The Fox News Channel anchor leans on her Christian faith to stay above the partisan acrimony raging in the American TV news landscape.
We'll acknowledge right up front that this story about our Christian sister Shannon Bream is a bit far afield for Christian Film Blog since it comes from the world of television news, not faith-based movies, TV or streaming. But it's so hope-inspiring that we thought you'd enjoy it anyway, so we're going with it.
Bream, who hosts Fox News @ Night Monday through Friday on the powerhouse cable channel, is a rare breed in the blood sport into which American TV journalism has devolved in recent years. Not only does she largely avoid the outright, rah-rah partisanship that's now standard fare in the business, but she also steers clear of the in-the-gutter negativity that's driven so many viewers away from both network and cable news.
Now, by way of full disclosure, yours truly worked as a producer at Fox News Channel in New York for a couple years in that outfit's early days, but had moved on to greener pastures long before Bream arrived in 2007. We have, nevertheless, long been fans of hers because of her poise and professionalism. And, wow, does she seem to have it all: brains - she was a practicing attorney before TV news; beauty - she was a Miss America contest finalist; and a humble spirit and devout Christian faith.
As part of a publicity tour for a new book she's written, Bream is sharing more about that side of her. In an interview with Faithwire, she reveals that she prays before every show, asking God to "help me be on assignment for you, wherever I am, and to do that to your glory." And she endeavors to live out Psalm 19:14, so that both her words and inner thoughts are right in the Lord's sight.
"I think, even on the outside, if I'm saying the right words and I'm trying to communicate with people and communicate ideas, I have to think about the meditations of my heart, also. What are my motives? Is this about me, or is this about glorifying my Heavenly Father and figuring out His plan and living that? Is it my will or His will?"
Nicely said, Shannon Bream! The rest of us Believers would do well to incorporate the same kind of deep introspection into our daily lives as she does in hers, allowing the profound love of the Creator to shine through us in our chosen fields of professional endeavor.
Bream's new book The Women of the Bible Speak is already number one in three separate categories on Amazon, even though it does not come out until next Tuesday, March 30th. If you'd like to catch her news show, it runs weekday evenings at 11:00 PM EDT/10:00 PM CDT on the Fox News Channel, and you can listen to her podcast, Livin' the Bream, via this link.