords."  

With a history of over 200 years by Dietrich's time, the "Daily Texts" are gathered and assigned each year by Moravian leadership and then published to their churches, communities and missions worldwide as a resource for consciously placing their lives in the context of God’s Word each day.

CLICK HERE to learn more from the Moravian website about the history of the Moravian Losungen and HERE for direction and access to them for your own practice.

Taken Into Seminary Curriculum at Finkenwalde

Years later, in 1935, when Bonhoeffer gathered students at Finkenwalde for the underground seminary of the Confessing Church movement, the Losungen became central to their training - more central it seems than the usual disciplines of theological reflection and biblical exegesis.  Training there was structured more like a monastery - communal life and spiritual disciplines - than an academic seminary of the time.  

One student wrote about their morning routine.  After breakfast .  .  .

came half an hour of meditation. Then everybody went to his room and thought about the Scripture until he knew what it meant for him today, on that day. During this time there had to be absolute quiet; the telephone couldn’t ring, nobody could walk around. We were supposed to concentrate completely on whatever it was that God had to say to us. (Metaxas. Bonhoeffer, 268)

CLICK HERE to learn more about life and training at Finkenwalde.  

A Call To Return

The Finkenwalde seminary was disbanded by the Gestapo in 1937 and Bonhoeffer eventually found his way to New York City and a faculty position.  But his practice of Bible meditation with the Losungen continued.

The Losungen for the day on June 26, 1939 was from 2 Timothy 4:21 "Do your best to come before winter."  Exegetically, this verse is Paul asking Timothy to travel and join him where he was imprisoned, making the trip before the hard weather of winter delayed travel.  

But as Bonhoeffer meditated and prayed on the text in his regular practice, he began to hear more clearly a call from Jesus to return to Germany as a pastor of the Gospel for the coming storm.  Two weeks after his arrival in the city, Bonhoeffer would turn around and take passage on what we now know to be the last vessel to leave New York and arrive in Germany until after World War II.  He would say to his friend in New York, Reinhold Niebuhr, “I will have no right to participate in the reconstruction of Christian life in Germany after the war if I do not share the trials of this time with my people.” 

Looking back on this decisive moment and the Losungen, Bonhoeffer would write: "It is not a misuse of Scripture if I let that be said to me."

A Final Reflection

Michael Hayes offers wise perspective on Bonhoeffer and his practice of meditation on the Losungen.

Such meditation on Scripture, listening for the voice of the living Spirit, is dangerous. It allows a great deal of room for us to claim to have found anything we like in a Bible verse. And many, many people over the centuries have abused Scripture in this way. But Dietrich Bonhoeffer was very familiar with the broad sweep and intent of the Bible and was a meticulous student of the Book. He had therefore a spiritual and biblical foundation which protected him from merely mistaking his own inner voice for that of the Spirit.

CLICK HERE for the entire post.  It is well worth your time.

My Sheep Listen To My Voice - John 10:27

I think it is this thread - Bible meditation learned from Moravian influences and the Losungen, brought by him to seminary curriculum and directing him at decisive moments - that shapes and directs Bonhoeffer to stand apart from the crowd in his moment.  It is immersion in God's written word and reflection on it with a community of faith, but it is also more than just those things alone: it is learning to listen for and to the Voice of the Good Shepherd.

Nothing is at any time to be added to the Bible, either from new revelations of the Spirit or from traditions of men. Nevertheless we do recognize that the inward illumination of the Spirit of God is necessary for a saving understanding of the things which are revealed in the word. (WCF 1:6)

So Pastor Bill, What About Jonah 3:10? Does God Really Change His Mind Like It Says??

When God saw what they (the people of Ninevah) did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.  -  Jonah 3:10 (NIV)

So God "relented?"  What about His sovereignity?  This moment in Jonah's story raises all sorts of questions like this for people, and I will certainly need to make reference to them this Sunday in the sermon.  I'm also happy to make these thoughts from a commentary that I am using available as well.  They are from:

Bryan D. Estelle, Salvation through Judgment and Mercy: The Gospel according to Jonah, ed. Tremper Longman III and J. Alan Groves, The Gospel according to the Old Testament (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2005).

