Power of Radio

The Psalmist writes in Psalm 1 about being devoted to growing spiritually and immersing ourselves in God's Word. We can read these words:
1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

We are certainly living in a blessed age in many parts of the world - we, of course, have the Scriptures, through which we can grow in the Lord.  Plus, there are a variety of strong resources and content that is delivered by various forms of technology. But, we are also reminded that there are many around the world who do not even have access to a Bible, and there are wonderful ministries that are engaged in providing them.  Out of our abundance, we can look forward to sharing what God has taught and provided for us.

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Yesterday, I talked about the future and signs that we are seeing, in addition to how Christian believers should position themselves, continuing to trust in the Lord. Peter, in the book of 2nd Peter chapter 3, was also looking to the future, and wrote these words:
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;
15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,
16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;
18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

I do talk frequently on The Meeting House program on Faith Radio about the use of technology, and how Christians can engage with technology to enhance their spiritual growth.  Radio continues to be a "go-to" medium, with Pew Research stating last year: "In 2020, 83% of Americans ages 12 or older listened to terrestrial radio in a given week...according to Nielsen Media Research data published by the Radio Advertising Bureau.

We hear a lot about podcasting these days - it is certainly a worthwhile tool, and we operate in that space. However, Pew reports: "As of 2021, 41% of Americans ages 12 or older have listened to a podcast in the past month, according to “The Infinite Dial” report by Edison Research and Triton Digital..."

In the Christian space, a new study from Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research states that "91% of evangelical radio listeners use Christian radio."  The numbers for Christian television are substantial, as well: "76% of evangelicals watch some Christian television content."  

This survey evaluated seven types of media: TV, streaming video, web, broadcast radio, podcasts, books, and magazines.  Christian radio has an impressive showing as a preferred medium for distinctly Christian content.  The survey relates: 

Of these seven media types, three show evangelicals relying on Christian content for at least half of what they consume: broadcast radio (60%), podcasts (57%), and books (58%).

Out of those 7 types of media, "the average evangelical uses 3.4 different media formats for spiritual purposes." Those are defined as "Christian information, teaching, preaching, inspiration, and/or spiritual growth," and drew the distinction between Christian content in general and Christian content for "spiritual purposes."  The survey summary stated that, among evangelicals, "Over one-third use printed books (43%), broadcast, cable, or satellite television (38%), and websites (36%)...Significant proportions also use streaming video (29%), mobile apps (28%), broadcast radio (23%), and podcasts (20%). 

Regarding each of the seven media types, two-thirds to four-fifths of respondents - between 63 and 80% - showed that they used a mix of Christian and mainstream media.  

A few years ago, there were predictions of a decline in the impact of radio - I believe that the proclamation of the "death of radio" was greatly overexaggerated.  Radio continues to be strong, even though Christians are apparently consuming a mix of media - Christian and mainstream.

And, among those seven types, Faith Radio operates in five.  We have our 8 U.S. terrestrial signals, plus we broadcast on a channel in Haiti.  We are also on the web in a variety of ways: through our website, as well as our app.  Faith Radio has ventured into the podcast space as well - content from The Meeting House and Morning Praise can be found on a variety of platforms, including our website and app, plus a number of leading podcast sites, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Plus, we have streaming video available through the Faith Radio YouTube channel and a daily television presence on WFRZ, Frazer Christian Television.  

On top of that, we offer content you can read.  We have a Ministry Magazine that is released four times per year.  And, I post a regular commentary online and a weekly blog post with three stories of relevance to the Christian community. 

The availability of Christian content is astounding. Just yesterday, Publishers Weekly ran a story about the burgeoning Christian publishing industry.  It said: "Religion publishing was valued at $1.2 billion in 2020, the most recent annual estimate in the StatShot Annual Report from the Association of American Publishers."  And, an earlier article on the website had indicated an 11.2% rise in sales from 2020 to 2021 based on the figures given by reporters to StatShot.  

But, with all this content, there are still warning signs in the Church.  Books are great, and the Infinity Concepts survey shows that books are a leading source people use for spiritual growth. But, we have to apply what we read.  And, make sure that content we are using squares with the Scripture.  Whatever media source you use, including what you hear on Faith Radio, we have to remember that we should have a working knowledge of the Bible.  Time spent consuming Christian media should never supersede our personal time in the Word. 

But that is not to minimize the impact of Christian media sources. I believe that the local church is strengthened as His people go to these sources for inspiration, information, and even entertainment.  At Faith Radio, our desire is to be a complement to the work of the local church, playing a role in providing content that can help believers grow and be encouraged.  All in all, God's people have accessibility to the Word of God, and we can be edified and strengthened as we grow deeper in Him.