- Over the last few years,
00:00:00.86\00:00:02.06
I've noticed this
disturbing new trend
00:00:02.06\00:00:04.00
toward having official bodies
00:00:04.00\00:00:06.27
regulate the ideas that
get posted on the internet,
00:00:06.27\00:00:09.77
to the point of actually
deplatforming and censoring
00:00:09.77\00:00:13.81
people. And today I'm
gonna tell you why I think
00:00:13.81\00:00:16.04
that might be a
really, really bad idea.
00:00:16.04\00:00:21.05
[gentle guitar music]
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Most people know that I'm a
huge fan of the printed word.
00:00:41.67\00:00:45.07
I love my books,
00:00:45.07\00:00:46.94
and I'd rather
spend a day reading
00:00:46.94\00:00:48.61
than doing just
about anything else.
00:00:48.61\00:00:51.75
And even though
it's not really cataloged
00:00:51.75\00:00:54.28
and organized
like a real library,
00:00:54.28\00:00:56.55
my study today probably boasts
a larger collection of books
00:00:56.55\00:01:00.59
than some of the schools
I went to when I was a kid.
00:01:00.59\00:01:02.99
And that's not really
that much of an accomplishment,
00:01:02.99\00:01:05.56
because I went to
some really tiny schools
00:01:05.56\00:01:07.86
with really tiny libraries.
00:01:07.86\00:01:10.50
Today I've got
thousands of books
00:01:10.50\00:01:12.93
sitting in piles
all over the house.
00:01:12.93\00:01:15.37
I actually just got
rid of about 2000 of them.
00:01:15.37\00:01:19.47
And I think one of
the biggest frustrations
00:01:19.47\00:01:21.78
that I'm facing now in
the back half of my life
00:01:21.78\00:01:25.15
is the realization I'm
never ever gonna be able
00:01:25.15\00:01:28.22
to read everything I wanna read.
00:01:28.22\00:01:30.15
I won't even be able to
read what I have at home,
00:01:30.15\00:01:33.32
even after giving
so much of it away.
00:01:33.32\00:01:35.36
And trust me, I
wanna read everything.
00:01:35.36\00:01:37.66
I wanna read
politics, history, religion,
00:01:37.66\00:01:39.59
science, math,
philosophy, foreign languages,
00:01:39.59\00:01:42.33
you name it.
00:01:42.33\00:01:43.43
There's almost no such thing
00:01:43.43\00:01:44.97
as a subject I'm
not interested in.
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The only problem is,
00:01:47.57\00:01:49.14
I'll never have the time.
00:01:49.14\00:01:50.81
I'm gonna die
before I'm finished.
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Access to
information is a privilege
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that you and I
mostly take for granted,
00:01:56.11\00:01:58.71
and we probably shouldn't,
00:01:58.71\00:02:00.25
because in the
not too distant past,
00:02:00.25\00:02:02.05
access to the printed word
was not as easy as it is now.
00:02:02.05\00:02:06.29
Almost any
student of history knows
00:02:06.29\00:02:08.12
that people with a
thirst for knowledge
00:02:08.12\00:02:10.33
have often had to fight against,
00:02:10.33\00:02:12.39
or even hide from,
religious and political powers
00:02:12.39\00:02:15.70
who wanted to control what
people were allowed to read.
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When the British playwright
Edward Lytton coined the phrase,
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"The pen is mightier
than the sword," he was right.
00:02:22.70\00:02:26.51
It isn't really armies
that pull down existing regimes.
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It's ideas that put those armies
00:02:30.51\00:02:32.68
in the field in the first place.
00:02:32.68\00:02:34.78
And so it stands to reason
00:02:34.78\00:02:36.38
that people who
hold a lot of power
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do not want that power to be
challenged by the written word,
00:02:38.89\00:02:42.49
a method of communication
that spreads very quickly
00:02:42.49\00:02:45.73
and has the potential
00:02:45.73\00:02:46.96
to generate an awful
lot of political unrest.
00:02:46.96\00:02:50.90
Historically, the solution
00:02:50.90\00:02:52.57
that many powerful
people came up with
00:02:52.57\00:02:54.30
was the banning of books
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and the silencing
of so-called heretics.
00:02:55.84\00:02:59.34
The freedoms
that you and I enjoy,
00:02:59.34\00:03:00.94
the freedom to access
whatever information we want
00:03:00.94\00:03:03.85
whenever we want,
00:03:03.85\00:03:05.81
that was a very rare thing
in the not too distant past.
00:03:05.81\00:03:09.58
Just wind the
clock back a little bit
00:03:10.75\00:03:12.99
and visit the ancient Greeks,
00:03:12.99\00:03:14.66
and you find stories of people
whose new or dangerous ideas
00:03:14.66\00:03:19.19
were driven
underground by force.
00:03:19.19\00:03:21.83
And even a
respected luminary like Plato
00:03:21.83\00:03:25.17
argued that in
an ideal republic,
00:03:25.17\00:03:28.20
you would have to
practice censorship
00:03:28.20\00:03:30.07
to prevent bad ideas
from corrupting the citizens.
00:03:30.07\00:03:34.48
Just listen to these words
00:03:34.48\00:03:36.01
that Plato puts in
the mouth of Socrates.
00:03:36.01\00:03:39.18
He says, "Such, then, I said,
00:03:39.18\00:03:41.72
"are our principles of theology.
00:03:41.72\00:03:43.85
"Some tales are to be told,
00:03:43.85\00:03:45.65
"and others are not to be told
00:03:45.65\00:03:47.36
"to our disciples
from their youth upward,
00:03:47.36\00:03:49.56
"if we mean them to honor
the gods and their parents,
00:03:49.56\00:03:52.16
"and to value
friendship with one another."
00:03:52.16\00:03:55.40
Now, that's not exactly a call
00:03:55.40\00:03:57.43
for a good
old-fashioned book burning,
00:03:57.43\00:03:59.40
but it does reveal Plato's fear
00:03:59.40\00:04:02.00
that some ideas
are too dangerous
00:04:02.00\00:04:04.61
to allow them to
remain in circulation.
