Television

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Verbal Pornography

We live in a dangerous age. Wrong is now right and fully acceptable in the eyes of a sick, sin-darkened world. What is even worse is that the church has often sought to fully endorse the Corinthian and Laodicean attitudes of this amoral society. America is no longer a post-modern society, but a society where morals are what you decide to make them.

For example, I know some who claim the name of Christ who believe that it is acceptable for homosexuals to sin all they want provided they do it behind closed doors and don’t bother anybody else. However, sin and depravity is never enough for those walking apart from God and out of the rebellion of their hearts. The sin that is acceptable today for them will never be enough until it is fully out in the open and others have been ensnared by their depravity.

To say that their sin is ok as long as it is behind closed doors is a dangerous path because once that becomes acceptable, those who prey on others will seek to get others to say that it is acceptable as long as it is behind closed doors. Before long, we have fully endorsed the rank wickedness that destroyed the Roman Empire in which not only was homosexuality accepted but so was the sale of slaves for sexual purposes (any age and gender).

What would never have been acceptable in any polite company when I was growing up in the 70’s is now fully open. It is endorsed by Hollywood by that which enters the eye gates and even Christians are laughing at the smut. We attended a church once that included times of “fellowship” when the men / women would get together for a night out which included “R” rated movies. What kind of picture does this paint for the world who cannot see Christ in us, but only more of themselves?

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If they even care to check out what is going on, very few parents are complaining about the material that is being forced upon their children to read in public school settings or what is being openly displayed at the local public libraries. There was a time school plays and activities would never have been considered risqué, but those days are long gone and now we find in the news even today that middle schoolers were given a word search game as part of their class activity that was based fully on the smut entitled “50 Shades of Grey.”

Books like “50 Shades” are becoming bestsellers and turned into movies. Men and women are buying this verbal pornography by the millions and then wondering why their marriages are suffering. It continues the trend set by books like “Twilight” in which a very old 104 year old vampire man preys on a young, innocent teenage girl seeking sex. Seriously?!?!?!

No true father would permit or endorse such behavior in his own home, yet even fathers who claim the name of Christ are permitting their daughters and their wives to fawn over the characters in these books and movies.

Dear sisters in Christ, this type of reading material is no different an impact on your mind than the dangers of visual pornography is to the men and boys in your home. These words are designed and written in a way that does not bring you closer to Christ, nor to your husband. While two wrongs never make a right, you cannot complain about what your husband is watching if you are filling your heart and mind with the same kind of trash he is. You are both wrong before the Lord. It is hypocritical for you to complain that he is cheating on you with a computer screen when you are cheating on him with what you reading on the printed page.

Dear brothers in Christ, we are called to be observant in our homes. We might pride ourselves on not allowing the vulgar, sexually-charged rap music of the world to enter our homes, but we are permitting our wives and young girls to be embraced by that which is not truly a reality. This is sin before God. Their hearts and lives must be guarded jealously or you will lose them. Brothers, it is hypocritical to think that you are justified in not protecting your heart by what you watch if you do not also care what books can be found on your bookshelves. Your wife will NEVER live up to the expectations that the world creates in your heart and mind, and you also will NEVER live up to the expectations of what the world wants to offer your wife through what she reads.

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Divorces are taking place on an ever-increasing basis within the church by those who claim the name of Christ. Husbands and wives have filled their heads with trash and then want to claim “irreconcilable differences” on their divorce papers when their spouse does not live up to the torrid expectations of the latest best-selling book on the New York Times list or the latest box-office hit from the pit of Hollywood. If you think the smut and trash of the world is harmless, then you are living life at the bottom end of a frayed rope. You are but one small strand from total destruction.

Pastors and shepherds, we must be willing to address the truth of Scripture and warn the flock of the dangers that are being faced. This does not mean that we need to ride hobbyhorses or only speak about the latest fads. However, it does mean that we must be willing to open our eyes to the wickedness that is desperately seeking to swallow our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We must call out the dangers for what they truly are. It is hypocritical to call out to the Lord to save marriages if we have not warned of the impending doom that we saw taking place in the home and ignored it.

