There’s no denying the importance of a biblical worldview. Our minds are no longer caught up with the passions and philosophies of the world, but are instead transformed (Romans 12:2). However, it can be overwhelming when to watch the news and spend the whole time sorting out the value from the junk. That’s why The Briefing is such an excellent podcast.
A brief overview
The Briefing (iOS, website) collects several bits of news and analyzes it from a Christian viewpoint. Albert Mohler discusses everything that’s happening in our world with great gentleness and wisdom, yet stands firm in what the Bible says. The segments are thorough but contain no filler, letting most people get their fill of daily news during a work commute.
A biblical filter
On the day of writing this (March 4th, 2019), Albert Mohler discussed these issues:
- Transgenderism in Canada, where a 14 year old girl received testosterone injections without parental consent, and her parents not supporting her could be considered family violence.
- Should men wrestle women competitively?
- Handling LGBTQ competitors in sports
These aren’t just issues that Mohler makes up each day. They are actual news stories that people are discussing, and he does so by filtering it first through a Christian worldview, then discussing how we ought to react to it. Of course people are free to disagree, but his insights are often hard to argue with.
Keeping a pulse on our dying world
One side benefit to the podcast is that it’s easier to stay “in the know” with what’s important to the world without having to dig into it. The stories discussed are incredibly relevant, meaning that any given segment gives a glimpse into what’s happening around the world. While it doesn’t have the 24 hour coverage of a typical news station, it’s a great way to stay in touch with the “big stories” without having to spend all day listening to an unsaved world tell us how to feel about a topic.
Submitting our thoughts to Christ
When discussing politics and social issues, Christians are often singled out for being narrow-minded or cruel. While we should always be making sure we’re approaching a topic appropriately, our focus is not on cultural acceptance but on making sure our mind’s align with Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). This is another bonus to The Briefing.
Issues of LGBTQ, marriage, war, money, etc. are bound to come up in our lives. However, many Christians feel ill-prepared to defend some of their stances and are often left with a few unsavory choices:
- We hide in an echo chamber and only talk to people who agree with us
- We make life easier by changing our stances to what’s popular
- We stay silent, missing an opportunity to show Christ to others
- We get loud and angry, attacking others instead of discussing differing worldviews
None of these options give much glory to God. In this way, The Briefing is like a high school quarterback studying his NFL counterpart. He may not copy him completely, but he can certainly learn quite a bit by understanding why the pro does what he does.
Likewise, listening to Albert Mohler doesn’t require absolute agreement. However, it does present a wonderful opportunity to listen and understand why a story might require us to react in a certain way. It helps us better form our opinions by hearing a well-formed viewpoint that is seeking to please Christ.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a Christian who listens to the news, The Briefing is an incredible blessing. If you’re a Christian who doesn’t like the news because it feels so dark and hopeless, then this podcast may be exactly what you’re looking for. Very few stories are happy (considering the state of our broken world), but a Christian worldview is always filled with hope.
I urge anyone to listen to the podcast for a week. Replace the drive-time news with an episode, or just use it as another news source. Be encouraged through a Christian worldview that doesn’t bend to popular philosophy, but instead seeks to take every thought captive to Christ.
You can check out The Briefing’s website and listen to the latest episode, download Albert Mohler’s app through iTunes, or just search for “The Briefing” in your favorite podcast app.
