Media...Means to What End?

Reality TV reveals the most egregious pitfalls of humanity. We waste hours of our lives watching programs that arguably decrease the amount of brain cells in our otherwise functioning brains. Some of us watch shows dedicated to stalking rich families as they engage in outrageous drama, while others stare with gruesome curiosity at scenes within a home whose owner is a hoarder.
Of course, reality TV isn’t the only form of debilitating nonsense available on TV or in media at large. Soap operas, gossip magazines, various forms of music and talk shows hypnotize us with their warped perceptions of reality just the same.
One box-like electronic device sitting in homes enslaves families and transforms minds into waste dumps. Magazines lying casually on tables reach into our minds and captivate them with the material being advertised. Music flowing throughout a room or car wraps itself around our thoughts and injects the content into our perspectives and worldviews.
Media is powerful. It at once sucks us in, repulses us, informs us, twists our perspectives, encourages us, enrages us, and draws out every emotion conceivable. Most of the time, this remains an unseen process. Our reactions to media aren’t often conscious; we simply find ourselves as bait being pulled through murky waters.
Before we get too carried away, media is not inherently immoral. Some outlets are, to be sure, but others remain morally neutral (like sports), and a small few actually dedicate themselves to spiritual growth and maturity.
Engaging in media does not ban us to hell. God doesn’t hate us or think we’re less spiritual if we watch TV, nor are we condemned for listening to rap music or dancing. (King David danced all the time by the way, but that’s another topic for another time.)
Though powerful, media itself is neutral. Our job is to discern how best to engage it.
Exercising our Christian faith is like walking up a downward escalator. As bona fide sinners and justified saints, we wrestle with the Romans 7 tension of walking in accordance with the Gospel while tripping over potholes and boulders thrown at us from the enemy. We often act like we don’t want to, and then don’t act the way we want to. We get confused, disoriented, turned-round and thrown up-side down.
The only way to remain in Christ (and consequently run from sin) is to abide in Christ via the Gospel. That means immersing ourselves daily in His truth and saturating our minds with His plans and purposes.
Media plays a huge role in our conquests of faith. More often than not, it proves to be an agent distracting us from the Gospel. Instead of contemplating on the truths of Scripture, we squander our time by filling our minds with worthless information, empty plotlines, and transparent worldly promises.
Our lives are short. We receive very little time on earth to engage and thrive in faith. We’re given one chance to learn about the greatest display of love and grace this world has ever known (the Gospel), and one designated amount of time to respond to it. Reponses range in size and form, including our rest and work, fun and discipline, freedom and discernment.
The challenge we face with media is one of balance and purpose. Is our time with media held in proper balance to the rest of our lives? Do we find ourselves engaging more with it than we do with our families and/or with God?
Are we being purposeful with media or are we letting it define our purpose? Are we diligently discerning the media outlets we fancy? Or do we watch, listen, and read whatever we want whenever we want without a critical view?
The under girding question in our relationships with media is this:
Is media a means through which we worship or an end in which God is ignored?
It can’t be both. As Paul states in Romans 8, “The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”
All media should be used to zoom in our focus to Christ, not divert our attention to the peripheral vision of our perishing world. Ask Him to shift your focus to Christ first using any method available—even media. Let Him be the end we pursue, and media remain a means through which it’s accomplished.