Missing the point...

I was reading the book, "Adventures in missing the point" and I came across the chapter on culture. It was an interesting chapter for a young man now, that grew up being isolated from much of the culture (save my uncle taping the Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune). I was not exposed at all to much of anything that wasn't "Christian". I was born in 1981 and other than the occasional country music that my mom (I think secretly) would listen to, the first music that I really heard was Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi (thanks Kerry). We were allowed to watch some sports...not all that much and some cartoons, on Saturday mornings. I played Little League baseball, went to the Boys Club some days, but other than that...I didn't come into contact with anyone or anything that wasn't "Christian". I fear that, as the author puts it in the book, that has made me too much of an isolationist. I understand what my parents were trying to do, protect me and keep me from "worldly" things. I can still remember my grandma giving a lesson on the flannel graph with all these things you shouldn't do, like go to the bowling alley or to the movie theatre. "Sinful", she would say. The devil is just trying to lead you down a path you don't want to go to. I can almost hear her say this one line that, unbelievably I have said since becoming a pastor..."Sin will take you farther than you'll ever want to go". While that is true...I feel that I have become close-minded on some things and that is one thing I swore I would never do.

Christians should be in the world. Does that mean that they shouldn't stay away from places that might cause them to slip? Of course not. But as the author puts it, Christians can go to these places and still be on a mission. A Christian is to go into the world and show God's love to those who don't know Him. How are we to do that if we are being bigots standing outside those
places with tracts and judgemental glances and all? Is that true love? I don't think so. Am I saying that we should go wherever or see anything we want to? Heavens NO! As the other author of the book states,

"To act as though there is some profound truth waiting to be uncovered in
cheap and tawdry stuff is hardly Christian."

Most of the entertainment out there is garbage...useless things that are just fluff. Still, that doesn't mean that we should remove ourselves so far from the world that we become no longer relavent to their needs and hurts. If we go too far the other way, we are in danger of falling into things that equally as bad as what we are trying to get away from. If we go too far either to protect ourselves from "worldly" things or we become so into world that no one can tell us apart, we are breaking a command either way. My prayer is that God would help me stay in the middle. A middle that is full of love, grace, understanding but also discernment, passion and convictions. I believe there is such a place, it is called being a Christian. Now we just have to work on living that out.

SMYG.