Not long ago, someone sent me an article by the Rev. Craig Groeschel (senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv) titled “What’s the Big &%#*! Deal about Profanity?” What impressed me about the article was how eloquently he discussed the need for Christians to be discerning when it comes to their entertainment. For me, it was like reading one of my colleague’s blogs on this very website.
Groeschel opened his piece by sharing a story in which he recalled asking a friend for a movie recommendation. Without hesitation, this friend replied, “Have you seen The Hangover? It may be the funniest movie I’ve ever seen!” So Groeschel asked a few of his staff about this flick. They, too, had seen it “and said it was a riot and a must see.”
Groeschel’s next step was very wise. He went to a conservative online movie review source (sadly not pluggedin.com-—Craig, what’s wrong with you?!) and found out that the film included “91 different variations of the f-bomb, …41 excretory words, and …31 different versions of taking God’s Name in vain.” Groeschel continues:
When I told my friends and staff members that the movie had 91 f-bombs, which averages out to approximately one version of the “f” word per minute, they were all shocked. “Really? I didn’t even notice” was the most common response. Really, you didn’t notice one “f” word each minute?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve had versions of this situation pop up repeatedly in my life. In fact, very recently someone asked me for my opinion of a movie he’d recently watched. I told him I was very disappointed with the sexual content. His response was slow in coming so I knew he wasn’t tracking with me. So I described it to him. He shot back with a, “I completely forgot about that.”
At this point in the blog, I feel inclined to tie a nice bow on all and preach my little sermonette. But I’m not going to do that. Instead I want to close with a couple of lines excerpted from Groeschel’s article.
It’s tempting to think that what we watch on TV, see at the movies, listen to on our iPod, play on our gaming systems and read before bedtime doesn’t affect us. But they do. We must take the images, languages, and stories we allow into our minds and hearts very seriously.
If you don’t think there’s a problem with all the cultural influences that invade your life daily, chances are that you’re interpreting right and wrong through a distorted lens.
Instead of blindly absorbing whatever media you encounter, allow God’s Word and the guidance of His Holy Spirit to …re-adjust your standard of right and wrong, and to live in a manner that brings glory and honor to God.
Thoughts?
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