The Great God of Entertainment
Chapter 8
A German philosopher many years ago said something to the effect that the more a man has in his own heart the less he will require from the outside; excessive need for support from without is proof of the bankruptcy of the inner man.
If this is true (and I believe it is) then the present inordinate attachment to every form of entertainment is evidence that the inner life of modern man is in serious decline. The average man has no central core of moral assurance, no spring within his own breast, no inner strength to place him above the need for repeated psychological shots to give him the courage to go on living. He has become a parasite on the world, drawing his life from his environment unable to live a day apart from the stimulation which society affords him.
Sohleiermacher held that the feeling of dependence lies at the root of all religious worship, and that however high the spiritual life might rise it must always begin with a deep sense of a great need which only God could satisfy. If this sense of need and a feeling of dependence are at the root of natural religion it is not hard to see why the great god Entertainment is so ardently worshiped by so many. For there are millions who cannot live without amusement; life without some form of entertainment for them is simply intolerable; they look forward to the blessed relief afforded by professional entertainers and other forms of psychological narcotics as a dope addict looks to his daily shot of heroin. Without them they could not summon courage to face existence.
No one with common human feeling will object to the simple pleasures of life, nor to such harmless forms of entertainment as may help to relax the nerves and refresh the mind exhausted by toil. Such things if used with discretion may be a blessing along the way. That is one thing. The all-out devotion to entertainment as a major activity for which and by which men live is definitely something else again.
The abuse of a harmless thing is the essence of Sin. The growth of the amusement phase of human life to such fantastic proportions is a portent, a threat to the souls of modern men. It has been built into a multimillion dollar racket with greater power over human minds and human character than any other educational influence on earth. And the ominous thing is that its power is almost exclusively evil, rotting the inner life, crowding out the long eternal thoughts which would fill the souls of men if they were but worthy to entertain them. And the whole thing has grown into a veritable religion which holds its devotees with a strange fascination, and a religion, incidentally, against which it is now dangerous to speak.
For centuries the Church stood solidly against every form of worldly entertainment, recognizing it for what it was - a device for wasting time, a refuge from the disturbing voice of conscience, a scheme to divert attention from moral accountability. For this she got herself abused roundly by the sons of this world. But of late she has become tired of the abuse and has given over the struggle. She appears to have decided that if she cannot conquer the great god Entertainment she may as well join forces with him and make what use she can of his powers. So today we have the astonishing spectacle of millions of dollars being poured into the unholy job of providing earthly entertainment for the so-called sons of heaven. Religious entertainment is in many places rapidly crowding out the serious things of God. Many churches these days have become little more than poor theatres where fifth -rate "producers" peddle their shoddy wares with the full approval of evangelical leaders who can even quote a holy text in defense of their delinquency. And hardly a man dares raise his voice against it.
The great god Entertainment amuses his devotees mainly by telling them stories. The love of stories, which is a characteristic of childhood, has taken fast hold of the minds of the retarded saints of our day, so much so that not a few persons manage to make a comfortable living by spinning yarns and serving them up in various disguises to church people. What is natural and beautiful in a child may be shocking when it persists into adulthood, and more so when it appears in the sanctuary and seeks to pass for true religion.
Is it not a strange thing and a wonder that, with the shadow of atomic destruction hanging over the world and with the coming of Christ drawing near, the professed followers of the Lord should be giving themselves up to religious amusements? That in an hour when mature saints are so desperately needed vast numbers of believers should revert to spiritual childhood and clamor for religions toys?
"Remember, (I) Lord, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. The crown Is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned! For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim."
AMEN & AMEN.... taken from The Root of the Righteous, by A.W. Tozer
Brother Tozer penned these words in 1955… my how things have changed since then. We have successfully brought what he saw in it’s infancy, to full-blown maturity. Slick marketing strategies have replaced sound Biblical teaching. Clever application of select scriptural passages and words are used as cloaks for the furtherance of Mega-Church growth, without the requirement of any genuine repentance before God, only conformity to the will of leaders. You may be shocked, as I was, to see the size and scope of this movement. There is a Hartford Institute for Religion Research Data base of mega-churches. To qualify as a mega-church; membership and attendance must average 2000 people.
For an example of the excesses churches are going to in order to keep‘the people’ entertained, look at this glowing report on the recipient of the Broadcast Engineering Excellence Award! This is fast becoming the 'norm,' not the 'anomaly.' Hmm, is this excessive use of man’s technology seriously intended to aid God in reaching the lost… or to provide enough distractions to keep those already there from recognizing that they are actually on the ‘broad path that leads to destruction?’ Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
God's ways are not man's ways... never have been, never will be. Yet these highly esteemed men and women would have us to believe that they are somehow the exception to the rule. That their way is better than God's way. If quantity overuled quality, they might have a leg to stand on, but such is not the case. The method being used is the carnal application of the mind and the exercising of the will, while God requires the renewal of the carnal mind by the Spirit of God.
