I searched for a man among them who would build up a wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. Ezekiel 22:30
One of our main goals here at the Catch is to help us all connect our faith to the real world. We need to learn what it is to think Christianly about everything. Unfortunately most Christians think Christianly about “Christian things” — things that are considered “Christian” already. But that is letting someone else do your thinking for you — trusting someone else to label what is “Christian” and what is not. That’s actually our job — ignore the labels and think Christianly about everything — to find truth everywhere.
So today, we’re going to think Christianly about the news. That’s going to be difficult because news isn’t what it once was. News used to be balanced between conservative and liberal perspectives. It was the job of good journalism to provide us with all sides of an issue so we could make up our minds what to think. But as Bari Weiss former, New York Times editorial-page editor said, “A new consensus has emerged in the press … truth isn’t a process of collective discovery, but an orthodoxy already known to an enlightened few whose job is to inform everyone else.” In other words, each source of news is its own authority.
As our BlogTalkRadio guest this week, Terry Mattingly said, “The internet has changed everything into a world of people living in their own little digital, concrete silos of information where basically they’re reading people who exist to tell them what they already think and what they already believe.” We are no longer weighing points of view in our heads; we’ve already made up our minds.
Are you tracking with me on this? I’m not casting judgment on anyone, or singling anyone out. I am talking about the way it is — the way we have come to think — and I, for one, am as much an example of this polarized thinking as anyone.
“We appear to have entered an age in which readers will have to treat newsrooms like political parties.” Dare I suggest that we are also entering an age in which churchgoers are treating churches like political parties, too? I’ve heard too many stories of people who have had to leave their church because their politics did not match up to the pastor’s and the rest of the church. Sad.
“It’s time for Americans to wake up to a fundamental reality” wrote David French, an evangelical Christian who writes for the New York Times, “the continued unity of the United States cannot be guaranteed … there is not a single important cultural, religious, political, or social force that is pulling Americans together more than it is pulling us apart.”
Ah, but he hasn’t heard yet about you and me. That’s our job, to stand in the gap and pull these factions together, because we are paying attention to more than politics. We are representing the kingdom of God — the gospel of welcome and grace turned outward. And these know no bounds.
The following links will take you further into this topic: The first is our BlogTalkRadio 30-minute interview with Terry Mattingly. The second is an important article that Terry wrote: “The Evolving Religion of Journalism.”
https://www.blogtalkradio.com/thecatch/2023/05/10/a-catch-conversation-with-terry-mattingly
https://www.acton.org/religion-liberty/volume-33-number-1/evolving-religion-journalism
John Fischer The Catch 
Since the beginning its about following Jesus and the word. Whatever this party says or that one or politics with church its about following Jesus and why he came here and how much better our lives will be if we take those steps and follow him all the way and then some.
Wanted to add; although a bit late and huge Amen to this paragraphs:
“Dare I suggest that we are also entering an age in which churchgoers are treating churches like political parties, too? I’ve heard too many stories of people who have had to leave their church because their politics did not match up to the pastor’s and the rest of the church. Sad.
“It’s time for Americans to wake up to a fundamental reality” wrote David French, an evangelical Christian who writes for the New York Times, “the continued unity of the United States cannot be guaranteed … there is not a single important cultural, religious, political, or social force that is pulling Americans together more than it is pulling us apart.” (with these I’ll agree to disagree – maybe reading the letters between our 2nd President John Adams and 3rd Thomas Jefferson will enlighten Mr. French our Country & it’s Government was set-up to have debate – and to some that may give the appearance of coming apart – yet we have survived a Civil War!
(and after reading this I about stood p and shouted Amen!) Ah, but he hasn’t heard yet about you and me. That’s our job, to stand in the gap and pull these factions together, because we are paying attention to more than politics. We are representing the kingdom of God — the gospel of welcome and grace turned outward. And these know no bounds.”