00:04:04.61\00:04:07.31
And he certainly wasn't
the only Greek philosopher
00:04:07.31\00:04:10.08
who believed that.
00:04:10.08\00:04:11.15
Long before Plato,
00:04:11.15\00:04:12.61
Athens produced
another philosopher
00:04:12.61\00:04:14.82
by the name of Protagoras,
00:04:14.82\00:04:16.48
who is probably most
famous for giving us the phrase,
00:04:16.48\00:04:19.79
"Man is the
measure of all things."
00:04:19.79\00:04:23.22
Much to the frustration
of the good people of Athens,
00:04:23.22\00:04:26.13
Protagoras was an agnostic,
00:04:26.13\00:04:27.83
somebody who harbored doubts
00:04:27.83\00:04:29.70
that the pagan gods
of Greece really existed.
00:04:29.70\00:04:33.13
In a book that
we no longer have,
00:04:33.13\00:04:35.24
this is what
Protagoras apparently said,
00:04:35.24\00:04:38.17
at least according
to those who quoted him.
00:04:38.17\00:04:40.84
"Concerning the gods," he said,
00:04:40.84\00:04:42.51
"I have no means of knowing
whether they exist or not
00:04:42.51\00:04:45.98
"or of what sort they may be,
00:04:45.98\00:04:47.98
"because of the
obscurity of the subject,
00:04:47.98\00:04:50.45
"and the brevity of human life."
00:04:50.45\00:04:53.05
Well, that offended everybody.
00:04:53.05\00:04:54.99
And the Athenians
had Protagoras deported,
00:04:54.99\00:04:57.53
and then they
publicly burned his books.
00:04:57.53\00:05:00.70
You'd think, given the
inquisitive nature of the
00:05:00.70\00:05:03.30
Greeks, that book burnings
00:05:03.30\00:05:04.73
would be completely
out of place in Athens.
00:05:04.73\00:05:07.70
But even Plato, for
all his love of new ideas,
00:05:07.70\00:05:11.37
absolutely hated another
philosopher named Democritus.
00:05:11.37\00:05:15.04
And Plato wanted to
burn all of his books.
00:05:15.04\00:05:18.58
Censorship, even
violent censorship,
00:05:19.71\00:05:23.02
is an attitude that
has reared its ugly head
00:05:23.02\00:05:25.32
thousands of
times over the course
00:05:25.32\00:05:26.99
of our rather
colorful human history.
00:05:26.99\00:05:29.69
Move the clock forward now
about 2,500 years after Plato,
00:05:29.69\00:05:34.03
and you'll find me
sitting in a seminary class
00:05:34.03\00:05:36.90
where the discussion suddenly
turns to the media materials
00:05:36.90\00:05:40.27
that were available over
in the Student Union building.
00:05:40.27\00:05:43.74
And there was this guy sitting
in the front row of my class
00:05:43.74\00:05:46.74
who I hope never ever
made it into the ministry,
00:05:46.74\00:05:49.98
because, well, he
became visibly upset
00:05:49.98\00:05:52.71
when he found out that
the Student Union building
00:05:52.71\00:05:54.88
actually harbored some materials
00:05:54.88\00:05:57.32
that did not quite agree
with the theology of the church.
00:05:57.32\00:06:01.09
"What we need," this guy said,
00:06:01.09\00:06:02.79
"is an
old-fashioned book burning."
00:06:02.79\00:06:04.73
And I thought he was
joking, but he wasn't.
00:06:04.73\00:06:07.13
In fact, he organized a petition
00:06:07.13\00:06:09.40
trying to force the university
00:06:09.40\00:06:10.90
to get rid of all of the
books that this guy didn't like.
00:06:10.90\00:06:14.64
Now, the only signature he
ever collected, fortunately,
00:06:14.64\00:06:17.67
was his own.
00:06:17.67\00:06:18.61
Now, I would like to pretend
00:06:19.51\00:06:21.24
that Christianity and censorship
00:06:21.24\00:06:22.78
have nothing to
do with each other,
00:06:22.78\00:06:24.38
but of course, you
know that's not true.
00:06:24.38\00:06:27.48
Tragically, the
world of religion
00:06:27.48\00:06:29.22
is where book
burnings and censorship
00:06:29.22\00:06:31.05
have had their most
problematic manifestations.
00:06:31.05\00:06:34.49
Back in the middle
of the 16th century,
00:06:34.49\00:06:36.69
in the wake of the
Protestant Reformation,
00:06:36.69\00:06:39.43
the Church of Rome published
a list of prohibited books,
00:06:39.43\00:06:43.00
and they actually maintained
it in one form or another
00:06:43.00\00:06:45.83
all the way until 1966,
00:06:45.83\00:06:48.20
just a matter of months
00:06:48.20\00:06:49.80
before I made my
entrance into the world.
00:06:49.80\00:06:52.47
So, yeah,
Christians have done this.
00:06:52.47\00:06:55.38
Open a lot of religious books
00:06:55.38\00:06:57.38
published as
recently as the 20th century,
00:06:57.38\00:07:00.22
and you'll notice
that some of them have one
00:07:00.22\00:07:02.65
or sometimes two
Latin pronouncements
00:07:02.65\00:07:05.22
printed on the title page.
00:07:05.22\00:07:07.06
Either "Nihil Obstat," which
means that a religious censor,
00:07:07.06\00:07:11.03
usually a
bishop or his delegate,
00:07:11.03\00:07:13.43
has declared the book
to be doctrinally sound.
00:07:13.43\00:07:16.23
"Nihil Obstat" literally means
"Nothing stands in the way,"
00:07:16.23\00:07:20.60
so you're allowed to read it.
00:07:20.60\00:07:23.00
The other thing you might find
00:07:23.00\00:07:24.27
is the Latin word "imprimatur,"
00:07:24.27\00:07:26.07
which means "Let it be printed."
00:07:26.07\00:07:28.71
It just means they have
permission to print the book.
