Television Junk

When my parents were alive it was a special time when we would come together as a big family. We had great conversation, but it was special to talk with my parents, especially dad, because of what they had to share from their lives. When we get together as Christians what do we talk about and with whom? Do we talk about the world, its events and its things or do we talk about the spiritual world we have begun to live in? Do we include in our conversation our Father and his Son? Do we talk about what God is doing in our life or is doing through our life? Do we talk about what we have discovered about God and his kingdom since we were last together? If we use our enthusiasm and time spent on, or with, something as a measure what does it say about what we think is important? How does time spent with God measure up with time spent on the Internet or with your TV?

I spent the summer working on a building project in Batavia, NY and lived with my younger sister and her family. They do not have a TV and thus have eliminated a great distraction and possible waste of time. I have fond memories of our conversations during meal time or during the evenings. There was time for relationship and spiritual conversations. It is an environment I long to get back to.

I subscribe to BreakPoint Daily and receive it by email on a daily basis. They do good research to find worthy material that helps us understand world philosophy and why the Christian world view is so important. The email received on October 5^th, I thought, was especially good and relates to the topic of this blog entry. Shown below is the complete email. I believe it is well worth your time to read it.

BreakPoint Daily: Tuning Out by Turning it On 10/05/2011

Tuning Out by Turning it On

TV in a Culture of Sloth

October 05, 2011

May I ask you a question? Why do you watch that junk they put on television?

I don’t mean to imply that all television shows are junk. And I think that a certain amount of entertainment is good for us. But the deluge of TV trash is astounding. To increase audience share, TV happily produces increasingly provocative content and well-intentioned people — including well-intentioned Christians — tune in.

“Dancing with the Stars” for example, has been a success in part because of the dancers. Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay danced. Professional athletes, journalists, actors, and singers have also danced gathering enthusiastic audiences for thirteen seasons.

But by nature, entertainment is governed by the law of diminishing returns. If the stunt rider jumps his motorcycle over one school bus today and we all cheer, tomorrow he’ll have to jump over two school buses to even get our attention.

And “Dancing with the Stars” is no different. Its producers need to take the audience to the next level. So, as I mention today on my “Two-Minute Warning,” which I urge you to watch at ColsonCenter.org, this season the show features Chaz Bono, the transgendered child of Sonny and Cher. Why? Merely to draw the curious — like the old-fashioned side-shows at carnivals.

But many of us will watch “Dancing with the Stars” and other such drivel. After all, we’ll tell ourselves, we just need a little distraction.

Media critic and Columbia University professor Todd Gitlin in his book Media Unlimited looks at our need for distraction. “Distraction is one of those terms,” he wrote, “…that requires an object to make sense. The question is, distraction from what? Morality? God? Pain? Subjugation? Changing the world? More than one of the above? …Your answer to the question Distraction from what? reveals what you value.”

It’s true that life today is complicated, exhausting, and often heartbreaking. But ducking life through distractions like hours of mind-numbing and morally questionable TV is not the solution.

We need to deal with the root problem, which is the insidious sin of sloth. We shrug our shoulders and mindlessly say “whatever.” Caring about nothing, we slide through life. Our culture of distractions is the market’s response to a culture of couch potatoes.

Sloth causes us to ignore the opportunities God gives us for growth, service, and sacrifice — and even true rest. Rather than interact with spouse or kids, we watch “The Biggest Loser” or “Monday Night Football.”

Rather making time for reading and prayer, we see what’s happening on Facebook. Instead of helping with the dishes, we check our email. After all, what could be more important than email? Instead of interactions we choose distractions.

Which brings me back to my opening question: Why do you watch that junk they put on television? Is it really just an innocent distraction or is it a convenient way to duck out of the demands of life, including God's call upon you for growth, service, and sacrifice, for loving Him and caring about others?

Enough honest answers to that question could change the way we approach our family, our faith, and our culture. And who knows, it could change the culture itself.