ABondSlaveofChristJesus
Puritan Board Freshman
?
How does one watch television for the glory of God?
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JonathanHunt
Puritan Board Senior
Well, you watch RC Sproul for starters...
blhowes
Puritan Board Professor
Since TV is evil and only portrays primarily evil situations and uses evil language, we really can't watch TV to the glory of God. The best thing we can do is either keep the TV turned off, or get rid of it altogether. The TV has no redeeming value for the Christian, so we have no business watching it. I can guarantee you that, if TV was around during the time of the puritans, they would have had nothing to do with it. They wouldn't have wasted their money purchasing it in the first place...
...(jk)
One way to watch TV for the glory of God is to be discerning about what we watch. If we're watching something and the language becomes 'too offensive' or the themes are 'too offensive', I think we glorify God when we choose to change channels rather than continue watching it. I think it glorifies God when our children see us changing the channels and controlling what goes into our mind (and theirs).
Another way to watch television for the glory of God is with a thankful attitude. For shows that are entertaining, but don't reach that threshhold where we choose to switch channels, one way to do it for the glory of God is to give thanks for the enjoyment we received. Or thanks for the time he gave us to be refreshed/entertained. Or thanks for providing the TV that we watch or for helping not to waste too much time in front of the TV.
Me Died Blue
Puritan Board Post-Graduate
The same way we drink orange juice to the glory of God.
Larry Hughes
Puritan Board Sophomore
Chris,
Yep! Prayer and gratitude, in short trusting upon Christ. Luther was the first to recognize that sometimes faith is being exercised when one is not wrestling with God for immediate relief, but rather doing something enjoyable. He recognized that Satan often guides us to faithless prayer and that to "cease and disist" is sometimes being faithful and resting in Chirst alone.
ldh
Yep! Prayer and gratitude, in short trusting upon Christ. Luther was the first to recognize that sometimes faith is being exercised when one is not wrestling with God for immediate relief, but rather doing something enjoyable. He recognized that Satan often guides us to faithless prayer and that to "cease and disist" is sometimes being faithful and resting in Chirst alone.
ldh
Michael Butterfield
Puritan Board Freshman
Get rid of the whole thing!
Use it wisely to educate yourself. Watch a movie as you would read a novel. Educate yourself by using it and guard what you see.
Proverbs 4:23
I love the History Channel, OLN, and Speed.
[Edited on 6-27-2005 by puritancovenanter]
Proverbs 4:23
I love the History Channel, OLN, and Speed.
[Edited on 6-27-2005 by puritancovenanter]
crhoades
Puritan Board Graduate
Go to your local library and check out educational videos. It's a free resource and you'll be surprised at what you'll find. Mine has a lot of stuff from the history channel and discovery channel.
Also check out Videos by Greg Bahnsen
There are courses in apologetics, debates, etc. that are great!
Also check out Videos by Greg Bahnsen
There are courses in apologetics, debates, etc. that are great!
RamistThomist
Puritanboard Clerk
At first I thought you were saying that there was Bahnsen video at your local library and I'm thinking, "Whoa now, that is massive violation of separation of church and state. Somebody needs to call the friendly ACLU/SPLC lawyer nearby to solve this fundamentalist propagandizing.
Abd_Yesua_alMasih
Puritan Board Junior
I could be wrong here but I will venture an opinion.
Television is entertainment and can relieve stress. With the more clean, basic comedies you do not have to think much and it is a time of rest. This can be for the glory of God, not really in the act itself, but that it allows us to get up again (as long as we are not addicted) a little more refreshed and physically ready to do 'work' (which can be for the glory of God). Enterainment and leisure are needed just as food and water although too much of it, just as with food and water, is detrimental to the health and well being of the person.
These things in many ways when used right are a gift from God. We can accept this gift, use it correctly and give him thanks for it. The gift allows us to recouperate and gather our strengths once more for another 'crusade'
Television is entertainment and can relieve stress. With the more clean, basic comedies you do not have to think much and it is a time of rest. This can be for the glory of God, not really in the act itself, but that it allows us to get up again (as long as we are not addicted) a little more refreshed and physically ready to do 'work' (which can be for the glory of God). Enterainment and leisure are needed just as food and water although too much of it, just as with food and water, is detrimental to the health and well being of the person.
These things in many ways when used right are a gift from God. We can accept this gift, use it correctly and give him thanks for it. The gift allows us to recouperate and gather our strengths once more for another 'crusade'
SheWhoWaits
Puritan Board Freshman
At first I thought you were saying that there was Bahnsen video at your local library and I'm thinking, "Whoa now, that is massive violation of separation of church and state. Somebody needs to call the friendly ACLU/SPLC lawyer nearby to solve this fundamentalist propagandizing.
Speaking as a librarian, I can assure you that would not violate the separation of church and state unless the library forced you to check it out and view it.
ReformedWretch
Puritan Board Doctor
I appreciate any suggestions here since my wife just ok'ed me to get this on the credit card!
