Clarity in a Crisis

Every crisis is clarifying.

Many people rise to the occasion and immediately look for a way to help and, unfortunately, others look to exploit it for their own gain.

During the response to COVID-19, it’s also been clarifying to learn what businesses the government identify as “essential.” Fortunately for us, radio is deemed essential. However, it is Christian radio that, I’d argue, is even more than essential. It’s uniquely suited to respond to this pandemic.

Before sharing the uniqueness of Christian radio in this crisis, allow me to clarify what Christian radio is not here to do:

• Christian radio is not here to inform. We have the internet, television, and news/talk radio for that. How much more information do we really need anyway?
• It’s not here to merely entertain. We are flooded with an endless supply of in-home entertainment to stream. Whether it’s Tiger King last month or the highly-anticipated ESPN Michael Jordan documentary mini-series coming out later this month, there are no shortage of options to entertain or distract us for a while.
• It’s also not uniquely suited to play positive music. There are thousands of streams on Spotify, Apple Music, and beyond that do just that. And you can even skip the songs you don’t like.

Christian radio is uniquely positioned to share the love of Christ in a personal way. That’s what people need most right now. They need to know they are not alone. They need to know there is a God who loves them and see His people respond to this crisis in love. Rather than explain “God is in control,” to lament with those who are suffering.

Furthermore, as theologian N.T. Wright wrote for Time, “In fact, it is part of the Christian vocation not to be able to explain—and to lament instead. As the Spirit laments within us, so we become, even in our self-isolation, small shrines where the presence and healing love of God can dwell. And out of that there can emerge new possibilities, new acts of kindness, new scientific understanding, new hope. New wisdom for our leaders? Now there’s a thought.”

The world is confronted with a life-and-death situation right now. But as Christians, we believe Jesus conquered death. This life is not all there is. We are members of God’s Kingdom, which is all about healing and restoration—and never ends. Christian radio gets to share that truly GOOD NEWS with a terrified world right now.

How clarifying.