Announcing the Launch of our Sunday show: "Spiritual Journalism"—Truth, Media, and Becoming True Seekers
Dear Friends,
Your responses to my prior two essays in my Tuesday series have overwhelmed and inspired me. The outpouring of reflection—on the fragmentation of education, the need for a new foundation, and that universal longing for real intellectual coherence and spiritual commitment—confirms something profound: this isn’t just analysis, but a shared call to action.
Today, I’m delighted to invite you into that next step.
A New Format for a New Kind of Dialogue
As promised, Created in the Image of God moves into new territory with our new Sunday morning series.
Why Sunday morning? Because, as so many of you shared, it’s a natural time to seek not just knowledge or news, but renewal and meaning—a time to set aside the noise, seek coherence, and make space for transformative conversation. If our earlier tradition was the sound of church bells, let that bell now call us—collectively—to a deeper consideration of what truths we live by, and how we actually discern them.
You can catch every episode on SOOPMedia’s YouTube channel and elsewhere through Restream.
Journalism as Service: Questions for a New Age
We live in an era of information saturation—algorithms, outrage, and persuasion targeted at our deepest hopes and fears. But Mehrtash, through both his writing and his recent ABS conference presentation, asks a neglected question:
What is journalism for, and whom does it serve?
Can reporting become an act of unity, not just exposure? Could a media channel see itself as a community developer—measured by justice, truthfulness, and public trust, not likes and clicks?
Drawing deeply from the Bahá’í writings, Mehrtash helps us reimagine media’s highest calling: to be a channel not for manipulation, but for moral and factual clarity; not for division, but for reconciliation; not for distraction, but for the informed, independent investigation of reality—the Faith’s First Principle, and perhaps our age’s greatest need.
The Heart of the Matter: Detachment and True Openness
Let’s be honest: without radical detachment—from partisanship, from our own echo chambers, from the comfort of always being “right”—we have little hope of either intellectual coherence or spiritual growth. All of us are vulnerable to confirmation bias: seeking out and absorbing the perspectives that mirror our own, often closing ourselves, sometimes subconsciously, to the unfamiliar or unsettling.
But if our goal is truth, not just comfort, detachment isn’t just noble—it’s essential.
Bahá’u’lláh advises:
“...see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor.”
And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá urges:
“Man is not intended to see through the eyes of another, hear through another’s ears nor comprehend with another’s brain... adhere to the outcome of your own investigation; otherwise you will be utterly submerged in the sea of ignorance.”
(Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 293)
It is independence of thought, guided by humility and a willingness to consider every perspective, that lets us break free from the invisible forces shaping our cognition—digital or otherwise.
An Invitation to the Genuinely Open
That’s why I’m especially excited to welcome Mehrtash Olson as our first guest for "Spiritual Journalism." His careful, critical voice models what our era most needs: a commitment to truth strong enough to question our own assumptions, and a spiritual standard high enough to hold our motives to account.
If we want to build schools, communities, and a civilization truly “created in the image of God,” we must first dare to become seekers—not just defenders of our own mental turf.
This new series is your invitation to become more open—not by checking your viewpoint at the door, but by knowingly, courageously grappling with those that differ.
On July 20th, we’ll ask:
- Can a news article be an act of service?
- What does the Baháʼí principle of independent investigation demand, from every citizen—not just journalists?
- Where does detachment meet responsibility in a media landscape designed to manipulate?
I hope you’ll tune in, join the discussion, and even consider applying to share your own voice—especially if you hold a view you don’t always see represented. Because, as the Baháʼí teachings remind us, “the thoughts of man are the greatest power in the world”—and no power is more precious, or more easily persuaded, than our ability to think anew.
Next Steps
- Mark your calendar: Sunday, July 20th, 7:00 AM Central
- Watch: Subscribe or follow on SOOPMedia’s YouTube channel so you don’t miss the launch
- Apply: If you feel called to be a guest in a future episode—or want to recommend someone—reply below or reach out directly
- Prepare: Bring your questions, your doubts, and your willingness to listen for what you haven’t yet considered
Let’s begin this adventure side by side—committed not to being right, but to becoming more real, more open, more unified.
With anticipation,
—Wade Fransson
