The big question here is not, “Should Christians strive to stay current with culture?” The big question seems to be, “When is it okay for old Christians to quit keeping up with all the latest schlock?” I’m just a half-plug of Star chewing tobacco bit past twoscore, but I’m already logey and reeling under all the mediocre culture I consumed in the dreadful eighties. It was mostly forgettable, but I didn’t succeed in forgetting it. I can already recite the first eight seasons of the Simpsons (when it was still good); do I need to make room and lower my shock-standards for The Family Guy? I can pontificate on the emceeing styles of three different Family Feud hosts; do I need to make it a priority to see who the stars are dancing with? Don’t get me started on comic books: Having survived the zine revolution, the Secret Wars, and the Crisis on Infinite Earths, what’s a fanboy approaching middle age supposed to read? And where do they even sell comics these days, because I’m sure not going into that spooky store.
I speak not as a Christian, but as an up-and-coming fogey. I rarely meet the young Christian who needs to be exhorted to engage their culture. They seem to consume what everybody consumes, and are in general agreement with the zeitgeist that a steady stream of entertainment is the Fifth Freedom that our forefathers fought for. What I need is a reliable guide to the four good movies that come out every year, so I can see those and ignore the rest.
If there’s some gospel reason why I should scour through this and this and this to find something worth paying attention to, I’m ready to hear and obey. I’m even trying to keep the channel relatively clear so I can get the message when it arrives.
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At the crusty old age of 33, I can relate to what he is saying here in terms of music. I just don't have much of an appetite for pop music anymore. I used to consume it like a famished grizzly in a trout stream. There are certainly exceptions, but I find that my musical tastes have completely transitions to music like classical and jazz that embodies, in my view, much more transcendence. I can promise you that we won't be listening to The Black Eyed Peas in 50 years, but Miles Davis' landmark recording, Kind of Blue will still be going strong. I think I'll take the later. I know, I know. I am crusty. I have four kids, drive a mini-van and go to bed at 9:30 sometimes. Deal with it.
Sign me up for the nursing home.
2 comments:
Sign me and my husband up too, we're only a few years older than you and we're a manifesto short of living in complete isolation from society. No TV, no interest in radio, we're about to lose our internet. Most of our music is off the radar. We read weird books from Puritans and Charles Spurgeon and can't stand Olsteen and Beth Moore. We don't use buzzwords like "empowerment" and "self-esteem" when we talk about the Gospel, we use archaic words like "propitiation" and "atonement." We bring up creepy unpleasant subjects like God's wrath against unrepentant sinners, the depravity of fallen mankind, and the condition of the soul apart from the Spirit's transforming work. And we don't even have a stylish religiously-minded wardrobe covered in frequently-quoted Scriptural sound bites. We're ancient, outmoded, and out of touch!
try this for music that is relevant, new, and really good: Thrice - Alchemy Index Vol 3 (air) and 4 (earth). They are slightly different styles and Dustin Kensrue's lyrics are second to none. I got it two weeks ago and can't stop listening to it.
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