America's Anchorman?

Think About It America's Anchorman?
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Carl Chinn

Carl Chinn

Dec 16, 2023

As I was eating breakfast last week at a Hotel in Detroit, I heard a NEWS program going on in the background that caused me to ponder a familiar title. The NEWS segment was exploring “who will be America’s next Anchorman?”

Anchorman. What exactly does that indicate?

The first thing I thought was, what is an anchor used for? Dropped to the earthen bottom of a sea, lake or river, its purpose is to hold the boat or ship from drifting with the wind, current or waves. The term, “America’s Anchorman” would indicate one charged with the responsibility of keeping America from drifting.

The media latched onto the term, assigning it to their industry early in the 20^th century. As far as I can find, the term was first assigned to a newsman / game show host by the name of John Cameron Swayze. Swayze was an early radio & TV voice, prominent from the early 20th century until about 1956. In 1940, while being a NEWS anchor for KMBZ in Kansas City, he broadcast NEWS pieces developed by a young writer by the name of Walter Cronkite.

Cronkite of course, went on to acquire the recognition as “America’s Anchorman.” I grew up under Cronkite’s voice. A recent one to earn that title was Rush Limbaugh. Dan Rather, Barbara Walters, Tom Brokaw, John Chancellor, Brian Williams and others enjoyed anchor associated with their titles.

Now that history gives us the advantage of hindsight, we see many of them had no moral compass for a neighborhood, let alone the nation. While I liked Rush Limbaugh, he wouldn’t be my choice for America’s anchor either (closer than most, but the anchor of a nation is a far more important matter).

Had the term come around in generations before, the title may have been more appropriately given to a strong moral leader. No mortal man or woman however, holds the title as my anchor.

Think About it

2 Colossians 8 (NIV) says, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”

Who do you follow? I believe we should all be mentored and influenced by Godly and devoted teachers, but only One can be our Anchor.

As responsible defenders we should be absorbing His words every day.

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