Heresies and Christian Radio

Don't Touch that Dial

When it comes to Christian radio, "Don't touch that dial" is coming to have a new meaning. Rather than keeping tuned in to the station, it may be a warning not to tune in the Christian station. When tuned to a secular station, a Christian is normally listening with a critical ear. But, when tuned to "total Christian" radio stations, they tend to be much more trusting. But that needs to change. It seems our postmodern culture (the subjectivization and relativizing of truth) has now reached into the programming of many Christian radio stations.

Watchman Fellowship's staff has had its eyes opened to the commercial motivation and lack of doctrinal standards of many Christian radio stations. The realization of this sad state of affairs began several years ago when I investigated the Church of God Evangelistic Association, headed by David Smith.

This group had purchased airtime on Birmingham's "total Christian" radio station WDJC-FM. Yet, contrary to being Christian, this Worldwide Church of God (Armstrongism) splinter group still denied the Trinity, taught salvation by works, (keeping the Law) and denied the bodily resurrection of Christ. After making repeated, yet un-returned telephone calls to the station, I sent a letter and a copy of the cult's doctrinal statement to the station manager showing it was not Christian, and asked to see the station's doctrinal standards which would screen out cults.

Sometime later, I received a call from a secretary informing me that the program's contract would expire in a couple of months and that they would not renew it. This did not answer my question about standards.

As the program was going to continue to be allowed to run without any disclaimer or warning, Watchman Fellowship had a responsibility to warn Christians about the deception of this group, which had started church here through the influence of the radio program. After publicly issuing this warning, I then received a call, albeit a very angry one, from the station manager.

RON DART'S "BORN TO WIN"

This past year I received an inquiry concerning Ronald Dart and his Christian Educational Ministries heard on a Christian radio station. We knew Dart was a major leader and teacher in Garner Ted Armstrong's Church of God International cult. I contacted their ministry and ordered their correspondence course and a number of significant audiotapes that they offered on their program.

The tapes we received still taught most of the old Armstrong heresies--denial of the Trinity, human involvement in the Godhead, salvation by obedience to the Law, etc. We were shocked to discover that Dart is on a growing number of mostly Christian radio stations around the U.S. and Australia (91 markets as of 1/22/98).

When we contacted several of the stations, they didn't seem to care. One station's frankness summed up the apparent general attitude, "If they have the money, they're on the air."

None of the stations we contacted had a statement of faith or mission statement. When asked what would prevent a Mormon or Muslim program if they wanted to buy airtime, the response was "We just haven't had to cross that bridge yet."

Three of the stations which carry Dart's "Born to Win," (KBRT in Los Angeles, KLTT in Denver, and KJSL in St. Louis) are part of Crawford Broadcasting, the parent company of Birmingham's WDJC. Another, WGUN in Atlanta, has also featured blatant New Agers James Redfield (Celestine Prophecy), Deepak Chopra and Thomas Moore (Atlanta Journal and Constitution, 12/20/97, C3).

WORD-FAITH AND CHRISTIAN RADIO

Perhaps the most disturbing trend in Christian radio programming is the proliferation of Word-Faith teachers allowed to buy time on "Christian" stations throughout the country. When we teach on the Word-Faith heresy (see sidebar for description) invariably people will ask, "If this is wrong why does our Christian radio station have some of these teachers' programs?" This is a good question.

Being more and more grieved that our own local "total Christian" radio station was continuing to expose its listeners to heretical Word-Faith teachers, quack "alternative" medical advice, and a huckster involved in multi-level marketing pyramid schemes--we arranged a meeting with the management at WDJC.

Our staff, which includes a former Word-Faith minister, met with them for over three hours supplying more than 150 pages of documentation and analysis by both charismatic/Pentecostal and non-charismatic scholars, as well as audio and video tapes of these false Word-Faith teachers in context, clearly demonstrating their heresy.

WDJC's Station Manager, Larry Adcock, responded that he saw this as nothing more than a doctrinal disagreement on the scale of whether someone could lose their salvation or was eternally secure. Interestingly he referred to Kenneth Hagin as "Dad Hagin" and told us we should be very careful to "touch not the Lord's anointed" (both of these are misguided Word-Faith catch phrases and concepts). Mr. Adcock assured us he would look at the documentation and pass it on to Don Crawford, president of the Crawford Broadcasting Company.

During the course of our discussion, one of Mr. Adcock's reasons as to why he could not pull these programs is the station could be sued as the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) requirements prevented him from selective selling of airtime. Having said this he then gave us an example of risking a potential lawsuit for refusing to sell advertising to a company that he did not feel reflected WDJC standards.

