NASHVILLE, TN (ANS) -- The Gospel of Christ itself is actually “in the crosshairs” of current congressional attacks on Christian broadcasters claimed National Religious Broadcasters President/CEO Dr. Frank Wright during a press briefing at their national convention which ended in Nashville, Tennessee, this week.

Dr. Frank Wright speaking at an NRB Convention

Describing the “current crisis” that he claimed is being faced by Christian broadcasters in the USA as “extraordinary times” Wright said that “our mission to preach the Gospel has not changed, but technology and government regulations are changing every day.”

He said that while the actual debate on limiting first amendment freedoms for Christians in the USA is being framed by opponents of faith in terms of diversity, employment discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes, localism, media ownership and the public interest – the actual controversy is really about the Gospel itself.

“Christians need to know that it is the Gospel that is in the crosshairs on Capitol Hill today,” he insisted. This debate is not about freedom of speech, but rather about finding ways to limit freedom of speech for the community of faith and broadcasters.

“The debate is no longer about issues such as abortion, homosexual marriage or culture” he said, but about limiting the airwaves and media channels to Christian broadcasters who have the constitutional right to proclaim the gospel.

He said he respects those who feel their calling prevents them from speaking out on these issues, but warned that that those who equate the current debates in congress with traditional “controversial issues” may find themselves without broadcast ministries if they don’t speak up against the current legislative initiatives against Christian broadcasting of the gospel.
 

Bill Skelton

Wright made the charges as part of a panel discussion with other top NRB leaders including Bill Skelton, Chairman of the Executive Committee, Craig Parshall, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, and Bob Powers, Vice President for Government Relations.

National Call to Wake Up, Clean Up, Stand Up

Skelton called upon NRB member broadcasters to join him in calling Christians and churches in America to 40 days of prayer and fasting this fall leading up to the general elections in November.

Citing II Chronicles 7:14, he said it is time for an emergency call “to wake up, clean up and stand up” for the Lord. “Our founding documents were written by a religious people for the governance of a religious people and this country cannot survive unless the people of God repent of their sins.”

Skelton, who was elected to his third and final term as chairman this year, vowed to make this call to repentance his primary mission at NRB.

Meanwhile, Bob Powers said that NRB passed five resolutions during the 2010 Convention aimed at sending a message to congress that the NRB membership is:

(1) Opposing the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA),
(2) Opposing the forcible reclamation of the Broadcast spectrum by the FCC,
(3) Opposing any FCC investigation into so-called “hate speech” on broadcast talk shows,
(4) Reaffirming our reliance upon the compassion and sovereignty of God, and
(5) Recommending further study before proceeding with the “open internet” proposal.

“The government has no business determining freedom of speech or subject matter of broadcasters,” he said.

One of the purposes for which the NRB was founded 65 years ago was to protect first amendment freedoms for religious broadcasters at a time when Christians were being blocked from the media, said Dr. Wright.

However, not everyone attending NRB shared these views, especially those from overseas.

One overseas broadcaster told me, “I have noticed a strong political feeling coming from many of the NRB leaders at this year’s convention. It is interesting to note that this country [USA] has more freedom to freely broadcast the Gospel than any other country on earth, and yet many of them seem to spend so much of their time complaining about perceived ‘attacks’ on them from the government.

“Yet those here from the Middle East and other restricted countries, just get on with the job and are grateful for the few freedoms that they have.”

He added, “I found all of this complaining from some of the American Christian broadcast leaders as depressing to say the least. They appear to want to feel they are being ‘persecuted’ when they don’t really know what persecution is! If we had such freedoms in many of the countries we represent, we would jump up and down with excitement, not complain!”

Bill Bray, 63, is a retired foreign correspondent and frequent contributor to ASSIST News Service. He specializes in covering international student ministries and foreign missions. He has traveled to over 65 countries as a missionary journalist to report on missions and development ministries, returning to some countries as many as 30 times over the years. He can be contacted by e-mail at: bray.william@gmail.com.