I couldn't remember who said it: a preacher should carry a Bible under one arm and a newspaper under the other. Turns out the quote is probably apocryphal but most often attributed to 20th century German theologian Karl Barth.
I'm willing to invoke Barth's support of the two arenas in which I've spent most of my life, the newspaper business and the church. It appears there's another advocate,* none other than Ben Franklin. In a letter to the Ministry of France in March 1778, Franklin reportedly wrote:
"A Bible and a newspaper in every house, a good school in every district -all studied and appreciated as they merit -are the principal support of virtue, morality, and civil liberty."
Old Ben apparently saw that a thriving society looked something like the three-cornered hat resting upon his head, with faith, a free press and education making up the three. May your Bible be tattered with use, your newspaper subscription never lapse, and your local school a source of pride.
* In addition to the First Amendment, which had something fairly important to say about religion and the press.
Original posts at http://wrigleypreacher.blogspot.com
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3 comments:
But to be fair, if you take the spirit of what Ben was saying, your would have to say it this way: "Have a Bible/Koran/Torah/other holy book in your house, a newspaper subscription, and good schools." That would better reflect the spiritual deism of the founders, and better reflect that pesky Bill of Rights.
"...all studied and appreciated as they merit"
Just having the Bible & newspaper in every house isn't enough. One is required to be actively engaged in the business of virtue, morality & civil liberty.
To do so, citizens are required to review the text of both Bible (Torah, Koran, etc) & newspaper (along with other modern media sources), examine the information critically and apply it thoughtfully. Teachers can teach, but students must be participants in the learning process.
It seems as if many modern pundits haven't paid attention to that portion of Ben's quote. Beck, Limbaugh, et al, purport to adhere to 'virtue, morality and civil liberty'. And yet, they spew malicious misinformation and dangerous lies.
Ah, yes, my learned friends ... thanks for the multicultural and interpretive nuance.
Fides quaerens intellectum!
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