Visual and verbal pornography is seeking to destroy our homes. There is nothing that Satan and his minions must enjoy more than to see those who are true believers being swallowed up by the millions with the filth of the world. The evil one wants to destroy your marriage.

Christian women, he wants you to think that it is acceptable for you to find a release in your life from the “mundane” that you find so tedious. The books and movies that demean your husband and marriage are just as bad and as wicked as what he may be involved with. It is not reality. God will not be mocked. Vampire love stories and sexual bondage novels are a totally depraved and warped destruction of what God has created to be holy. You are tasked with protecting your daughters as well so they can go to their wedding being pure in every way.

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Christian men, you want a wholesome marriage? Stop longing after what is not reality. Stand up and be the kind of man God demands you to be. Be a true man who shows true deference to a lady. Be a godly man who points others to Christ, not detracts from the loveliness of the Savior. Be the father who protects his young boys and girls from the depravity of the world that only wants to destroy them.

Godly marriages are not based on anything Hollywood or the New York Times best-seller list has to offer. They are built day by day, hour by hour, and minute by minute on sacrifice, service, and Christ-like love. Your lives will NEVER resemble Hollywood or the best-seller lists because those are far from Christ. Flee from that which will destroy you. Seek forgiveness from the Most High and learn to trust and love again in a way that others can see Christ in you the hope of glory.

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The Noble Criminal

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John 18:40—“Give use Barabbas!”

There are many in this country today who have watched as the drama surrounding the hunt for Christopher Dorner has unfolded. And while many have been hoping for and anticipating his capture, there has been also, curiously, a small crowd of voices which has been applauding his actions and hoping for his exoneration. The purpose of this post is not to debate the merits of the case or to argue for his guilt or innocence. Any comments in that vein will be deleted as quickly as possible. You can argue that somewhere else.

The point I want to make is this: this approving crowd should not surprise us. Jesus Himself said “Men love darkness rather than light” (John 3:19). It has been that way ever since sin entered the world. We have an early example from Mt Sinai. While Moses was up on the mount, the people were wantonly carousing at the foot of the mountain in a drunken orgy worshipping the golden calf–while God was speaking to Moses the very Law these people were corrupting!

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But we don’t have to go back that far in time to see why it shouldn’t surprise us that people are actually supporting this murderer (OK, alleged murderer). Think back to 1994. A white
Ford Bronco carrying OJ Simpson was leading LAPD on a low-speed chase through Los Angeles. People were lined up on bridges over the freeway to watch. Were these people hoping that a fugitive from the law would be caught and brought to justice? No. They were encouraging this fugitive to continue running from the law. (Again, not debating OJ’s guilt or innocence. Just sayin’).

And there is another trend. Not necessarily new, but it does seem to be more prevalent over the last several years. That is the concept of what I call “The Noble Criminal”. You see him (or her) in many movies these days. The team of bank robbers who are only robbing the bank to right some dastardly wrong or because one of the character’s loved ones is dying (usually due to the greed of the bank president or some other such embodiment of evil). Examples of these are movies like “Ocean’s 11” or “Tower Heist”.

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Then we have movies where the drug dealer or the prostitute or…well, you name it. Whatever the criminal enterprise, there are probably many, many movies glamorizing and glorifying whatever criminal you can think of. The most recent and most egregious (to me anyway) example of this was “The Sopranos”. OK, let’s get this straight. The mobster–the head of a Mafia family, a man who did not hesitate to kill anyone who crossed him–he was the good guy. The police and FBI who were trying to catch him–they were the bad guys. And people wonder why there are folks supporting Christopher Dorner. It is because we have a culture where The Noble Criminal is looked upon as a hero while those who are charged with apprehending him are evil.

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But these are really no different than the crowd that stood at the Praetorium that day as Pontius Pilate stood before the teeming crowd, asking them which man they would have released. Would they have Christ–the innocent Lamb of God, the Man who had committed no sin, the Man who was the perfect embodiment of righteousness and godly perfection? Or would they have Barabbas–a murderous villain, a man who had most likely committed crimes so vile and horrible the writers of Sacred Writ dared not even name them?

