Skip to main content

Christian Media




Some believers in Jesus shy away from the media, saying that it is secular and Christ’s followers need not dabble in it. While I certainly agree that Christians should be very careful as to what they watch, read, and listen to, I have never been opposed to the use and participation in media.

There has never been a culture so immersed in media as ours is. Bill Hull points out that “next to sleeping and working, Americans devote more time to the media than to any other daily activity. In a typical day the average American spends eight hours on the job, seven hours sleeping, and nearly five hours absorbing media messages[1].”

That figure was published in 1988, and I would guess that the “nearly five hours” has only increased.

What those numbers mean is the media is raising our children. They tell us what to think, what is normal, what is intolerant, etc. We spend less time in church in a week than we do with the media in a day.

It is no wonder that people nod their heads in church on Sunday and then live a totally different life the rest of the week. The number 1 influencer is giving a different message.

So as Christians lets not run away from the media and blame it for all of our problems. Lets recognize its potential and embrace its usefulness. Lets utilize the media for the cause of Christ and offer a voice of truth among all the chaos.

Write a blog or a book, send a tweet or update your status, and do it all to the glory of God (but please don’t be in your face on Facebook—that’s a turnoff). Find Christian shows and DVDs, and pass them on to your friends. Look for websites that defend the gospel against evolution, and post a link. People will read and watch it because they love the media.

Your friends could be 1 click away from salvation. Will you help them get there?


[1] Hull, Bill, The Disciple-Making Pastor, Fleming H. Revell, p.38

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

To Save a Life

(Like my blog about the peace symbol, this blog was written as a default response to all the parents, students, and other people who are asking my opinion of To Save a Life.) By now you have probably heard of the movie To Save a Life, which opened nation-wide in theaters on January 22nd. The movie deals with so many issues that teens face today, like suicide, cutting, drinking, drugs, premarital sex, teen pregnancy, and abortion. At first glance this movie looks like an awesome resource that we should recommend for our teens, parents, youth pastors, and youth workers. But a closer look at the movie reveals a few disturbing things. For starters, according to pluggedin.com, there are 2 uses of the “A” word, 5 uses of hell (used as a curse word), and once the “D” word is used. There are other crude terms used to describe a girl, and crude terms for referring to sexual activity. There is also a bedroom scene that shows a girl removing a boy’s shirt, then afterwards the girl putting he...

Evangelism

“Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.” St. Francis of Assisi is given credit for this famous quote (although that exact phrasing does not appear in any of his writings), and a lot of people would think that this is a great philosophy. His actual quote was that everyone should “preach by their deeds.” Preaching with our deeds is not just a strategy, it is a necessity. We are commanded all through the Scriptures to let our light shine and be a peculiar people. People should be able to look at our lives and see that we are Christians. They should see the love of Christ readily on display, and thus feel compelled to live their lives in the same way. The sermon that we should preach with our lives is a sermon of love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, forgiveness, conviction, etc. But this idea that has emerged that says we should ONLY preach with our deeds is a heresy straight from the devil himself. Think about it: who is the one that does not want you t...

All Things To All Men

One of our favorite verses to use in our evangelism methods is where Paul said that he “becomes all things to all men” so that he might “by all means save some (I Corinthians 9:22).” This is certainly a good idea if we keep it in its proper context and application. For example, I remember a time in high school where I knew a kid that loved skateboarding. Being the chicken that I am, I was never a skateboarder. All he would talk about was skating, and I knew none of his lingo. But to help develop a relationship with him (he was new to our church and didn’t know many people), I brushed up on my skating lingo so I could ask if he had done any sick ollies lately (impressed?). This would be like Paul saying “to the skateboarder, I became a skateboarder.” This is effective and necessary. But then there are the people that use this verse to justify doing sinful things in the name of evangelism. The first one that comes to mind is about drinking. Some people will go into the bars to evan...