Release or Evasion?
Theme of the Week: 'It's Only a Movie'
Neal Plantinga
Sunday, December 26, 2004
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Who Said It
Neal, president of Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan, teaches theology, preaches profound sermons, and writes insightful books. But Neal quickly identifies with others' joys and griefs, and his down-to-earth humor is self-deflating. He boasts that in 1956 he was a runner up in his recreational district's peewee division tennis tournament! Since then, he and his wife, