"Taming the Tube" Colossians 3:1-10 -Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus
I found out, too late to inform you, that this past week was National Turn Off TV Week. You probably didn’t hear about it on the 6 O’Clock Evening News! I heard about it from Fr Joe Hennessey of Blessed Sacrament Church, then learned more from Crosswalk.com, a Christian website. Families are being encouraged to leave the TV off and do more creative things. When TV was invented, people thought it would bring families together; it hasn’t quite worked that way. I heard of a guy who was so hooked on television that when the town had a power failure he had to be introduced to his kids!
So what does the Bible have to say about TV? There actually are some verses about television: Proverbs 15:14, "The wise are hungry for truth, but a fool feeds on trash." Philippians 4:8, "Whatever is true, right, pure, lovely, admirable or praiseworthy-think on such things." And here’s my favorite, Psalm 101:3, "I will set no unclean thing before my eyes." Job made a covenant with his eyes (31:1)-perhaps we ought to as well.
We’ve all heard people criticize the negative messages sent out by TV. One critique you may not have thought much about is a very subtle message TV communicates: Except for a few shows, for the most part religion is portrayed as not being a factor in life-faith is not shown to be an integral part of the lives of the characters in any substantial way. I appreciated the positive values of The Cosby Show, but I was disappointed in never seeing the Huxtables attend church or even talk about God. If someone were to form an opinion about Americans simply from TV, that person might conclude that we are not a religious people. We’re materialistic, violent, and sex-crazed, but not religious. From just watching TV, it seems like God doesn’t exist, He’s doesn’t occupy even a small part of people’s lives. Characters on TV shows aren’t even angry at God; they simply ignore Him.
We need to recognize that all TV is "educational". The only question is: What are we learning? Kids are experts at watching TV. They can remember scenes and repeat dialogue from all types of shows and commercials. Consider Sarah, a 2-year-old girl who was told by her mother: "It’s way past your bedtime." Dancing in front of the TV, the little girl called back, "Mom, it’s not bedtime. It’s Miller Time!"
People are talking about the latest sleezy "reality show", The Bachelor. TV promotes casual sex without commitment or consequences, and desensitizes people to immorality. The Bible regards physical love as a gift from God, blessed and holy, but TV cheapens that gift. Consider some of the things that were unthinkable ten years ago, and now are regarded as commonplace; we see them whenever we turn on the set. Think of the standards that have dropped, and we hardly notice, because the drop came gradually as we watched over the years, as TV every season "pushes the envelope". Think again what may be commonplace ten years from now-not a pleasant thought to ponder.
I don’t think I need to say much about violence on TV. I simply want to say that time and again young people engage in violent acts and admit they got the idea from a TV show. 57% of TV shows contain some violence. Here’s a scary fact-last Summer a show on Fox (The Lone Gunmen) depicted bad guys trying to fly a plane into the World Trade Center, and not long thereafter came Sep 11. Is there a connection?
What should be our response? I recall a recent happening in Ridgewood NJ. The city decided that every Monday would be "Family Night"-no homework is issued, no sports practices held, no evening meetings scheduled. The town’s slogan for Family Night is: "Ready, Set, Relax". It’s designed to relieve the stress of hectic, overscheduled families. One more thing that’s not a part of Family Night is TV-because watching television is a passive, not an interactive activity, even though you may be together. Families in Ridgewood are encouraged to turn the TV off Monday nights and play games, take walks, do craft projects, have a picnic, get out the photo album, have a sing-along, tell stories, go roller skating, bowling, visit a museum-you get the picture.
I’m not suggesting we throw out our TV sets. I am suggesting we exercise leadership and self-control, and like the people of Ridgewood, seek out some creative, alternative activities; otherwise we could all end up as couch potatoes! Here’s what you can do…
>First of all, I’d like to suggest that you make a log of what you watch for a week. Write down everything you watch. This may help you decide if any changes in your viewing habits need to be made.
