Looking for Mr. Arterburn's own blog yesterday, I found a lot about a remark that had been made about him by Al Mohler, Dean of one of the Baptist seminaries, and a very outspoken conservative commentator. He's worth a listen, though I only agree with him most/some of the time.
I'd like to say just a couple of words (if you know me, you know that'll be unlikely) in Mr. Arterburn's defense. When I first heard that Mr. Arterburn had been married twice, I was appalled that he would be on a show that gives out advice to people about their marriages.
Over time, though, . . . I think of Steve like I think of Bonnie Raitt (my favorite singer). They surround themselves with the very best, and then they know when to speak and when to be quiet, when to play and when to play it straight. The difference, of course, is that what we hear of Bonnie is only the selected bits that she chooses to put on albums. Steve has the courage to come out on the air, unedited, every day, for the sake of giving hope and help to many people. I'll give ya that Steve has some weaknesses, but he's not just putting a load on my back. He's bringin' some people into his studio to help him tell me how to carry the load that I already have. And, those of us who know Steve kind of take his advice on marriages with a grain of salt. Steve just has to talk for a few minutes because it takes Henry 5 minutes to figure out what he thinks. Of course, when he does, it is SO WORTH LISTENIN' TO. But, you can't just have dead air for that 5 minutes. And, they do generally try to point people back to the Scriptures and scriptural principles.
As Paul forgave Mark, maybe you could forgive Steve. He's an encourager to us. He's not always entirely wise (who is), but his kindness and generosity make up for it.
On our radio station, New Life Live follows right after Tony Evans. So, right after Tony hits me up side the head (Like, would you wake up already!), I need New Life to come put ointment and a bandage on the wound and point and encourage me that I am able to do what Tony told me to do.
