Throughout the centuries there have been heralds of Truth who have cried out for reform and repentance. One of the most powerful of these was John the Baptist. Not only did he prepare mankind for the coming of the Christ by preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sin; he also recognized and proclaimed the presence of the Christ, which Christian Science explains is the ideal, spiritual man manifested by Jesus.
Today as we survey the landscape of modern civilization, we realize that heralds of Truth are neither silent nor spent. The challenge of today is to discern spiritually if these modern heralds are truly furthering God's will. In this century alone, we have witnessed the shocking results of false heralds whose charismatic eloquence has preyed upon the weakness of humanity—Hitler's rise to power and the mass suicide of cult members in Guyana, to name but two examples.
This is a vigilant time not only for seekers of Truth but for its heralds as well. It is essential to be alert to the counterfeit uses of broadcasting that appear in smart wrappers of magnetism. Because of today's technological advancements, it is tempting to believe that a church herald would be most effective in advancing God's cause by relying upon psychological techniques or primarily upon sophisticated methods in the electronic media. But the question is, Have such methods proved themselves to be deep or genuine enough forms of Christian outreach?
