The First Religious Broadcast on Radio

0n 22 January 1921 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA), Radio station KDKA broadcasted the regular Sunday morning worship service of the Calvary Episcopal Church .  Today, Christian broadcasting remains on radio worldwide.  About 1949, some radio evangelists began to move into the new medium of television.

24 Hour Christian Internet Radio

www.Christianrock.net is a listener supported 24 hour internet radio station.  It features Christian music in four formats: Rock, Hard Rock (they really mean it), Hip Hop, and Praise Music.  The station is registered as a Christian non-profit ministry and donations are tax-deductible in the United States.

The station supports Windows, Mac, iPhone, Droid, and Blackberry devices.  There are numerous listening formats: high speed internet, low speed internet, iTunes, VLC players, WINAmp, Windows Media Player, xiialive, flycast, and four iPhone applications.

What Does It Mean?: Why Jesus Spoke in Parables

"And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand."  Matthew 13:10-13.

Many modern theologians make a major point about the fact that Jesus never came out and simply declared, "I am God."  They speak of the Incarnational Mystery and wonder if Jesus thought of Himself as God.  Two points:

1. The rabbis and religious Jews who heard Jesus speak knew exactly what He was saying but thought that he was speaking blasphemy.  “The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”  John 10:33

2. Jesus used parables to teach.  The simple stories made His meaning easy to understand for even the most literal of His followers.  The parables also served a second purpose: to conceal.

In Matthew 13:10-13, the disciples asked Jesus about this.  The parables made no sense to those not equipped to understand them.  It is like us being immersed continually in showers of television and radio signals but hearing and seeing nothing because we don't have an internal receiver;  we are not physiologically equipped to perceive the information.

Without the Holy Spirit, the message of the parables makes no sense to those who don't belong to Jesus.  Jesus' motive for this is simple to see:  He wanted followers by faith, not by sight.  “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”  John 20:29

In Constantine (2005), a secular horror/action film, a cancer-ridden detective named John Constantine is desperately trying to impress God by hunting and killing demons.  He tells the angel Gabriel, "I believe."  The angel replies, "No, you know.  There's a difference."

Book Comment: No Applause - Just Throw Money

The title of this book is from a famous quip by the Vaudevillian jazz dancer Joe Frisco, "No applause, folks, just throw money." The same named book is a fascinating and sometimes humorous historical accounting of the birth, meteoric surge, and dwindling of Vaudeville, the precursor of the modern radio, theater, television, and film industries as well as such regional phenomena as Branson, Missouri, Atlantic City, New Jersey, and the many shows at night clubs and amusement parks around the country. At its height, some of the Vaudeville performers were making as much as $4000 per week, equal in modern dollars to about $40,000.

What does this have to do with Christianity? Actually, quite a lot. The author, Trav S.D. (Travis Stewart) believes that the early assessments of entertainers, traveling showmen, actors and actresses, etc. were accurate. Many were thieves, shysters, and prostitutes. He sides with the entertainers.

Trav S.D.'s assessment of Christianity is at best skeptical and, at times, hostile. He opposes what he understands to be prudery and close-mindedness while detailing how Vaudeville left behind its raunchy, sometimes racist, roots to become squeaky-clean and family friendly even as, behind the scenes, politics and dirty tricks raged. He shows how the organizations and networks developed for the live stage shows formed the basis of the modern entertainment industry.

The Jesus Christ Show

     The Jesus Christ Show  is a syndicated radio program produced weekly in Los Angeles.  The host of the show is Jesus Christ, portrayed by the show's producer, Neil Saavedra.  Jesus answers questions from call-in listeners in a soothing voice, seemingly with the authority and confidence which Jesus would project.  All the advice is biblically based on Jesus' teachings and parables.

     In the wrong hands this could become sacrilegious and even blasphemous (Jesus as Dear Abby) but it seems to be a real attempt to stay within the confines of biblical Christianity.