00:07:28.71\00:07:32.38
Of course, there's
nothing inherently wrong
00:07:32.38\00:07:35.08
with marking a book like that,
00:07:35.08\00:07:36.58
because, well, some
people might really appreciate
00:07:36.58\00:07:39.52
knowing if a
book they're reading
00:07:39.52\00:07:40.92
contains
problematic ideas or theology.
00:07:40.92\00:07:43.86
At least they can then
be on the lookout for it.
00:07:43.86\00:07:47.03
But back in the
16th and 17th century,
00:07:47.03\00:07:49.46
possessing the wrong books,
00:07:49.46\00:07:51.70
well, that might
just cost you everything.
00:07:51.70\00:07:53.87
And it wasn't just
religious bodies that did this.
00:07:53.87\00:07:57.77
Back in 1643, at the
height of the English Civil War,
00:07:57.77\00:08:02.01
the British
Parliament passed something
00:08:02.01\00:08:03.85
called the Ordinance for
the Regulation of Printing.
00:08:03.85\00:08:07.52
And just a few
years before that,
00:08:07.52\00:08:09.58
they abolished the
notorious Star Chamber,
00:08:09.58\00:08:12.59
a kind of higher court
00:08:12.59\00:08:14.42
that oversaw the
activities of lower courts.
00:08:14.42\00:08:17.29
And it was known for
its, well, severe punishments.
00:08:17.29\00:08:20.96
The Star Chamber was a place
00:08:20.96\00:08:22.46
where powerful
and influential people
00:08:22.46\00:08:24.40
could just
bypass the lower courts
00:08:24.40\00:08:26.40
and have their
cases heard in a place,
00:08:26.40\00:08:29.27
well, more suited to
their station in life.
00:08:29.27\00:08:32.11
But above all that, the
purpose of the Star Chamber
00:08:33.51\00:08:35.98
was really to protect
the interests of the king.
00:08:35.98\00:08:39.31
So it became infamous
for its biased judgements,
00:08:39.31\00:08:43.55
always, always in
favor of the King.
00:08:43.55\00:08:46.55
And it became famous
00:08:46.55\00:08:47.72
for legally
prohibiting written materials
00:08:47.72\00:08:49.92
that criticized
the royal family.
00:08:49.92\00:08:52.26
In 1637, the British Parliament
abolished that Star Chamber,
00:08:53.66\00:08:57.80
but then in 1643,
00:08:57.80\00:08:59.30
they passed the Ordinance
for the Regulation of Printing,
00:08:59.30\00:09:02.50
which gave the
British legislature
00:09:02.50\00:09:04.41
the same powers
as the Star Chamber.
00:09:04.41\00:09:07.78
And it was at that point John
Milton nearly lost his mind,
00:09:07.78\00:09:11.28
the guy who
wrote "Paradise Lost."
00:09:11.28\00:09:13.78
On November 23rd, 1644,
00:09:13.78\00:09:15.98
he published the "Areopagitica,"
00:09:15.98\00:09:18.19
which is probably the
most important defense
00:09:18.19\00:09:21.12
of freedom of speech
that has ever been written.
00:09:21.12\00:09:24.49
You see, for John Milton,
00:09:24.49\00:09:26.70
it was a deeply personal issue,
00:09:26.70\00:09:28.66
because he had been
the victim of censorship.
00:09:28.66\00:09:31.67
His own works were prohibited
00:09:31.67\00:09:33.30
for what was deemed to be
unacceptable religious content.
00:09:33.30\00:09:37.61
In 1643, he wrote an
essay defending the practice of
00:09:37.61\00:09:42.61
divorce only under
certain circumstances,
00:09:43.75\00:09:45.18
which nearly drove the
Puritans out of their minds.
00:09:45.18\00:09:48.28
The Puritans argued.
00:09:48.28\00:09:49.85
They held all the
power in those days.
00:09:49.85\00:09:51.89
They argued that Milton's work
00:09:51.89\00:09:53.52
would lead to a decline in
morality if people read it.
00:09:53.52\00:09:56.99
They wanted it gone.
00:09:56.99\00:09:59.16
So when Parliament
gave itself the power
00:09:59.16\00:10:01.33
to censor printed material,
00:10:01.33\00:10:03.23
insisting that books had to
be licensed by the government,
00:10:03.23\00:10:07.00
Milton was upset.
00:10:07.00\00:10:08.40
And what he said
back in 1644 is a big part
00:10:08.40\00:10:11.97
of why you and I are
free to read whatever we want.
00:10:11.97\00:10:15.38
I'll be right back after this
00:10:15.38\00:10:16.88
to tell you why I think
it's time for Christians,
00:10:16.88\00:10:19.21
or, for that matter,
everybody here in the West
00:10:19.21\00:10:21.68
to have another look
at Milton's arguments
00:10:21.68\00:10:23.82
before we head down a road
00:10:23.82\00:10:26.05
I don't think we want to travel.
00:10:26.05\00:10:27.79
- [Narrator] Life
can throw a lot at us.
00:10:31.59\00:10:34.00
Sometimes we don't
have all the answers.
00:10:34.00\00:10:37.37
But that's where
the Bible comes in.
00:10:37.37\00:10:39.80
It's our guide to a
more fulfilling life.
00:10:39.80\00:10:42.04
Here at The Voice of Prophecy,
00:10:42.94\00:10:44.44
we've created the
Discover Bible Guides
00:10:44.44\00:10:46.61
to be your guide to the Bible.
00:10:46.61\00:10:48.21
They're designed to
be simple, easy to use,
00:10:48.21\00:10:50.71
and provide answers to many
of life's toughest questions.
00:10:50.71\00:10:53.72
And they're absolutely free.
00:10:53.72\00:10:55.75
So jump online
now or give us a call
00:10:55.75\00:10:58.05
and start your
journey of discovery.
00:10:58.05\00:11:00.36
- In the book of Acts 19,
00:11:01.59\00:11:03.46
there's this story about
a book burning in Ephesus.
00:11:03.46\00:11:06.80
After witnessing the actions
of a demon-possessed man,
00:11:06.80\00:11:09.53
a lot of people suddenly decided
00:11:09.53\00:11:10.87
they wanted nothing
to do with the occult.
