by Tom Wacaster
The title of
this week’s “pen” might conjure up a variety of thoughts, depending upon the
individual. Most of us would think of the popular quiz show that aired
from the early 50’s until the early 80’s. Guests on the show had to
answer some crazy question (give the “truth” of the matter) and if answered
wrong or not in time, the contestant would have to suffer the “consequences” of
their mistake; hence the title of the program. One popular feature
of the program was the emotional reunion of the contestant with some long-lost
relative, or a son or daughter who was returning from military duty overseas,
at that time Viet Nam. Perhaps that one item endeared the program to the
millions of Americans who tuned in each week to enjoy the program.
On the other
hand, a person living in New Mexico might immediately think of the city, “Truth
or Consequences.” Originally named “Hot Springs,” the city changed its
name in 1950 as the result of a challenge from Ralph Edwards who hosted the
popular show by the same title. Edwards had promised to air the popular
radio program from the first town that renamed itself after the show; Hot
Springs, NM won the honor.
Occasionally
I remember that old TV program and the enjoyment derived from watching the zany
antics of host and contestant like. Like other programs on television,
“Truth or Consequences” was designed to entertain, not mold the thinking of its
audience. All such programs are now but a fading memory of an era in our
nation when the “baby boomers” were growing up, and when life itself was simple
and religion was a basic part of our nation’s fabric. Today, much of the
programming on television is designed to change the thinking and behavior of
its audience, and most of it not for the better. Since the “sexual
revolution” of the 1960’s the subject matter of television (and movies) has
gradually denigrated to the point where little is fit to watch, and most
programs should be stringently avoided by the child of God. Were it
not for syndication, few would have any idea of what television was like in the
1950’s and early 60’s. Programs such as “The Dick Van Dyke Show,”
“Gunsmoke,” “Bonanza,” “The Lone Ranger,” to name but a few, have, like
Randolph Scott and Gene Autry, ridden off into the sunset of a bygone
era. This brings me to my last observation.
“Truth or
Consequences” would make a great sermon title for a lesson (or a series of
lessons) on responsibility. Unfortunately, “Truth” is viewed by this
generation as an elusive dream, non-existent, and incapable of being truly
known. Politicians seem incapable of distinguishing between truth
and error. But the child of God knows that it is truth that sets us free,
and that such truth is both absolute and attainable (John 8:32). At
the same time, the “consequences” associated with that truth are eternal, and
will affect each and every man, woman and child, regardless of whether or not
they lived in, or even knew about that small city in New Mexico.
When time
gives way to eternity, and this world is burned to a cinder, it will be of no
consequence whether or not you lived in the city of Truth Or
Consequence, or whether or not you ever had the opportunity to enjoy the
antics of the television program. The only thing that will matter then is
whether or not you loved and obeyed the truth. If that truth be
ignored, neglected, or rejected, all that will remain to haunt the lost soul
throughout eternity will be the consequences of that neglect and
indifference - and that, my friend, is a sobering thought indeed!