So, what are you watching these days?
So I went to one of these huge electronic stores the other day looking to buy a memory stick. Like a kid in a candy store I was fascinated by the electronic gadgets on display. My eye caught a huge sign in the store which read, “Home Entertainment Section”. That section had every TV imaginable. Big ones, small ones, flat screens, you name it… it was all there! It wasn’t long before I began fantasizing about how I would someday buy a particular television that matched a certain home theatre system. Salesmen soon noticed my hankering and chose to periodically interrupt my fantasies seeking to make a quick sale.
Looking at the entertainment systems on display, I was reminded of a sermon I heard where the preacher likened a television to a sewer disposal pipeline. “That’s rather harsh”, I thought, but the preacher went on to ask the congregation to imagine themselves going to city hall and asking the city council to hook a sewer disposal pipe into their living/family rooms. What is more is that you would have to pay the city for the “service”. According to that preacher, TV does more harm than good to a person/family/community because it promotes values that are contrary to God’s Word.
We are now well into the fall (the weather seems to suggest otherwise but…) and all those favorite shows are back, new shows are being piloted. Before we schedule dates with our TV screen on certain nights of the week to enjoy the weekly comedy and the occasional sitcom, let us pause and ask ourselves; Am I critically engaging/questioning and/or challenging social trends that are being presented to the watching masses? Or, am I simply buying everything that is being preached to me through these shows, hence conforming to the pattern of the world?
A few years ago, the USA went to war against Iraq and of course, this was no ordinary military campaign. For the first time in history, war was brought right into our living room. Viewers all over the world were able to see live military combat footage with embedded reporters reporting right from the front line. It all looked like an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, bombs exploding, gunfire, buildings destroyed and so on. What was interesting was that amidst the “show” of American military might, for some strange reason, many people neither felt a sense of grief nor considered the life altering tragedy faced by many innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. With every explosion, a life was possibly lost and… we, to some extent, felt nothing. This was no Hollywood movie where the star of the show kills all the bad guys and gets the girl with no consequences for his actions. People were dying, wives were widowed, children were orphaned, lives were being altered… forever! Isn’t it interesting how passive society has become toward war and human suffering?
I’m not saying that TV is all together evil. I wonder, can a person maintain a vibrant walk with Christ and enjoy today’s movies and sitcoms? Would TV viewing hinder or enhance a Christian’s biblical world view? But, how would we know the in’s and out’s of our culture if we exclude/shelter ourselves from the world? Hmmm… what say you?
#1 from Adam on September 25, 2009
i used to watch t.v. all the time, just to pass the time away. mostly nfl, or any other sport. then, if nothing was on, i would channel surf until something came on that i liked. well, since i’ve come to faith, i haven’t had cable for 3+ years now. in that time I’ve read the new testament 30 times, yes 30, the old testament once, and about 7 apologetics book. oh, did i mention that before all this, i had only twice i think read an entire book from front to back.
Now I’m not saying that t.v. is bad, but it could have easily kept me from growing deeper in my faith, if i had let it. what is watching t.v. keeping u from doing? is t.v. the eye that u don’t want to pluck out, or the hand u don’t want to cut off? it was for me. but thankfully i have God who cared about my faith more then i did, and still more then i do. Praise Him for what he has done and maybe ask Him what is in your life that is preventing a deeper relationship between you and your savior. thanx