K. Runia, Trowel and Sword. November 1962
Preamble: A mountain of books have been written on how to evangelise. One such story was called “The Gospel Blimp”, which is outlined here by Prof. Runia of RTC. He goes on to contrast it with the work of “The Back To God Hour’ which older readers will remember as a popular radio program of the time. This ran until 2010 and has now been relaunched under the name “Groundwork” through “ReFrame Media”. While it could be said that there is no right or wrong way to spread the Gospel, this story suggests that some ways are better than others.
The Gospel Blimp
A few weeks ago I read a very interesting booklet, called the Gospel Blimp. According to the title page a Blimp is a small type of airship for scouting, etc.
The gist of the story is as follows. A group of Christians in a small American town meet one evening in the garden of one of them. They are talking about the need of witnessing for Christ and the host, George, tells them about his neighbour who is a non-Christian and whom he cannot reach with the Gospel. Exactly at that moment a plane flies over and one of them suddenly says: we should try to evangelise our whole city by using a blimp with a text trailing behind it. The idea is accepted and a committee is appointed, and they start making plans. Soon money is coming in from all sides; a blimp is acquired and the work begins. They are very successful and the organisation is becoming bigger and bigger and bigger. Of course, there are some failures. When they use a loudspeaker system to proclaim the message as well as showing it, they get, one night, mixed up with the most popular T.V. show of the city, because they happen to transmit on the same frequency. The whole town is furious! Further, the ‘commander’ one of the original group who has become the chief executive, becomes estranged from his wife and later on is divorced. To increase the income they combine texts with business slogans. It is a tremendous boost. The organisation is still growing bigger and bigger. They are all convinced that it is God’s blessing. “God really honoured this new step of faith… At long last we were in good with all, or almost all, the Protestant ministers in the city… Same way with the city itself. Everyone was speaking well of us. ..”
Unfortunately the man in whose garden the idea was first suggested and whose unbelieving neighbour was the direct occasion, had withdrawn. George could not agree with the new development and the business-like approach of the ‘Commander’. It was a pity, but it could not be helped.
However, on the third anniversary the original committee members were all invited by George, to a celebration in the very same garden. To their great surprise George’s neighbour and his wife were also present. And “the neighbour was smoking”. I hasten to add that smoke doesn’t particularly bother me, but there are some that it does. And even though it was not so bad out in the yard as it would have been indoors, there were some who would certainly not appreciate the introduction of this worldly element to our Christian circle. As different people came in, you could tell they were surprised and a little put out to find the next door neighbours there. And smoking. It just sort of took the edge off the celebration.”
Later on during the evening George tells them that the neighbours also have become Christians. “Well you should have heard the group when George told us that. We were really excited. Every one wanted to ask questions at the same time. ‘Was it a verse on the blimp or a fire bomb (i.e. a parcel of tracts dropped by the blimp)?’ ‘Day or night? I mean was the verse in electric lights?’…” The reality, however, was quite different.
It was not through the blimp at all! On the contrary, the thing had annoyed them terribly. No, it was quite different. The neighbour’s wife had become seriously ill and was brought to the hospital. At that time George and his wife had helped the neighbour, and after the wife had come home from hospital, they had continued to give every possible assistance. This personal contact, which so clearly resulted from their love for the Lord Jesus, had broken the barrier and led these people to Jesus…
You may wonder what this story has to do with the Back to God Hour, That is not on a par with such a contraption as this blimp, is it? Is not a fine, deeply spiritual message brought every time? Yes, indeed. I an very happy with and grateful for our Back to God Hour broadcast, Without any pride we may say that it is of the best that is heard over the wireless in Australia and New Zealand.
And yet – there is a parallel! I mean this: we too can use the Back to God Hour as an excuse TO STOP ALL PERSONAL WITNESSING! It is so very easy to think that we are doing our full share, because we are doing so much for the Back to God Hour. Are we not bringing real sacrifices for it? Are we as Reformed people not fulfilling the great commandment of our Master: Go and preach the Gospel to the whole nation?
But if this is all that we do, then I am afraid that our beautiful organisation, just like that of the Gospel blimp, is altogether fruitless. George’s neighbour and his wife were not converted by a broadcast, but by the personal, direct witness of a Christian testimony in WORD AND DEED!
Shall we then give up the Back to God Hour? Of course, not! It is a splendid means of witnessing. It is a wonderful opportunity God has given to our Churches. But it will be EFFECTIVE ONLY when it is accompanied by our personal witness. WOULD YOU PLEASE, READ MATT, 25:31-46? That is what I mean.
K. RUNIA
T&S Revisited 