We must not forget before whom we stand. God is infinite in majesty. His ways are not totally comprehensible to creatures. Therefore, Scripture speaks to us in terms of analogical discourse. This is not a new or recent way of talking about the nature of scriptural language. One Reformed apologist, Michael Horton, has said: “When one says that ‘God is good’ and ‘Sally is good,’ the predicate ‘good’ is used neither univocally (i.e., identically) nor equivocally (i.e., with no actual similarity), but analogically. Analogical thinking, then, identifies certain aspects of the unknown in terms of the known and familiar.” (Michael S. Horton, Covenant and Eschatology: The Divine Drama (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002), 8)

Cornelius Van Til, the apologist at Westminster Seminary who labored alongside J. Gresham Machen, expressed himself in similar terms when he talked about the system of Scripture being an analogical system. (See especially Cornelius Van Til, A Christian Theory of Knowledge (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1969), ch. 3) None of what has just now been asserted calls into question the veracity or truthfulness of Scripture. Quite the contrary.

These apologists stand in a long tradition of theology that has recognized and grappled with the nature of scriptural revelation. For example, Calvin argued strenuously that God’s truth is accommodated to our capacity as finite creatures. In Calvin’s terms, God talks to us in baby talk. As a mother stoops to talk to a child, so God speaks to us in such terms that we may grasp his truth. These kinds of categories enabled those wrestling with the meaning of difficult passages of Scripture to handle sensitively figures of speech, metaphors, and the question of when a passage should be taken literally and when figuratively.

For example, when the Bible speaks to us about God and his relations with his creatures, it often speaks in language that is anthropomorphic (i.e., it ascribes human characteristics to a being that is not human, i.e., to God). Sometimes Scripture uses anthropopathisms (it ascribes human emotions or passions to God) as well when speaking about God’s relations and actions with human beings. Being aware of these matters helps students of the Bible, professionals and laypersons alike, to interpret the authors of Scripture as they intended their writings to be understood.

An example is the description of God’s grieving at the way mankind had become so morally destitute just before the flood: “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain” (Gen. 6:5–6). The passage says that God “saw,” and yet God does not have eyes like men. The passage also says that he was “grieved,” but this is different from a man’s or woman’s regret or grief. The language is meant to communicate similarity to human grief but also something quite different when applied to the almighty Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of the universe.

The distinctions and differences between the Creator and the creature should always be borne in mind, especially when it comes to feelings described. It is not that God does not have emotions or feelings toward his creatures, but he is not, for example, moved to anger as we human beings are; he does not “fly off the handle,” so to speak.

What God does when he speaks to us in his Word is accommodate to our weakness. Along these lines John Calvin has expressed in very helpful terms how we may understand God’s workings and providence in light of those passages that talk of God’s “repentance”:

What, therefore, does the word “repentance” mean? Surely its meaning is like that of all other modes of speaking that describe God for us in human terms. For because our weakness does not attain to his exalted state, the description of him that is given to us must be accommodated to our capacity so that we may understand it. Now the mode of accommodation is for him to represent himself to us not as he is in himself, but as he seems to us. Although he is beyond all disturbance of mind, yet he testifies that he is angry toward sinners. Therefore whenever we hear that God is angered, we ought not to imagine any emotion in him, but rather to consider that this expression has been taken from our own human experience.… So we ought not to understand anything else under the word “repentance” than change of action, because men are wont by changing their action to testify that they are displeased with themselves. Therefore, since every change among men is a correction of what displeases them, but that correction arises out of repentance, then by the word “repentance” is meant the fact that God changes with respect to his actions. Meanwhile neither God’s plan nor his will is reversed, nor his volition altered; but what he had from eternity foreseen, approved, and decreed he pursues in uninterrupted tenor, however sudden the variation may appear in men’s eyes.  (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, ed. John T. McNeill, 1.17.13)

