I recently read Stephen Nichols’s biography of R.C. Sproul. While I have been exposed to Sproul’s teaching for most of my life–and even heard him speak in 2008–I was struck in reading the biography at just how significant Sproul’s teaching has been due to his adoption of modern distribution methods, including radio, books, tape and CD distribution, and ultimately the web. Sproul brought countless people to faith and into a reformed understanding of the bible not simply through his in-person seminars and sermons but also through their worldwide and multi-lingual distribution.

When I read this, I was reminded of several episodes of the Reformed Forum/Christ the Center podcast about other church leaders who used the media of their day to distribute their message. Martin Luther, Abraham Kuyper, and J. Gresham Machen each used emerging technologies to disseminate their ideas and the good news of Jesus Christ.

Martin Luther: Mastering the Printing Press

Speaking on Christ the Center episode 94, Carl Trueman demonstrates that Martin Luther’s savvy use of the printing press and other media forms was crucial to spreading reformation ideas.

Dr. Trueman notes that the printing press, invented in 1440, was “a necessary precondition for the reformation” starting in 1517. It allowed for the mass production and dissemination of information across large territories in a relatively stable form. Luther seized upon this technology to spread his ideas widely.

But Luther’s media strategy went beyond using the printing press. He wrote in vernacular German, making his ideas accessible to the ordinary people. He used pamphlets and visual media like woodcuts to reach a largely illiterate population. Perhaps most ingeniously, Luther subverted his opponents’ media. When a Catholic cardinal wrote a book against him, Luther republished it with his own reply, effectively using his opponent’s medium to spread his message.

Abraham Kuyper: Harnessing Newspapers

Abraham Kuyper, the Dutch theologian and statesman, recognized the potential of mass circulation newspapers in the late 19th century. In a discussion on the Christ the Center episode 305, Dr. James Bratt, author of “Abraham Kuyper: Modern Calvinist, Christian Democrat,” highlights Kuyper’s foresight: “Kuyper saw that a mass-circulation newspaper, something that could go to the popular level was possible for the first time. So he saw the emerging technology of his day, and he was right on it.”

Kuyper’s newspaper became a cornerstone of his strategy to educate and mobilize the Dutch public. The podcast notes that Kuyper’s publication was “the first mass circulation newspaper in the Netherlands.” This platform allowed him to prepare his readership for political engagement and disseminate his views on church, state, and society.

What’s particularly striking about Kuyper’s media savvy is how he integrated it into his broader vision of cultural engagement. Dr. Bratt emphasizes that Kuyper was “ahead of the curve all the time on seeing the changes in society and what a faithful Christian witness would involve in those changes.” For Kuyper, the newspaper was not just a means of communication but a vital instrument in his project of cultural formation.

J. Gresham Machen: Embracing Radio

J. Gresham Machen continued this tradition of leveraging modern media in the early 20th century. According to Dr. Darryl Hart, speaking on the Christ the Center episode 493, Machen embraced radio as a new medium to spread his message despite his natural inclination towards print culture.

Hart notes that Machen gave as many as 60 radio addresses, which were later compiled into books such as “The Person of Jesus,” “The Christian View of Man,” and “The Christian Faith in the Modern World.” The broadcasts served not only to disseminate Machen’s theological teachings but also to promote the seminary.

Interestingly, Hart points out that Machen’s adoption of radio technology wasn’t without internal conflict. Machen had previously written negatively about the “racket of radios” in hotels when trying to write. Yet, he was willing to adapt to this new medium to reach a broader audience.

Machen also remained heavily involved with print media, helping to start and contribute to various magazines for conservative Presbyterians. This multi-faceted approach to media engagement demonstrates Machen’s understanding of the changing communication landscape of his time and how the adoption of technology could serve the spread of the gospel and the good of the church.

Conclusion

I am thankful to see R.C. Sproul’s Ligionier Ministries continue their effortless dissemination of faithful Christian theology and the gospel message even after Sproul’s death. Sproul (not to mention the Reformed Forum organization) continues in the footsteps of great men who recognized that the media technologies of their day could meet the people where they are, much like Paul in the Areopagus.

I am reminded of John Piper’s 2009 essay Why and How I am Tweeting, written in a time when Twitter was limited to 140 characters and considered a trivial medium. He concludes that despite the dangers of technological mediums, “…it seems to us that aggressive efforts to saturate a media with the supremacy of God, the truth of Scripture, the glory of Christ, the joy of the gospel, the insanity of sin, and the radical nature of Christian living is a good choice for some Christians.” I’m thankful for those who have done this.