>Then get a TV schedule and circle what you intend to watch, and watch only that. Regulate how much you let TV into your life; limit how much you watch. We don’t have cable because we want to save money, but also to limit our options, so we’re not tempted to spend too much time in front of the tube. When our children were small, the house rule was that they could have an hour of TV after spending an hour reading. By the way, I grew up in Germany in the late 50’s before the Armed Forces Network beamed American programs into government quarters. I was raised without TV but every week my parents took me to the library, where I developed a love for books.
>Next, watch TV with your children--don’t use it as a babysitter. Marie Winn explains in her book, The Plug-In Drug: "Television is a drug that parents often give to their children to keep them quiet by getting them into a passive state, which can be harmful to human development." The average child watches 23 hours of TV per week, which is more time than they spend doing homework and sports combined.
>Keep the TV off during mealtimes (another good rule is to let your answering machine get the phone during family meals). Your fellowship is important and shouldn’t be interrupted!
>Tape the programs you want to watch and view them when the time is right. This also allows you to fast-forward the commercials, and anything objectionable. By the way, if you’re watching live, mute the commercials; this lessens their influence-and annoyance.
>Watch actively--i.e. discuss the shows. Ask questions like: "What is this show trying to make me believe?" "What is this program’s viewpoint on morality?" If a show is promoting negative messages, talk about what you find objectionable. Teach children to be TV critics, to question and think about what they watch.
>Try to watch cultural programs, nature and educational shows, and religious programs. Day of Discovery (on PAX), the Gaithers concerts, and Billy Graham’s campaigns are well worth watching.
>Write to stations, networks, and sponsors to support good programming and to let your opinion be known about harmful shows. Most shows on TV have corresponding websites that encourage feedback--this is an ideal opportunity to make an influence.
Years ago I wrote a letter to William Christopher, who played the Catholic Chaplain on M*A*S*H. I told him that I regarded hospital chaplains as an important part of the therapeutic team, but his character, Father Mulcahey, was a bumbling fool most of the time, totally out of touch. Christopher admitted in an interview that he had to fight to make his character appear more in touch; he stated that many of the conversations Dr Hawkeye Pierce had were what he envisioned the chaplain saying. I agree. Gradually his character improved somewhat. Did my letter help? Maybe in a small way it did.
>Finally, consider your home a sanctuary and your TV set a guest. Your home is a refuge, set apart from the onslaught of negative influences in society. If a guest to your home were to tell dirty jokes to your children, use God’s Name in vain, encourage them to drink beer or describe acts of graphic violence, you’d ask this visitor to stop or leave. Why should TV be any different?
Conclusion:
The need to unwind and have some entertainment is legitimate-but we’ve got to be careful how we meet that need, by not watching whatever happens to be on. We need to be discriminating in our viewing habits. We need to make constructive use of our time. We need to find better ways to relax.
I heard someone complaining recently about having to go to church, and I thought, "What a small investment in a person’s week?" I wondered how much time that individual spent watching TV shows each week, as opposed to the amount of time reading the Bible and talking to God in prayer?
What might we miss by watching less TV? We might miss the false teaching that looking good is what counts in life; we might miss another false message that says wealth brings happiness. We might witness fewer murders and adultery. We might hear less profanity. And we might use our imagination more. We just might have more time for God, and for ourselves.
Bulletin Insert>
Are you addicted to TV? Here’s a quiz to reveal television’s importance in your life (answer each question either YES or NO):
I automatically turn on the television when I walk into the room.
I have certain programs that I watch each evening.
I sometimes find myself saying "No" to invitations that would interfere with my viewing.
I stay up later than I intend because of television.
I prefer to eat meals while watching television.
I leave the television on when people visit me.
I use television as a baby-sitter.
I object to the language and values of certain programs, but I continue watching them.
I watch some programs that I do not allow my children to watch.
I spend more time watching television than participating in the Lord’s work or studying the Bible.