An appreciation for the complex nature of how language works in Scripture will, then, aid us in understanding difficult passages such as Jonah 3:10. Perhaps more importantly, such an appreciation of how scriptural language works will also aid us in wrestling with the problems of suffering, affliction, and injustices not only in our own lives but in the lives of others as well. God is not capricious. If we are honest men and women, there will indeed be times when we will struggle greatly under the weight of a so-called frowning providence. Nevertheless, we may always reassure ourselves with confidence that God is on his throne and that his house (i.e., his world) is in order. God is never taken by surprise, nor is he ever mesmerized or baffled by any turn of events.

Ultimately and some day, all injustices will be eternally adjudicated. Even when bad things happen to “good” people, it is not outside the purview of our heavenly Father, “the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love [hesed] and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished” (Ex. 34:6–7).

So Pastor Bill, What About That Big Fish in Jonah?

I've mentioned from the pulpit in our current Harderwyk Sermon Series on the Prophet Jonah that while the "Great Fish" in Jonah is presented as real and a character, it at best is a minor character in the narrative.  Don't miss the main point: God's Grace for Everyone!  CLICK HERE for YouTube recording of that portion of my sermon.

I'm not spending much time on the Great Fish that swallowed Jonah from the pulpit, but I am very glad to engage the question for those who are interested.  Always feel free to make personal contact after a service or through the office and we can find a time to talk more.  But on this question, I'll give you some material from a commentary that I found helpful and succinctly engages the question:

So Pastor Bill, What About That Big Fish in Jonah?

My answer: There is good reason to take the story just as presented, without missing the main point of the book.  The LORD rescued Jonah from the storm by sending a Great Fish to swallow the prophet for three days of prayer.  Here is some thoughts on WHY that seems reasonable to me.

From Minor Prophets: Hosea thru Jonah by James Montgomery Boice (Baker Book House, 2006) pp 282-284 - CLICK HERE for Amazon Link 

It should be interesting to many skeptics that the Library Research Service of the Encyclopedia Britannica regularly distributes information supportive of the biblical narrative. This service is available to anyone who purchases a set of the Encyclopedia. Anyone researching a subject and not finding that the Encyclopedia has covered it adequately, may write and ask for information on his subject, and a mimeographed report (generally pre-prepared) will be sent to him.

If a person requests information on the possibility of a whale having swallowed Jonah, a four-page report will be mailed, the bulk of which consists of information taken from an article on the “Sign of the Prophet Jonah and Its Modern Confirmations,” which was published in the Princeton Theological Review in 1927. .  .  The article itself concludes: “The story of Jonah occurs in Hebrew literature and tradition as an historical record. It can hardly be disputed that the tests applied to it are in fairness bound to be the most careful, accurate, and dispassionate that science and history can supply. Physiological tests entirely disprove the alleged impossibility of the story. It is shown by study of the structure of the sperm whale and its habits that it is perfectly possible for man to be swallowed alive and after an interval vomited up again, also for him to remain alive for two or three days within the whale. Historical tests show that a similar event has happened in later times in at least one case, and that it is quite possible for an authentic record to have survived over even a much longer period than 700 years.”

The article leading up to this conclusion is in two parts. The first part distinguishes, as all honest writing on the subject has done, between those whales or other great fish that could conceivably swallow a man and those that could not. A generation ago one heard that a whale could not swallow Jonah simply because the throat of the whale is too small. “A whale has difficulty swallowing an orange,” was the viewpoint. This objection arose from a failure to distinguish between the Greenland whale, which does have a very small throat and which was the whale best known to seamen of an earlier generation, and the sperm whale or cachalot, which has an enormous mouth, throat, and stomach. An average specimen of the sperm whale might have a mouth 20 feet long, 15 feet high, and 9 feet wide; that is, the mouth would be larger than most rooms in an average-sized house.

