A New Default

A new sit-com is scheduled to premier this evening. It is called “Living Biblically.” I will not see it, but I am 99% sure that I would not care for it if I did. The premise is about a man, who after some traumatic experience, decides to live his life according to the Bible. Apparently, what the comedy will revolve around is this main character’s efforts to work out a rigid understanding of Old Testament law in the modern day. (One spoiler alert suggests that he will chuck a rock at an adulterer. Something fun for everyone.)

The predictable sources are agitated. They will watch the show for the rest of us and keep us all advised as to what we should feel offended about. In the meantime, they will organize the obligatory boycotts of all the relevant advertisers.

I accept that these efforts may be well-intended attempts to preserve a Christian presence and influence in the culture, and I regret if my presentation to this point sounds a little condescending or overly critical. It’s just that after many years of the same old response to any movie, television show, play, piece of art, or children’s book that rubs Christians the wrong way, we may need to explore a new way of reacting. The visceral reflex of taking offense and attempting to exert pressure on Hollywood or the culture-at-large to behave themselves seems to be rather fruitless when all is said and done. They just keep misbehaving.

These thoughts began to take shape as I listened to an interview of one of the executive producers for the new show. He insisted that no offense or ridicule is intended. He just wants to explore the place of religion in an entertaining way. He also attributed part of his interest to the fact that he was raised Catholic. I entertained the possibility that he was being completely disingenuous when he said that no offense is intended. However, I also considered that I could extend to him the benefit of the doubt. That way I would not need to resent him for being deceitful. Still, I cannot escape the conclusion that he is being absurdly naïve. Believers ARE going to feel misunderstood, but should we not be prepared for that anyway? It is not exactly a “scoop” to learn that the citizens of the world will misrepresent the citizens of the kingdom.

Perhaps, a better default reaction than immediate protest is for Christian leaders and parents to gather their respective flocks – congregations, Sunday School students, children, etc. - and reinforce to them the wisdom of Scripture. The world cannot be expected to reflect the values and the sensitivities of those who are reborn of the Spirit of God. It is incapable of even understanding them. It follows, then, that we have no real foundation for feeling offended. It is not realistic to expect that the world's entertainment media will cater to Christian sensibilities.

... The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.  – 1 Corinthians 2:14

The world has no concept of the purpose of the Law of Moses; that it was a temporary arrangement for forging and protecting a holy nation. The world has no hope of understanding the “types” in the ceremonial law that pointed ahead to and found fulfillment in Jesus. The world has no basis for comprehending how the Law gave way to grace when it was nailed to the cross of Christ.

We must find a better default reaction to the world’s ridicule than simply fighting back with the world’s methods. These are legitimate and valuable teaching moments for our people. Besides, on those few occasions when our Christian protests do affect any change at all, those changes dissolve almost instantaneously. Perhaps, it is better to take the slap of insult on the cheek from the powers that be in the entertainment field and expend our energies in preparing ourselves to give meaningful answers to those we encounter who need such answers for real life questions.