“Give us Barabbas!!”

To see that man’s will is inclined toward evil, simply read the headlines. Many would rather have Barabbas than Christ.

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Book recommendation: “Primetime Propaganda” by Ben Shapiro.

I grew up on a steady diet of TV and have fond memories of such shows as CHiPs, the A-Team, Miami Vice, Facts of Life, Dukes of Hazzard, Diff’rent Strokes, Family Ties, Silver Spoons, Punky Brewster, Alf, the Cosby Show, BJ and the Bear, and Sheriff Lobo.

As I grew older my TV watching waned considerably, but it wasn’t until 2007 that my family and I completely cut TV out of our life and I haven’t regretted it one iota.

So since my TV watching days were long over, I would never have expected to be interested in or actually read a book about television, let alone one that was over 300 pages in length. But when Ben Shapiro’s book Primetime Propaganda was on sale at last year’s Border’s going out of business sale for a ridiculously low price, I couldn’t pass it up.

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised at what an engaging and thoroughly researched book it turned out to be. Shaprio has written a definitive work on the history, politics, and propaganda of television. He meticulously examples how so much of what has been broadcast on television leans left–far left–and how that came to be.

Here is Amazon.com’s description of the book:

The inside story of how the most powerful medium of mass communication in human history has become a propaganda tool for the Left

Primetime Propaganda is the story—told in their own words—of how television has been used over the past sixty years by Hollywood writers, producers, actors, and executives to promote their liberal ideals, to push the envelope on social and political issues, and to shape America in their own leftist image.

In this thoroughly researched and detailed history of the television industry, conservative columnist and author Ben Shapiro argues that left-leaning entertainment kingpins in Los Angeles and New York have leveraged—and continue to use—their positions and power to push liberal messages and promote the Democratic Party while actively discriminating against their opponents on the right. According to Shapiro, television isn’t just about entertainment—it’s an attempt to convince Americans that the social, economic, and foreign policy shaped by leftism is morally righteous.

But don’t take his word for it. Shapiro interviewed more than one hundred of the industry’s biggest players, including Larry Gelbart (M*A*S*H), Fred Silverman (former president of ABC Entertainment, NBC, and vice president of programming at CBS), Marta Kauffman (Friends), David Shore (House), and Mark Burnett (Survivor). Many of these insiders boast that not only is Hollywood biased against conservatives, but that many of the shows being broadcast have secret political messages. With this groundbreaking exposÉ, readers will never watch television the same way again.

Reading this book solidified for me what I already knew: That programs on television are intentionally liberal with the purpose of changing the hearts and minds of its viewers.

This book also furthered my bewilderment regarding Christians who use this medium as a form of entertainment. It simply boggles my mind at just how many Christians will not only willingly digest the steady stream of messages from television that are deliberately antithetical and hostile to their faith (and allow their children to do so as well), but also how so many Christians will defend and justify their consumption of this trash.

It’s amazing to me that they wouldn’t dare step foot in (and take their kids to) many places in this world because of the sin present there, yet they’re perfectly fine with allowing just about anything and everything the world has to offer to be piped into their home via a television set. What they shun in real life is happily digested as “entertainment” in the comfort of their living room.

I cannot recommend this book enough to those Christians who see little to no problem with regularly setting the images, messages, and “wisdom” of the world before their eyes, ears, heart, and soul through the medium of television. And the author of this book simply can’t be dismissed as a Legalist because he has no affiliation with the Christian faith and did not write the book from a theological point of view.

Shapiro reveals the covert and overt liberal, socialist messages in everything from All in the Family to Sesame Street and will cause you to never watch television the same way again.

See also:

The Stranger

The Stranger (Sermon)

The Marketing of Evil

Family Worship and the Use of TV (Sermon)

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Modern family.

A sobering examination into what the technology age has wrought on our families in this article from the New York Times.

Excerpt:

Sometimes they hold hands while looking at their screens. But failing that, the couple has developed a form of physical shorthand, an “ ‘I’m still here’ signal” in which “one of us will tap the other one a couple of times with an index finger.”

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Just what the world needs.

