Television

I grew up in a humble Christian home pretty much without television (TV). In 1953 Dad bought one; it lasted about a year, then kaput... without a television for years!

What was on TV at that time. About eight hours of basic programming on two local channels in black and white, as they all were. At about 8:00 PM channels would sign off. I can still hear the high frequency noise left behind and the "off the air" symbol. I used to look at that symbol quite a bit wishing that something might come on. It didn't. We went to bed and when we got up later to check, it was still off the air!

What did we do with our time? In 1953 I couldn't read so I went to bed and slept well. However, in my childhood I could read and read I did! I started out with comics of course, graduated to Shell Scott Novels, then Alfred Hitchcock Mysteries and finally I arrived! I read Mad Magazine (before it became filthy)!

In about the fourth grade I got turned on to history. The local library had biographies of sports figures, inventors and statesmen. Every evening I would check out one book, read it through, take it back and get another. I soon graduated to two biographies a night after I became a fourth grade speed reader. My record was six biographies after school in one evening. These weren't fourth grade books, but geared for junior and senior high.

My reading paid off! In my freshman year we all had to take a developmental reading curriculum. I started out with the most advanced level and finished soon. I was tested at 1300 words per minute that year. In my senior year developmental reading was required again. I didn't even have to take it. I could already speed read and understand what I read. I clepped out! My scholastic tests most often indicated that I was in the top 1.5 percentile. Nobody ever mentioned what that meant and I didn't ask! I had never read anything about intelligence quotients. I later read high level science, sociology, eugenics, and psychology.  I learned more on my own to fill the time. Why? Because we didn't have television!

Television of course can be used for positive things, but anecdotally, it's obvious that it curtails growth. People are lazy for the most part. They choose to watch what's fun and amusing rather than what's educational. Even when education programs are "on the air" as we once said, many of them are biased and offer little critical thinking. For instance, religion, especially Christianity seldom gets a fair shake in the non-written mass media. Those in the business to entertain are usually the most liberal and if they teach anything, it's their own ideologies!

Enough of my bragging about the rewards of poverty: now for the point: My preacher warned about the evils of television although at the time TV was still in its infancy. If I had been a devout Nazarene, which, to my dismay, I was not, I would have listened to old Brother Enoch Ralph. What an inspired preacher he was! Nazarenes, at that time, to be members, were not to attend movies nor watch television. What a glorious insight into the future!

On the other hand, by the time the Nazarene denomination had modernized, my preacher (ca 1990) said "We Nazarenes were wrong about television". How wrong this preacher was! As television became more tainted with time, he undertook to defend it in spite of his marital troubles with his wife's prolific watching, especially decadent programs.

Oh, what are we to do? What should Christians do?

Psalm 101:2 (ESV) "I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; 3 I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me."

"Pondering" is considering what to do, and in this case; considering things which are blameless.

Scripture says something about blame as well:

Philippians 2:15 "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;"

As Christians, we are as "shining lights in the world". We shall be without blame in a crooked and perverse world. When we are entertained (per Psalm 101:2) we look for entertainment that sets us apart from the world. By being entertained by those "in the flesh" we allow ourselves to be subject to blame by God. "Media Psychology" is the branch which explores the effects of the media on us. Since the average person watches seven hours of television each day plus untold hours of Internet, it has a profound effect on who they are! Why else would advertisers spend billions of dollars on advertising in the mass media if they didn't expect something in return!

What is it that advertises (and entertainers) expect:

