pop culture and the Christian

[Christ_empowered]

OK. I posted recently about songs you're obsessed with. Mine was a Velvet Underground song, and I got called out on that one, lol.

How do y'all deal w/ being surrounded by a culture--including, perhaps especially--pop culture that is decidedly anti-Christ. I mean, I thought the lyrics to my song and the sound of it were cool and OK, but...the Velvet Underground were shady characters. A bad tree cannot bear good fruit, but aren't we supposed to engage in the world around us?

I just wonder how far to go with listening to only Christian-themed things. I mean, on a personal note, I went through that at Teen Challenge for 1 year--all Christian music, nothing secular, even on the radio in the vehicles going places--and it did me a world of good, combined w/ the rest of the program.

But I'm still attached to some secular music--Ladytron, M83, Cream, Talking Heads, B-52s, etc.--and its hard to let go. Do I have to? Do all Christians dis-engage from the surrounding culture and build an alternative pop culture to meet our needs?

Not pushing an opinion here...I'm genuinely curious. Thanks.

 

[KevinK]

Pop culture blackout has done a world of good for my inner Christian life. I stopped watching tv (broadcast, cable, satellite). I don't rent movies, or go to theaters (exception: American Sniper). I was listening only to baroque music for a while (mostly Bach), but now don't even do that. I only recently found out who Lady GaGa is. I could name maybe one song performed by Britney Spears.

When I'm not downloading a Japanese language podcast, I bring up Youtube vids on religious or spiritual themes (the existence of hell, NDEs, end times predictions). A complete dearth of standard mind fodder, such as gratuitous sex, over-the-top violence, the quest for money and material wealth.

Am I having fun? No, wouldn't say that. My media choices are none too stimulating. But that's ok, as my goal now is not amusement, but personal salvation. A friend of mine keeps pushing me to spend my time watching a massive collection of movies he's loaded onto a computer hard drive. I've managed to play him off for the time being. I've got souls to save- like mine.

 

[Christ_empowered]

There's definitely something to be said for that approach. We live in a media-saturated, constantly entertained culture. Pop culture blackout would probably make a world of difference for a lot of people (me included, of course).

 

[evenifigoalone]

I would probably do a bit of good by laying off the anime for a while. I don't feel it wrong to enjoy this world of 2D, but do have a tendency to get obsessed with the series and characters. I've always been like that, with any set of movies or shows I've been into.
Not everyone will experience the same temptations. Many strong Christians I know enjoy things like Marvel comic heroes, the Avengers, the Hunger Games, or even Harry Potter (not everyone has the same view on it).

Aside from my fandoms, which include anime, Star Wars, FiM (mildly), cartoons like Phineas & Ferb, I couldn't give a darn about pop culture. I like music, but I explore it on YouTube usually.

 

[evenifigoalone]

Also, I'm an artist at heart. Fiction, music, art, they're what makes reality worthwhile for me. Such a collection of emotion, human experience, hopes, dreams, and ideals. Few things thrill me more than brilliantly poetic lyrics, beautiful and moving art, and well written stories.
My love for this world of fiction is why I love drawing so much and why I feel it's one of the only areas I'm actually talented in. I believe God made me with an appreciation for good art.

Though I suppose there's a difference between liking something for it's artistic values and simply enjoying it. I do both.

 

[Blake]

I have not made as great strides as I should in this regard, although in my heart I know I should. I am tuned out, but not entirely off grid when it comes to pop culture.

How do I feel in my spirit when I think of pop culture? Come out from Egypt, and let Egypt come out from you. Glory to the Lamb of God. God gave me eyes to see the modern entertainment industry for what it is. It heralds all things worldly, and it has no God. Their messages are of hedonism, of living fast and dying young, gratifying the flesh, denying Christ. It debases a man into a carnal state, and it honors whatever demon the music honors, making it an idol.

A lot of folks, Christian folks included, consider this type of thinking to be too conservative perhaps, or even radical. I can't help that. Those are my convictions.

Still, I am in my transition away from Egypt. I am not fully "clean" as far as it's all concerned. I am still reaping the seeds I've planted.

Music is not evil or idolatrous. Music can bear a powerful, yoke-breaking anointing. Music is a beautiful creation. But most of what we hear today, or see today in pop culture has been massively perverted by Satan.