(CBS/AP) Houston televangelist Joel Osteen is a preacher, lecturer and author. Soon, he’ll add reality TV star to his accomplishments.

The leader of a Texas megachurch, whose Sunday services are broadcast to audiences around the world, has signed an agreement to work with producer Mark Burnett to develop a reality show about his mission trips with members of his Lakewood Church.

Osteen, 48, announced the agreement Tuesday. He said the program would also feature Victoria, his wife of more than two decades.

Osteen also travels a cross the country presenting programs in large arenas. He is the author of several best-selling books, the latest of which is “Every Day a Friday.”

The British-born Burnett is executive producer of the CBS hit show “Survivor” and creator of such reality series as “Celebrity Apprentice,” “The Voice” and “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?”

Lakewood Church’s website says its broadcasts reach more than 200 million households. Its headquarters is the former Compaq Center, which the NBA’s Houston Rockets once called home. It took more than 15 months and $75 million to convert the arena into a church.

Source: CBS

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The stranger.

The Stranger

(Author Unknown)

A few months before I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer, and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.

As I grew up I never questioned his place in our family. Mom taught me to love the word of God, and dad taught me to obey it. But the stranger was our storyteller. He could weave the most fascinating tales. Adventures, mysteries and comedies were daily conversations. He could hold our whole family spell-bound for hours each evening.

If I wanted to know about politics, history, or science, he knew it all. He knew about the past, understood the present, and seemingly could predict the future. The pictures he could draw were so life like that I would often laugh or cry as I watched.

He was like a friend to the whole family. He took Dad, Bill and me to our first football game. He was always encouraging us to see the movies and he even made arrangements to introduce us to several movie stars.

The stranger was an incessant talker. Dad didn’ t seem to mind but sometimes mom would quietly get up while the rest of us were enthralled with one of his stories of faraway places and go to her room, read her Bible and pray. I wonder now if she ever prayed that the stranger would leave.

You see, my dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions. But this stranger never felt obligation to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our house–not  from us, from our friends, or adults. Our longtime visitor, however, used occasional four letter words that burned my ears and made dad squirm. To my knowledge the stranger was never confronted. My dad was a teetotaler who didn’t permit alcohol in his home–not even for cooking. But the stranger felt like we needed exposure and enlightened us to other ways of life. He offered us beer and other alcoholic beverages often.

He made cigarettes look tasty, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (too much too freely) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I know now that my early concepts of the man-woman relationship were influenced by the stranger.

As I look back, I believe it was the grace of God that the stranger did not influence us more. Time after time he opposed the values of my parents. Yet he was seldom rebuked and never asked to leave.

More than thirty years have passed since the stranger moved in with the young family on Morningside Drive. He is not nearly so intriguing to my Dad as he was in those early years. But if I were to walk into my parents home today, you would still see him sitting over in a corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name?…..We always just called him…TV

See also The Stranger sermon by Pastor Tim Conway.

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Quotes (700)

voddie-baucham So many of our children have little idea what they believe or why they believe it. Couple this with the fact that they are fallen human beings whose natural bent is to sin, and it is not difficult to see their dilemma. Failing to catechize our children is tantamount to surrendering to the culture. . . . Failing to catechize our children only makes it that much easier for the Secular Humanism with which they are constantly bombarded in school, on television, and through friends, neighbors, and coaches to take root and become the guiding principle by which they live.

– Voddie Baucham

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Entertainment Tonight, Or Home Failures?

There will be many who would question my thoughts on this post, but before you comment or leave mad, I would implore you to consider the words of Scripture to see whether we have been truly led astray or whether what we set in front of our eyes and our children is really nothing more than harmless, mindless entertainment.

Let’s consider a few “harmless” movies and see if this is truly honoring and glorifying God in what they portray. These little insights can be found from Plugged In Online, which I highly recommend the reader to use when considering what will be shown to the family while enjoying a bowl of popcorn or ice cream. We will consider some of the worst aspects as there are plenty of people who will seek to point out the good that can be learned from watching the slurry that exudes from every pour of Hollywood.

