Entertainment & Pop Culture - General

By Jerry Price - May 1, 2006 -

“[T]he Christian is free to make entertainment a part of his life with the understanding that evil resides in people, not forms. But caution and discernment must be applied. We must be alert to the importance of our minds and what they can absorb through entertainment … Thus, I suggest the following three steps to cultivate sensitivity in our consciences.

  1. Consider what the conscience is relating before the entertainment. Is there something about it that we’ve heard or seen that brings discomfort? If so, it may be a signal to stay away from it.
  2. Consider the conscience during the entertainment. If we’re already watching and listening, are we mentally and spiritually comfortable? If no, we might need to get away from it. Unfortunately, too often the tendency is to linger too long, and in the process we find that what may have disturbed us previously we now take for granted.
  3. Consider the conscience after the entertainment. Now that it’s over, what are we thinking and feeling? We should be alert to what the Lord is showing us about what we have just made a part of our lives.”

Jerry Solomon, ed., Arts, Entertainment, & Christian Values (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2000), 136-138.

  • 93% of all adults own a VCR, including 94% of born again Christians. (2000)
  • 56% of all adults own a DVD player compared to only 18% in 2000. (2003)
  • Currently, one-quarter of Americans own a laptop or notebook computer (23%). (2003)
  • One in seven Americans have a palmtop, pocket computer, or PDA (14%). (2003)
  • Research shows that one-third (36%) of Americans now own a digital camera. (2003)
  • One out of 13 adults (8%) owns a Global Positioning Satellite service or GPS. (2003)
  • 65% of adults-including 68% of born again adults-were using a cell phone in February 2003. (58% and 59% respectively for 2000)
  • A majority of households own at least one PC. 55% own a desktop PC, 16% have a laptop/notebook, 8% own a palmtop PC. Penetration levels among Christians and non-Christians are identical. (2000)
  • 59% of households have Internet access at their home, compared with 50% in 2000; The percentage is the same among born again Christian households. (2003)
  • One-third of all households claim to have a home theater system (32%). (2003)

“Media and Technology,” Barna by Topic, http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=Topic&TopicID=27 (The Barna Group) [Accessed December 16, 2005]

Further Learning

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