It is known that the sperm whale feeds largely on squid, which are often much larger than a man. Whalers have sometimes found whole squid of this size in a dead whale’s stomach.

As to whether a man could survive in a whale’s stomach, the Britannica article maintains that he certainly could, though in circumstances of very great discomfort. There would be air to breathe, of a sort. It is needed to keep the animal afloat. But there would be great heat, about 104–108°F. Unpleasant contact with the animal’s gastric juices might easily affect the skin, but the juices would not digest living matter; otherwise they would digest the walls of the creature’s own stomach.

But has there ever been a case of a man actually having been swallowed by a whale and then regurgitated or saved by some means? This is the matter dealt with in the second half of the journal article, and apparently there are such cases. One case concerns a voyage of the whaling ship Star of the East, which in February 1891, spotted a large sperm whale in the vicinity of the Falkland Islands. Two boats were launched, and in a short while one of the harpooners was able to spear the whale. Those in the second boat attempted to attach a second harpoon, but the boat capsized in the process and one man was drowned. A second sailor, James Bartley, disappeared and could not be found. In time the whale was killed and drawn to the side of the ship where it was made fast and the blubber removed. The next day the stomach was hoisted on deck. When it was opened, the missing sailor was found inside. He was unconscious but alive. Eventually he was revived by sea water and after a time resumed his duties on board the whaling vessel.

It is also possible, as the article shows, that the fish in Jonah’s case may not even have been a whale. The Hebrew text merely says dag, which may be any kind of great fish. It may have been a species of shark, a Rhineodon or “Sea Dog,” for instance; if this is so, then there are other accounts of men being swallowed that are also relevant. The Sea Dog, while a member of the shark family, does not have the terrible teeth generally associated with sharks and grows to a size comparable to that of many whales. In his widely read book, Kon-Tiki, Thor Heyerdahl describes such a shark that followed his raft for a time in the mid-Pacific.

I also have access to the Princeton Theological Review with the article that Boice refers to.  It is too long for me to post due to copyright issues, but make contact with me and I can get a copy for you.  I'd be happy to deliver it over coffee sometime!

A New Piano for the Harderwyk Sanctuary - The Backstory & Need

The Harderwyk Sanctuary where the Celebration Community gathers each week to worship has a marvelous 6 ft Steinway grand piano.  We have sung to it's accompaniment, heard it played to point to God's glory and heard it accompaniy others who sing or play instruments to give the LORD glory!

Like everything on the planet, even that marvelous piano wears out over time and needs to be rebuilt and restored.  Think "renewal."  Aware of that, we had set aside money to be able to give the sanctuary piano a "once-every-forty-years-or-so" rebuild - a rebuild that would take about one-and-a-half YEARS to complete.

While making arrangements for that rebuild last Spring, the idea came up that maybe - just maybe - if we offered the sanctuary piano for sale or trade-in, included the money already set aside for that piano's restoration and found a way to add some more money, we could then combine all of that and purchase an even better piano than the one we currently have.

With this in mind, I shared this opportunity with a few people and asked them to prayerfully consider helping with this project.  In a word, response was so good that we started looking around our region to see what was available and have now identified a piano that is in the price range of our accumulated finances.  When I made the announcement and gave this background information last Sunday, July 28, we were within approximately $10,000 of the full purchase price.  We hope to raise that final portion with gifts or committments from giving "above-and-beyond" our usual tithes so there is no impact on our ongoing ministry budget.

And About The Actual Piano

So here is what we are looking at: A 9 ft, 4 in Mason & Hamlin CC1 Concert Grand Piano.  Originally built in 1905, it has been completely rebuilt and restored by Reeder Piano in Lansing, MI.  CLICK the image above to give it a YouTube look and listen.

We have looked from Chicago to Detroit, researched this piano, worked with Reeder Piano and sent Justin and Jane to get "hands-on" the instrument.  We are excited about the way it can serve to enhance our worship and ministry as well as expand opportunities through community concerts and recitals.

