--- title: How Radio Nearly Destroyed The Church description: Sometimes how we react to culture is downright wrong. image: https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/hubfs/milivoj-kuhar-7NJE_JbVReo-unsplash.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/howradionearlydestroyedthechurch#main-content) [![cropped-chemistry_logo_homepage-342x95](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/hs-fs/hubfs/cropped-chemistry_logo_homepage-342x95.webp?width=342&height=95&name=cropped-chemistry_logo_homepage-342x95.webp "cropped-chemistry_logo_homepage-342x95")](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/) - [How We Help](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/what-we-do/) - [How We Help Candidates](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/candidate/) - [How We Help Churches](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/church/) - [Our Team](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/team/) - [Our Mission & Strategy](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/what-we-do/) - [Churches](https://chemistrystaffing.com/church) - [Hire New Staff](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/2021-churches-new-staff-hiring/) - [Free 30-Minute Church Consult](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/lets-talk/) - [Chemistry Solutions – You Don’t Have to Do Ministry Alone](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/solutions/) - [Final Fit Assessment](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/final-fit-assessment/) - [Senior Pastor Succession](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/succession/) - [Job Seekers](https://chemistrystaffing.com/candidate) - [Add My Resume / Profile](https://chemistry.fyi/kwq) - [Current Openings](https://chemistrystaffing.com/jobs) - [Free Resume Assessment](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/free-resume-self-assessment/) - [Step-by-Step Job Search](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/cjb) - [How Chemistry Can Help](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/candidate/) - [Resources](http://www.chemistrystaffing.com/candidate/) - [Free Playbooks & Downloads](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/resources/) - [Chemistry Blog](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/) - [2024 Youth Pastor Compensation Survey](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/resources/2024-yp-compensation-survey/) - [Contact Us](http://www.chemistrystaffing.com/lets-talk/) - [Candidates](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/candidate-contact-page/) - [Churches](http://www.chemistrystaffing.com/lets-talk/) - [Find a Job](https://chemistrystaffing.com/jobs) - [My Church is Hiring](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/lets-talk/) [Leadership](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/tag/leadership) # How Radio Nearly Destroyed The Church Sometimes how we react to culture is downright wrong. ![milivoj-kuhar-7NJE_JbVReo-unsplash](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/hubfs/milivoj-kuhar-7NJE_JbVReo-unsplash.jpg) # Sometimes how we react to culture is downright wrong. ![Linkedin Image](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Linkedin%20Image.png?width=700&name=Linkedin%20Image.png) Here’s an interesting excerpt from the book ***Radio, Morality, and Culture***:   An article in 1923 reported that “in New York complaints have been received by authorities of the Episcopal, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches that the churches in surrounding small towns and cities are being ruined financially by the radio broadcasting of sermons and music”; and in 1928, the same publication quoted the statistician Roger W. Babson, who predicted that radio will tend to eliminate the small-church preacher, as a preacher, because it will enable country people to hear the best preaching.   An Episcopal Bishop at the time said “Why go to your parish church when you can sit at ease in your parlor and hear the heavenly music of a capable choir and be charmed by the fervid eloquence of a magnetic preacher?”   Tell us what you really think, Bishop:   “There seems to have entered into our crowded and throbbing life another ally of those forces which make difficult the assembling of the faithful for praise and prayer.  The habit of church-going has a hard time in the face of Sunday excursions, movies, sacred concerts, automobiling, and broadcasting.”   So there you have it.   One of the biggest obstacles the church faced in 1923:  the RADIO.   A lot has happened since then.   Don’t even get me started about KLove. :)   But seriously… what are we believing today that will look totally silly in 2050?   [Read more here](https://books.google.com/books?id=8TrMeB8FUacC&pg=PA110&lpg=PA110&dq=the%20literary%20digest%20is%20radio%20hurting%20the%20church%3F&source=bl&ots=GgtPLb52U5&sig=muL8KblVvnS-hrD_QfHKtkwsTdM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ASfxUbTrMabUyQHT3YDADg&utm_campaign=Church%20Recruitment&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9BM5xCnQYNIgzygsOP3DQxeS6rFuIqJd5QMUWojcjPmKq5bdly-f5OZ6jruUKxBnNRm-Wt#v=onepage&q=the%20literary%20digest%20is%20radio%20hurting%20the%20church%3F&f=false)   Todd ![Todd-Signature-2019](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/hs-fs/hubfs/belch.io/template-assets/Todd-Signature-2019.png?width=100&name=Todd-Signature-2019.png) Questions?  I’d love to start a conversation with you.  Just email me at [Todd.Rhoades@ChemistryStaffing.com](mailto:Todd.Rhoades@ChemistryStaffing.com).   PS -- Are you looking for people who can help your team lead well into the future and take your culture to the next level? W**e’d love to start a conversation with you about finding the perfect fit!** [![Schedule A Free Consultation](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/5045578/b77ee3a2-d157-494b-a4fc-d4c3b22d6364.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/5045578/b77ee3a2-d157-494b-a4fc-d4c3b22d6364)       ### [![Todd Rhoades](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/883a0d42581424e9bbe7c77dccfeed6b) Todd Rhoades](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/author/todd-rhoades) Todd has invested over 30 years in serving churches, having served as a worship pastor for over 15 years, a church elder for more than a decade, and in various ministry leadership roles in both the business and non-profit sectors. As the original founder and developer of ChurchStaffing.com, Todd fundamentally changed the way thousands of churches search for pastors and staff on the internet. Todd is a graduate of Cedarville University, and lives in Bryan, OH with his wife, Dawn. 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