Being Anti-secular?

Cross Over the Lake

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So my question is about being anti-secular when it comes to entertainment. I met someone who is so anti-secular when it comes to the entertainment industries. Only listens to Christian music, only watches faith based films, reads books only by Christian authors etc. I wonder how many other people are like that? If you are one of those people how do you think it effects your social circle? How do people respond? What effect does it have if any on your life? At first the idea seemed extreme but at the same time the challenge intrigued me, being Christ centered is very important to me.
 

bèlla

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I don’t think that lifestyle is congruent to my calling or practical for ministering to the lost. Limiting myself to a Christian worldview would create an overly religious and emotional state that’s unappealing.

Reaching the ones I’m meant to serve is my number one goal. That isn’t possible if I fashion a Christian Club Med and isolate myself. I have to meet them where they are and be relatable when I get there.

~Bella
 
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Sabertooth

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My MP3 playlist is mostly '70s-'90s praise & worship. (A lot of the lyrics are straight out of the Bible.) But it includes secular/novelty entries from almost every decade in the 20th century, too. I could play any of them in God's presence and, since that is where I live, I do so. They aren't spiritually significant, but they don't cross the line, as far as I can tell.

I can stand a few vulgarities in my movies/TV, but I draw the line at GDs/taking God's name in vain. (In the days of video tapes, I could edit those out.)

I can ignore it to meet others where they are, but it is not part of my personal diet.
 
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Curtis.Hilliker

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When I was first born again I was the same way. If I was getting into anything worldly (movies, music, activities) I would feel conviction from the Spirit. I think God was just trying to grow something in me, like to not love that stuff. I think he was growing me up enough in my walk to be able to handle myself better in the world if that makes any sense.
 
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Aussie Pete

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So my question is about being anti-secular when it comes to entertainment. I met someone who is so anti-secular when it comes to the entertainment industries. Only listens to Christian music, only watches faith based films, reads books only by Christian authors etc. I wonder how many other people are like that? If you are one of those people how do you think it effects your social circle? How do people respond? What effect does it have if any on your life? At first the idea seemed extreme but at the same time the challenge intrigued me, being Christ centered is very important to me.
I believe that we need to be careful. What effect is it having on us spiritually? For me, older movies are usually ok. I can watch "Star Wars" but not "Indiana Jones". I can watch a bit of sport but it's essential for me not to get my heart involved. You can see the pride and hate overtake many players and it is not edifying. Satan wants us to take sides. God wants everyone to win. "Do not love the world" but we are in the world and not of the world. Don't let the world change us.
 
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Cross Over the Lake

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The only way I could see it becoming a “problem” is if someone was to become snooty about it. The same way some people act about eating organic food or never using a microwave. It’s like if someone was sitting around talking about the latest Drake single, and I came up “oh I would never listen to something like that. I only listen to Christian music... meh!”. It’s like the difference between carrying the Bible around with you to read when you have spare time or carrying a Bible around with you to ram it down someone’s throat.
 
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raindog75

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I think the division's a bit arbitrary. "Christian" entertainment is not necessarily any more Christian than secular entertainment. Christian entertainment is essentially entertainment produced by Christians who want to market their product specifically to Christians, and in my experience, usually to certain Christians, most often from what I've seen those of a more conservative bent. There are any number of Christians who produce entertainment that for any number of reasons may not want to market it specifically as Christian, whether they want to appeal to a larger audience, or perhaps don't want to be restricted to certain expectations of what Christian entertainment should be.
 
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Cross Over the Lake

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I would say that there is a huge difference in messages when you contrast movies like Suicide Squad and God’s Not Dead or 50 Shades of Grey and Courageous. So is faith-based entertainment (Christian) more Christian than secular entertainment... I would say yes. I think marketing wise faith-based entertainment is starting to catch up with more mainstream productions, try watching one of the Kendrick Bro’s older movies, those guys have come a long ways. Do Three Days Grace songs shuffle in as I am listening to the Skillet Radio Station, sure, but to contrast the messages both bands give out I would say they are very different.
 
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Sketcher

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So my question is about being anti-secular when it comes to entertainment. I met someone who is so anti-secular when it comes to the entertainment industries. Only listens to Christian music, only watches faith based films, reads books only by Christian authors etc.
Not even Paul followed that example (Acts 17:27-29, 1 Corinthians 6:12-13). Church fathers also had to read works written by pagans and heretics in order to refute them.

I read secular books, and listen to secular podcasts. Not doing so wouldn't make me holier, it would only make me more ignorant. I can eat the meat and throw away the bones, so to speak. It hasn't turned me into a liberal or an unbeliever yet.
 
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bèlla

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We’re told to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. And reminded that all things are lawful but everything isn’t helpful. We must determine with the aid of the Holy Spirit what this means. One person’s taboo won’t apply to the next. We aren’t subject to the same temptations.

I’m selective about the material I take in. Primarily due the differences I’ve observed in subjects marketed to the masses as opposed to affluent classes. It’s evident in sports, advertisement, the arts, and related events.

The 2019 Masters and Kentucky Derby drove it home. There was a continual reference to family, gatherings, and wholesomeness. Everything was positive. Then the Golden State game followed. And the difference was striking.

I began recollecting the operas, theater, ballet, and symphony performances I’ve attended and the answer was clear. Vice is implied. It’s never spelled out. Gore has no place. Or profanity.

I let it go. I subscribe to services with educational and cultural content. That’s my conviction. But it may be the wrong step for someone else. I have an earnest interest in those subjects. Making the switch wasn’t difficult.

