But leave sex aside (as if that were possible for fifteen minutes on TV). It’s the unremitting triviality that makes television so deadly. What we desperately need is help to enlarge our capacities to be moved by the immeasurable glories of Christ. Television takes us almost constantly in the opposite direction, lowering, shrinking, and deadening our capacities for worshiping Christ.One more smaller concern with TV (besides its addictive tendencies, trivialization of life, and deadening effects): It takes time. I have so many things I want to accomplish in this one short life. Don’t waste your life is not a catchphrase for me; it’s a cliff I walk beside every day with trembling.
TV consumes more and more time for those who get used to watching it. You start to feel like it belongs. You wonder how you could get along without it. I am jealous for my evenings. There are so many things in life I want to accomplish. I simply could not do what I do if I watched television. So we have never had a TV in 40 years of marriage (except in Germany, to help learn the language). I don’t regret it.
One of the pervading thoughts in Evangelical Christianity is that as long as the content of certain types electronic entertainment (such as television or movies) is "clean," we can consume to our hearts' content. However, Piper brings up an important point. We should ask the question, "is watching television or going to a movie the best thing I can be doing with my time right now?" Entertainment need not be trivial or passive to be entertaining.
The second post is simply a short list of some benefits of life without television. It's well worth your time to head over and read it, but allow me to list one that I give a hearty "Amen!" to and readily admit that I am susceptible to when I do watch television:
1. Avoidance of commercials and the fueling of the consumer mentality — It’s all about the sponsors, as we all know. And to watch a TV show is to be bombarded with constant pitches for products one neither needs nor, properly, desires. Even the most circumspect person cannot help but be impacted by this.
Not only do these two articles cause me to think more about my own personal viewing habits (such as the fact that I am looking forward to seeing the new Transformers movie this week), but I also wonder about how we utilize such entertainment vehicles in ministry. Our church's youth ministry attended a youth conference in Los Angeles this week, and a new movie was shown about a teenager's redemption through Christ. Some of the youth from our church who saw it told me it was a good movie (entertainment-wise) with a good message. I had some concern, however, that many of the youth also bought items (t-shirts, etc.) related to the movie. I understand that for the most part, the producers of the movie hope that other teenagers will want to see the movie when they see their friend wearing the t-shirt, and so it was more about marketing than consumerism. In addition, I wonder if this form of entertainment is the best way to help youth learn about what a transformational relationship with Jesus looks like and how to share Christ with their friends. While I am picking on this movie, I do realize that this is a broad issue that affects most, if not all of Evangelical Christianity in the United States (my own life and ministry included). I do not have very much by way of answers at this time, but I have committed myself to asking what role entertainment vehicles such as television and movies should play in my life and in ministry. Do I waste too much time watching movies or mindlessly surfing around on the Internet? Is there a better use of my time? Would I be more faithful to choose to spend more time reading a good book or learning in some other way? How do I encourage youth to do the same?