 

[evenifigoalone]

I'm rambling, but I also have a bit of an issue with Christian pop culture. Music-wise, we're very varied and I appreciate much of Christian music. But so far as movies and such go, we're often pretty sub par. I can't tell you how many Christian movies have this cliche of deu ex machina miracles that fix everything back to the way it was. God is certainly capable of that, but it rarely if ever happens the way it's portrayed in movies. Or this cliche of painting non-Christians as hard-faced Scrouges. Or, maybe the story and premise is good, but the acting is terrible.
Now I understand that budget is an issue, but still.
There have been good Christian movies and productions in recent years, too. Fireproof is one of my favorites. There are others, though some are denounced by a vocal group of Christianity for various reasons. (Sometimes with legitimate concerns, but they kinda throw the baby out with the bathwater in my opinion.)

And it's fine to have our own little sub culture. But I think Christians definitely need to be out and about contributing to pop culture as a whole, too. I think our influence should extend there, and we have as much right to do so as anybody else.
There is absolutely nothing saying that Christians cannot be creative, and we should absolutely be using our God-given talents.

 

[Runner]

I've found my tastes changing with no conscious effort on my part. I used to be fanatical about the Stones and Kinks ... then Blondie ... then the Clash, Cowboy Junkies and others. Now I find myself wondering, "How did I ever listen to this stuff?" Was my loss of enthusiasm the Holy Spirit at work within me or just Me Getting Old (probably some of both)? Contemporary Christian music pretty much makes me gag, by the way - I'll still take the Velvet Underground over it any day. "Insipid" is the word that comes to mind. No one ever accused Lou Reed being insipid or phony.

I did get rid of TV completely simply because I was finding it too irritating, distracting and depressing to watch. If nothing else, the ceaseless barrage of commercials is very unhealthy; I worked in advertising for seven years, and it is indeed a World of Lies that will seriously warp your perspective on real life. Or as Thoreau said about newspapers 150 years ago, once you understand the principle that trains wreck, ships sink and earthquakes happen, what do you gain from reading (or hearing) about 500 examples of trains wrecking, ships sinking and earthquakes happening? I also limit my time on the Internet by choice and steer myself away from most of the news and gossip that dominate it. Do I really need to read about Bruce Jenner becoming a woman or whatever Kim Kardashian (who is she?) is up to these days? No, I don't - as I constantly have to remind myself. I do skim Google News once a day just to see if I missed the Rapture.

About all I listen to is American Family Radio, mostly while exercising, and much of that (alas) is to remind myself that This Is The Sort of Christian I Don't Want to Be (there is some worthwhile programming, I'll concede). When it becomes too irritating or depressing, I turn it off too. I much prefer books, or at least the Kindle version of them, where I have complete control over what goes into my head, and most of my reading is Christian-oriented (although I did recently bog down in the JFK assassination for a solid three months without noticeable damage to my spirituality).

My goal when I "mostly retired" three years ago was to become an urban hermit, and I'm at least working in that direction. Even if I weren't a Christian, I think I'd believe that as much disengagement as is reasonably possible from popular culture and our rapidly deteriorating society was the healthier way to live.

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

OK. I posted recently about songs you're obsessed with. Mine was a Velvet Underground song, and I got called out on that one, lol.

How do y'all deal w/ being surrounded by a culture--including, perhaps especially--pop culture that is decidedly anti-Christ. I mean, I thought the lyrics to my song and the sound of it were cool and OK, but...the Velvet Underground were shady characters. A bad tree cannot bear good fruit, but aren't we supposed to engage in the world around us?

I just wonder how far to go with listening to only Christian-themed things. I mean, on a personal note, I went through that at Teen Challenge for 1 year--all Christian music, nothing secular, even on the radio in the vehicles going places--and it did me a world of good, combined w/ the rest of the program.

But I'm still attached to some secular music--Ladytron, M83, Cream, Talking Heads, B-52s, etc.--and its hard to let go. Do I have to? Do all Christians dis-engage from the surrounding culture and build an alternative pop culture to meet our needs?

Not pushing an opinion here...I'm genuinely curious. Thanks.

I like Talking Heads and David Byrne solo stuff.
"Take Me To the River", "Help Me Somebody", "Dance on Vaseline", all have Christian "theme" messages that you need to decipher as you would a Bob Dylan Song.
No, he is not a Christian, but he says some good stuff and his music is great.

Should we not listen to him?
Music is a universal language.
It's feel good stuff.
As long as the message is not bad.
On the other hand.....
Lots of Christian music, you can't even understand what they're saying with all the screaming and feedback.

I say, "take your pick".