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Friday, November 29, 2019

A Personal Problem

I know, I know, I'm about to tell you about something that bothers me for me and it will upset some readers. "Pharisee!" they'll cry. "Judgmental!" they'll accuse. "Don't tell me what to do!" they'll demand. So let me make it clear that I'm not about to tell you what to do. I'm about to tell you about a personal problem in the hopes that you might be able to help me. I'm not suggesting that this is a problem for anyone but me. So thank you for your kind indulgence.

I am a fairly standard American. I have a television set and I use it for entertainment. Okay, maybe not standard. I don't have an antenna or cable connection, so I don't actually watch broadcast TV, but I do still have Netflix and my wife does connect to the Internet and watch a show or two from network television. So almost standard, okay? Here's the problem -- my problem. I'm finding it increasingly difficult to defend any of this ... at all.

In Deuteronomy God commanded Israel to teach their children the words of the Shema. "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up" (Deut 6:4-9). So when their children asked to be allowed to learn the ways of other nations, they would tell their children, "Well, you're supposed to be learning to love God when you lie down, when you rise up, and when you're home and when you're out. If you can figure out when else you have to do it, you can try." Or something like that. David wrote, "I will set no worthless thing before my eyes" (Psa 101:3). That's interesting because he did not say "evil"; he said "worthless." Paul wrote, "Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them" which seems all well and good, but went on to say, "for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret" (Eph 5:11-12). Elsewhere Paul says, "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things" (Php 4:8) All pretty clear and straightforward.

Consider, then, our current popular entertainment. What is their message? What is their aim? What do they want you to believe? The unrepentant aim of much of what you're shown today is "Accept as moral the immorality of our current world." In 2018 the news reported that "The percentage of LGBTQ series regulars on broadcast primetime scripted programming is up to an all-time high of 8.8 percent." This year GLAAD reported it was at 10.2% and the current demand is 20% by 2025. Companies playing ads for you on that same TV are consciously making them more "gay-inclusive" with, for instance, a kid who addresses two women as "Moms" (Cox), a holiday gathering with a gay couple (Kohl's), or a Campbell's soup ad with gay dads to name a few. GLAAD doesn't make any bones about it; they are aiming at making same-sex sex normal, acceptable, even laudable in today's society, and they are doing it right there on your TV screen. But look at some of the other affects. I've watched some of the older shows, like Dragnet or Adam-12, in light of newer shows like "Criminal Minds" or "Gotham." The magnitude of the crimes depicted have increased exponentially and the graphic depiction is out of control. In fact, finding horrible messages is so easy that we miss some of the easy ones because the rest are so blatant. But, here's the challenge. Can you find any positive ones? Can you find messages in primetime TV that give you ""Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute"? It sure doesn't seem like it.

I'm wondering, then, why I'm still watching any secular entertainment. Do you see my problem? If I want to learn to love God day and night, if I want to avoid the worthless, let alone the evil, if I want to avoid examining what is done by them in secret, if I want to think the way that Scripture tells me to think, can I do that with my television set? How do I justify it? If I want to imitate God (Eph 5:1), does the entertainment I'm putting in front of me add to or detract from that? If the things that I find entertaining are the things that God finds abominable, what does that say about me? Do I need to make a radical change here? That's my problem.

Additional Considerations
In thinking about this further, I have to point out that "crime" or "violence" or the like in our entertainment media are not the issue here. The Bible includes stories of crime, violence (sometimes very graphic violence), sexual immorality, and all. (Interestingly there is not one instance of graphic sex there. Nowhere does it describe a sex act. Kind of like the old days of TV and movies where the scene cuts and you know what they did but you never saw it.) Of course, a key difference is that none of it is glorified. Contrasted with a Gotham where all characters are evil or Joker where everyone is bad, so we should feel bad for the poor mass murderer, the Bible contains these stories, but they aren't classified as "good". So it is not merely the presence of such stories that I'm talking about; it is the intent.

12 comments:

Marshal Art said...

Php 4:8 is so easily and quickly abused these days by those who wish to enable that which is forbidden. True, honorable, right, lovely....to whom? To me, or to God? I would insist it's to God, but that's clearly not a universal understanding.