The Opportunty For You

Would you consider making a donation - large or small - to finish the final step in purchasing this piano?  If so, you mark a check or cash envelope with "Sanctuary Piano" and place it in an offering box in the Sanctuary Narthax.  Or give online - CLICK HERE - and note: Sanctuary Piano.  If you need additional time to make arrangements to have access to money you could donate - from stock, CD rollover or the like - contact Harderwyk Administrator Norlyn Compaan who can help with the details.

Our hope is to proceed, have the new piano delivered and ready for ministry by the end of August so we are ready for a fresh start to the school year and fall ministry startup with all gifts and commitments received by the end of the year.

Jonah and the Dead Sea Scrolls

When I was a college student from 1973-77, there was some talk about the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Not much was actually known though because the Scrolls were closely guarded by a small group of scholars who greatly limited access.  Fortunately, much has changed since then.  The Scrolls and fragments have been catalogued, photographed and are widely available for study.  They are a fascinating backround source for our upcoming sermon series on Jonah.  Let me summarize some take-aways:

Taken Together, The Dead Sea Scrolls Are ANCIENT!

Before the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered and collected beginning in 1948, our oldest Hebrew language copies of the Old Testament - called the Masaerotic Text - were from the 900's.  That is 9 centuries AFTER the ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus.  The Scrolls as a collection appear to be from about 0 to 150 BC, basically 9 to 10 centuries OLDER than any other Hebrew language texts we have ever had.  That means that in the course of my lifetime alone, our text basis of the Old Testament has become 900 years earlier!

It's Confirmed: There Was Very Little "Change" in the Texts Over Those Nine Centuries

Don't picture the Dead Sea Scrolls being a "xerox copy" of the corresponding texts of the Masaerotic - a "jot-for-jot and tittle-for-tittle" correspondence between the two.  But neither are they centuries of hand-copies being altered by translation and error.  Differences between the two are the topic of research and consideration by scholars, but overall, they are minor.

For example, consider this evaluation of one of the Dead Sea Scrolls copies of Isaiah:

Of the 166 words in Isaiah 53, there are only 17 letters in question. Ten of these letters are simply a matter of spelling, which does not affect the sense.(Bill - Like Color or Colour)  Four more letters are minor stylistic changes, such as conjunctions. The three remaining letters comprise the word LIGHT, which is added in verse 11 and which does not affect the meaning greatly. Furthermore, this word is supported by the Septuagint (LXX). Thus, in one chapter of 166 words, there is only one word (three letters) in question after a thousand years of transmission - and this word does not significantly change the meaning of the passage. (Norman Geisler & William Nix, "A General Introduction to the Bible", Moody Press, Page 263).

CLICK HERE to read more on this point from a previous post of mine with that quotation: The Isaiah Scroll of Qumran: The Message Is Reliable

There Are Three Seperate Fragmentary Copies of Jonah

Each scroll is from a different location in the same vicinity.  No one scroll is complete from some 20 centuries of aging and deterioration as seen listed below by their catalouge numbers:

• Item 4Q76 contains Jonah 1:1-5,7-10,15-16; 2:1,7; 3:2.
• Item 4Q81 contains Jonah 1:6-8, 10-16.
• Item 4Q82 contains Jonah 1:1-9; 2:3-10; 3:1-3; 4:5-11.

CLICK HERE for a fascinating photo of one fragment in this collection.  It is helpful to see the small bits that scholars have to work with in texts that are this old.

CLICK HERE for  the text portions that we DO have from Jonah compared with a modern English transation.  You can see the limitations of the fragments but also the few and small differences the two.  What stands out to the reader is how much is identical between the Dead Sea Scrolls and our best reconstruction of the text from all known resources.

