Article January 8, 1996 Issue

Where thought comes from, where it goes

Channing Walker

"What if there were a megaphone, a loudspeaker, and it broadcast all your thoughts?" I cringed at the notion. As my friend continued his scenario, he imagined a church setting. The holy word of God was being read from the Scriptures. It was powerful enough to bring healing to the most desperate of situations. But was it being heard?

What were those megaphones among the congregants broadcasting? "Isn't she ever going to learn how to pronounce Shadrach?" "I can't believe the Lakers blew a five-point lead over the Bulls in the last twenty-two seconds." This could prove more self-revealing than any of us bargained for!

Even if our thoughts aren't broadcast, is it possible that they are always felt—always, for good or ill, having some sort of impact? Maybe that was what St. Paul knew? He appealed to the early Christians to remember the kind of warfare they were engaged in. He told them it involved "bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (II Cor. 10:5). It's a safe hunch he would make the same appeal today. Maybe even louder.

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