00:11:10.87\00:11:13.34
Here's how the
Bible tells the story.
00:11:13.34\00:11:15.07
It says,
00:11:15.07\00:11:16.30
"This became
known both to all Jews
00:11:16.30\00:11:18.37
"and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus;
00:11:18.37\00:11:20.01
"and fear fell on them all,
00:11:20.01\00:11:21.78
"and the name of the
Lord Jesus was magnified.
00:11:21.78\00:11:24.45
"And many who had
believed came confessing
00:11:24.45\00:11:26.68
"and telling their deeds.
00:11:26.68\00:11:28.22
"Also, many of those
who had practiced magic
00:11:28.22\00:11:31.02
"brought their books together
00:11:31.02\00:11:32.25
"and burned them
in the sight of all.
00:11:32.25\00:11:34.09
"And they counted
up the value of them,
00:11:34.09\00:11:35.76
"and it was totaled
50,000 pieces of silver."
00:11:35.76\00:11:40.10
Now, a lot of scholars
think these pieces of silver
00:11:40.10\00:11:42.30
were probably Greek drachmas,
00:11:42.30\00:11:43.93
and a drachma was
about a day's wage.
00:11:43.93\00:11:46.43
So take what you earn in a
day, multiply it by 50,000,
00:11:46.43\00:11:49.80
and you get some idea of
the magnitude of this event.
00:11:49.80\00:11:53.68
So, is there a book
burning in the Bible?
00:11:53.68\00:11:55.24
Yeah, there is.
00:11:55.24\00:11:56.91
But what makes it
different from the Star Chamber
00:11:56.91\00:11:59.38
is the fact that it was
a voluntary book burning
00:11:59.38\00:12:02.25
and nobody forced
these people to do it.
00:12:02.25\00:12:05.32
Milton pointed that out because,
apparently back in his day,
00:12:05.32\00:12:08.66
some people were using the story
00:12:08.66\00:12:10.39
to justify state censorship.
00:12:10.39\00:12:12.89
Here's just a little bit
of how Milton debunked it.
00:12:12.89\00:12:16.23
He writes,
00:12:16.23\00:12:17.60
"As for the burning
of those Ephesian books
00:12:17.60\00:12:19.90
"by St. Paul's converts,
00:12:19.90\00:12:21.54
"'tis replied
the books were magic,
00:12:21.54\00:12:23.14
"the Syriac so renders them.
00:12:23.14\00:12:25.44
"It was a private
act, a voluntary act,
00:12:25.44\00:12:27.41
"and leaves us to a
voluntary imitation:
00:12:27.41\00:12:30.28
"the men in remorse burnt those
books which were their own;
00:12:30.28\00:12:33.35
"the Magistrate by this
example is not appointed."
00:12:33.35\00:12:36.92
If this was a two-hour show,
00:12:37.79\00:12:39.25
I'd be tempted to just sit here
and read you the whole book,
00:12:39.25\00:12:41.62
because Milton's
works are that important.
00:12:41.62\00:12:45.16
And it's probably time for
most of us to read them again,
00:12:45.16\00:12:47.86
because it feels
like some of the liberties
00:12:47.86\00:12:50.23
recognized by
the Constitution here
00:12:50.23\00:12:53.20
with regard to free
speech are coming under fire.
00:12:53.20\00:12:56.97
Now, it's true,
00:12:56.97\00:12:58.27
we don't have a lot
of government censorship,
00:12:58.27\00:12:59.74
at least not yet.
00:12:59.74\00:13:01.28
But there does appear
to be a growing sentiment
00:13:01.28\00:13:03.88
that some forms of speech,
00:13:03.88\00:13:05.31
some opinions,
are just too dangerous
00:13:05.31\00:13:07.38
and they should be banned.
00:13:07.38\00:13:10.12
Now, truth be told, as
much as I don't like it,
00:13:10.12\00:13:12.79
I do support the right
of social media companies
00:13:12.79\00:13:15.29
to silence
people they don't like.
00:13:15.29\00:13:16.83
Why?
00:13:16.83\00:13:17.96
Well, they're
privately owned platforms,
00:13:17.96\00:13:20.23
and the owners should be free
00:13:20.23\00:13:22.16
to do with those
platforms whatever they want.
00:13:22.16\00:13:24.73
Just like I shouldn't
be forced to give airtime
00:13:24.73\00:13:26.97
to things I don't
agree with on this show,
00:13:26.97\00:13:29.34
Facebook and Twitter
shouldn't be forced by law
00:13:29.34\00:13:31.51
to give airtime to anybody.
00:13:31.51\00:13:33.54
Now, I do recognize
there's a growing sentiment
00:13:33.54\00:13:35.94
that social
media has gotten so big
00:13:35.94\00:13:37.78
and they have
such a huge monopoly
00:13:37.78\00:13:39.88
that they basically
serve like public utilities.
00:13:39.88\00:13:43.25
That would make 'em a
little like the phone company,
00:13:43.25\00:13:45.42
which doesn't have the right
to censor a private discussion.
00:13:45.42\00:13:48.42
So I'll wait to see
how it plays out in court;.
00:13:48.42\00:13:51.19
And who knows,
00:13:51.19\00:13:52.19
brighter legal minds than mine
00:13:52.19\00:13:54.30
might just prove
that the First Amendment
00:13:54.30\00:13:55.80
really does
have something to say
00:13:55.80\00:13:57.27
about private
companies and censorship.
00:13:57.27\00:14:00.17
But what I'm
really worried about
00:14:00.17\00:14:02.07
is what appears to be
a growing disenchantment
00:14:02.07\00:14:04.54
with the entire
notion of free speech
00:14:04.54\00:14:06.64
and the right of every
individual to believe what they
00:14:06.64\00:14:09.48
want and to say what they want,
00:14:09.48\00:14:11.41
the freedom to live by the
dictates of your own conscience,
00:14:11.41\00:14:14.38
the ability to
preach your conscience.
