Most of us have known it for a long time, but some are still finding it out. Despite the pretense of objectivity, the news media are undeniably and demonstrably biased. Consider ABC’s shameful presentation, Search for Jesus, that aired June 26th. Peter Jennings would undoubtedly affirm that it was eminently fair–even a Dallas area talk show host (that some of us once thought was conservative) defended the program as impartial, which seriously reflects on his judgment.
Dr. William R. Farmer, a research scholar at the University of Dallas in Irving, began his article in The Dallas Morning News by writing:
The world of New Testament scholarship consists of a number of healthy disagreements and divergent points of view. But the scholars whom Peter Jennings interviewed…came largely from one group.
To be sure, Mr. Jennings drew substantially upon comments from the evangelical scholar N. T. Wright. But the voices of Robert Funk, John Domin Crossan, and Marcus Borg–the three most publicly articulate members of the Jesus Seminar–dominated the show (July 1st, page 4G).
These three men worked with former Episcopalian bishop John Shelby Spong, who attacks the Bible as frequently as most people breathe. These “Jesus Seminar” scholars took it upon themselves to tell the rest of us what Jesus actually said in the New Testament, along with what He most certainly could not have said. No one should think that these men have access to documents that the rest of us lack: these are just their opinions. Such are the unbiased sources Jennings used.
These are men who do not believe in the miracles recorded in the Scriptures, nor do they believe the Scriptures are the inspired Word of God. Some Pentecostals who believe in both were on this program, but they served as a contrast, and they did not have the opportunity to contradict what the “scholars” said with any kind of intelligent refutation.
The program presented John as a sort of raving maniac. One wonders why anyone would go out to be baptized by a man of such obvious unstable qualities. Jesus is presented as someone who got caught up in John’s movement (rather than being the One for Whom John prepared the way). It was strongly implied that both of them were involved in a political movement rather than a spiritual one. As also portrayed in the recent CBS miniseries, Pilate wanted to get rid of Jesus. There were a number of inaccuracies that went unchallenged, not the least of which concern the Lord Himself. Mr. Farmer was not entirely critical of the production as reflected in the following comments:
Mr. Jennings has helped bring some sanity into the chaos of skepticism endemic to much biblical scholarship. Of course, his work will not satisfy Orthodox or Catholic intellectuals or evangelical theologians because it threw doubt on one of the central doctrines of the Church–that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures (4G).
Bit tacky, that. Sorry. Once one adopts the dispassionate manner of “scholars,” it becomes difficult to make the transition back to that of being a real person. Mr. Farmer does not seem overly excited about the show’s attempt to take the heart and soul out of Christianity, but this writer does! We cannot speak for the Orthodox, Catholic, or Evangelical scholars, but Christians ought to be incensed!
Everything that Jesus did and taught was tied to His mission. Have any of these “scholars” read, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10)–or did they just decide that Jesus never uttered those words? Why anyone would take such “intellectuals” seriously is a marvel. They have no respect for the Word of God, and they are tremendously dull besides. They come across as neurotic men inside a cardboard facade.
Who are they to challenge the indestructible Word of God? Long after they are dead, people will still be repenting of their sins and being buried with Jesus in baptism in order to get forgiveness of their sins–until He returns (Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3-5). What message of hope do they have for mankind? Take away the death of Christ on the cross for our sins (1 Cor. 15:1-4), and there is no hope of salvation or eternal life.
If Jesus is reduced to a mere historical curiosity and the Bible to a flawed concoction of man, riddled with error, then modern man knows absolutely nothing. Certainty cannot exist. Many would deduce that they are the cruel joke of nature in a godless world. Violence, the “might-makes-right” philosophy and “the-exploitation-of-others-for-my-own-gratification” attitude make sense , for there is no basis for precepts such as purity, nobility, honor, or kindness.
Undoubtedly, the “scholars” would be horrified at the above conclusions; they might even disagree that the absence of a Divine Book and a Divine Savior could lead to such thinking, but they would be wrong again. They offer no solutions to man’s sinfulness; they have nothing better than the Scriptures to offer as a means to live by. By attacking the integrity of the Word and the teachings of Jesus they plan to make all men as hopeless and miserable as they are. Their “scholarship” and their vainglorious reputations are their gods. Verily, they have their reward.