Christians often skewer mainstream media for how journalists torture our words and make people of faith look silly when interviewed. This is particularly true when Christians are interviewed on the air. Sometimes Christians come off harsh (sadly, that's not always the journalists' fault) and at other times the words of Christians about God float away like meaningless wisps when Christian thought is overlooked or ridiculed by mainstream media.
We recognize those missed opportunities, so let's not commit the same media missteps with the programming we oversee. When Christian program hosts interview guests on the air, we should give them the courtesy of letting them speak -- in complete sentences, without our interrupting them; and in complete thoughts, so that listeners can hear the full counsel of what God indeed may be sharing through those guests.
Certainly some guests may rattle on, but that problem can be minimized by inviting guests who are media savvy or by coaching guests before they sit in the interviewee's seat. A skillful host also can keep a guest on point. Nevertheless, the main challenge for many Christian hosts is to listen to their guests, to draw them out, not drown them out. Great men and women of God with much to share have humbly allowed hosts to dominate the conversation under the guise of "guiding" the chat. I've often wondered what those leaders could have said about walking with God, had the interview gone differently.
Words change atmospheres and motivate hearts. They are powerful instruments and that's why Christians bruise when we are mishandled by mainstream media. But we are guilty of the same short-sightedness when we thoughtlessly interview our guests and unwittingly deflate the hopes of the listener who has tuned in, just to hear those guests.
When Christian hosts invite guests who are filled with words that matter, I hope that in the future, hosts sit back more often and let the guests truly have the floor. It doesn't lessen the role of the host; it demonstrates the host's humility, his wisdom in selecting an engaging and thoughtful guest, and his kindness in realizing someone may desperately need to hear authentic words, fitly spoken.