00:14:14.38\00:14:16.92
Well, as a minister,
I've got to tell you,
00:14:16.92\00:14:18.65
I am not keen to
lose that God-given right.
00:14:18.65\00:14:22.39
Over the century,
00:14:22.39\00:14:23.83
an awful lot of people
have paid a very high price
00:14:23.83\00:14:27.13
to be sure that you
and I have the ability
00:14:27.13\00:14:29.03
to talk openly and
not fear persecution.
00:14:29.03\00:14:32.13
And once that right is gone,
00:14:32.13\00:14:34.47
it's probably gonna be
gone for a really long time.
00:14:34.47\00:14:37.64
So what I want to do with the
time that you and I have today
00:14:39.11\00:14:41.48
is maybe highlight some
of Milton's best arguments,
00:14:41.48\00:14:44.51
and hopefully
it'll whet your appetite
00:14:44.51\00:14:46.85
to go and get
yourself a copy of his work
00:14:46.85\00:14:49.02
or, for that matter, the works
of other English dissenters,
00:14:49.02\00:14:52.19
like John Bunyan or John Locke,
00:14:52.19\00:14:55.49
these great minds
whose ideas about liberty
00:14:55.49\00:14:58.43
helped give birth to
the American Constitution.
00:14:58.43\00:15:01.53
One of the most
important things that Milton did
00:15:02.93\00:15:04.63
while appealing
to the Christians
00:15:04.63\00:15:06.03
who were in control of England
00:15:06.03\00:15:07.77
was to point out that Christians
00:15:07.77\00:15:09.17
have never been
afraid of conflicting ideas.
00:15:09.17\00:15:12.51
The early church
actually flourished
00:15:12.51\00:15:14.31
because they were persecuted
and vigorously opposed,
00:15:14.31\00:15:17.78
and that persecution forced them
00:15:17.78\00:15:19.38
to examine their own
ideas very, very carefully.
00:15:19.38\00:15:22.72
As a result, there is no
record of Christian censorship
00:15:22.72\00:15:26.09
in the earliest
days of the church,
00:15:26.09\00:15:28.39
and Milton argued
that the Inquisition,
00:15:28.39\00:15:30.59
with its list of banned books,
00:15:30.59\00:15:32.66
was running contrary to the
way the church was established.
00:15:32.66\00:15:36.70
It was when the Roman emperors
00:15:36.70\00:15:38.53
started to profess Christianity
00:15:38.53\00:15:40.17
and we blended church and state
00:15:40.17\00:15:42.37
that we started to practice
official church censorship
00:15:42.37\00:15:45.57
backed by the state.
00:15:45.57\00:15:48.11
At a church council in Carthage,
00:15:48.11\00:15:50.01
Milton reminds us,
nearly 400 years after Christ,
00:15:50.01\00:15:53.98
bishops were forbidden to
read the works of Gentiles.
00:15:53.98\00:15:57.39
But they were still
allowed to read the works
00:15:57.39\00:15:59.49
of so-called heretics,
00:15:59.49\00:16:01.06
so they knew how to
deal with these people.
00:16:01.06\00:16:03.59
At that point,
00:16:03.59\00:16:05.03
the bishops started to
recommend books to believers
00:16:05.03\00:16:08.13
and warn them to
stay clear of falsehood.
00:16:08.13\00:16:10.70
But still, there was
no official censorship.
00:16:10.70\00:16:13.60
Then, more than
800 years after Christ,
00:16:13.60\00:16:15.80
the Popes who felt
that their authority
00:16:15.80\00:16:17.61
was being
threatened by upstart authors
00:16:17.61\00:16:20.54
started to
prohibit specific works.
00:16:20.54\00:16:23.21
And then when the
likes of Wycliffe and Hus
00:16:23.21\00:16:25.65
started showing up in
the 13th and 14th century,
00:16:25.65\00:16:29.45
that's when we got
full-fledged book burnings,
00:16:29.45\00:16:32.32
and even the
burning of heretics.
00:16:32.32\00:16:35.09
Milton's argument
kind of went like this.
00:16:36.36\00:16:38.19
He said, "Listen, you don't
wanna be like those people.
00:16:38.19\00:16:41.00
"After everything that we've
gone through to win freedom,
00:16:41.00\00:16:43.67
"You don't want to
be an inquisition."
00:16:43.67\00:16:46.50
Then he goes on to point out
00:16:46.50\00:16:47.74
that Moses went
to school in Egypt,
00:16:47.74\00:16:49.67
Daniel went to
school in Babylon,
00:16:49.67\00:16:51.84
Paul was clearly conversant
00:16:51.84\00:16:53.48
in the teachings
of Greek philosophy.
00:16:53.48\00:16:55.88
In other words,
00:16:55.88\00:16:57.31
great Christians have
never been afraid of ideas,
00:16:57.31\00:16:58.75
because either what we
believe is true or it isn't.
00:16:58.75\00:17:02.02
And if the Bible is
true, it'll survive scrutiny.
00:17:02.02\00:17:06.05
Not long after the
reign of Constantine,
00:17:06.05\00:17:08.56
the Roman emperor who
professed Christianity,
00:17:08.56\00:17:11.69
there was another
emperor by the name of Julian,
00:17:11.69\00:17:14.36
who was horrified
by the way that Romans
00:17:14.36\00:17:16.30
were abandoning
their old Pagan ways.
00:17:16.30\00:17:18.80
Today we call him
Julian the Apostate,
00:17:18.80\00:17:20.97
because he rejected
Constantine's Christianity
00:17:20.97\00:17:23.97
and launched a massive campaign
to restore Roman paganism.
00:17:23.97\00:17:27.88
And at one point, he
actually passed a law
00:17:27.88\00:17:30.28
forbidding
Christians to read pagan books,
00:17:30.28\00:17:32.68
because, as he put it,
00:17:32.68\00:17:34.12
"They wound us
with our own weapons,
00:17:34.12\00:17:36.42
"and with our own arts and
sciences, they overcome us."
