Television
In Praise of Television
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Those of us who believe that God creates and controls the universe must also realize that God gives us an opportunity in the medium of television that we can take or leave. The challenge for Christians is not to write off a creation of man (and therefore God), but instead to decide if it’s possible to use it for the growth and expansion of God’s kingdom.
While there are numerous dangers that come with the medium (which we’ll discuss at a later time), there are also some significant benefits that can be associated uniquely with television.
Through television, we get know thoroughly characters that we normally would not
I’ll probably never have the chance to get to know a cranky hospital resident who’s familiarity with the health care system has left him cynical and hopeless, yet Scrubs gives me an opportunity to know a fictional version of this man. Watching Band of Brothers gave me a renewed appreciation for the “greatest generation” which I previously viewed (to my own detriment and shame) as old people. These opportunities should not be underestimated. Sure, I could have had similar experiences watching a film, but the long-term nature of a television series enables me to truly get to know a character, while a film simply lets me spy on them. As Christians, we have an obligation to see the image of God in human being, but sin often causes us to migrate away from those who are different than us, leaving them as caricatures in our minds. Television often confronts us with the humanity of those who are disabled, a different skin color, poor, or older than us. It’s an opportunity some of us could benefit greatly from.
Television requires less of a time commitment
I discussed in a previous post that one of the dangers of film is that once you’ve committed, you’re trapped in the theater for at least an hour and a half. The contrasting benefits of television are obvious at this point. The problem is that we oftentimes find ourselves forgetting about this benefit. Don’t like a television show? Turn the channel or turn it off. Not only is a television show usually significantly shorter, but you can “walk out” on them without annoying or distracting anyone.
The best thing we can do here is to actively look for opportunities to identify whether or not you’re wasting time. If it’s boring, a stumbling block, and/or just plain bad make sure you turn the channel or turn it off. God has given us the gift of the off button, and we ought to be good stewards in using it.
Television requires less of a monetary commitment
Stewardship doesn’t stop at the power button. There is enough quality art and entertainment on television these days that it is possible to partake in a good amount of quality art for free. Commercial interruptions, though they come with their own annoyances and problems, are a small price to pay for free content that requires only a commonly owned household appliance and a wire hanger.
Television often provides immediate common ground with others the next day
We live in a world of isolation and privacy. There are very few things we have in common with our neighbors, especially if they are nonbelievers. But televised events like the Super Bowl, The Oscars, Survivor (back in the day), American Idol, etc. (though flawed) give us something to talk about with our neighbors, coworkers and friends. Obviously this isn’t an end in and of itself when it comes to conversations with our acquaintances, but it is an undeniable opportunity to build real relationships with those around us. Some of the more profound cultural events will even give us clear opportunities to address issues such as death, love, life, religion, and redemption.
This is part 3 of an ongoing series on the benefits and dangers of various mediums. Check out the previous installments:
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Great post. nuff said.
Rich,
You wrote: “The challenge for Christians is not to write off a creation of man (and therefore God), but instead to decide if it’s possible to use it for the growth and expansion of God’s kingdom.”
I disagree.
While we are not to “write off creation” like a bunch of Gnostics, neither are we to use creation to expand Christ’s kingdom.
The kingdom of Christ is the church, which does not advance by means of TV, but by Word and sacrament. Why can’t I just watch TV and enjoy it for its own sake? Why do I have to “redeem that time” by finding some token of spiritual truth or means of kingdom-expansion in it?
Because then you could be popular with the cultural redemptionists who seem to hold court in the land of Pop-Christianity.
C’mon, The Pundit. Don’tcha wanna be popular?
Well, yeah, I wish more people liked me and all, but if my goal is to be more popular than Jesus, well, I don’t know if it’s worth it.
I’ll have to sit here with my chin on my fist and think about it.
Pundit: You’re right. That was probably a bit of an overstep. I guess I started the blog off on a pretty defensive note, but I still stand by the idea that all things are to be done for the glory of God, even when we enjoy art and entertainment for its own sake. Immediately, I believe strongly in art for art’s sake. Ultimately, I believe strongly in art for God’s sake alone.
I hope that makes sense and clarifies my position a bit.
The Dane: You know well that I only want to be popular with you>/i>. ;-)
Well if you keep talking about movies, books, and other pop-cultural inanities, you’ll be well on your way.
By the way: Rockband is total party game (and Rocks!!*) and though I don’t have a Wii to compare with, it seems that all current console-platforms now have a social game.
*note the capital R—it is important.
The Dane: Uhm, that’s true but why are you bringing that up here? I’m confused.
Because I had nowhere else to mention it ^_^ I did preface it with a “by the way”…
Haha, okay. I got desperate for a music game and ended up buying Guitar Hero 3 for the Wii. It’s not perfect by any means and it’s certainly no Rock Band, but it’s super fun. My wife hates it though…
Of course now I’m hearing rumblings that they’re bringing Rock Band out for the Wii as well.
Yeah. We had a bunch of people over on Saturday and had all four instruments blazing strong. Good times.
p.s., there’s no reason for Jessica to not like Guitar Hero III (save perhaps for the fact that it’s harder than II).
Chad and I took some advice before we were married to hold off on owning a TV for our first year together. After year one, we decided that we were still happy without one, and we feel the same even now. We do not think that TV is the devil/wrong/a complete waste/etc. We simply realize that the presence of one would probably cause problems for us. We are still learning to be more responsible with our time, and having a TV would be a major complication at this point. Will we ever own one? It’s possible, in fact it’s even probable, but for now, it’s just not a good idea. For now, we usually catch up on our tube time when we visit Chad’s parents and we’re allowed to relax and vegetate and let them play with their grandkids.
All that was to address your final point (whether or not it was a helpful preface is up to you). You mentioned that though TV is a great aid in getting to know a person, that conversation about TV “isn’t an end in and of itself when it comes to conversations with our acquaintances,” and I agree. While watching TV is probably a good aid for building friendship through common interests and, consequently, commonality, I found it a great challenge to find ways to get to know people through other means. When I was still working, I frequently was asked by my coworkers, “did you see ___ last week?” after which I had to explain why we didn’t own a TV and what we actually did in our spare time. It was difficult, because TV so dominates the lives of many, but I was typically able to get to know people very well. I worked with a good range of types of people and once the shock of my not owning a set was out of the way, I had some great dialogue with people, from the surface, and even sometimes, the depths. All I’m trying to say is that TV is often a good starting point, but I think that it’s a good practice to not always fall back on that.
Hope that all came out right.