By joining forces in huge numbers, people believe and are trusting in the strength of their own flesh, rather than leaning on the ‘arm of the Lord.’ The Willow Creek Association is key behind this explosion of entertainment based mega-churches. (use the Find a Church tab to get a handle on the enormous scope of influence exerted by this organization).
They have an interesting way of using religious sounding words:
"While we do not oversee the ministry expressions of individual churches, WCA Membership is intended solely for churches that hold an orthodox understanding of biblical Christianity"
“Serving Christ – following church leaders around the world with life-changing experiences, tools and innovation; calling churches everywhere to follow their unique, God-given vision and reach their full redemptive potential.”
What exactly is being said here? Are the different denominations now melted down to being ‘ministry expressions’… and what exactly would ‘orthodox understanding of biblical Christianity’ be? Apparently it is now preferable to follow ‘church leaders around’ rather than and opposed to ‘following Christ’ as He commanded us to. A lot of vague use of religious sounding words, without actually saying anything specifically, purposely left open to interpretation, thus more people can read into it whatever they want to hear. Orthodox: following the established or traditional rules of a political or religious belief, a philosophy, or a way of life. That didn’t work out to well for the Pharisees and Sadducees, and they were pretty good at it. Yet they rejected Jesus, to the point of crucifying HIM. He called them white washed sepulchers full of dead men’s bones. Why should we think He would respond any differently to us today?
What place does entertainment have in the Church? “It has been built into a multimillion dollar racket with greater power over human minds and human character than any other educational influence on earth. And the ominous thing is that its power is almost exclusively evil, rotting the inner life, crowding out the long eternal thoughts which would fill the souls of men if they were but worthy to entertain them. And the whole thing has grown into a veritable religion which holds its devotees with a strange fascination, and a religion, incidentally, against which it is now dangerous to speak.”
It can scarcely be denied, that these organizations are absolutely man-centered, employing the name of God as it suits their purposes. One can’t help but wonder what greater works Paul and the early church might have accomplished, if only they’d had at their disposal the lights, cameras and sound equipment we enjoy today? And notice the creative use of ‘titles’ and appointments within the organization. How did the church survive all these centuries without designations like; Redemptive Arts Pastor?
Jeremiah 14:14-16 Then the Lord said to me, The [false] prophets prophesy lies in My name. I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, nor have I spoken to them. They prophesy to you a false or pretended vision, a worthless divination [conjuring or practicing magic, trying to call forth the responses supposed to be given by idols], and the deceit of their own minds. Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the [false] prophets who prophesy in My name--although I did not send them--and who say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land: By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed. And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword; and they shall have none to bury them--them, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out their wickedness upon them [and not on their false teachers only, for the people could not have been deceived except by their own consent].
We had better all be very careful just who and what we consent to... in "The Number Of Man", Mauro said something about the Body of Christ being a living organism made by God Himself of "lively stones". He then went on to say that Satan is incapable of creating a living organism, and the most he can do is form an organization.
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P.S. Following this posting, I came across this article in Newsweek - Generation Me -
This attitude of self-exaltation, as testified to in this secular publication, is as prevalent within the Church as it is in the world. It is a sign of the time in which we now find ourselves. I confess, I had to look up Narcissism: 1. self admiration; excessive self-admiration and self-centeredness.2. personality disorder; in psychiatry, a personality disorder characterized by the patient's overestimation of his or her own appearance and abilities and an excessive need for admiration. Signs of a narcistic person....Vanity, Self-absorption, Egotism, Selfishness, Conceit, Self-importance.
2 comments:
These words of Paul come to mind. I believe we are seeing a complete fulfillment of these scriptures, and they are being fulfilled WITHIN the so called church in America.
(Ephesians 4:17-20) This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ.
A little more on the contemporary cultural acceptance of Narcissim - which also can easily show up in church leader personalities:
"Today's Times, meanwhile, reports that "the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (due out in 2013, and known as DSM-5) has eliminated five of the 10 personality disorders that are listed in the current edition":
Narcissistic personality disorder is the most well-known of the five. . . .
The central requirement for N.P.D. is a special kind of self-absorption: a grandiose sense of self, a serious miscalculation of one's abilities and potential that is often accompanied by fantasies of greatness. . . .
The second requirement for N.P.D.: since the narcissist is so convinced of his high station (most are men), he automatically expects that others will recognize his superior qualities and will tell him so. . . .
Finally, the narcissist, who longs for the approval and admiration of others, is often clueless about how things look from someone else's perspective. Narcissists are very sensitive to being overlooked or slighted in the smallest fashion, but they often fail to recognize when they are doing it to others.
Most of us would agree that this is an easily recognizable profile, and it is a puzzle why the manual's committee on personality disorders has decided to throw N.P.D. off the bus.:
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