Entertained to Death

I must confess that I get annoyed easily. When students repetitiously tap pens or feet in class, my skin crawls. As an English teacher, I also have several pet peeves when it comes to grammar errors. When I am grading, I often want to pull my hair out over these mistakes. Over the past eleven years, there is something else that annoys me even more than those two examples: I cannot tolerate that my students are entertained to death.

When I was a young, non-Christian undergrad, I was similar to my own students. I had a certain television show--Dawson's Creek--that I would not miss. It was so important to me that I would not schedule anything on the night it aired, and there had to be absolute quiet in my dorm room when watching. Yes, I am serious. I was just as serious about my music. If a song I loved played on the radio, I wanted to turn it up and sing my heart out without interruptions. What's so wrong with this scenario? I was worshiping entertainment to my detriment. I was self-centered and entertainment-driven.

Now, students have music blaring in their ears non-stop. They have a DVR that allows uninterrupted viewing of several programs whenever they choose. They also have cell phones to occupy them almost constantly. Entertainment worship has gotten more convenient, but as Christians, we cannot fall prey to the entertainment industry's claws, which tear us to bits with ideas that are only of this world and make us self-focused rather than others-focused. What do worldly music, television programs, movies, and the internet contain? A lot of garbage. It's addictive garbage, too. 

No matter what one may argue about the different forms of entertainment, being addicted to it will deform a worldview. For example, on Dawson's Creek, most of the major characters went back and forth from one relationship to the other. It didn't matter how close Jen and Joey were or weren't they would back stab when it came to boys. The guys acted the same way. The program was all about fulfilling your own needs, desires, and dreams (even if it hurt the people you loved). This affected me during the early years of college. I'm not blaming a television show for my own decisions, but I am arguing that it warped my worldview and made it easier for me to accept sinful behaviors. 

Saying all programs are not worth watching, all internet content is not worth viewing, and all music is not worth hearing is fallacious. Many give us insight into the human condition and lead to helpful discussions about our society, our sinfulness, and our need for God. It's not all meaningless. The problem occurs when we look to these vehicles for our beliefs. Our beliefs should come from Scripture. Our ideas should be based on God and His kingdom. We should view all ideas that aren't from Scripture with a lens coated with biblical truth so that we can discern what the will of God is, that which is good, acceptable, and perfect (Romans 12:2).

My views on this issue are not legalistic, so please don't think I am being Pharisaic. I still watch television occasionally, listen to secular music from time to time, and keep my cell phone near. I'm on the internet right now as I write this blog post; however, I have learned, personally, how entertainment worship can make us waste precious time that could be used for God. After reading John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life, I was convicted deeply. Piper doesn't watch television. He makes a great case against Christians wasting time watching the tube and other forms of meaningless entertainment. Soon thereafter, I read Crazy Love by Francis Chan, and Chan describes a conversation he had with his wife's godly grandmother. When asked why she never enjoys theater visits, she replies that she does not frequent places she would be ashamed if Christ saw her there. Chan's response was awe. Mine was too.

So what should we do? Should we stop watching television? Should we stop going to the theater? Not necessarily. We, however, should prioritize our lives around biblical principles and not worldly ones. We should ask ourselves these questions:

• Do I spend more time watching television or praying? 
• Do I spend more time asking lost friends to watch a movie or go to church? 
• Do I spend more time reading Facebook/Twitter or God's Word?
• Do I spend more time playing video games than witnessing to strangers?
• Do I spend more time downloading music promoting Satan's agenda or God's? 

Think long and hard about where you spend your time and money. After I became a believer, I felt convicted of my entertainment worship again and again. I gradually stopped watching many of the television programs I hated to miss. I have cut out some music genres that weren't pleasing to God. If I'm spending too much time on my computer, Justin will tell me. I shut it then and there. Over the years, I have found myself getting caught up in some form of entertainment only to be convicted again. During grad school, I found myself wasting time playing video games of all things! My biggest struggle now is my cell phone; I need to put it away more than I do, and I'm working on that each day.

I praise God for His sanctifying work in my self-centered, entertainment-seeking soul. Walking away from entertainment overload leaves more time for my relationships with God, family, and others. He often reminds me I was not put on this earth to be entertained to death. Neither were you, so don't be. My prayer for you and me both is to find more ways to become god-driven. You won't regret it. I haven't. If only my students would agree!