Oct. 30, 2009
Manual: Entertainments
The Christian Life
34. We hold specifically that the following practices should be avoided:
34.1. Entertainments that are subversive of the Christian ethic. Our people, both as Christian individuals and in Christian family units, should govern themselves by three principles.
1. One is the Christian stewardship of leisure time. . .
A. Scripture
See pic at http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o30/marshall979/ephesians5_15.jpg
Ephesians 5
15 Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise,
16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. (NIV)
“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (KJV)
B. “Work for the Night is Coming”
Words: Anna L. Coghill, 1854, alt. by Lowell Mason, 1864. Coghill was only 18 years old when she wrote this hymn.
Music: Work Song, Lowell Mason, 1864
Work, for the night is coming
Work thro' the morning hours
Work while the dew is sparkling
Work ‘mid springing flowers
Work when the day grows brighter
Work in the glowing sun
Work, for the night is coming
When man’s work is done
Work, for the night is coming
Work thro' the sunny noon
Fill brightest hours with labor
Rest comes sure and soon
Give every flying minute
Something to keep in store
Work, for the night is coming
When man works no more
Work, for the night is coming
Under the sunset skies
While their bright tints are glowing
Work, for daylight flies
Work till the last beam fadeth
Fadeth to shine no more
Work, while the night is darkening
When man’s work is o’er
Words public domain
2. . . . A second principle is the recognition of the Christian obligation to apply the highest moral standards of Christian living. Because we are living in a day of great moral confusion in which we face the potential encroachment of the evils of the day into the sacred precincts of our homes through various avenues such as current literature, radio, television, personal computers, and the Internet, it is essential that the most rigid safeguards be observed to keep our homes from becoming secularized and worldly. However, we hold that entertainment that endorses and encourages holy living and affirms scriptural values should be affirmed and encouraged. We encourage our young people to use their gifts in media and the arts to influence positively this pervasive part of culture. . .
A. Scripture
See pic at http://www.doorposts.org/images/New%20Test/Phil%204.8%20wave.jpg
Philippians 4
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. (NIV)
B. Skit: I Saw It On the Box
©2001 Jonny White
1. Consider what goes into our minds. Evaluate what TV characters do and say with scripture.
a. Most people look back to the “Leave It To Beaver” days as golden, a time when television was moral. It was not blatantly evil, but. . .
1. Uninvolved father.
2. Usually did not attend church. Attended on Christmas and Easter.
3. No discipline. “Now Beaver.” Don’t do that again.
b. Realize that adults can evaluate what they watch better than children can. Even so, TV tends to put a person’s mind to sleep and one tends to watch about anything.
3. . . . The third principle is the obligation to witness against whatever trivializes or blasphemes God, as well as such social evils as violence, sensuality, pornography, profanity, and the occult, as portrayed by and through the commercial entertainment industry in its many forms and to endeavor to bring about the demise of enterprises known to be the purveyors of this kind of entertainment ventures and media productions that produce, promote, or feature the violent, the sensual, the pornographic, the profane, or the occultic, or which feature or glamorize the world’s philosophy of secularism, sensualism, and materialism and undermine God’s standard of holiness of heart and life. . .
A. Scripture
See pic at http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Jj8JF-PluPI/RjiMa2aen5I/AAAAAAAAAIg/9pQ4II0aX80/s320/hell-11g.jpg
Jude 22-23
Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear--hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. (NIV)
B. Response
1. Hymnal 712 -- Rescue the Perishing
2. Hymnal 710 -- One Precious Soul
4. . . . We suggest that the standard given to John Wesley by his mother, namely, “whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things, whatever increases the authority of your body over mind, that thing for you is sin,” form the basis for this teaching of discrimination.
A. Skit: “It’s Just a Little Tumor"
1) As silly as it sounds for someone to not get a tumor removed people will just live their lives without Christ even though the wages of sin are death. It is foolish to not accepting Christ. It is foolish not to ask forgiveness of sin, because they might lose face if they were repentant. Many people would rather live with the "tumor" of being away from God rather than have everyone think that they are sick or not perfect.
