T
I have found at least two different perspectives on living the Christian life...I have to paint them in their strictest beliefs first...
One way suggests that Christians should censor all that is not Christian from this world...According to this view, Christians should ONLY go to Christian schools, ONLY listen to Christian music (defined as only music that sings of Jesus Christ as Savior or has other inherently Christian lyrics), only be close to Christian friends (for the counsil of the wicked can lead the righteous astray the Bible says), ONLY read Christian books (or at least books by Christian authors), ONLY watch movies that are Christian---and, in short, should not participate in anything secular...I will call this side anti-secular Christians.
Now a second view says pretty much the opposite...The other sees Christ as not separating himself from the secular but actually participating in secular life in order to try and save some....Paul says he tries to be all things to all people, to the Jew he made himself a Jew, and to the gentile, he made himself a gentile in order, if possible, to bring all people to Christ...These believers, when at its best, do not become vile or wicked, but truly seek Christ in secualar movies, books, and life-in-general...For example, in a sermon today at the church I attended they actually used Batman as an example of how someone is not extraodinary until they are placed in extraodinary circumstances...Now Batman is not Christian, and it seems a little odd to use him in a sermon to elucidate the Bible, but it truly was a good elucidation of what the preacher was trying to say...This side I will call within-secular Christians...
So which way is right? Because my life pulls different beliefs from both of these threads in my heart...
For example, I avoid openly sinful movies, books, and situations that I believe will be detrimental to my spiritual growth...But sometimes, actually quite often, I see a book/movie/situation that is neither Christian nor anti-Christian but just secular...movies like Batman....(actually the new Batman was pretty insane...I do not believe it was rated pg13 I think)...or Superman....or transformers...or Old Disney Cartoons...This is harder for me to show with books because I often do see secualr writers implicitly trying to get you to believe/consent in their worldview...Going to a secular liberal college, I found myself quite often assigned to read stuff that spiritually made me sick...so I did not read most of it...
The second way as I said is the opposite...They believe that you should not separate yourself from anything secular...but should seek Christ in all things...I do not know if I should confess this, but their are times where I do not feel like listening to Christian songs...I do not go to profane music...but there are times where I want to listen to a song that talks about the emotions I am feeling at the time...and sometimes you cannot find a Christian song that does that...for example, everytime I her 'Piano Man' I believe I feel what the writer was feeling when he wrote the song...and there are many other songs that are the same...
I used to read secular books and music, but gave them up when I sought the Lord...a lot of the books and music were either profane or just vanity...so my life seems to support more the first than the second view...but I really am unsure about a lot of stuff...for example, I know the insanity that is public schools, I know how hard it would be for anyone who was a Christian to journey through all of it...but I don't know I don't believe it should necessarily be avoided...I think even as the Bible says that Christians should shine out as bright lights in the midst of this world's darkness...and there is a certain glory brought to Christ to Christians who take this path...
These are my thoughts...advise would be helpful...
God bless
tony
One way suggests that Christians should censor all that is not Christian from this world...According to this view, Christians should ONLY go to Christian schools, ONLY listen to Christian music (defined as only music that sings of Jesus Christ as Savior or has other inherently Christian lyrics), only be close to Christian friends (for the counsil of the wicked can lead the righteous astray the Bible says), ONLY read Christian books (or at least books by Christian authors), ONLY watch movies that are Christian---and, in short, should not participate in anything secular...I will call this side anti-secular Christians.
Now a second view says pretty much the opposite...The other sees Christ as not separating himself from the secular but actually participating in secular life in order to try and save some....Paul says he tries to be all things to all people, to the Jew he made himself a Jew, and to the gentile, he made himself a gentile in order, if possible, to bring all people to Christ...These believers, when at its best, do not become vile or wicked, but truly seek Christ in secualar movies, books, and life-in-general...For example, in a sermon today at the church I attended they actually used Batman as an example of how someone is not extraodinary until they are placed in extraodinary circumstances...Now Batman is not Christian, and it seems a little odd to use him in a sermon to elucidate the Bible, but it truly was a good elucidation of what the preacher was trying to say...This side I will call within-secular Christians...
So which way is right? Because my life pulls different beliefs from both of these threads in my heart...
For example, I avoid openly sinful movies, books, and situations that I believe will be detrimental to my spiritual growth...But sometimes, actually quite often, I see a book/movie/situation that is neither Christian nor anti-Christian but just secular...movies like Batman....(actually the new Batman was pretty insane...I do not believe it was rated pg13 I think)...or Superman....or transformers...or Old Disney Cartoons...This is harder for me to show with books because I often do see secualr writers implicitly trying to get you to believe/consent in their worldview...Going to a secular liberal college, I found myself quite often assigned to read stuff that spiritually made me sick...so I did not read most of it...
The second way as I said is the opposite...They believe that you should not separate yourself from anything secular...but should seek Christ in all things...I do not know if I should confess this, but their are times where I do not feel like listening to Christian songs...I do not go to profane music...but there are times where I want to listen to a song that talks about the emotions I am feeling at the time...and sometimes you cannot find a Christian song that does that...for example, everytime I her 'Piano Man' I believe I feel what the writer was feeling when he wrote the song...and there are many other songs that are the same...
I used to read secular books and music, but gave them up when I sought the Lord...a lot of the books and music were either profane or just vanity...so my life seems to support more the first than the second view...but I really am unsure about a lot of stuff...for example, I know the insanity that is public schools, I know how hard it would be for anyone who was a Christian to journey through all of it...but I don't know I don't believe it should necessarily be avoided...I think even as the Bible says that Christians should shine out as bright lights in the midst of this world's darkness...and there is a certain glory brought to Christ to Christians who take this path...
These are my thoughts...advise would be helpful...
God bless
tony