Kill your TV

The AFA is fussing about NBC's programming choices. Apparently, NBC has decided to air a Madonna special in which she will be mocking the crucifixion. Meanwhile, NBC is editing references to God from its Saturday morning Veggie Tales broadcasts. The AFA sees this as a call to arms; they're sending out emails exhorting people to complain to NBC about the network's "anti-Christian bias." Not only that, the AFA thinks that we should print out fliers and distribute them to others, in order to motivate them to complain to NBC.

This is all absurd. NBC is run by worldly people. The gospel of Jesus Christ is opposed to worldliness. That being the case, why shouldn't NBC have an "anti-Christian bias?" Christians stand for everything that the NBC folks are against - and vice versa. Would it make sense for the folks at NBC to start writing emails to Christians, whining about the Christians' "anti-worldliness bias?"

The real question, as far as I am concerned, is this: Why do Christians keep watching NBC? I will acknowledge that you may - on rare occasion - be able to find a decent show to watch on network television. But what about the commercials? How often have you been watching a seemingly wholesome show, only to be slapped in the face by a commercial featuring images of partially-clad young women moving their bodies in lewd and suggestive ways? Why do you willingly bring that trash into your home? If you want a truly godly home, you should keep that stuff out of it.

Look at this another way. If we follow the AFA's reasoning, we'll fuss and complain about the fact that NBC allows Madonna to perform her vile routine. But what about those aforementioned commercials? Do we complain about each and every one of them? Perhaps we've allowed our consciences to become sufficiently seared that we don't think about them. Or perhaps, deep down, some of us enjoy that little bit of titillation, and so we find ways to justify watching it. In either case, it is difficult to maintain that we really have our minds set on things above when we sit staring at images that are designed to incite lust and covetousness.

When we were courting, my wife (then fiance) and I agreed that we did not want a television in our home. While we knew that it was our responsibility as Christians to live in the world among worldly people, we also knew that we did not need to bring the world into our living room. As I write this post, my wife and I are just two months shy of our sixteenth wedding anniversary - and we have never once regretted the decision to go without TV. (If you're wondering what we do with our time - I'll try to cover that in a future post.)

If you find television programming offensive (and you should), then remind yourself that the appliance is in your control. Turn it off and find something worthwhile to do with your time.