34. We hold specifically that the following practices should be avoided:
34.1. Entertainments that are subversive of the Christian ethic. Our people, both as Christian individuals and in Christian family units, should govern themselves by three principles.
1. One is the Christian stewardship of leisure time. . .
A. Scripture
See pic at http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o30/marshall979/ephesians5_15.jpg
Ephesians 5
15 Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise,
16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. (NIV)
“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (KJV)
B. “Work for the Night is Coming”
Words: Anna L. Coghill, 1854, alt. by Lowell Mason, 1864. Coghill was only 18 years old when she wrote this hymn.
Music: Work Song, Lowell Mason, 1864
Work, for the night is coming
Work thro' the morning hours
Work while the dew is sparkling
Work ‘mid springing flowers
Work when the day grows brighter
Work in the glowing sun
Work, for the night is coming
When man’s work is done
Work, for the night is coming
Work thro' the sunny noon
Fill brightest hours with labor
Rest comes sure and soon
Give every flying minute
Something to keep in store
Work, for the night is coming
When man works no more
Work, for the night is coming
Under the sunset skies
While their bright tints are glowing
Work, for daylight flies
Work till the last beam fadeth
Fadeth to shine no more
Work, while the night is darkening
When man’s work is o’er
Words public domain
2. . . . A second principle is the recognition of the Christian obligation to apply the highest moral standards of Christian living. Because we are living in a day of great moral confusion in which we face the potential encroachment of the evils of the day into the sacred precincts of our homes through various avenues such as current literature, radio, television, personal computers, and the Internet, it is essential that the most rigid safeguards be observed to keep our homes from becoming secularized and worldly. However, we hold that entertainment that endorses and encourages holy living and affirms scriptural values should be affirmed and encouraged. We encourage our young people to use their gifts in media and the arts to influence positively this pervasive part of culture. . .
A. Scripture
See pic at http://www.doorposts.org/images/New%20Test/Phil%204.8%20wave.jpg
Philippians 4
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. (NIV)
B. Skit: I Saw It On the Box
©2001 Jonny White
1. Consider what goes into our minds. Evaluate what TV characters do and say with scripture.
a. Most people look back to the “Leave It To Beaver” days as golden, a time when television was moral. It was not blatantly evil, but. . .
1. Uninvolved father.
2. Usually did not attend church. Attended on Christmas and Easter.
3. No discipline. “Now Beaver.” Don’t do that again.
b. Realize that adults can evaluate what they watch better than children can. Even so, TV tends to put a person’s mind to sleep and one tends to watch about anything.
3. . . . The third principle is the obligation to witness against whatever trivializes or blasphemes God, as well as such social evils as violence, sensuality, pornography, profanity, and the occult, as portrayed by and through the commercial entertainment industry in its many forms and to endeavor to bring about the demise of enterprises known to be the purveyors of this kind of entertainment ventures and media productions that produce, promote, or feature the violent, the sensual, the pornographic, the profane, or the occultic, or which feature or glamorize the world’s philosophy of secularism, sensualism, and materialism and undermine God’s standard of holiness of heart and life. . .
A. Scripture
See pic at http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Jj8JF-PluPI/RjiMa2aen5I/AAAAAAAAAIg/9pQ4II0aX80/s320/hell-11g.jpg
Jude 22-23
Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear--hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. (NIV)
B. Response
1. Hymnal 712 -- Rescue the Perishing
2. Hymnal 710 -- One Precious Soul
4. . . . We suggest that the standard given to John Wesley by his mother, namely, “whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things, whatever increases the authority of your body over mind, that thing for you is sin,” form the basis for this teaching of discrimination.
A. Skit: “It’s Just a Little Tumor"
1) As silly as it sounds for someone to not get a tumor removed people will just live their lives without Christ even though the wages of sin are death. It is foolish to not accepting Christ. It is foolish not to ask forgiveness of sin, because they might lose face if they were repentant. Many people would rather live with the "tumor" of being away from God rather than have everyone think that they are sick or not perfect.