Malcolm Muggeridge

CHRIST AND THE MEDIA

Eerdman's Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted 1978.
The Series London Lectures in Contemporary Christianity.

From the Foreword by Billie Graham, world Evangelist:

The basic theme of this book is Muggeridge's conviction that the media (particularly television) have had an extremely negative effect on our civilization, and that this effect can only be expected to grow.

Malcolm Muggeridge was a writer, editor and social critic, well recognized even beyond his home country, England. He used to be the Editor of the renowned satirical magazine, The Punch, and frequently appeared in the BBC television programs. He is a recognized master of English stately prose, a man recognized for his masterly style. One of his merits was to introduce Mother Theresa's charitable work in Bombay slums in India. She later received the Nobel Peace Prize when her spiritual giant's effort was recognized.

Devastating, yet subtle criticism of the media is exemplified in the stately prose of Malcolm Muggeridge.

The three lectures were held in a large London Church. The BBC high officials presided over the first two lectures - the occasion was not an underhanded rebellion, but ancourageous speaking of the truth.

The book takes a critical view of the spiritual and moral destruction which is being done by the media, particularly the television:

Across his copy of Bacon's Essays, one of the early scriptures of the age of science, Blake scrawled: "Good news for Satan's Kingdom!" I found myself wanting to scrawl the same words across the offerings of the various TV channels, especially the more serious ones. The media have indeed, provided the Devil with perhaps the greatest opportunity accorded him since Adam and Eve were turned out of the Garden of Eden, i only wish c. S. Lewis had lived long enough to deal with this in another masterly Screwtape Letter, pointing out the advantages of infiltrating the media, on the production or performing side (better, probably, the former), where a few deft touches could undermine the faith of a lifetime, and impeccable  humanistic sentiments open the way to debauching a human soul on a scale that the Prince of Darkness himself might envy. Indeed, one imagines Old Nick disconsolately shaking his head over how the young devils nowadays have it made: all they need to do is just to get into religious broadcasting, and what chances present them! Screwtape had it drummed into him that, in devilish terms, there is far more mileages in good humane people like Eleanor Roosevelt than in wicked cruel ones like Stalin. King Herod has always had a bad press for slaughtering the innocents, but let Screwtape keep it in mind that nowadays a good campaign on the media for legalized abortion will facilitate slaughter of the millions on the highest humanitarian principle before they are even born. (pp. 15, 16)

As far as Britain is concerned, it started in the right way: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was recognized as obligated to support the established morality. But "humanists" (i.e. those who do not believe in God and Spirit, modern Sadducees) got hold of the BBC and made it into a weapon of "creativity" and injected anti-moral contents.

It is painful to realize that a good man Muggeridge involuntarily got involved in a morally and spiritually satanic enterprise.

It is a truism to say that the media in general, and TV in particular, and BBC television especially, are incomparably the greatest single influence in our society today, exerted at all social, economic and cultural levels. This influence, I should add, is, in my opinion, largely exerted irresponsibly, arbitrarily, and without reference to any moral or intellectual, still less spiritual, guidelines whatsoever. Furthermore, if it is the case, as I believe, that what we still call Western civilization is fast disintegrating, then the media are playing a major role in the process by carrying out, albeit for the most part unconsciously, a mighty brainwashing operation, whereby all traditional standards and values are being denigrated to the point of disappearing, leaving a moral vacuum in which the very concepts of Good and Evil have ceased to have any validity. Like a building site, which has been cleared, but with nothing erected on it; just a great, empty space, where rubbish is thrown, where children play and quarrel and fight, and layabouts sleep, and the rain collects in puddles. Future historians will surely see us as having created in the media a Frankenstein monster which no one knows how to control or direct, and marvel that we should have so meekly x subjected ourselves to its destructive and often malign influence, (p. 23) Muggeridge recognizes that the Devil has deluded us in the anti-Christian civilization in the Fourth Temptation}

The most distressing observation is that the clergy have been caught in the humanist nets and by their "modernity" they are supporting the progress of godlessness. They have not realized the insight of Kierkegard: "Ten thousand people shouting the same thing, makes it false."

Muggeridge sums up his insight about television as well as our whole godless civilization:

In my first lecture I considered the fantasy world the media project in which they enmesh us, in contradistinction to the reality of Christ's Kingdom proclaimed during his ministry on earth, and open still, as it has been throughout the Christian centuries, to all who truly seek it. As it seems to me, perhaps because I have so often had occasion, professionally, to cross from one to the other, and know from long experience how wide, and widening, is the gap between them, these two worlds are drawing ever more implacably apart. Or is it just that being old and near the end of my days, the contrast between the reality I see ahead and the fantasy I shall soon be leaving behind for ever seems to be the more marked - like looking down on a smog-infested city set in a sunlit plain, (p. 43)

In a profound analysis Muggeridge finds that the media, and particularly television, are ruled by godless consumerism. The merchants in the Jerusalem Temple were part of the governing structure. Now Judaic merchants determine the form and contents of contemporary media. They got their controls established in America, and Europe followed the Judeo-Amencan pattern. The Pharisee and the Talmudist pull the strings in a society they de-Christianized.

The worst aspect of this spiritual debacle is that not even the Christian priests discern the demonic role of the media particularly the television. Satan rules.

In concluding, Muggerdige addresses himself:

In this business of television I am simply tremendously conscious that the medium is doing something to a Christian society which is dangerously destructive. Not deliberately, I don't believe that for a moment! I believe that Mr. Lang and his colleagues are good men. All the same, I consider that with their connivance something terrible is being done, and I express this in terms of fantasy and reality, which is admittedly an over-simplification. Working in television, as I have, over a long period of time, I've seen it grow, I've watched how it's operated, and the effect it has on people; on their values, how they look at life, and I see it as a grave danger. The only answer that I can find is the Christian answer. I don't think there's any humanist or rationalist answer...

But I think you have in your hands something which is, I repeat, in process of destroying the moral and spiritual basis of our way of life. Take just the showing of old films. Try as I will, I cannot understand how anyone could want to put a film like Rosemary's Baby into people's sitting rooms. I don't know how they can manage to bring themselves to do it. And they're doing it, and they're going to do it with still more horrible films now in the pipeline, (p. 96)

In conclusion, with my extensive study of the Judean influence on contemporary humanity, I recognize with sorrow that such a profound Christian student of despiritualization of Western culture as Muggeridge is, did not reveal the source of evil in the persuasive Talmudic and Cabbalistic role in the debauchments he so eloquently describes. It could not have escaped him that the U.S. media are ruled by the Jewish potentates. He conveniently dismissed these matters and could not discern the Jewish anti-Christian role. Human capacity for repression is enormous and Muggeridge is no exception. Yet his book is full of precise and discerning observations and criticism that I do not look at this failure of his with harshness.

Ray M. Jurjevich