CLICK HERE to see a detailed list with linked photos of the Dead Sea Scrolls in Wikipedia

Review: Does the Bible Affirm Same-Sex Relationships? Examining 10 Claims about Scripture and Sexuality by Rebecca McLaughlin

I have encountered Rebecca McLaughlin, the Cambridge PhD wife and mother now living in Boston, for several years through her books, podcasts and blog posts and now dig into anything of hers I find.  She reminds me of CS Lewis set for our moment in history.

With that, I was quick to order and read her latest book - Does the Bible Affirm Same-Sex Relationships? Examining 10 Claims about Scripture and Sexuality - as soon as it was published on May 1, 2024.  CLICK HERE for Amazon link.

I think this is her best yet, and here is why:

• It is a well-written book - I spent about 90 minutes reading and underlining the 100 or so pages of this book.  One shortcoming: I underlined nearly every sentence.  EVERY one is packed with insight.
• She presents a succinct and fair statement of each of ten common arguments affirming Same-Sex Relationships - Whether you come to the conversation pro or con - or even confused and overwhelmed - I found her statements of these "affirming" positions clarifying. People who hold the "affirming" position on LGBTQ+ issues typically hold their position because it makes sense to them on some level even if they cannot clearly articulate the reasons.  It is only fair to understand the convictions of another person even before evaluating those convictions to agree or disagree.  You cannot honestly disagree with a position without first honestly understanding it.  McLaughlin helps both sides by clarifying each of ten positions for all to consider.
• She writes with compelling illustrations - You will meet real-life people making real-life decisions.  McLaughlin is very clear about her own life-long experience of same-sex attraction for example, as well as the "whys" and "hows" of her own convictions and practices.  The difference with this book is that the life-stories are NOT the arguments themselves put forth FOR a conviction but instead they are instead illustrations OF those various convictions.  In my experience, much of the affirming LGBTQ+ conversation is based on life-stories that appeal to my emotions and make every consideration personal.  With McLaughlin, the conversation is built on reasonging, reasearch and logic and then helpfully illustrated and humanized by the life-stories of real people that she knows.
• She provides helpful footnotes and resources if you want to go deeper on any given position - The footnotes are not obstursive to the reading, but they make readily available pathways to go deeper into any position or argument she presents.  Her single book is a good doorway to more on any given position that you might want to pursue.

For me personally, I have interacted with gay co-workers for 50 years, pastored people with same-sex attraction that they responded to in differing ways and observed or participated in debate/conversation with other Christians on these issues since entering seminary.  I read God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships when it first came out.  All that to say I am not a newcomer to the questions, convictions, authors and conclusions that you will encounter in Does the Bible Affirm Same-Sex Relationships.

Full disclosure: I came to the book with the same conviction that McLaughlin presents here.  I do not believe that the Bible affirms same-sex relationships.  But she does a better job than me when it comes to making the case.  And she does more than "split-the difference" or offer a balanced options to two polar convictions.  She points to a distinct and different answer to a current divisive debate. I would call it "gospel-centered and am endebted to her work in that regard.

Who would I picture benefitting from reading this book?

• Folks who don't typically read, but are willing to invest some time to gain better understanding of LGBTQ+ issues.
• Folks who are not familiar with the foundational reasons of various "affirming" positions whether they currently consider themselves "affirming" or not.
• Folks who want a clear, reasonable and compassionate engagement of LGBTQ+ issues in light of the Bible and historic Christian belief.
• Folks who want to engage these issues, as well as the persons in their life that are affected by them, with something other than the fluff or vitriol or fear-mongering that seems so common in our moment.

Does the Bible Affirm Same-Sex Relationships? by Rebecca McLaughlin is one of a limited few publications that I will give to a friend, family-member or congregation-member for conversations around these issues.  In this slim volume, the author gives us far more light than smoke or fire.  I highly recommend you purchase, read and consider it.  And then feel free to get in touch with me throught the Harderwyk office, and lets find a time for me to listen to your thoughts, questions and experiences.

