CHICAGO – Black versus white. Republican versus Democrat. Vaccinated versus unvaccinated.
With the current war in the Middle East, it’s now pro-Israel vs pro-Palestinian.
America is dealing with a new civil war. At every turn, differences divide, and rancor prevails. No longer bound by common purpose and values but polarized, splintered, and exhausted.
Jerry Rose, past President/CEO of Chicago’s Channel 38, now Total Living Network (TLN), recognized this state of the nation. As he prepared to retire as TLN’s Chairman of the Board, he knew he had to pass the torch of leadership to someone willing to take these challenges head on.
Jerry Rose saw that leadership in Pastors James and Sharon Ward. James burst onto the scene in 2020 challenging America and the church to look beyond race, politics, ethnicity, and gender to an identity as people created in the image of God. People all deserving to be judged by the content of their character as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated.
“Dr. King had a dream, but we must have a vision,” Ward said.
James and Sharon, along with TLN President Debra Fraser and the TLN network, will work to unify the church and the nation around this identity and rally believers to reach the next generation. James and Sharon Ward are the new leaders of TLN Media, based in Chicago and San Francisco.
That vision must bridge the tense division in America which now includes the war in Israel.
Right Message for Divided Culture
Total Living Network was launched in 1975 as WCFC TV 38. The station has been a flagship of faith-based media in Chicagoland for the last 48 years, but to lead the network through the challenges of a changing culture, Rose saw the Wards as the right couple at the right time.
Ward is the author of Zero Victim: Overcoming Injustice With A New Attitude. He is highly sought after by corporate, government, and thought leaders and on mainstream media outlets to mitigate the complex racial, cultural, and socio-political challenges of our day. His Zero Victim message has been recognized as a viable resource to help calm the ongoing tension between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian supporters.
According to Ward, victimization is real and needs to be addressed. It should never be denied or dismissed. But it also cannot define God’s people. A Zero Victim mindset does not deny that some people are true victims but denies victimization the power to control their lives for the rest of their lives.
TLN Media will be a platform for this much needed, life-changing, and culture-shaping message. “I believe this message will lead to a new movement,” said Sharon. “We will speak it as broadly as possible, and with God’s help we have great confidence that this message will impact America and beyond.”
Compassion Without Compromise
“Now is the time for Christians to boldly stand on the truth of God’s Word, with compassion and without compromise,” James Ward said. “Pastor Sharon and I stand with Israel. The Jewish people are the covenant people of God. But even while affirming this truth, we must affirm the common ground we all stand on as those created in the image of a loving creator.”
“We’ve allowed younger generations to believe that Christ is not relevant to the issues they’re dealing with,” Ward added. “The result is hypocrisy: We talk about Christ, but it seems He offers no real solutions. Jesus still has the answers the world needs to hear, and we need not be shy in declaring that message boldly and clearly in love.”
To learn more about TLN Media, visit TLNMedia.com.
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To schedule an interview with James or Sharon Ward, email Clem Boyd, Director of Public Relations, at clem@infinityconcepts.com, or call or text him at 724.930.4003