Saturday
Monday
Media Abstention
For ten
days, I abstained from as many mediums as possible, including regular
television, movies, the radio, blogs/tumblers, and social media including
twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and HeyTell. I had not considered myself someone
constantly tethered by technology, however the results of this fast were
telling.
I was
initially caught off guard by the unconscious nature of my habits. The first
night I turned on the television for about 30 seconds before I “came to” and
realized what I was doing. I ate my dinner in silence, and resolved to go to
bed early out of my confusion of how to spend my time in the evening hours. The
next couple days I learned to embrace my free time as an opportunity to get
ahead on required reading, and even had enough time to spare for optional
reading (gasp).
My
relationships were challenged, which was not expected at all. Family and
friends were at a loss of how to engage with me, whether that was from
entertainment or connecting me. “How do we engage if not in front of a TV,” and
“how do I contact you if you are not on Facebook,” were questions I had to
address. We dusted off the board games and I had the opportunity to share in
more detail the nature of my studies. These conversations proved to be a
blessing for myself and my friends, and I was encouraged and affirmed and they
seemed refreshed at considering some new ideas they had never thought about
before.
As I
reflected, while taking advantage of my new found free time, I was able to come
to a few conclusions. I have always been quick to notice and hold people
accountable who are slipping into callousness, yet I deduced how calloused I
myself had actually become. It was not that I had intrinsically been sinning by
engaging in these specific mediums, but I had let my exposure to them gradually
fog my judgment, steal my attention from the Lord, and lead me into temptation
from which I am called to flee. Neil Postman has said that “forms of media
favor particular kinds of content,” and I understood how applicable this
statement is in light of television and it’s utilization of imagery.[1]
Sexual immorality is usually stimulated visually, and therefore television must
be watched most responsibly, if not simply abstained from all together.
I read
in a personal testimony I had written some years ago, that I had noticed a
tendency to busy myself out of fear of what I would find in the silence. After
reading that I reflected on how I have let the specific medium of television
become background noise in my life, again protecting me from the silence.
However, I now realize that silence is not something from which to be
protected.
During
this media fast when I was too tired to study, yet not tired enough to sleep, I
would try to sit still in reflect, but initially had to journal because it was
so difficult to simply sit still. As Dr. Groothius has stated, I had to sit
still long enough to stop twitching.[2]
I began
to reflect on certain patterns. I was able to read through the lines on a current
theme I had been hearing through lectures, scripture, and sermons, and noticed that
God had been trying to get my attention. What God had been trying to teach me
was directly hindered by certain media which, again, had fogged my judgment,
stolen my attention from focusing on the Lord, and was what had led me into the
specific temptation from which God was trying to free me.
I
mediated on Galatians 5, and was able to see it in a blatantly applicable
light. Verse 13 tells us to not use our freedom to indulge the flesh (Galatians
13:5). As believers, I think sometimes we get caught up thinking that abstaining
from worldliness is an infringement on our freedom, when in reality abstention
is a way in which to experience freedom. This should be obvious as humans whom
have experienced the effects of sin.
Paul
tells the Galatians “walk by the spirit and you will not gratify the desire of
the flesh” (Galatians 5:16), and in his letter to the Romans explains that “the
mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is
life and peace” (Romans 8:6). James reiterates this point in his letter (James
1:15).
The
Spirit should not be seen only as a
helper to keep from what leads to death. Paul continues: “Those who belong to
Christ have been crucified in the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we
live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25).
Living by the Spirit should be seen as an inevitability, as it is the only way
to continue the sanctification process after the moment of justification.
However, in a world overwhelmed by secular media, we should read this as a
commandment to intentionally keep from letting our minds be ruled by anything
other than the Spirit, so that he may dwell as Lord.
If our
worldview is dictated by which lens we see the world through, this will be
evident from where our time is spent: engaging in secular culture or spending
efforts to become enlightened to Christian truth. Through this fast I was able
to see why there is such a tension that exists when Biblical truth is known and
yet a secular worldview is practiced. Most of what our media portrays, though
sometimes very subtly, is contrary to that which the Bible teaches gives life.
Because of this, abstaining from indulging in secular media should be seen as a
necessity in letting our lives become controlled by the Spirit.
In his
letter to the Galatians, Paul states first and foremost to no let oneself be
burdened again by the yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1). When we allow our time
to be spent influenced by secular media, we are asking to face this tension
mentioned above.
To
conclude in the words of Chuck Colson, the best way to overcome this is to
“demand something better—to seek out, as Paul wrote
in Philippians, whatever is noble, right, pure, admirable, and to 'think on
these things. Paul is commanding us to discipline ourselves to reflect on
excellence. And he doesn't limit that to spiritual things, either. The command
applies to everything—the music we listen to, the books and magazines we read,
the films we watch." [3]
Postman,
Nail. Amusing Ourselves to Death. Harrisonburg:
R. R. Donnelly & Sons, 1987.
Colson,
Chuck. "Elvis Mania," Breakpoint with Chuck Colson. June 1993,
17.Tuesday
Meditation #2
(...) God is necessarily good. Therefore, any conclusion we come to which portrays God in a negative light, necessarily has false premises or misunderstandings. Ethics are a reflection of God, and are therefore necessarily good. What the bible teaches can have arguments which prove their goodness, various unbiased apologetics, but at the end of the day is it in their essence to be good. Therefore, any conclusion we come to which claims the ethical teachings of the Bible are not in fact good, necessarily has false premises or misunderstandings.
Monday
Meditation #1
It is a curious idea to me, comprehension, both of writing and of reading. I have concluded and (then) find the desire or passion behind the importance of the conclusion. I retrace my thoughts to lead my reader to the same conclusion, yet I can't help but summarize, as this is my second time in this thought journey. This I struggle in meeting the minimum length requirements, do I also succumb to in-articulation? Is that a even a word? I am reminded that my goal is to be conversant, or my knowledge is gained in vain.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)