In, Not Of

This is a thought that has been percolating around in my head since I first read this post and then the response here. I've been going back and forth about trying to put some thoughts together of my own (mostly back) and then Robbo mentioned the conundrum as well (though on a slightly different tack than the first two) and I figured, well, heck, I've got 2 cents, I might as well spend them.

I guess ultimately to me it boils down to two things: by being plugged into the culture am I harming myself or my witness? If the answer to either of those is yes, then that's an activity that needs to be evaluated and, most likely, stopped. For example, I've stopped watching House and all the CSIs New York because their content is so incredibly at odds with what I believe that I could no longer in good conscience admit that I watched them. And CSI:New York will probably go if it continues to be as graphic as it's been this season. I just don't need that in my brain.

I do think there is some merit to Scott's thought at the end of his post:

I honestly think that we, as Christians, have an obligation to have a basic, rudimentary understanding of the culture around us. Conversations regularly occur on the subject of culture and if we are uninformed, I wonder if we in someway become irrelevant. So what do you think? Do we keep TV as a means of keeping abreast of culture?

You can't stand as a beacon in the storm if you don't know there's a storm out there, or how bad it's getting. I don't think we can afford to barricade ourselves into little enclaves of spirituality, cover our eyes and ears and mumble "lalallala", if for no other reason than that this is not what Jesus did. He was out there with the sinners - the worst of the worst - and yet still managed to keep Himself apart. But He was fully aware of what was going on - and I suspect if there had been TV in Jesus' time, He would have watched some of it.

On the flip side, once you start down the path, it's a slippery slope - and this is where I have to continue to ask myself not only "does this hurt me" but "does this hurt my witness"? Because even though I may be able to use my discernment and enjoy something from an entertainment standpoint without harm to myself, it's entirely possible that by openly acknowledging that I do so I damage my ability to shine as God's light completely. This is, ultimately, what killed House for me. Everything about that show is so completely and outspokenly anti everything I believe, there is no way to reconcile me deriving even a modicum of enjoyment from it - no matter how witty the dialog. And so it had to go.

Still, I do tend to think it's a bit better to err on the side of being informed about the true state of how things are than to bury one's head in the sand and hope for sunshine tomorrow. Our culture is a mess and nothing reflects that better than our entertainment media. It's true, you don't have to watch TV and movies or read the best seller list to know that - but on the other hand, you really do have to dip your toe in to see the extent and how subversive the messages really are. And only if you really grasp that do I think you're going to be able to adequately defend yourself against the onslaught.