00:17:36.42\00:17:39.82
In other words, early Christians
were reading the pagans,
00:17:39.82\00:17:43.19
and they understood them
better than the Pagans did.
00:17:43.19\00:17:46.59
Then, from that point forward,
00:17:46.59\00:17:48.33
Milton goes on to give any
number of really good examples
00:17:48.33\00:17:51.77
of early
Christians who read the lies
00:17:51.77\00:17:54.24
their opponents were publishing,
00:17:54.24\00:17:55.67
and then turned those lies
00:17:55.67\00:17:57.14
into powerful
arguments for the gospel,
00:17:57.14\00:17:59.61
not the least of which
was the great John Chrysostom,
00:17:59.61\00:18:03.01
known to be the
greatest preacher of his day.
00:18:03.01\00:18:06.35
It seems there
were two key arguments
00:18:07.52\00:18:08.98
the British
Parliament made for licensing
00:18:08.98\00:18:11.12
and censoring the
publishing industry,
00:18:11.12\00:18:13.72
at least if I'm
reading this correctly.
00:18:13.72\00:18:16.26
One of their
arguments was the idea
00:18:16.26\00:18:17.86
that by preventing a
book from getting published,
00:18:17.86\00:18:20.23
you could stop the
spread of infection.
00:18:20.23\00:18:22.03
You could stop a bad idea
00:18:22.03\00:18:23.70
from worming its
way into the public.
00:18:23.70\00:18:26.27
The other argument
the parliament made
00:18:26.27\00:18:27.94
was that by disallowing
certain authors to be printed,
00:18:27.94\00:18:30.74
you could reduce the number
00:18:30.74\00:18:32.21
of mental temptations
experienced by Christians.
00:18:32.21\00:18:36.11
And oddly enough, when it comes
to the arguments people give
00:18:36.11\00:18:38.55
for wanting to
censor online discussions,
00:18:38.55\00:18:40.92
I hear the same
kind of reasoning:
00:18:40.92\00:18:42.92
"By silencing
people we disagree with,
00:18:42.92\00:18:45.22
"we can stop bad ideas."
00:18:45.22\00:18:47.46
And I'll be
right back in a moment
00:18:47.46\00:18:49.06
to tell you why that kind
of logic is really misguided.
00:18:49.06\00:18:52.89
[gentle music]
00:18:56.97\00:18:58.47
- [Narrator] Are you
searching for answers
00:18:58.47\00:18:59.67
to life's toughest questions,
00:18:59.67\00:19:01.30
like, "Where is
God when we suffer?
00:19:01.30\00:19:03.47
"Can I find real happiness,"
00:19:03.47\00:19:05.37
or "Is there any hope
for our chaotic world?"
00:19:05.37\00:19:08.54
The Discover Bible Guides
00:19:08.54\00:19:09.98
will help you find the
answers you are looking for.
00:19:09.98\00:19:12.35
Visit us at BibleStudies.com,
00:19:12.35\00:19:14.88
or give us a
call at 888-456-7933
00:19:14.88\00:19:19.15
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00:19:22.76\00:19:25.83
or have the free guides
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00:19:25.83\00:19:28.36
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00:19:28.36\00:19:31.00
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00:19:31.00\00:19:34.17
Find answers in guides like
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"Does My Life
Really Matter to God?"
00:19:35.54\00:19:37.84
and "A Second Chance at Life."
00:19:37.84\00:19:39.94
You'll find answers to the
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00:19:39.94\00:19:42.34
in each of the 26
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00:19:42.34\00:19:44.98
Visit BibleStudies.com
00:19:44.98\00:19:47.18
and begin your journey today
00:19:47.18\00:19:49.12
to discover answers to
life's deepest questions.
00:19:49.12\00:19:53.32
[gentle music]
00:19:53.32\00:19:55.99
- I'm looking at
the clock on the wall,
00:19:57.16\00:19:58.66
and yet again, I'm
gonna run out of time.
00:19:58.66\00:20:01.16
So let's see if I
can just boil this down
00:20:01.16\00:20:03.00
to its most essential.
00:20:03.00\00:20:05.07
The idea that silencing people
00:20:05.93\00:20:08.00
is gonna keep bad
ideas from spreading,
00:20:08.00\00:20:10.94
that's never been true.
00:20:10.94\00:20:12.87
In fact, what it accomplishes
is precisely the opposite.
00:20:12.87\00:20:17.08
When you ban certain ideas,
00:20:17.08\00:20:18.88
all you really do
is take a highlighter
00:20:18.88\00:20:20.58
and make them more prominent.
00:20:20.58\00:20:22.72
When I was a little kid,
00:20:22.72\00:20:24.22
we had this itty-bitty
library in my elementary school.
00:20:24.22\00:20:27.22
And the librarian,
she took it upon herself
00:20:28.39\00:20:30.46
to go through every single book,
00:20:30.46\00:20:32.93
and she redacted all of
the objectionable passages.
00:20:32.93\00:20:36.33
She crossed out
every four-letter word.
00:20:36.33\00:20:39.80
And honestly, I understand
what she was trying to do.
00:20:39.80\00:20:42.70
She was trying to prevent us
00:20:42.70\00:20:44.24
from losing our
childlike innocence.
00:20:44.24\00:20:46.98
But what she really accomplished
00:20:46.98\00:20:48.64
was to make us more curious,
00:20:48.64\00:20:50.11
because now all we
did was hold the books
00:20:50.11\00:20:52.35
up to a bright light
00:20:52.35\00:20:53.38
to see if we could figure out
00:20:53.38\00:20:54.62
what it was that we
weren't allowed to see.
00:20:54.62\00:20:57.32
And that's
pretty much what happens
00:20:58.55\00:21:00.29
when you attempt to
censor your neighbor.
00:21:00.29\00:21:03.29
You might be afraid
that their bad ideas
00:21:03.29\00:21:05.29
are gonna circulate.
00:21:05.29\00:21:06.80
But by banning them,
you're just guaranteeing
00:21:06.80\00:21:09.66
that more people are
going to pay attention.