It's almost impossible to find a show on TV...particularly the cable or streaming service series, that doesn't include some depiction of LGBT enabling. Some regard that as "lovely" as per Php 4:8, and in way too many instances, it is meant to imply that to viewers. It's particularly frustrating to see such in shows I otherwise find well done. And before the progressives get their panties in a twist, I would also insist that I'm not one for any other form of sexual immorality presented as if "pure" and "honorable". But those depicted with a more traditional sense of morality and virtue are never characters scripted to be admired. They're usually the nutcases in the story.

I'm a TV and movie fan, always looking for a good script well acted and all that. So hard to find anyone presenting Christian morality and virtue in a high quality manner that attracts viewers and good critique...because they generally aren't well done at all. So much in that arena is indeed worthless, even that which I find personally entertaining. But am I ready to give it up, especially given your message in this post? Sadly, no. But I don't mistake the messages these many presentations often try to put forth as lovely or honorable. (I often fast-forward through them)

Stan said...

"So hard to find anyone presenting Christian morality and virtue in a high quality manner that attracts viewers and good critique...because they generally aren't well done at all."

I was wondering how much of "high quality manner" and even "entertaining" has been defined for us by the world and its media. Most of the stuff that is "Christian" is "boring," I think, because we've been told that "this is the good stuff" where "this" includes immorality, violence, and the personification of evil. I'm thinking that it's getting harder to recognize the problem because we've been inoculated against it.

Craig said...

Ok, now you’re just meddling.

However, I do think you’re right and that we spend too much time consuming media that is at best neutral, and more likely much less than neutral.

I was talking to Michael Tait a couple of years ago, and heard him repeat this in an interview. His point is that as Christians our goal is to produce the very best when it comes to the arts (obviously not limited to). I also think that Schaefer addresses this as well. (Please, no God’s not Dead jokes)

Personally, I think that the story of Esther set in a modern context could be the kind of thing that would attract people. What’s interesting is that so many Christians understand the calculus of Hollywood and will make the effort to help “Christian” movies have big opening weekends, yet so many of the movies end up being not of a high quality. Unfortunately the message isn’t, “Give us movies worthy of this audience.”, it’s “We can throw anything out and the Christians will come because they’re desperate.

I do have to say that the success of Unplanned is heartening.

Craig said...

I do have to say that both Midway and Ford vs Ferrari were both enjoyable and reasonably well made retellings of great stories.

Stan said...

It would be meddling if I didn't already say it was MY problem. :)

Craig said...

I’ll give you that.

Marshal Art said...

I think most Christian movies are boring because they're c**p. It's the same with so much contemporary Christian hymns and worship songs. There are so few movies that are worth the price of admission. I thought "Paul, Apostle of Christ" was well done. "Risen" was another. And of course, I did indeed like "The Passion of the Christ". One might find reason to criticize any of these three, but no one can argue the fact that they were all really well done to the level one expects of a quality film. I had heard that Mel Gibson was going to do a "sequel" to "Passion", with Caviezel playing the risen Christ. That would be interesting if it ever sees fruition.

Craig said...

I agree that the problem with much christian media is average at best. I do thing the Kendrick guys have improved their art with each movie, and I’ve enjoyed some of their stuff. But always with the caveat that it’s a Christian movie.

Bob said...

why must the pursuit of God be one of austerity?
Do monks demonstrate a greater love for God; by cloistering themselves in caves and monasteries. vows of poverty are the staple for those that believe that material things somehow carry greater temptation. vows of Chasity are an effort to avoid the opposite sex, so as to avoid any distraction from contemplation of God.
all these things have the appearance of high spirituality; but lack the power to overcome the flesh. The pursuit of austerity is as much a distracting folly as self flagellation. it is just another form of false humility.
with that said; if the real reason to avoid movies, books, tv. is to rid yourself a potential source of temptation, fine.. but if you are a child of God. you are already loved. you are already wonderful in the Father's eyes.

Stan said...

Austerity isn't really my concern or question. My problem is that what I watch and what I find entertaining is being dictated by a world that hates God. Is that really where I want to go with this? Can I actually make this fit with Scripture?

Bob said...

yea.. I see your point, i just had so much fun making noise about Austerity...
I really hate it when your right.. nowadays i just read books and kill bad guys on my xbox.
The TV is just so much junk entertainment.
I suppose I cant go wrong by spending less time with games and a little more time in prayer.
so i got that going...

Stan said...

I think my personal problem is I don't like austerity either. I don't like having to do the hard stuff like think or pray or study the Word. It's so much easier to vegetate in front of the TV. Now I'm asking myself to analyze that stuff. Too much work.