What we find entertaining reveals much about our relationship with God …

It wasn’t long ago that Christians on the social media site, Twitter, were in an uproar against the Netflix premiere of “Cuties,” which many said was nothing short of pedophilia (for example, see this news story by Blaze here).

But if you consider what too many Christians have allowed to become standard in-home entertainment for a few decades now, you wouldn’t find such new programming on Netflix and other media outlets to be surprising.

We need to face the fact that what many professing Christians find entertaining to watch and listen to varies little (if at all) from what the world finds entertaining. A survey of Christians revealed many of them turned to streaming movies as their primary way of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, and most were NOT indulging in marathons of old episodes of “Father Knows Best” or “Leave It To Beaver.”

It’s not just poor entertainment choices by Christians that is a problem (which it is), the church has long ceased from being a beneficial voice in the choices we make about what we watch and listen to. It used to be routine to hear preachers warn their congregations about movies and music that contained worldly, even overtly sinful, messages and images. But for a very long time now, many of those preachers have refrained from saying such things that might “offend” someone in their “audience.” When you pair this pastoral silence with the fact that the church has failed to adequately (if at all) disciple Christians, and most believers are biblically illiterate, it’s no wonder there’s a lack of spiritual discipline in what we choose for entertainment.

Does it really matter what we watch or listen to?

From a psychological perspective, we need to be aware that what we absorb as entertainment enters directly into our thoughts; our thoughts create our emotions, and our thoughts and emotions combined creates our behavior. It matters!

From a spiritual position, it matters to God what we find entertaining. The Bible couldn’t be more clear about the need for Christians to make their choices of enjoyments from a pursuit of holiness:

“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever,” 1 John 2:15-17.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect,” Romans 12:2.

“For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed,” Titus 2:11-13.

“I will be careful to live a blameless life — when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home,” Psalm 101:1-2.

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people,” Philippians 2:13-15.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise,” Philippians 4:8.

When it comes to entertainment, one writer noted, “The deepest, most abiding joy comes from fellowship with God, not a fleeting source of amusement.” The Apostle Paul wrote something very similar:

“Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment,” 1 Timothy 6:17.

We need to heed the Bible’s instruction to pursue fellowship with God as our primary enjoyment. If we allow ourselves to share in what the world finds entertaining, we can find ourselves swept away in sinful desires. The Danish philosopher, Kierkegaard, tells a parable of a theater where a variety show is proceeding …

Each show is more fantastic than the last, and is applauded by the audience. Suddenly the manager comes forward. He apologizes for the interruption, but the theater is on fire, and he begs his patrons to leave in an orderly fashion.

The audience thinks this is the most amusing turn of the evening, and cheer thunderously. The manager again implores them to leave the burning building, and he is again applauded vigorously. At last he can do no more. The fire raced through the whole building and the fun-loving audience with it.

“And so.” concluded Kierkegaard, “will our age, I sometimes think, go down in fiery destruction to the applause of a crowded house of cheering spectators.”

What are you watching and listening to these days? What do your entertainment choices reveal about your relationship with God?

Scotty