A "BIBLE-BELIEVING" MINISTER WHO LIKES TO WATCH T.V.?!

My Bible passage for this blog entry is Romans chapter fourteen- the WHOLE thing!  That’s one of the most famous New Testament chapters which deals with the issue of “gray areas”.  Oh, yes, there are gray areas in the Christian life!  For instance, is it O.K. to drink alcoholic beverages?  That’s a gray area.  Should evangelical Christians serve in the military?  That’s a gray area.  Is it O.K. to buy a raffle ticket to support a worthy charity?  That’s a gray area.  AND, the area I’m hitting on today:  Is it O.K. for born-again Christians to enjoy their television shows?

I realize there is a lot of “trash” on television- there’s sort core and hard core pornography; there’s excessive violence, there are shows which are VERY anti-Christian.  I don’t think that stuff is O.K.  And, I DO think you can watch too much television.  (For that matter, you can do anything too much- you can DIE from drinking too much water!)  In the comical film, “Being There”, the Peter Sellers character “Chauncey Gardner” frequently says, “I like to watch T.V.”.  Well, I realize that after comparing myself to Chauncey Gardner I’m risking being called a “total vidiot” but I like to watch T.V., too!

There’s a real snobbery against people who like to watch T.V. and it’s especially bad among evangelical Christians.  Each year, Mrs. Fennell (who used to teach at New Covenant Christian School) writes a very judgmental piece in the MetroWest Daily News encouraging everyone to observe “T.V. Turn Off Week”.  New Covenant Christian School used to encourage that, but even when my wife worked there and all my kids attended we NEVER did that.
Over the years, I’ve noticed that the MOST prayerful and committed and Godly people at the church I pastor watch the most T.V.  I’m serious.  On the other hand, one guy who boasted frequently about how LITTLE television he watched and said it should be called “Hell-evision”; well THAT guy failed a random drug test on his job and was exposed as a secret drug abuser and alcoholic!

I like Christian programming.  I love to watch Billy Graham when he’s on T.V.  I love public affairs programming.  Although most of my family can’t stand the show, I like the “McLaughlin Group” on PBS.  I also like “Nova” and “Frontline”.  If every Christian family in America watched “Nova”, “Frontline”, and “McLaughlin Group” every week,we’d be much smarter people and we’d have a much better idea of how to pray for our country and our world.

I like entertainment programming, too.  I love “Seventh Heaven”.  Although we all watched what was SUPPOSEDLY the “final episode ever” a couple of weeks ago, “Seventh Heaven” has been picked up by the new “CW” Network so it will be back next year.  I like ABC’s “Lost” as well.  For those of you who are “Lost” fans, I LOVE the character John Locke.  I don’t look ANYTHING like him, but I am “wired” SO much like that character that it kind of scares me!  One early episode of this season showed how Locke was transformed from a man paralyzed by fear and insecurity to a man who boldly launched out believing in faith and fate.  I saw SO much of myself in that episode.  I was actually wiping the tears away as I watched it.  And, although “American Idol” is predictable and manipulative, I generally watch it and I like it.  (Of course, sometimes it conflicts with “Lost” and usually “Lost” wins that one!)

I will admit to liking really silly stuff.  “Malcolm in the Middle” is a cross between The Brady Bunch on crack and The Three Stooges.  For those who know “Malcolm in the Middle”, I’ll say in my best “Stevie” voice:
“Sometimes (SIGH) it’s (SIGH) just (SIGH) good (SIGH) to let (SIGH) the stress (SIGH) go (SIGH) and watch (SIGH) a totally (SIGH) crazy (SIGH) slapstick family comedy (BIG SIGH).”  I also LOVE the animated “King of the Hill”.  My kids think I’m a lot like Hank Hill.  Well, I’m a New Englander, not a Texan, and I’m white collar and not blue collar, but I’m AS fanatical about keeping up my lawn and about people being responsible and not foolish as Hank Hill is!

I know, I know, some of you don’t even think I’m saved after reading this column.  Well, read Romans 14 three times, and then put your feet up and watch a good T.V. show!