• Obviously, money is the primary expectation. They want your hard earned dollars and you in turn give it to them! That's from where their advertising money comes.The filth which is peddled as entertainment on television; you pay for that! Why do they make trash? Because you vote for it with your money!
• They want your allegiance.  Entertainers and producers have a "cause" of some type. Many causes are for prestige, politics, and even religion; most of which are anti-Christian.
• They want to control you. It's their desire that you do what you're asked. It most often is subliminal messages or concepts incidental to the story, song, or play. During the Viet-nam War, anti-war songs were in vogue. Why? The entertainers wanted to end the war without victory and they enlisted the public. They controlled the masses,  the masses protested, the politicians ran scared and we lost the war. Because of their control of the public, the public is responsible for the loss of lives of innocent soldiers. Control is part of the progressive propaganda machine.
• They want your adoration. Those who present themselves as stars, want you to love them. They are mostly narcissists and as such want you to idolize them. 
• They want your consent. Because many stars live a twisted life, they want you to be twisted to rationalize (justify in their own eyes) their own perverse behavior. Because the nation is immoral they can be immoral without guilt. 
• They want your help in forming a new society. Since the western world of antiquity has been religious (read that Christian), capitalistic, militaristic and colonial, they seek to engage your help in creating a New World Order contrary to the old. They call this Utopian scheme "social justice".
• They want your soul! Most entertainers are not intelligent nor wily enough to understand their role in the eternal scheme of things. They are mere pawns guided by forces of evil. I know "You don't believe in what you can't see!", but I assure you, it's real. Even the friends of Jimi Hendrix realized that he was talented by grace from dark forces. There is a war going on between the forces of evil and the goodness of God. Your soul is the tribute that this invisible nation demands. Since the gate is narrow to salvation, most people will trade their soul in return for being duped into whatever spoilage is presented by the entertainment industry.

Referring again to Psalm 101:3 "I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless.", ask yourself, "What I'm watching on television does it have any redeeming value?"  Or ask "Would Jesus watch what I've been watching?" If you answer "No!" you're not blameless! Any fool would know that Jesus would not watch raunchy soap operas, shows about adultery and fornication, the walking dead, shows with cursing and F-bombs, and the like! Consequently, as a Christian, neither should you "set your eyes on anything that is worthless!"

The news today spoke of LBGT support of television shows. Many popular programs were praised for showing "gay friendly" people and  gays (sic) in normal day-to-day roles within the programs. It went on to say, that these shows are geared for the young who are more accepting of alternate lifestyles. Do you know why that is? Young people are not grounded in scripture. They judge things by what seems right in there own eyes. That's an old old concept accepted by naive young people:

Proverbs 21:2 "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes:"

Unfortunately for young people, their own eyes are not the standard God enforces. It's what God's will for us is! We are "lights to shine into the world" and that light is "blameless light". It's obedience to God.  Young people are vulnerable to manipulation by the media and even President Obama used their gullibility to win his office. He lied... they believed the lie because they weren't grounded in God's word!

Because a personality is attractive, charismatic and fluent does not make them qualified! Even Satan is handsome, a charmer and musical, but he is the epitome of evil!  We must be careful; Buyer beware! And to beware we must be discerning. Discernment comes from "pondering the way (God's)". Does he want you to be exposed to vile tricky entertainment which will turn you away from him? I think not! However, most people choose to duel with the devil, but in the end, the multi-barrel gun is just too powerful for your derringer!


I believe the entertainment industry is the ruination of the nation and they admit their own influence over you! What Miley does now is tame to what will be acceptable before you die. Your seed will do what they see in the media and your precious granddaughter may even be the next Miley Cyrus. She's nothing new! She's a copy of Jezebel, only more perverse and with more make-up! She is the role model that will make your granddaughter trashy while you watch along with her while she becomes trashy (if you are not wary)!

There is hope! Some Christians will recognize the vicarious effect that TV has on their family and make a change. There are some programs which are wholesome. Choose them wisely! However, I bet if the TV is unplugged and the cord hidden, that you will find a child ready for new worlds. That world is in the many good books which they can read as you supervise what they are reading. I went from Mad Magazine to Facts About the Presidents. That's a giant leap, but the biggest leap is a daily reading of the most popular book of all time; the Bible! I've even found myself reading the Confessions of Augustine because I have an inquiring mind! Why blow $2.50 on The National Enquirer when everything is free and true in scripture?

In conclusion, Brother Ralph was right. TV is not fit entertainment for Christians. It's so subtle that the average person does not detect their own changes. At least, I pray, select programs with redeeming spiritual value!