Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth. For the Coulson Center, I'm John Stone Street. It was 35 years ago today, September the 2nd, 1991. that Chuck Colson broadcast the very first episode of Breakpoint. At the time, of course, Breakpoint was only a radio program.
But today, it can be found online, by email, as a podcast. Not to mention, it's carried by dozens of organizations and news websites, and even by a handful of print newspapers. 35 years ago, Chuck Couls launched Breakpoint by describing why he believed a program like it was so very important. Here's Chuck Coulson. Welcome to Breakpoint.
Since this is our first broadcast, I'd like to begin by telling you what I hope to accomplish in the five minutes I'll be spending with you on the air each day. I can do that best with a story. When my work keeps me holed up in my study all day, my wife Patty is my eyes and ears to the outside world. She monitors what's on news and television, and then she fills me in at the end of the day. One day she simply couldn't wait until the end of the day.
She saw a programme so jarring that she burst through the door of my study. Come on, she said, you've got to see this. She had been watching the fill down a huge show. The guest that day were mothers talking about their children's sex lives. How did they know about their children's sex lives?
it turned out that they allowed their kids to engage in sexual activity right in their home, under the watchful parental eye. These families had told the kids that sex was not something down in the back seat of cars, safer and cleaner in one's own bedroom. One family even came up with a special code. When the daughter stuck a piece of green tape to the bedroom door, that was the signal for keep out, intercourse in progress.
Okay, you say, what do we expect from Dunahue? Dunahue, Oprah, Geraldo They scour the earth for the most bizarre people to put on display. The programmes are really modern day freak shows, just like the kinds of things I used to pay a nickel to go see when I was a kid. But what struck me most about the programme was the audience' reaction. While the mothers were explaining the modus operandi of parent-supervised sex, the audience was nodding sympathetically.
It's the attitude so common on these programmes. If this is what you feel is right for you, who are we to judge? If it feels good, do it. No one stands up and challenges it all. Oh, sure, people in the audience will sometimes say, I don't feel comfortable about that, but it's always phrased in terms of what offends me personally.
They simply aren't asking the right questions. What are the right questions? Simple. Things like What is truth? what is ultimately real, What are we living for?
Unless we realize that there are such questions. that all through history the great pursuit of humanity has been for answers to these. then we simply flounder along, drifting with popular trends. As Christians we are often offended by the immorality portrayed on television, in films, in tabloids. and rightly so.
But I suggest that we should be much more disturbed. by something that goes much deeper. That is that our culture has stopped asking the big questions about the meaning and purpose of life. Maybe it doesn't even know that there is such a question. Remember the bumper sticker that said, Jesus is the answer?
Some wise guys shot back, but what's the question?
Well, that was intended as a put-down. But it is precisely the point to day. People no longer know what the great questions of life are.
So this is what I hope to accomplish on Breakpoint. to ask those questions. To take the issues of the day and hold them up to examination in the light of God's truth. To show that each issue reflects some facet of the big truths, the ultimate truths. that should guide our lives.
Big answers for the big questions. I hope you'll join us. From the very beginning, September of 1991, Chuck Coulson launched Breakpoint to be a tool, one that could bring clarity and formation to Christians in light of the cultural moment so that they could know why they believe what they believe and that they would be encouraged to speak truth in the public square. And today, the mission remains the same. And that's why we thank you for bringing Breakpoint into your homes and your cars, in your email box, and the podcast feeds.
We are honored to be part of this with you. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street with Breakpoint. If you appreciate these daily commentaries of Worldview Clarity, it's really helpful when you leave a review wherever you download your podcast. That way more people can find the Breakpoint podcast. And for more resources or to share this commentary with more people, go to breakpoint.org.
Christian Educators, this is Billy Hutchinson with Colson Educators. As a former teacher myself, I know you're busy, and I know you want to teach like a Christian, not just be a Christian who teaches.
Well that's why we created the Colson Educators app. You can get practical Worldview training wherever you are, complete courses on your schedule, Earn CEUs and connect with a community of like-minded educators. Download the Colson Educators app on the Apple App Store or Google Play.