Avatar – This movie has been covered in a recent post, but a few aspects to consider – “Both men and women wear little more than loincloths, and the race’s catlike tails don’t fully obscure their backsides. Neytiri and other Na’vi females wear ornamental coverings that don’t really conceal their breasts…a female pilot wears a tight, cleavage-revealing tank top. [Characters] are seen unclothed while strategically wrapped in vines. [The two main characters] consummate their relationship in a sensuous scene that shows them kissing and intertwined. They sleep together afterward and are said to be ‘mated for life.'”

Valentine’s Day – Great chick flick, right? Words better describing this entertaining movie for couples would be fornication, adultery, homosexuality, etc.

Dear John – another tear-jerker of a movie? – Again, fornication plays a part of this movie as does taking both the name of God and the Lord Jesus Christ in vain.

How about for the kids?

Where the Wild Things Are – only rated PG but manages to use the “d” and the “h” word along with taking the Lord’s name in vain a few times. What in the world are we teaching our children when this becomes acceptable? By the way, what is the operative number of times needed before the movie gets turned off????

Sherlock Holmes – Surely, just a remake of the old Basil Rathbones, right? Well, only if you throw in far too many sexual innuendos, drunken and debauched behaviour, and the Lord’s name taken in vain.

The Twilight Saga – Perfect for those nights your teenage girl wants her friends over for a great “Christian” sleepover. After their ears are filled with enough swear words to last a month along with the Lord’s name in vain, their eyes will have enjoyed the allure of vampires and humans longing to be with each other no matter what the cost.

2012 – For those who take an avid interest in wanting to know how the world will end according to Hollywood in 2 years, you will have 2 whole years to ingest the following details taken directly from Plugged In Online – “One f-word. Four s-words. Nearly 20 misuses of God’s name (paired with “d‑‑n” at least five times). Jesus’ name is abused twice. “A‑‑,” “h‑‑‑” and “b‑‑tard” are also blurted out. An obscene gesture is made.”

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Dear reader, that is enough for now as we have not the time nor the inclination to review all movies both current and past for those who come to DefCon. However, the question you need to ask yourself is not, “Does this movie allow a good expression of the modern culture?” It is not, “Will I have a great time with my family or my wife as we waste the next two hours?” It is also not, “Does this movie portray POSITIVE elements that outweigh the ‘handful’ of bad things that might be in the movie?”

We are to be seeking to live a holy life in EVERY area of our lives before God and succumbing to the wiles of the evil one (via Hollywood and the silver screen) is a great way for your home to end up as a failure. It is about far more than just being entertained and having a great date with the wife or a “family” night at home (or at the movies) with the kids.

The questions should be, “Does EVERY aspect of this movie glorify God and bring honour to His HOLY name? Does this movie fill my mind with images that create lustful desires or does it point me to live more like Jesus Christ? Does this movie fill my ears with words that make my soul cringe or does it use wholesome speech that edifies my soul (you can also use this for preachers like Mark Driscoll as well)? Does this movie demean sex and the holy covenant of marriage or does it exalt the God-given responsibilities which help my spouse and I to be thankful for what we have learned and that we can implement in our own marriage?

In the words of several of the Psalms — Selah. Meditate on these things!

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Quotes (592)

voddie-baucham Our children used to watch more television than we care to admit. Then we moved to England. TV in England was so bad that we got cable so we didn’t have to watch regular television at night. Eventually we just didn’t watch. We occasionally rented videos, but for the most part we became a family of readers. I can’t tell you the difference that made in our children’s lives. Now our children are limited to four hours per week—only on weekends—and to be honest, unless something special is on, they tend not to use all of that.

– Voddie Baucham

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paul-washer.jpg God is a holy God, that’s something that the Americans have forgotten. Many of the things that you love to do, God hates. Did you know that? . . . . You’re going to have a youth meeting, you want God to move, but before you go there you watch programs on television that God absolutely despises and then you wonder why the Holy Spirit hasn’t fallen on a place and why you have to create false fire and false excitement.