Tatung 42" Widescreen Plasma EDTV Monitor with Deluxe Stand
Tatung 42" Widescreen Plasma EDTV Monitor with Deluxe Stand
RamistThomist
Puritanboard Clerk
Originally posted by SheWhoWaits
At first I thought you were saying that there was Bahnsen video at your local library and I'm thinking, "Whoa now, that is massive violation of separation of church and state. Somebody needs to call the friendly ACLU/SPLC lawyer nearby to solve this fundamentalist propagandizing.
Speaking as a librarian, I can assure you that would not violate the separation of church and state unless the library forced you to check it out and view it.
I know. I worked in a library as well. It is a inside joke between Chris and myself.
ReformedWretch
Puritan Board Doctor
The town we are moving to has a giant library, I wonder if they have any good Christian theology books? Something o check out I suppose.
RamistThomist
Puritanboard Clerk
Probably. My library isn't very good and we have some interesting stuff.
ReformedWretch
Puritan Board Doctor
Look at the size of this thing.
Puddleglum
Puritan Board Sophomore
Oh...my...goodness - that is huge! And I thought my local libraries were huge!
As for theology books . . . one of my local libraries (there's one in my town, and another in the next town over, which I'm actually closer to) has "Reformed is Not Enough". ;-) And, at least where I am, you can request books from any of the libraries in your library system, and they'll ship them to your local library where you can pick them up. We've got an on-line catalog, which makes it really easy (I mainly request CDs).
As for theology books . . . one of my local libraries (there's one in my town, and another in the next town over, which I'm actually closer to) has "Reformed is Not Enough". ;-) And, at least where I am, you can request books from any of the libraries in your library system, and they'll ship them to your local library where you can pick them up. We've got an on-line catalog, which makes it really easy (I mainly request CDs).
Abd_Yesua_alMasih
Puritan Board Junior
Thats tiny 
I work on the 3rd story of my library which has a total of six stories and a great inner mass - hey and this is tiny ol' New Zealand which can't even support an armed airforce.
I am sure I am the only person that reads through our old Christian section. It has the complete works of John Calvin, Augustine and all those other guys I can't spell.
toddpedlar
Iron Dramatist
This was one of the great things about being at Cornell University for four years as a post-doc. They have, on the seventh floor of their main library, a HUGE theology section, that not only has the expected stupid liberal tripe, but rows and rows of solid, Reformed theology. I know that for most of the books I checked out while there, I was the only person to have checked the book out in three or four decades. I got through a lot of the Yale edition of Edwards, the hard-to-find seven volume set of Calvin's treatises and letters, etc.... lots of stuff I'd just not find otherwise. Actually, there was another Reformed bookworm at Cornell while I was there, and I know that he and I definitely traded books back and forth.
Todd
Todd
toddpedlar
Iron Dramatist
oh - back to the main point of this thread.
We dumped TV about four years ago, and haven't looked back. What you find on TV, it seems, is so often so utterly devoid of sense as to be useless. I am convicted by the words of several Puritans who complained about their age, in which people had all sorts of time for "light fiction" or "sport" but struggled to read their Bibles. Are we there, also, with our entertainment-plagued time? Is the last episode of Survivor more important than reading God's Holy Word? Is a re-run of Seinfeld more edifying than studying Romans 11, or drinking deep draughts of Psalm 119? Why are we so enamored with such insipid trifles as we find on our televisions?
I say get rid of it! Our family dynamic has changed much for the better in the past four years.
Todd
We dumped TV about four years ago, and haven't looked back. What you find on TV, it seems, is so often so utterly devoid of sense as to be useless. I am convicted by the words of several Puritans who complained about their age, in which people had all sorts of time for "light fiction" or "sport" but struggled to read their Bibles. Are we there, also, with our entertainment-plagued time? Is the last episode of Survivor more important than reading God's Holy Word? Is a re-run of Seinfeld more edifying than studying Romans 11, or drinking deep draughts of Psalm 119? Why are we so enamored with such insipid trifles as we find on our televisions?
I say get rid of it! Our family dynamic has changed much for the better in the past four years.
Todd
Just use the TV for what it really is, an at home view of what the "world" thinks is entertaining, morally correct, and most likely to do. You can sure see how shows have changed over the years to reflect what the direction of society is. I guess you can shelter yourself from it all together, but we have to interact within the world to some extent.
SheWhoWaits
Puritan Board Freshman
theology in the library
Ask them to buy some titles that you've been wanting to read. My library almost always buys what patrons request.
just_grace
Puritan Board Freshman
Amen...
Amen...
Amen...
VirginiaHuguenot
Puritanboard Librarian
If anybody is looking for a reason to give up television today (or just wants a good laugh for the day) take note of the Roman Catholic patron saint of television, St. Claire of Assisi, whose feast day is August 11.
She lived from July 16, 1194 to August 11, 1253. If you are wondering how someone from that timeframe became designated the "patron saint of television," it's a very good question.
She lived from July 16, 1194 to August 11, 1253. If you are wondering how someone from that timeframe became designated the "patron saint of television," it's a very good question.
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