"Media" used to mean "print media" like books and newspapers, but the world has grown. Today media can also mean radio, television and movies delivered to personal computers, tablets and cell phones. As the world's best selling book of all time the Bible continues to make headlines, both good and bad, across all forms of media. This week in the Bible and Media: Chinese Christians strike back against persecution, The Wall Street Journal calls for humanity to move past cruel and oppressive concepts like hell as taught in the Bible, and a teenager survives 7 weeks at sea by reading his Bible and praying.

Like Star Wars Chapter IV, a new hope arises in the most unlikely of places: China. We've been following the oppression of Christian churches in China for the last few months, and this week we're happy to report that the one true faith has strength as 344 Chinese pastors have signed a statement — and more are signing every day — to be delivered to their government. The statement outlines the tenets of the faith and their will to continue in their calling despite government oppression. It calls for change in government policy and treatment.

"We believe and are obligated to teach the world that the one true and living Triune God is the Creator of the universe, of the world, and of all people. All men should worship God and not any man or thing. We believe and are obligated to teach the world that all men, from national leaders to beggars and prisoners, have sinned. They will die once and then be judged in righteousness. Apart from the grace and redemption of God, all men would eternally perish. We believe and are obligated to teach the world that the crucified and risen Jesus is the only Head of the global church, the sole Savior of all mankind, and the everlasting Ruler and Supreme Judge of the universe. To all who repent and believe in Him, God will give eternal life and an eternal Kingdom."

Just as the church in China gains the courage to teach its government the truth about salvation, forgiveness and eternal punishment the Wall Street Journal calls Americans to give up on teaching about hell stating, "In some distant, better future, the foreclosure of Hell will be an important step in the maturation of human communities that can mete out justice on their own, without supernatural aid." In other words, humanity cannot continue its evolution without giving up on "cruel and oppressive concepts" like those taught in the Bible. Franklin Graham has responded, but it's time for all ministers to revisit the truth about both heaven and hell. It's past time to start teaching the whole Bible.

We need to teach Scripture in its entirety because it is the word of life, as one 18-year-old boy from Indonesia found out while stranded at sea for seven weeks. Aldi Novel Adilang worked as a lamp keeper for a fishing company 80 miles off the coast of Indonesia. After working the area for three years his home "platform" came loose and drifted away — thousands of miles away, as it turned out, over those 49 days. How did he survive? He ate fish and purified sea water by using his clothes as a filter, but he credits it was reading his Bible and prayer that was the key to his survival. After ten commercial ships passed him by, never catching site of the small raft, a carrier shipped named the Arpeggio mounted a rescue operation. It took four attempts, but soon Adilang was aboard. For more details of this remarkable true story see the article at Newsweek.