Gospel in Old Time Radio

The first four books of the New Testament are referred to as the Gospel. The Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John describe the Nativity, the Life, the Teachings, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Those of the Christian faith naturally consider this to be the most important, indeed, the most Holy of the Holy Scriptures. There are important lessons and teachings through the rest of the New Testament, and the Old Testament, based as it is on the Hebrew Bible, is filled with wisdom and important history. However, to call oneself a Christian implies a veneration and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Because of the Gospel's central importance to Christianity, the truth of the Gospel is, at least for Christians, beyond question. In fact, if something is proven and well known to be the truth, it is referred to as "gospel". However, the word comes to us from the Greek term euangelion, which is better interpreted as "glad tidings" or "good news". Euangelion is also the source for the word evangelism, and an Evangelist, or someone who preaches the Gospel, is literally someone who shares good news.

Commercial radio is primarily a profit-making enterprise, but since broadcast licenses are given by the state, varying degrees of public service is part of a broadcaster's mandate. Sometimes this is expressed by stations allowing evangelists topreach the Gospel on the air, but most often, Gospel radio is sponsored by the congregation responsible for the evangelical message.

Charles E. Fuller, b. 1887, was the youngest son of Los Angeles furniture salesman Henry Fuller. The senior Fuller's business was very successful, and in addition to providing worldly comforts to his family, Henry Fuller set up a fund to support various overseas missionary efforts. Charles graduated from Pomona College in 1910 and married Grace Leon Payton, the daughter of a local doctor. As a newlywed, Fuller raised oranges and became a manager for the Southern California Citrus Packing Association. Around 1918, Fuller moved his family to Placentia and joined the local Presbyterian Church. An eager volunteer with a flair for leadership, he was given a series of responsibilities at the church, including elder, Sunday school superintendent, and clerk of the Session. To increase his service to the church, he began attending the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (now Biola University) but left the school to teach a Bible class in Placentia. The class grew so popular that meetings had to be held in the town hall.

Fuller broke with the Presbyterian church in 1925 and was ordained a Baptist Minister. Some members of his Bible class helped to organize a new church for him, Cavalry, but around this time, Fuller began taking an interest in a new technology to help expand his ministry; radio. In January 1930, regular broadcasts of Fuller's Sunday evening services were broadcast, and he helped to found The Gospel Broadcasting Association in 1933. The first broadcast of The Old Fashioned Revival Hour was in October 1934, and the program was picked up for nationwide broadcast by Mutual in 1937. The program moved to ABC in 1951 and continued until just before Fuller's death in 1968.

As important as radio evangelists are for bringing forth the Good News, the message can be even more meaningful when it is carried by a more mainstream broadcast. This is a fairly common practice around the Christmas holidays (and to a lesser extent Easter). Goodman Ace's easygoing yet insightful style along with his reputation as a "thinking man's humorist" helped Easy Aces to be particularly effective with Gospel messages.

See also: The Living God.