“Turn off the tube, it rots the mind.”
This is an old saw that I think bears much truth. Anyone who has interacted with over-stimulated people, like teenagers and college students living the dorm life, knows that an over-emphasis on sensational entertainments (loud music videos, video games, and television) doesn’t lend one to a sense of subtlety. So, why does the church do exactly this with its cool screaming youth pastors, loud bands, and big screen sanctuaries?
I’ve often lamented the shallowness of modern evangelicalism and how we bleed kids when they leave home. I believe a major reason for this is that they are overwhelmed with the sensational until it underwhelms and they are left hollowed-out shells incapable of fine discernment. Young adults incapable of discerning the fine subtleties of sacraments, biblical typology, and a well-constructed and executed liturgy (things which are fire and wind for the mature).
In the end, the entertainment driven culture of evangelicalism is endlessly sowing the seeds of its own destruction as it pumps out young adults who are unable to defend the faith with the gusto that is inculcated by a church culture that values depth and maturity.
Amen to that!
Posted by: Jonathan White | June 16, 2014 at 03:05 AM