– Paul Washer

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Quotes (316)

piper-pic.jpg Turn [the TV] off! It isn’t necessary for relevance. It is a deadly place to rest the mind. You are least capable of critical interaction. Its pervasive banality, sexual innuendo and God-ignoring values have no ennobling effect upon the human soul. It kills the Spirit. It drives away God. It quenches prayer. It blanks out the Bible. It cheapens the soul. It destroys spiritual power. It defiles almost everything.

– John Piper

Source: Social Hazard

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St. Clare: Patron saint of television?

Yep, this is no joke. Here’s the news article that explains the whole thing.

Apparently St. Clare (who lived during the 1200’s, just a few short years before the invention of the television . . . eh, hm), is the patron saint of the boob tube. And 

And for those who refuse to accept the Bible’s declaration that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between men and God, there’s even a prayer to Saint Clare.

So what’s the difference between St. Clare and the other Catholic farces like prayer pills and the St. Joseph statue? This farce was actually given legitimization by Pope Pious XII on Valentine’s Day 1958 when he declared Clare the patron saint of television.

The traditions of men are truly stranger than fiction.



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A scathing blow to the wishy-washy Emergent church and sugar-coated, ear-candy preaching so popular today.

I’ve seen the below video posted on several blogs but never watched it. I surmised that it was from a television show so I had no interest in viewing it (mainly because I believe that all the good that can be found on television can fit into a thimble and still roll around in it like a B.B. in a bathtub).

Well, I finally gave in and watched the video clip and all I can say is, wow! How wrenching; how intense. I hope Rob Bell and Brian McLaren were watching this.

Apparently this man in the video is dying of cancer and a female chaplain has fed him the ever-so popular Emergent, seeker-friendly, social gospel that has no truth, no life, and no answers. The same “gospel” that millions are living on week after week in this country (that is until tragedy strikes close to home and they begin seeking real answers).

Just as the health, wealth, and Prosperity “gospel” doesn’t work in Calcutta, India, the new no-one-can-know-any-truth ambiguity “gospel” of the Emergent church leaves those facing death and judgment (Hebrews 9:27) desperate for answers.

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Sermon of the week: “The Stranger” by Tim Conway.

Your Sermon of the Week is entitled The Stranger by Tim Conway. Pastor Conway delivers yet another convicting and uncompromising message as he tackles a taboo issue within the Christian Church today: Television viewing.
This is a message that (sadly) too many Christians need to hear.
Click on the link to listen streaming, or right click on the link and click “Save As” (Internet Explorer) or “Save Link As” (Mozilla) to save to your computer. From there you can burn this to a CD or upload it to your MP3 player.
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Come to church . . . win a TV!

Are you a pastor struggling to boost your church attendance so you can brag about it at your next pastors convention?

Tried all the other means of growing your church like watering down the gospel, and still haven’t been invited on Larry King Live?

Well try this approach: Seattle Baptist Church recently offered two great incentives to get the “unchurched” into church.

1). Come hear a Christian millionaire speak. (Like they can’t do that from home watching TBN).

2). Offer them a chance to win one of two Panasonic 52″ LCD flat screen televisions.

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Quotes (78)

yahannan.jpg Besides books, 8,000 Christian magazines and newspapers flourish. More than 1,600 Christian radio stations broadcast the Gospel full-time, while many countries don’t even have their first Christian radio station. A tiny 0.1 percent of all Christian radio and television programming is directed toward the unevangelized world. The saddest observation I can make about most of the religious communication activity of the Western world is this: Little, if any, of this media is designed to reach unbelievers. Almost all is entertainment for the saints.
– K.P. Yohannan

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Quotes (50)

yahannan.jpg What impresses visitors from the Two-Thirds World are the simple things Americans take for granted: fresh water available 24 hours a day, unlimited electrical power, telephones that work and a most remarkable network of paved roads. . . . At the time, we still had no television in India, but my American hosts seemed to have TV sets in every room–and they operated day and night. This ever-present blast of media disturbed me. For some reason, Americans seemed to have a need to surround themselves with noise all the time. Even in their cars, I noticed the radios were on even when no one was listening. Why do they always have to be either entertained or entertaining? I wondered. It was as if they were trying to escape from guilt they had not yet defined or even identified.

– K.P. Yohannan