RESPONSES to "FCC WARNING!!!!"

The column addressed the alarmist warnings some Christians freely circulate VIA their (free) E-mail. The question: What if all the bad things they warn of actually happened... would they ruin Christianity's true strain?

From: "JOHN MURPHY" ([email protected])
Great piece. Quite frankly, I have always felt the church would explode in this country under persecution. We just celebrated the national day of prayer for the persecuted church back in November. Seeing these our brothers and sisters faithfulness under such circumstances makes me feel very small in comparison. In 1945 china kicked all the missionaries out. When they were finally let back in after Nixon opened the door, they did not expect to find many of the one million Christians they had left behind. instead they found some 100 million. Praise god. Even the death of Stephan and the persecution that followed played a major part in the expansion of Christianity. Conclusion: we would grow. How sad it would take such extreme measures. -- John Murphy Elder, South Shore Christian Church

From: Claude Reeder ([email protected])
When Christianity in America comes under real persecution we will then have real Christianity.

From: [email protected] (Timothy S Dixon)
For some time now that has been bothering me about the church world and finally someone has put it into words. Thanks Again. Every now and then someone will come into the church with one of those campaigns for us to rally around. It has been hard for me to deal with because it is almost always individuals in the congregation who are drawn to a cause. Keep up the good work... Rev. Timothy S. Dixon, Senior Pastor Winfield Church of the Nazarene

From: [email protected] (Steven Smith)
I'm one of the forwarders of your column, and wanted to let you know how much discussion it generates and how much I appreciate the time and effort you put into writing the column. And I really appreciate the heads-up about the ban on religious E-mail. I got that letter out immediately. ;-) My response? One of the sticking points that a friend of mine has about Christianity is the assumption that Christians hold certain moral and political positions. When I bring this up in certain circles, they really don't understand what the point is - a Christian should hold those positions, shouldn't they? We attended a church in former city where the pastor often used the 'us against them' theme to motivate the troops. In our case, it was the local Southern Baptist (our denomination) association that "was against what we were doing." It was never fully developed exactly "what" it was that "they" were against, and how, if we were a member of the group, "they" (us?) could be against us. But it worked. Steven Smith Marietta, GA

From: Steve Eccles ([email protected])
I saw Elvis. He lives in Lae, Papua New Guinea. Never mind that he is a Papua New Guinean and has very dark skin. I just thought you and your readers would want to know. Great column this week. On the lookout on this side of the world. Steve Eccles, Lae, Papua New Guinea

From: MKjergaard ([email protected])
I chuckled while reading your column. We Christians are often so gullible. The old adage is true, "The more outrageous the lie, the more apt we are to believe it." The FCC ban rumor has been making the rounds for years. Every now & then, the rumor that Proctor & Gamble's logo is Satanic resurfaces (Its President supposedly proclaimed his Satanism on a Donahue show -- Never happened, besides, Phil has been off the air for years). When members ask me to print this stuff, I try to educate them as diplomatically as I can. I appreciate zeal, but if it is unaccompanied by knowledge, it's useless. What bothers me most is that this behavior perpetuates the negative stereotype so often applied to Christians (ignorant, out-of-touch, reactionary, etc.) Maranatha! Mike Kjergaard

From: "Carolyn Fowler" ([email protected])
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Keith for addressing a subject that is right on. I can remember as a child hearing about the communists taking over and the unbelievable fear that nearly sickened me. I heard a guy named Billy James Hargis at some kind of citywide rally tell us the communists were taking over -- and the target year was 1968 (I think this was in 1966 or 67). Man, talk about depressed and scared. Then a few years later BJH went down, but not to the communists; as I recall it was something to do with sex and young boys. Hmmm... Now it seems like very few weeks go by without someone pointing out some terrible or unbelievable thing that is happening or has happened and my first thought is "oh no," and my second thought is "are you really sure that's true?" Many times the source is questionable or information is untrue or has been passed down incorrectly. What gets me is that "stuff" like this totally zaps the energy out of many people who should know better. Anyway, THANKS! You touched a nerve. I think we have met the enemy . . . and it is us. Keep crankin' em out, we love it. Carolyn Fowler

From: SAINT SAM ([email protected])
I think it is sensationalism when you send out a false scare message to make a point against false scare messages. You're right, we should be careful of our illustrations.

From: [email protected] (John D Howell)
...On one side of the coin we can see the benefits... First and foremost, persecution would get rid of a lot of dead weight that has been holding back the church for centuries. Secondly, persecution would sound the call to true commitment. No longer could someone be a borderline Christian, now they would have to consciously choose whom they would serve. If a persecution such as what you described did take place, the people who stuck with the church would most definitely be the ones who carry Christianity's true strain. Therefore