00:21:09.66\00:21:12.40
I like the way that the
great teacher Gamaliel puts it
00:21:12.40\00:21:15.30
in the book of Acts 5.
00:21:15.30\00:21:17.54
When the leaders of Jerusalem
wanted to kill the Christians
00:21:17.54\00:21:20.68
for what they were teaching,
00:21:20.68\00:21:22.21
Gamaliel put the brakes
on their plan by saying this.
00:21:22.21\00:21:25.91
It says, "And he said to them:
00:21:25.91\00:21:28.32
"Men of Israel,
take heed to yourselves
00:21:28.32\00:21:30.75
"what you intend to
do regarding these men.
00:21:30.75\00:21:33.32
"For some time ago Theudas rose
up, claiming to be somebody.
00:21:33.32\00:21:37.46
"A number of men,
about 400, joined him.
00:21:37.46\00:21:39.89
"He was slain, and all
who obeyed him were scattered
00:21:39.89\00:21:43.03
"and came to nothing.
00:21:43.03\00:21:44.87
"After this man,
00:21:44.87\00:21:46.43
"Judas of Galilee rose up
in the days of the census,
00:21:46.43\00:21:48.34
"and drew away
many people after him.
00:21:48.34\00:21:50.47
"He also perished, and all
who obeyed him were dispersed.
00:21:50.47\00:21:54.38
"And now I say to you,
00:21:54.38\00:21:55.84
"keep away from these
men and let them alone;
00:21:55.84\00:21:58.28
"for if this plan
or this work is of men,
00:21:58.28\00:22:00.62
"it will come to nothing;
00:22:00.62\00:22:02.58
"but if it is of God,
you cannot overthrow it,
00:22:02.58\00:22:06.05
"lest you even be
found to fight against God."
00:22:06.05\00:22:10.13
So, what exactly is he saying?
00:22:10.13\00:22:12.16
He's telling us that
if something is heresy
00:22:12.16\00:22:14.36
and it doesn't come from God,
00:22:14.36\00:22:16.16
then it's not gonna prosper,
00:22:16.16\00:22:17.63
not in the long run.
00:22:17.63\00:22:19.60
And the same thing is true
in the broader world of ideas.
00:22:19.60\00:22:23.10
If something is a lie,
00:22:23.10\00:22:24.57
it might get a little
traction for a little while,
00:22:24.57\00:22:27.54
say like a nutty
conspiracy theory.
00:22:27.54\00:22:30.31
But in the end, the
truth has a way of coming out.
00:22:30.31\00:22:34.35
Now, this is where John
Milton suddenly ventures
00:22:34.35\00:22:36.52
into very interesting territory.
00:22:36.52\00:22:39.02
What he
basically argues is that,
00:22:39.02\00:22:41.32
yes, Christianity is fragmented
00:22:41.32\00:22:43.59
and we have a way of
disagreeing with each other.
00:22:43.59\00:22:46.83
But what he believed would
happen is that, in the long run,
00:22:46.83\00:22:49.33
if people had real freedom,
00:22:49.33\00:22:51.47
the various fragments
of the Christian Church
00:22:51.47\00:22:53.64
would openly debate their ideas
00:22:53.64\00:22:56.77
and start getting
closer to the truth.
00:22:56.77\00:22:59.31
The Protestant Reformation,
he said, was just the beginning.
00:22:59.31\00:23:02.98
And it was God's intention
00:23:02.98\00:23:04.41
that His people would move
closer and closer to the truth,
00:23:04.41\00:23:08.42
restoring the things
that had been tragically lost
00:23:08.42\00:23:11.15
when the church was
plunged into the Dark Ages.
00:23:11.15\00:23:14.69
In other words, if all
the opinions of Christianity
00:23:14.69\00:23:18.06
were allowed to
interact with each other,
00:23:18.06\00:23:19.86
the truth would
eventually rise to the surface,
00:23:19.86\00:23:22.93
a truth that
Milton called "new light."
00:23:22.93\00:23:26.40
"If we forbid the publication
00:23:26.40\00:23:28.17
"of certain
opinions," he argued,
00:23:28.17\00:23:30.24
"then we're actually gonna stop
00:23:30.24\00:23:32.57
the work of the Reformation."
00:23:32.57\00:23:34.81
He writes this,
00:23:34.81\00:23:36.88
"And though the
winds of doctrine
00:23:36.88\00:23:38.38
"were let loose to
play upon the earth,
00:23:38.38\00:23:40.82
"so truth be in the field,
00:23:40.82\00:23:42.92
"we do injuriously by
licensing and prohibiting
00:23:42.92\00:23:46.09
"to misdoubt her strength.
00:23:46.09\00:23:48.12
"Let her and falsehood grapple;
00:23:48.12\00:23:50.63
"who ever knew
truth put to the worst
00:23:50.63\00:23:52.79
"in a free and open encounter?"
00:23:52.79\00:23:55.73
Now, what I
personally find interesting
00:23:55.73\00:23:57.73
is the way that important
preachers in the new world,
00:23:57.73\00:24:00.27
people like Jonathan
Edwards, strongly suspected
00:24:00.27\00:24:04.81
that Milton was right.
00:24:04.81\00:24:06.57
Before Christ returns,
00:24:06.57\00:24:08.08
they said God is going to
restore His church completely
00:24:08.08\00:24:11.08
and undo all the damage
we did when we compromised.
00:24:11.08\00:24:15.88
Just like the old world
had given birth to Jesus,
00:24:15.88\00:24:18.89
Jonathan Edwards said,
00:24:18.89\00:24:20.12
the new world would
give birth to a final,
00:24:20.12\00:24:22.76
glorious manifestation
of God's church on earth.
00:24:22.76\00:24:26.70
Here's what he actually wrote.
00:24:26.70\00:24:28.20
He said "America was discovered
00:24:28.20\00:24:30.40
"about the time of the
reformation, or but little
00:24:30.40\00:24:34.14
before: "which reformation
was the first thing that God did
00:24:34.14\00:24:36.84
"towards the glorious
renovation of the world.
