Underlying Theme: Desensitize You

The amount of unsavory, degrading, profanity laden media far outweighs the amount of clean, wholesome media available. Whether consciously or subconsciously, we all start to be desensitized when constantly surrounded by things not from God.

Things that start little (a slang word here or there, slightly inappropriate physical contact, hitting and kicking but no resulting injuries), are ramped up in small degrees over time. At first, maybe those things made you uncomfortable to a degree. But as life goes on, you watch more, what’s acceptable continue to grow more graphic and violent, and suddenly what used to bother you no longer does.

Now, violence doesn’t seem bad unless it’s gory and outright murder. Physical contact is ok as long it doesn’t involve actual porn. Foul language, racial slurs, degrading talk, and disrespectful tones is the new cool lingo. What was once viewed as “Oh my, no thank you!” is now glossed over because it’s just “part of the show, nothing I can do about it, I’ll just close my eyes/mute those parts”.

Generational trend

How many times have you heard someone from an older generation, comment on the younger generation being not as: disciplined, responsible, respectful, hard-working, etc., and being more whiny, entitled, promiscuous, lazy??? The behavior of younger generations has been changing, and at the risk of being classified as old, I’d say not for the better.

If we look where the younger generation spends the majority of their time, it’s glued to screens. I think it’s safe to say, they copy behaviors modeled before them, which if we look at what’s available, it’s quite honestly all junk.

We typically try to preview any movie our kids might watch first. I cannot tell you how many get a thumbs down due to hidden innuendos/agendas, sass talk, inappropriate clothes, and name calling. It doesn’t even seem like the cartoons of my early years are the same anymore.

why it matters

From our point of view, it doesn’t matter that the “inappropriate xyz” won’t be understood until they’re older. It matters that the seed will have been planted and will be steadily watered as they continue to grow older and become more exposed to un-Christ like behavior.

Will we be able to protect them from everything? Absolutely not. But by choosing to be prudent and intentional now, we can better guide them as things become age appropriate, and pause the effects of desensitization.

I get why it’s compelling to dive into the trending filtered popular entertainment shows everyone’s raving about. Especially with the profanity, violence, and sex taken out. However, if the basis of the show is still steeped in sin, all we’re doing is turning a blind eye to it. God calls us to stand up against such behavior, not bow to it.

How Would Jesus Feel?

Have you ever heard of those “WWJD” bracelets that rocked the Christian youth world in the 1990’s? The letters stand for “What Would Jesus Do?” The movement worked well, because I still find myself uttering those letters as an adult!

I think those words are highly applicable in this situation. Before you read the book, watch the movie, listen to the podcast, peruse the magazine, let your thoughts wonder… ask yourself:

What Would Jesus Think and Feel?

Would you continue down your current path if he were sitting right next to you. (P.S. He already is!) Sure, maybe you can “cut out the bad parts”, but you’d still need to explain why the media is stilted. Would you feel perfectly fine explaining those things to Jesus or would you feel a little sheepish?

If at any point, you would feel uncomfortable partaking in something with Jesus right next to you, then perhaps you shouldn’t be dabbling with it at all. And if we shouldn’t be dabbling with these things, then why are we supporting them?

Support Heavenly Things

We should all be huge fans of things that draw us closer to God and run away from things that don’t. When we continue to purchase and/or subscribe to various forms of entertainment, that defy God’s plan for us and contain content in direct opposition of how we’re supposed to live as Christ followers, it’s a form of supporting the devil.

Maybe that seems like a bold statement. But perhaps in our desensitization, we’ve adopted the attitude of “It’s just how it is these days.”, which is not Godly either. God instructs us to have no other idols before him (Deuteronomy 5:7-9). If we’re unwilling to give something up or willing to justify why something negative is ok, it’s dangerous territory for idol status.

At the end of the day, it’s more important for us to make sure our personal relationship with God is honorable, rather than doing/not doing something for an applaudable effect, to save money, or to be “less sinful”.

Teetering with Soft Porn

Speaking of “less sinful”… I spent the majority of my twenties as an unbeliever. A teenage pregnancy led to hurt from the church and a decision to walk away from God. I’m not proud of those years; however, they come with insight.

Sex scenes, whether on paper or a screen, changes how you view intimate relationships. Any person who says otherwise is kidding themselves. The effects of watching pornography plague me to this day, in different ways, at different times. You cannot unsee things.

You might think, “We’ll I’ve never watched actual porn, so I’m ok.” But I would challenge you to search your heart on watching anything that includes the following:

• People “making out” in a manner not fit for public display
• People fondling each other, with or without clothes on
• People having sex but “under the covers”
• People being sexually aroused by others, with or without intercourse
• People walking around without clothes (doesn’t matter top or bottom or both)
• People wearing scant clothes purposefully trying to illicit a sexual response
• People employing any sexually physical activity meant to illicit a sexual response

All of the above, are essentially soft porn, a version of filtered popular entertainment. Merriam Webster’s dictionary uses the term “soft-core: containing descriptions or scenes of sex acts that are less explicit than hard-core material.”

This ties into desensitizing and needing to ask yourself the “What would Jesus think and feel?” question posed above. Would you watch these things, whether edited or not, with Jesus (or your kids, no matter their age) sitting next to you? If you’d feel a little squirmy, it could be the Holy Spirit trying to tell you something!

Out of the World, Not In It

Jesus tells us in John 15:19, that as disciples, we “do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world”. Jesus warned us it would not be easy to follow him and would require going against the grain. Living outside of how everyone else lives.

Are you comfortable doing that? Do your daily choices reflect God’s character? Does your private life and public life look the same? Would someone who just met you or browsed your social media feed recognize something different about you and attribute it to being a Christ follower? Would you boldly proclaim you’re a Christ follower right after watching a show full of violence, sex, profanity and disrespectful behavior?

heart check

If the answer to those questions is no, it’s an indicator you might be living in the world. God does not expect perfection, thank goodness because heavens know I’m certainly not. But he does call us to set our hearts and minds on things above and put earthy things to death (Colossians 3). To think about things that are noble, praiseworthy, pure, lovely, admirable (Philippians 4:8).

If we have to rationalize what we use to entertain ourselves with; with comments like “Oh, it’s ok, that’s all edited out anyway”, we’re most certainly embracing the world view and not God’s.

Sin hides and thrives in the darkness. It is very hard to be a genuine Christ follower, when living in darkness. There is no room for half-truths, thin ice, slippery slopes, or filtered popular entertainment. Trust me. I’ve been there, and I don’t want that for you.

As Christ followers, the Holy Spirit dwells within us. What a precious gift from God to help us discern when and where we may need to lay some things down.

Please know these words are written in love and a desire to help deepen your relationship with God. There is absolutely no judgement and in no way is this meant as an attack on anyone who currently uses these types of programs (or the program creators). Nor is it meant to say we should live in a box. It’s meant to create a pause in thinking and prayerfully consider if God is calling you to change.

If there’s one thing I would go back in time and change, it would be when I danced with the devil. But God has a purpose for everything, his redemptive stories never go to waste, and it enables me to share lessons learned the hard way (so you don’t have to)!

If you’d like to learn more about starting your own walk with Jesus, check out the “Want to know more” section on the Faith page. I’d love to have you connect with me as well!

And lastly, I would love to know your thoughts on this topic. Feel free to share any respectful comments with us below!