Criticism
Theological Diversity
NRB receives occasional criticism for allowing only Evangelical Christian media organizations into its membership. However, the distinctly Evangelical character of NRB flows not from any desire for exclusion, but from its deeply-rooted commitment to a distinctly Evangelical statement of faith. Since an unreserved subscription to the NRB Statement of Faith is a membership requirement, the composition of the NRB necessarily reflects this commitment.
Scandals in Christian Broadcasting
Public moral failures are not unknown in the community of Christian broadcasters, with some occurrences receiving national attention, such as the highly publicized scandals of Jim Bakker and others in the late 1980’s. Recognizing that such moral failures, particularly among ministry leaders, bring dishonor to the name of Christ, NRB maintains a strict code of ethics to which all members must subscribe. The NRB Code of Ethics governs the conduct of its members by promulgating standards of ethical practice and by holding members accountable to those standards. Reported violations of this Code are investigated by the Ethics Committee of the NRB Board of Directors.
Question of Financial Misconduct
While questions of financial misconduct in Christian ministries have occasionally arisen, NRB requires its members to demonstrate adherence to standards of responsible financial stewardship. Larger NRB members are required to join the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), which establishes best practices and measures compliance to standards of financial governance and accountability. In 2007, Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) initiated an investigation into six Christian broadcast ministries, which the news media labeled the “Grassley Six.” While none of these media organizations were NRB members, and while NRB had serious reservations about the scope of Sen. Grassley’s investigation, the NRB did express the commitment of its members to sound financial stewardship and agreed with Sen. Grassley’s recommendation that the “Grassley Six” should join the ECFA.
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Famous quotes containing the word criticism:
“Like speaks to like only; labor to labor, philosophy to philosophy, criticism to criticism, poetry to poetry. Literature speaks how much still to the past, how little to the future, how much to the East, how little to the West.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Parents sometimes feel that if they don’t criticize their child, their child will never learn. Criticism doesn’t make people want to change; it makes them defensive.”
—Laurence Steinberg (20th century)
“A bad short story or novel or poem leaves one comparatively calm because it does not exist, unless it gets a fake prestige through being mistaken for good work. It is essentially negative, it is something that has not come through. But over bad criticism one has a sense of real calamity.”
—Rebecca West (1892–1983)