Despite Mr. Adcock's assurance to the contrary, we did not believe the FCC would require a Christian radio station to air programs in conflict with its standards and beliefs. On two separate occasions we made telephone calls to the FCC and asked if our understanding was correct. In each instance an FCC attorney affirmed that our view was correct stating, "a 'Christian only' radio station could not be forced to carry programming contrary to its belief standards."

After nine months of silence, I went back and retrieved the, apparently untouched, material we had left. I then wrote two letters to Mr. Crawford detailing our concerns and the concerns of 25 local prominent Christian pastors and leaders, who also signed on to both letters. The following are excerpts:

"I am writing to address a significant issue we have previously taken up with (your local station WDJC). The issue concerns the airing of several questionable programs including those of Kenneth Hagin, Scott Webb, Charles Capps and Joyce Meyer. These preachers/teachers are adherents to a heretical and harmful doctrinal teaching called by various terms -- the Word-Faith Movement, positive confession, name-it and claim-it, prosperity theology, health-wealth, etc....

"Ours is an inter-denominational ministry which understands and respects the legitimate doctrinal distinction among the various Christian denominations. However, we also need to recognize serious doctrinal heresy and are commanded by Scripture to warn and protect the flock from such 'wolves in sheep's' clothing'. (Acts 20:28-32; 2Peter 2:1-3; Titus 1:9-11, Mat. 7:15)

"The concerns we have fall within the above Scriptural admonitions. They are of such serious nature that they go far beyond non-essential differences in theology among Christians...We have had to counsel a significant number of casualties from this movement who are either in bondage to this system or shipwrecked in their faith....

"Our and the pastors' on the attached list concern is that WDJC continues to promote itself as 'total Christian radio', yet carries the heretical programming.... We believe that WDJC has a responsibility to the Christian community as it acts in the role of a teaching office. Therefore, we call upon WDJC-FM to discontinue this programming."

NO ANSWER FOR NINE WEEKS - SECOND LETTER EXCERPTS

"Frankly, I am surprised and disappointed that you did not find it appropriate to even reply. The fact that 25 well-respected pastors of significant churches and our ministry see the issue as serious should have warranted some explanation by you...

"We have now been informed that we are not allowed on the station as guests. This censorship, the banishment of a respected Christian discernment ministry from providing a much needed service to the Christian community, further exemplifies the problem of WDJC acting in the guise of "total Christian radio" with a responsibility for the edification [and trust] of its listeners and advertisers.

"It appears that we are now left with no alternative other than to inform the thousands of people on our local and national mailing lists of the problem..."

PUTTING PROFITS BEFORE SOUND DOCTRINE

We have come to the obvious conclusion that too many of these commercialized Christian stations have turned their priorities upside down. They are commercial stations that market to the Christian community--commercial first, Christian second. When I confronted an honest management-level staff member at WDJC with this charge, he admitted this was true.

We understand secular stations selling time to these teachers. We also understand this is a free market and Christian stations should also be allowed to make a profit, but at what cost to the immature or non-discerning believer who is listening? Whereas the secular station has no regard for the spiritual damage these teachers cause, management at a Christian station certainly should and must hold themselves to a higher standard.

If the stations that air Word-Faith teaching refuse to change their programming, we call upon them to cease referring to themselves as "Total Christian" or "Christian " radio and instead call themselves what they are--"A Commercial Religious Station." Being rightly classified, listeners would be alerted that not all programs aired by the station are Christian.

This is an important issue for the Church to address. Several advertisers on WDJC have contacted us about the issue and, without any prompting, reported that they have withdrawn their ads. We applaud their integrity. More and more Christians are asking us what they can do to help get this false teaching off the Christian stations. We encourage you, the body of Christ, to make your will known to your local stations and their advertisers. This is an issue of trust, integrity and commitment to the Lord and His people.

Finally, we commend those Christian stations, which have not succumbed to selling time to practically any individual, or group that comes along simply to produce revenue. Many stations still place their responsibility to the body of Christ to "teach sound doctrine" of foremost importance. Take the time to let these stations know you appreciate their efforts and stand for integrity.

Like the Church and individual believers, Christian radio and television stations need guidance and accountability. A good starting point would be to develop and abide by a standard of doctrinal and ethical guidelines. This would go a long way toward ensuring that heretical teaching is banned from their programming.

If you need a documentation packet on the Word-Faith teachers or a list of the stations where Ron Dart is programmed, please contact our office.

This article was excerpted from the March 1998 Vantage Point.