Let's not get taken captive

O.K., I'm a bit cranky as I sit down to write this. I was on the elliptical, trying to burn off my Christmas candy fat and get back on track, while watching some daytime T.V. Do you realize how much garbage is on during the day? Dear saints of God- turn off the T.V. Other than some selected sporting events, Sponge Bob, and American Idol- it's a cesspool of empty deceit! What a time-sucking, mind-warping, life-waster this miserable thing is.

While flipping through, ironically and in a related way, I saw evidence of the anemic state of Christian thinking. I just watched an interview with some well-meaning Christians where they were unable to see the harm in having their horoscopes read. Who knows how many fragile Christians gain confidence in their error by seeing others, who profess like faith, add horoscope reading to their tools of discernment? Next, I flipped to some political discussion where a professing believer was arguing there is no significant difference between Romney's Mormonism and Huckabee's Christianity. Again, instead of picking up their bible or searching for an accurate comparison between the two very different religions, a lazy person might just have their own ignorance bolstered by such an erroneous assertion. I think more Christian's have their minds warped by the barrage of human philosophy and wrong-headedness that permeates television than we might think.

Consider this rough analogy- one of the biggest fears for a parent is to have their child abducted. You have probably seen the various video clips that have circulated where we witness children being kidnapped by strangers in department stores, malls, and parking lots. More recently we have witnessed the luring and harming of children by predators on the Internet. So, what do we do from the time our child is small? We warn them not to talk with strangers, to not go somewhere with someone they do not know. I tell my young ones, "no matter how nice a person might act toward you, if you do not know them, do not get too close and by all means, don’t let them grab you or get you in to their car". Scary stuff to think about isn’t it? Yet, regularly, children are stolen right from under their parents’ noses. In a rare piece of valuable television, I saw a reporter disguise himself as a stranger-type and visit parks where kids were playing with their parents conversing relatively close by. Still, even with the parents nearby, he was able to talk children in to coming with him on several occasions. When the children were quizzed after they went with the stranger, they seemed to know they should not have gone-but did so anyways, kind of in a trance. It’s so easy, in just a moment, to be taken captive.

Keeping children safe from such a horrendous thing is a sober subject. No less sobering in our need to “see to it that no one take you captive by philosophy and empty deceit” as the Apostle warns in one of my favorite portions of the New Testament, which I preached not to long ago:

Colossians 2:8-15 [8] See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. [9] For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, [10] and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. [11] In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, [12] having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. [13] And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, [14] by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. [15] He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Just as children are kidnapped every day in this country, so also many followers of Jesus Christ are kidnapped by philosophy and empty deceit, steered away from Christ as it were, because they were not realistic and cautious about all the ideas, beliefs, and values circulating out there- especially on the television. I'm no prude, as you all know, but I'm struggling to find much redeeming on daytime television and life is too short and valuable to waste on the elemental spirits of the world. Since I can never get back that 60 minutes, I'm thankful I at least had a good workout.

Rant over.