Journalism, Advocacy and Communicating the Gospel: Observations on NPR and Uri Berliner

I'll admit it publicly!  Several decades ago I found myself doing a lot more driving for work and it was not unusual for me to listen to both the Rush Limbaugh radio program and NPR's All Things Considered in the same afternoon.  Different persepectives for sure, but between them I felt like I could gather a few laughs and insights as I motored through my afternoon.

Around the turn of the century, my work situation had changed.  I also found myself listening less and less to Rush Limbaugh.  Too angry and vindictive.  Interestingly, the same thing began to play out with NPR over the past decade.  Now when I drive, it's classic rock, podcasts or whistling to myself.

Against that backdrop, I recently read "I've Been at NPR for 25 Years.  Here's How We Lost America's Trust by Uri Berliner."  Wow!  It is a bombshell that clarified my own experience.  You owe it to yourself to read it and ponder for yourself.  CLICK HERE

Berliner's post has started quite a public conversation and engulfed their new CEO - the one Berliner mentions in his post.  A few weeks after this post, Berliner resigned from NPR in a real "You can't quit me I'm fired!" sort of moment.

From his essay:

Back in 2011, although NPR’s audience tilted a bit to the left, it still bore a resemblance to America at large.  Twenty-six percent of listeners described hemselves as conservative, 23 percent as middle of the road, and 37 percent as liberal.

By 2023, the picture was completely different: only 11 percent described themselves as very or somewhat conservative, 21 percent as middle of the road, and 67 percent of listeners said they were very or somewhat liberal. We weren’t just losing conservatives; we were also losing moderates and traditional liberals.

An open-minded spirit no longer exists within NPR, and now, predictably, we don’t have an audience that reflects America.

Berliner then goes on for 3 pages to document three specific instances where NPR purposefully downplayed - even ignored - stories that turned out to be important.  Even when later identified as important stories or false reporting on their part, NPR moved on without learning, retracting or publicly acknowledging the miss.

He reviews his increasing resistance to the emerging culture of advocacy that he saw replacing the commitment to journalism.  Hmmmmmmm.  Advocacy or journalism?  Ponder that difference for a moment.

There’s an unspoken consensus about the stories we should pursue and how they should be framed. It’s frictionless—one story after another .  .  .  It’s almost like an assembly line.

Berliner's personal observations were multiplied and confirmed as he talked with people about his work at NPR:

Now the trajectory of the conversation is different. After the initial “I love NPR,"there’s a pause and a person will acknowledge, “I don’t listen as much as I used to.” Or, with some chagrin:“What’s happening there? Why is NPR telling me what to think?”

Finally he writes (on April 9, 2024):

A few weeks ago, NPR welcomed a new CEO, Katherine Maher, who’s been a leader in tech. She doesn’thave a news background, which could be an asset given where things stand. I’ll be rooting for her. It’s a tough job. Her first rule could be simple enough: don’t tell people how to think.

We now know that Brunner resigned from NPR six days after he shared his thoughts in this essay.  His resignation was accepted by the new CEO and, by my observation, she has led in NPR in damage control and avoidance.  There seems no change in direction or even the ability to breathe deep and invest time in organizational self-reflection.  

Two things have captured my attention through this sorry episode:

1) "Journalism replaced by advocacy."  When winning is more important than the truth, all sorts of things begin to grow dysfunctional.  This well describes the tsunami of information flooding our smartphones from all sides, don't you think?  Beware!

2) "Don't tell people how to think."  That approach makes me one advocacy voice lost in a massive chorus of advocacy singers.  Most are more creative, better funded and angrier than me.

So I have been reconsidering some things, not about message or content so much as delivery.  I'm willing to answer people's questions about the "what" and "why" of how I think on almost anything.  And with issues related to the Gospel, I will even hope to invite people to join me in that journey.

But there are multiple reasons to remember that I am not in a position tell people how they must think or what conclusions they must affirm in order to be respected by me or to get the entire story - which can include my own foibles and confusion.

CLICK HERE for my post of May 2021 entitled Both Content & Delivery Matter When The Church Answers Questions