A secular writer previewed a recent television/movie season with the words, “The Family Hour is Fading Away.” These are telltale signs of spiritual shakiness and disturbing problems in Christian and American homes. Sadly, we are allowing this to be pumped into our own homes.
If we, as Christians, have in fact lost our sensitivity to obscenity, we are not far from the Apostle Paul’s description in Philippians 3:18-19: “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, and mind earthly things.” The horror, vulgar, demonic movies rarely frighten us anymore. Sadly, our children are permitted to watch these. Christian parents either allow this into their homes, allow their children to see this at movies, or purchase on a variety of other media such as cell phones.
THE AWFULNESS OF THE PROBLEM
If I were to ask you to give a rating to TV/media programming, what would you rate it on a scale of A to F (A being the best, F being the worse)? Myself, I’d say D-. Regular broadcast, television, cable TV, movie and internet channels have gone past the limit on nudity and homosexual themes. One has to search through many channels to avoid shows with vulgarity, demonism, violence and secular philosophy. Anything portrayed as decent and “godly” is portrayed as “ignorant.”
The “worsening” of movie/TV/media content in itself is not the whole problem. The ACCEPTANCE, of such, by Christians is truly alarming. We, as Christians, have an admirable devotion to the Lord in many things, EXCEPT in our ENTERTAINMENT choices. How bad is it? We are selling ourselves, and our children, for a mess of footage (pottage). Are we truly contemplating the future?
THE ANXIETY OF THE PROBLEM
Some excuses that Christian give for watching TRASH:
“Well, it didn’t have much profanity, I just tuned it out.”
“If it bothers or offends you, then don’t watch it. It doesn’t bother me”
“If you can’t handle it, don’t watch it. I’ve been out in the real world, I can handle it.”
“We watched it at home without the kids. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“We won’t let the kids watch it. We have parental controls. We watch it but not the kids”
Have you, as a Christian, become sensitized to obscenity, vulgarity, nudity, demonism and whatever other tactics Hollywood employs? John the Apostle declared, “if we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.”
(I John 1:6)
THE ADMONITION TO PURITY
May I encourage you to be the Godly example that you CAN and NEED to be? Others around you are watching . We need to win those around us with the Gospel of Jesus. We need to win our children, teens, and peers. They need to see in us a life of pure joy and Godly living.
Jesus said, “blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there by any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
So, give a grade to our 21st century entertainment industry A to F? You have the ability to control TV/Movie selections, close it down, don’t purchase the products with bad ratings. Write to your local television station managers/owners with your concerns. Instead, watch only clean and pure entertainment. Guard your hearts and minds, along with your children. They are our future!
If we, as Christians, have in fact lost our sensitivity to obscenity, we are not far from the Apostle Paul’s description in Philippians 3:18-19: “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, and mind earthly things.” The horror, vulgar, demonic movies rarely frighten us anymore. Sadly, our children are permitted to watch these. Christian parents either allow this into their homes, allow their children to see this at movies, or purchase on a variety of other media such as cell phones.
THE AWFULNESS OF THE PROBLEM
If I were to ask you to give a rating to TV/media programming, what would you rate it on a scale of A to F (A being the best, F being the worse)? Myself, I’d say D-. Regular broadcast, television, cable TV, movie and internet channels have gone past the limit on nudity and homosexual themes. One has to search through many channels to avoid shows with vulgarity, demonism, violence and secular philosophy. Anything portrayed as decent and “godly” is portrayed as “ignorant.”
The “worsening” of movie/TV/media content in itself is not the whole problem. The ACCEPTANCE, of such, by Christians is truly alarming. We, as Christians, have an admirable devotion to the Lord in many things, EXCEPT in our ENTERTAINMENT choices. How bad is it? We are selling ourselves, and our children, for a mess of footage (pottage). Are we truly contemplating the future?
THE ANXIETY OF THE PROBLEM
Some excuses that Christian give for watching TRASH:
“Well, it didn’t have much profanity, I just tuned it out.”
“If it bothers or offends you, then don’t watch it. It doesn’t bother me”
“If you can’t handle it, don’t watch it. I’ve been out in the real world, I can handle it.”
“We watched it at home without the kids. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“We won’t let the kids watch it. We have parental controls. We watch it but not the kids”
Have you, as a Christian, become sensitized to obscenity, vulgarity, nudity, demonism and whatever other tactics Hollywood employs? John the Apostle declared, “if we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.”
(I John 1:6)
THE ADMONITION TO PURITY
May I encourage you to be the Godly example that you CAN and NEED to be? Others around you are watching . We need to win those around us with the Gospel of Jesus. We need to win our children, teens, and peers. They need to see in us a life of pure joy and Godly living.
Jesus said, “blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there by any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
So, give a grade to our 21st century entertainment industry A to F? You have the ability to control TV/Movie selections, close it down, don’t purchase the products with bad ratings. Write to your local television station managers/owners with your concerns. Instead, watch only clean and pure entertainment. Guard your hearts and minds, along with your children. They are our future!
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