00:24:36.84\00:24:39.91
"So that, as soon as this
new world stands forth in view,
00:24:39.91\00:24:43.35
"God presently goes
about doing some great thing
00:24:43.35\00:24:46.25
"in order to make way
00:24:46.25\00:24:47.75
"for the introduction of
the church's latter-day glory,
00:24:47.75\00:24:51.32
"which is to have
its first seat in,
00:24:51.32\00:24:53.76
"and is to take its
rise from, that new world."
00:24:53.76\00:24:57.79
Now, where would 17th
and 18th century Christians
00:24:57.79\00:25:00.93
get ideas like that?
00:25:00.93\00:25:02.50
Well, they got them
00:25:02.50\00:25:03.67
straight from the
pages of Bible prophecy,
00:25:03.67\00:25:05.87
which paints a
picture of complete unity
00:25:05.87\00:25:08.27
over in Revelation 14.
00:25:08.27\00:25:10.61
And I'll be right
back after this break
00:25:10.61\00:25:12.91
to show you exactly
what I'm talking about.
00:25:12.91\00:25:15.08
- [Narrator] Here at
The Voice of Prophecy,
00:25:18.78\00:25:20.25
we're committed to
creating top-quality programming
00:25:20.25\00:25:22.75
for the whole family.
00:25:22.75\00:25:24.19
Like our audio adventure
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00:25:24.19\00:25:27.29
"Discovery Mountain"
is a Bible-based program
00:25:27.29\00:25:29.86
for kids of all
ages and backgrounds.
00:25:29.86\00:25:32.19
Your family will enjoy
the faith-building stories
00:25:32.19\00:25:34.93
from this small
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00:25:34.93\00:25:37.77
With 24 seasonal
episodes every year
00:25:37.77\00:25:40.27
and fresh content every week,
00:25:40.27\00:25:42.40
there's always a new
adventure just on the horizon.
00:25:42.40\00:25:45.61
- Here's the Bible's view
00:25:49.08\00:25:50.28
of what God
intends for the church.
00:25:50.28\00:25:52.48
The final book of the Bible
00:25:52.48\00:25:53.68
shows God's people
standing on Mount Zion,
00:25:53.68\00:25:56.85
delivering a final
message to the planet.
00:25:56.85\00:25:59.49
It says, "Then I
saw another angel
00:25:59.49\00:26:01.06
"flying in the midst of heaven,
00:26:01.06\00:26:02.69
"having the everlasting gospel
00:26:02.69\00:26:04.56
"to preach to those
who dwell on the earth,
00:26:04.56\00:26:06.36
"to every nation,
tribe, tongue, and people."
00:26:06.36\00:26:10.23
And then it goes on to say
some really striking things,
00:26:10.23\00:26:13.00
and you should
probably sit down and read it.
00:26:13.00\00:26:15.47
But what I want you to notice
00:26:15.47\00:26:16.77
is that before
the story is finished,
00:26:16.77\00:26:18.87
there is only one church.
00:26:18.87\00:26:21.24
And if that's gonna happen,
00:26:21.24\00:26:22.84
we have to preserve
the freedom to think,
00:26:22.84\00:26:25.15
the freedom to speak,
00:26:25.15\00:26:26.58
and the freedom to
discuss what the Bible says.
00:26:26.58\00:26:29.68
That was the burden
that John Milton had
00:26:29.68\00:26:31.92
when he took on
the British Parliament,
00:26:31.92\00:26:33.82
and it needs to be
our burden to this day.
00:26:33.82\00:26:36.89
Look, I know for the time being,
00:26:36.89\00:26:38.53
we're still relatively free,
00:26:38.53\00:26:40.10
so a lot of people
don't worry about this.
00:26:40.10\00:26:42.50
But as I'm watching the horizon,
00:26:42.50\00:26:43.93
I see this disturbing trend
00:26:43.93\00:26:45.30
towards coercing
uniformity of thought.
00:26:45.30\00:26:48.74
In my former home of Canada,
00:26:48.74\00:26:50.37
the government is
already positioning itself
00:26:50.37\00:26:52.47
to censor websites
like Facebook and YouTube.
00:26:52.47\00:26:55.44
And the way things are going,
00:26:55.44\00:26:56.64
I don't think
we're too far behind.
00:26:56.64\00:26:59.28
I know that preserving freedom
00:26:59.28\00:27:00.82
means that we all have to
live with other people's right
00:27:00.82\00:27:03.18
to say stupid or
even hurtful things.
00:27:03.18\00:27:05.25
But that's just
part of the package.
00:27:05.25\00:27:07.96
And I know it means
that people with bad ideas
00:27:07.96\00:27:10.19
get to release those
ideas out into the wild.
00:27:10.19\00:27:13.46
But not once in human history
00:27:13.46\00:27:14.96
has state censorship
ever produced a good result,
00:27:14.96\00:27:17.40
not even once.
00:27:17.40\00:27:19.07
And I guess I want to urge you,
00:27:19.07\00:27:20.57
whatever your religious
or ideological background,
00:27:20.57\00:27:22.87
please fight to
keep liberty intact.
00:27:22.87\00:27:26.81
Because if you get in
the business of banning other
00:27:26.81\00:27:30.61
people, it's only a matter
of time until somebody bans you.
00:27:30.61\00:27:34.35
It's a dangerous game,
00:27:34.35\00:27:36.08
and it's a game I don't
think you really want to play.
00:27:36.08\00:27:39.49
And for Christians who want
to regulate their own minds,
00:27:39.49\00:27:43.02
which is something I
can get on board with,
00:27:43.02\00:27:45.43
it has to be voluntary.
00:27:45.43\00:27:47.66
And I'm with Paul who says,
00:27:47.66\00:27:48.90
"Test all things;
hold fast to what is good."
00:27:48.90\00:27:53.37
Thanks for joining me.
00:27:53.37\00:27:54.34
I'm Shawn Boonstra,
00:27:54.34\00:27:55.70
and you have been
freely watching "Authentic."
00:27:55.70\00:27:59.21
[upbeat guitar music]
00:27:59.21\00:28:02.38