Pop Culture and Spiritual Lethargy

I have become decreasingly interested by pop culture. I remember quite a while ago someone told me that they 'didn't follow pop culture' and I thought the comment to be strange. These days I find myself understanding that statement more and more. The past couple of days have drawn me back in again with all the hoopla over Taylor Swift and Kanya West as well as the recent passing of Patrick Swayze. Watching some of the coverage on TV from the various entertainment shows got me thinking about pop culture and my own spiritual condition.

Today as I pondered these things I listened to some of Misty Edwards set at the International House of Prayer and I was quite arrested by a particular section of the set. I've grabbed a short slice of it for you to listen to. (It's about 2.5 min. long, but please take the time to watch it)

 I'll be honest: I think that a lot of the time many of us western Christians have drank so often and deeply from the well of pop culture that it has affected our spiritual appetites. Too much of anything can deaden the heart. Are we so filled up on the entertainment industry that we have very little real hunger for God? (John Piper wrote about this theme in his excellent book, 'A Hunger for God')

Maybe I'm just getting older. I'm certainly not claiming any kind of spiritual giant status; far from it. (those who know me understand) I believe it is time for us to wrestle in a fresh way with the issue of how our spirit has been impacted by what we fill our minds and hearts with. 

I'm not advocating a total departure from pop culture or entertainment industry. I'm not saying we should never go to movies or listen to the radio. Such a broad application is not helpful and reeks of spiritual pride and death. This is where we must learn to hear afresh the voice of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised that the Spirit would lead us into all truth; the Spirit will bring the proper conviction and application to our hearts. 

Yet we CANNOT just assume that everything is okay and that Jesus is okay with the way things are in our lives!

I'm simply wanting to invite you to pause and take time to ask these types of questions and listen to what the Spirit would say.

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Comments

[Mikaela]

I agree. I've been thought odd before because I don't know some famous person or don't listen to particular music or watch a particular movie or read particular books. Whatever, I know what they do to me mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I don't need to keep track of celebrities or stats, I've got better things to do. Wow, that sounds pompous. I'm not saying I'm spiritually grand because I'm not. I just try to careful what I fill my mind with, sometimes I successful sometimes not.