No, Mike Leake is not publishing today and this is not a spoof. Joel Rainey, whose posts appear on SBC Voices regularly, is appearing in primetime tomorrow night on Al Jazeera America’s television network. Here is the press release information I received.
Dr. Joel Rainey, Director of Missions for Mid-Maryland Baptist Association, will be appearing on “The Stream,” a national news program on the Al Jazeera America Network, at 7:30 PM (Eastern) this Wednesday.
This edition of the show will occur on the 12th anniversary of September 11, 2001, and will feature Dr. Rainey alongside religious leaders of other faiths, exploring the role of faith leaders in fostering peace and reconciliation in a post-9/11 age.
Please pray for Dr. Rainey, and all other participants on the show. Pray specifically that the Gospel of Jesus Christ would be clear as he is given opportunity to speak, and that opportunities will present themselves to forge deeper relationships with both Christians and non-Christians.
If you would like to watch the program, you can find it on the following channels:
- Comcast: Channel 107
- DirecTV: Channel 358
- DISH Network: Channel 215
- RCN Cable: Channel 326
- Verizon FiOS: Channel 114
- It also appears that the website has a streaming function, so you can listen even if you are not able to watch.
Of course, many will recoil at the words “Al Jazeera” and wonder why a good Baptist boy like Joel Rainey would go on that network. I’d be disappointed in him if he did NOT go. If you have a chance to discuss current topics of interest on a national program and bring a Christian perspective to them, you should go. Here is some information about Al Jazeera America.
The Stream is a daily show on the new channel Al Jazeera America, focusing on stories that are current, ongoing and sourced from social media. The Stream is an aggregator of online sources and discussion, seeking out unheard voices, new perspectives from people on the ground and untold angles related to the most compelling stories of the day. We also share the platform with artists, celebrities and intellectuals who are an integral part of the social media community. It is broadcast from Washington, D.C. Monday-Friday at 7:30pm EST and hosted by veteran journalist Lisa Fletcher.
The Stream is uniquely formatted to allow viewers to interact with Fletcher and her guests during the program via Twitter, Facebook, Google+ Hangouts and Skype. The show’s social media team and second screen technology enables viewers to engage 24-hours-a-day with new content, comments, user-generated videos and a variety of posts. Fletcher, a former ABC News correspondent and investigative reporter, has won the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award, multiple Edward R. Murrow Awards and numerous Emmy Awards.
Joel has an amazing opportunity to exalt Jesus in a context many Christians would not go. Pray that he will have grace and power and will clearly proclaim Christ. What an opportunity this is to go into the world of darkness and shine the light of Christ to people who may never attend one of our churches!
