In his sermon 'How to Interpret the News,' Alexander Strauch addresses the pervasive sense of fear and negativity that often accompanies news consumption. He acknowledges the numerous global conflicts and threats, such as the potential for atomic war and the situation in Israel, which contribute to this gloomy outlook. However, Strauch emphasizes that Christians should not succumb to fear because God is in control and actively involved in world events, even when it seems otherwise. He references biblical examples, such as the roles of the Babylonians and Assyrians, to illustrate God's active judgment. Strauch encourages Christians to trust in the Lord, rejoice, and continue to live purposeful lives by building communities and families, rather than being passive or consumed by despair.

If you watch the news, if you read any kind of news magazine or anything, it's not really good news. Even the non-Christians say things are pretty bad out there. Wars in every part. We could even enter atomic war. We've been threatened by Russia with atomic war, we have China on the increase, like little ants flooding the whole earth and the battle right now in Israel.

And just the general malay in our country and fears, many, many fears when you watch the news in this. Well, this verse is very important. We're not to fear. In the midst of all this tragedy and drama, We are not to be a fearful people because the Lord's in control. And He's not passive.

It may look to many people the Lord's passive. Where is He? Of course, Habakkuk and the other minor prophets asked this, where's the Lord? Well, in each case the Lord says, why, I'm the one who sent the Babylonians in there. I'm the ones who send the Assyrians in there.

I've been totally active. So we may think God is not active today. He is totally active in what's happening in the United States and other countries of the world. He is very active. Some of it, what we call bad news, is actually God's judgment on the country.

It's his active judgment. And we should acknowledge that. So the Christian rejoices in the Lord at all times. He trusts in the Lord and notice he does good. And just like when the people were in Babylon, God said, Bill houses, marry, have grandchildren, go forward.

Don't be passive, don't go backwards. Don't sit around whine all the time. We have a small God if we have to wine all the time.