Happy Sunday,
The following is a draft section of my book, Broken News, scheduled for release in ~Fall 2027.
I add/revise/cut content based on feedback from this newsletter each week, so if something stands out as wrong, confusing, or wow-that-actually-helped-please-don’t-change-it… hit reply and let me know!
Scriptural Basis
“But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”
1 Peter 3:15
Why should we consume the news at all?
The biggest objection I receive when suggesting people consume 5-15 minutes of news/day is that it isn’t enough time. Less frequently, I’ll hear that 5-15 minutes is too much time… which I have found harder to refute.
I can find no biblical imperative to follow the news, especially 24/7 news about things far outside your sphere of influence.
But…
The news does offer many opportunities to live out biblical principles. The news is the world’s common conversation, and we glorify God when we learn to engage in those conversations in ways that show our confidence in God’s sovereignty, love for our enemies, humility, and desire to serve those in need.
Here are some great reasons I’ve heard for consuming the news:
“To spend time with my spouse—we read the news together every night and then pray for the world together” (1 Timothy 2:1-2 tells us to pray for those in authority)
“To be aware of community needs and help others” (Galatians 6:2 tells us to carry one another’s burdens)
“To engage in conversations about what’s wrong in the world and point people to the hope of Christ” (1 Peter 3:15 tells us to always be ready to give a reason for our hope)
“To soften my heart for others and not get wrapped up in my own little world” (Philippians 2:3-4 tells us to look out for the interests of others)
“To better understand what my congregation is hearing so that I can engage with, comfort, and encourage them” (1 Peter 5:2 tells shepherds to know their flock well)
“To help my children process things they’ll inevitably hear about” (Ephesians 6:4 tells parents to train and instruct their children in the Lord)
Following the news isn’t required to live out these verses, but a small amount of news provides a steady stream of opportunities to put them into practice.
If you’re someone who has completely shut out the news, know that a baseline awareness of what’s happening in the world will help you better understand and love the people in your life. Spending five minutes with the headlines is enough to enter the conversation with coworkers, friends, or family.
And trust me, we need people like you—sane people who aren’t addicted to the news—to enter those conversations. You show the rest of us what it sounds like when your thinking isn’t caught in the bias tug-of-war and when your opinions don’t come pre-packaged from a news source. It’s a calming reminder that we could survive on less news.
Was this valuable? Was this heretical? Do you have a rebuttal? Should it not make the book?
Please hit reply and let me know! Your replies are genuinely a huge help and are massively shaping this book. I don’t have time to respond to each one, but I personally read every email.
Recommended*: TPO covers the most visible news of the day, but many important things don’t make headlines. We’ve partnered with World Concern to raise awareness of one of those things: a severe drought in East Africa. It’s not a flashy story—it’s the result of many “un-newsworthy” rainless days that have left six million people in Somalia alone, facing hunger. Wells have dried up, families are starving, and mothers are walking hundreds of miles looking for help.
Let’s be that help. Join me in donating $16 to save a life, or $81 for a full Drought Survival Kit.
*I’m fortunate enough to partner with organizations I support and genuinely recommend. World Concern is one of them.
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