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“I will not look at anything wicked. I hate those who turn against you, they will not be found near me.” ~Psalm 101:3 (NCV)
Who needs television? Drama, gossip and a good laugh can be found in many places and the church is no exception. As Christians we are not immune to the human frailties known as “life.” Thankfully, God gives us the grace necessary to overcome life’s many troubles and trials.
With tabloids broadcasting the recent Hollywood breakups, the latest drugged out celebrities, or every bit of gossip and slander they can muster up, it’s amazing there is any time left for any positive news. One would have to be both blind and deaf in order to escape the continual negative onslaught that can be viewed by everyone everywhere; in magazines, on television and even on most roadside billboards.
So when did it all start? When did the entertainment world known as Hollywood become the voice of the people? When did its approval (or lack thereof) become the stamp of acceptance for most American families? Who knows, but it’s here alright and it’s ugly. Every year hundreds of young people stand in long lines to audition for some reality show or move to LA in hopes of getting noticed or striking it rich. Unknowns become household names overnight and revered like gods above the masses. Why have we revered such nonsense?
On these small or large black boxes that clutter nearly every home sit people who day in and day out welcome some of the darkest, slimiest, filthiest acts right into the intimacy of their own homes. Like a small child that is nurtured, care for, and were we allocate our time and money to, TV also becomes one of the family. TV is where people go to when they’re lonely, it’s the one that makes them laugh and sadly but true, helps them raise their children.
What gets thrown out every hour and even every minute by these people who are more interested in ratings than the emotional and spiritual health, is appalling! Their standard has become America’s standard, their morales our morales — and all in the name of entertainment.
Some say “we are what we eat”…can this be true of our entertainment choices?…will we become what we watch?
Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll decline. I have enough garbage in my own trash cans and I don’t need any more! Like I said, “WHO NEEDS TV?”
Amber Baus holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Studies from California Baptist University and is pursuing a teaching credential in Special Education. She is currently employed with the Riverside County Office of Education as an Administrative Assistant in Technology. Amber attends Inland Lighthouse Church pastored by Rev. Larry Booker where is she is involved with a variety of ministries and community programs.
Good article Sis. Amber! It is so important that our homes be places of “spiritual refuge”, where we can get away from the world and seek after the Lord Jesus. One of the arguments I hear in my evangelistic travels is “well, I see behavior like _____ in the world every day – - so at home if I watch it on TV, what’s the big deal?”
Yes – - as Apostolic Christians we’ve always seen bad behavior out on the street in our day to day dealings. But it’s one thing to “see” something on the bus on the way to work to provide for the family, and quite yet another to invite it into the house over the television!
Also what makes people angry and causes them to stomp off is this: If one SAYS he does not believe a particular thing (and that thing is mentioned in the literature of his church) – - but yet his behavior tells a different tale, does not that make him out to be a liar and a hypocrit? Mmmmmm