The Christian World

Today I was flipping - well I guess we don't flip through channels anymore, we skim, or scroll. Anyway, I was scanning through our channels on Direct TV and came upon TBN. Their current program that was being aired was simply labeled "Christian News". I've never watched Christian news, but it caused me to roll my eyes and shake my head a bit as it reminded me of this trend in the Christian world so many live in. Take this Christian news for example, ss this simply Christian related news stories? Maybe about how Pastor Gorge in Ohio got a new Bible for Christmas? Or is it simply a Christian take on world news? Either way, news is news right? I know many people complain about how negative the news is, how they only seem to focus on crime, and murders, and the scummy parts of our society. And I agree, but Christian news? What is that exactly, and what is it's purpose?

Many Christians like to surround themselves in a Christian world thats safe, protected, and isolated from the rest of the world, or the "secular" world. But do we really need our own version of everything? We have our own television networks, (which only Christians watch) 0ur own Christian radio stations (which only Christians listen to) our own fictional novels, our own stores, our own cloths, our own breath mints, even our own version of YouTube. The Bible tells us to be in the world, just not of the world. It seems however that our Christian culture as a whole is doing allot of work to take us out the world we were created and called to live as witnesses of Christ in.

Many people don't have normal TV and programming the rest of the world has, they have their own Christian TV. Some Christians listen to nothing but Christian music. It seems like there has been a pull in the Christian world that tells us to separate our lives from the world around us. Don't listen to secular music, don't watch secular TV, don't go into that store, its not a place Christians should be. Jesus called us to go be witnesses in all the world. He set the example for us that teaches; in order to reach those we are called to reach, we must live in the same world they do. The more we as Christians separate ourselves from the world, the less effective we become in reaching those we are called to reach.

I am in no way suggestion we should fill our minds with a bunch of garbage, I am simply saying that we should take a look at our lives, are we in the world, or are we pulling ourselves out the world and into a Christian isolation camp? The ones we are called to reach don't live in our Christian world, they don't watch our christian TV, or listen to our Christian radio, or suck on our Christian mints, nor would they want to. If we are going to be effective in reaching those outside our comfy protected Christian compounds, we need to be in their world. We should have our music on their radio, our programs on their channels, and maybe even suck on their mints. Crazy? Yeah maybe, but Jesus did it, so maybe we should to.

Anyway, when Jesus came to this earth he didn't push the world away, he didn't separate himself from it, he surrounded himself with it. I think we could learn from him and the way he lived in this world we live in. It's quite a concept, living the way Jesus did, but maybe we should try it. Maybe we'd have better results. I don't know thoough, the Christian mints are pretty swell.