Our Addiction to Secular Media

The Churches infatuation with the Secular Media

“Therefore I urge you brother, in view of God’s mercies…Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but by the renewing of your mind be transformed” Rom. 12: 1-2

Everybody knows that sexual pornography is wrong. Many otherwise worldly people are well aware of it and do everything possible to prevent exposing themselves or their children to it. But the Christian is called to more than that, more than just avoiding hard core porn or pornography. We have a much higher calling.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in all things by prayer and petition and thanksgiving give your requests to God…and the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think on these things.” Phillipians 4:6-8

That scripture gives us some fairly clear guidelines about what kind of entertainment or media we are supposed to watch. Sexual pornography, which is really demonic at its core, certainly would not be considered lovely or noble, or pure, or admirable. But the scripture goes beyond that, and says whatever is true, and what ever is right as guidelines. So why our love of popular media? Why the rush every Friday to get the latest “new releases”? How many times does Gods name have to be taken in vain before we finally reach for the controller and hit the off switch? How many ‘F’ words? How many “funny” attempts at sexual innuendo do we enjoy before we turn the Holy Spirit back on and go back to the business of being a Christian? It’s not a salvation issue, its a sanctification issue.

And what about the background noise of the media, what kind of philosophy is it promoting, is it a biblically based? Someone once said, that what we laugh at we soon accept. Most post sixties movies, even the funny ones, have a hidden agenda which promote typical worldly ideas and philosophies.

But you all know that, and you’re wrinkling your nose right now and saying, “This guy is an idiot and he’s ruining all my fun and forcing his legalistic, boring, unhip worldview on me.” So why is it so important for you to keep up on all the “latest” new releases, or latest rock sensations? I mean, why don’t you do something else? Go outside and talk to that horse you haven’t ridden for a month. Teach yourself Greek or Hebrew or Latin or German. Go in the basement and practice your kick boxing.

Why are we so enamored with the culture? Why do we want to appear to fit in so badly by staying on the cutting of edge of music and movies? At what point does it become silly? Everyone, even many non-Christians, acknowledge that we are in a culture that has fallen off the edge. Yet we seem to be falling over ourselves to “fit in” or at least to appear to.

“We’re Christians, but we’re really just like you! We speak the Lingua-franca of the culture. We’re Romans too!”….Yoo hoo.

Movies, like anything and everything else, differ in their content, but a comparison between the 1940’s to the post sixties era is a lesson in apostasy. When “Gone with the Wind” was made 70 some years ago, and Clark Gable said,”frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn,”, thousands of Christian ladies bombarded the studios with complaints. How tame that movie would be by todays standards.

Todays media is going to promote today’s standards. So materialism (whoever dies with the most toys wins), moral and religious pluralism, Earth worship (the only acceptable morals are related to saving the planet), subtle and not so subtle anti-christian attitudes are going to be underlying the majority of shows.

“For they that are after the flesh, savor the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit savor the things of the Spirit” Romans 8: 5

Why not read a good book? Take your rifle outside and work on puting in a tighter group at 200 yards. Take up calf roping. Become an expert on the Nation of Israel. Start a prayer Journal and try and spend three 45 minute periods a day in prayer like the early American pilgrims did. Become more active in policing what the pubic schools are teaching and become a check on their scientific and historic revisionism. Get involved in saving the right to bear arms. Reach out to widows and orphans in distress. But if you get involved with a Christian outreach of good works, please don’t think that’s a pass for avoiding conflict.

I’m not telling you that you can’t watch movies. You’re free to watch anything you want, according to your own conscience, not mine. But before you go off ragging on the porn producers and all those horrible men who watch porn…maybe you ought to take a good look at what you’ve been watching. God is greater than the apostate American culture, so he can help you beat your addiction to its media and ideas. How bad do we really want to fit in, and why?