~Bella
 
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FanthatSpark

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Classic fan of hard rock. However, through God my perception changed from within. Do I look for the hate or love in all things? A good example of this is Evanescence "Bring me to life". If I approach this in a mind of the world thinking a person saves me (as many do) this is the disconnect of perception. Yet, if I approach this song in a mind of love wherein God speaks it changes the game. Same group My Immortal still still brings me to tears .
 
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barefeetonholyground

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I grew up knowing a family like that. I understand the sentiment but I question their motives. If it is where the Lord leads you as a way to center you mind, life, and heart on Him or to purify your heart go with His blessing and do it. You could even argue this stance Biblically.
The reason I question her motives is that she was very much a rules person and elevated her views to the level of Scriptural commands like "Christians should" or "Christian's shouldn't." She would also look down on other Christians for not following those convictions and it rubbed off on her children as well.
Personally, my convictions are against most popular Christian music. My reasons: I find the artists to be quite self gratifying and glorify themselves or Christian lifestyle as opposed to glorifying God and inviting others to worship with them. For me, listening to their music is condoning a behavior that I don't wish to encourage.
 
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ml5363

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I see both sides of this . .90% of the time I listen to southern gospel...as others has said before some of the Christian music is really Christian to me ....I believe it honestly puts me in a better vine and place in my mind ..keeps it on him....I watch a lot of movies ,,, am pickier now about what I watch...is hard to find a good movie these days...on the other side I came from a smart church where the pastor and his wife was far removed from the world ..no TV, music, etc.. to me it kept him outta touch...but he is in his 70's as well...

We just have to listen to how the holy spirit convicts us and go from there.
 
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So my question is about being anti-secular when it comes to entertainment. I met someone who is so anti-secular when it comes to the entertainment industries. Only listens to Christian music, only watches faith based films, reads books only by Christian authors etc. I wonder how many other people are like that? If you are one of those people how do you think it effects your social circle? How do people respond? What effect does it have if any on your life? At first the idea seemed extreme but at the same time the challenge intrigued me, being Christ centered is very important to me.

Such sentiment seems to stem from the idea that "secular" somehow means "bad". But Christianity has never been about denying the secular aspects of life--food, work, entertainment, etc. And I suspect a lot of the sentiment comes from a misunderstanding of the biblical warnings against worldliness, such as when we read that "friendship with the world is enmity with God" (James 4:4). But worldliness isn't secular activities, but rather a participation and sharing in the values of "the world".

It can be helpful then to understand what "the world" means in such a context. The Greek word which is often translated as "world" is kosmos. Originally kosmos just meant "order" or "system", and is the opposite of chaos, disorder. Early Greek philosophers applied the word to the order they saw in nature, and thus was used to describe what we would today call the universe, or cosmos. By the time of the New Testament the word kosmos carried different senses and meanings, nuances based on context. That's why in John 3:16 we read that "God so loved the kosmos that He gave His only-begotten Son", here it seems to be referring to the world in the sense of all of us, the created world and the inhabitants of it. But in other places kosmos is used to refer to the present state of affairs, the way in which the present and fallen age is ordered and governed. The world-order of the present and sinful age is one in which sin dominates, it's where selfishness, apathy, greed, malice, violence, and so forth hold sway. The way of the world is dog-eat-dog, look out for yourself and for your own, might makes right. The "values" of the world are selfishness, power, strength, personal glory, etc. It's this which constitutes worldliness, and it is these things which we are to have no affection for.

Let's consider 1 Corinthians 1, where we read St. Paul saying,

"Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'
" - 1 Corinthians 1:20-31

As such, worldliness is not watching TV shows or movies, or listening to music. Worldiness, instead, would be thinking we are wise and prosperous because we don't watch certain shows or listen to certain forms of music--that we have accomplished some noble act of holiness in this, and thus the pride of our flesh is puffed up. Worldliness isn't wearing certain kinds of clothes, but rather in judging others for what they wear. Thinking you're more important than someone else? That's worldliness. Seeking ourselves and glorying in ourselves? That's worldliness.

-CryptoLutheran
 
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Steve97

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I PREFER CCM but can appreciate God's beauty in secular music. Talent comes from God even if the artist doesn't recognize that fact. I can't watch most faith based films because they are, frankly, bad. With few exceptions, they often make Christians and non-believers into caricatures. Movies have to have some sort of redemption for me to spend time on them. If you want me to expound on any of these points please ask.
 
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WDSobieski

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I don’t believe, and I’m even against of separating secular and Christian cultures. To be frank there’re grey areas and in the so-called secular entertainment, analogies from Christianity or the bible can be found. Undeniably despite secularisation, Christian values and cultures are so deeply rooted (particularly in the old world) that one cannot, literally separate from them completely.

It might be paradoxical, but there’re a lot of innuendo Christians while they’re officially irreligious. Double the irony that often they’re more... Christ-like without ever realising that, but it’s mostly from the old world/ European perspective, Christianity is too deeply rooted here.
 
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faroukfarouk

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I don’t believe, and I’m even against of separating secular and Christian cultures. To be frank there’re grey areas and in the so-called secular entertainment, analogies from Christianity or the bible can be found. Undeniably despite secularisation, Christian values and cultures are so deeply rooted (particularly in the old world) that one cannot, literally separate from them completely.

It might be paradoxical, but there’re a lot of innuendo Christians while they’re officially irreligious. Double the irony that often they’re more... Christ-like without ever realising that, but it’s mostly from the old world/ European perspective, Christianity is too deeply rooted here.
I'm sure this is very true, even if so many ppl don't like to admit it.
 
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Albion

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I'm sure this is very true, even if so many ppl don't like to admit it.
It's actually something to be grateful for, wouldn't you say? I mean, why would any Christian be alarmed that Christianity has so permeated our culture that even non-religious people reflect some of those virtues, ideas, and whatever?
 
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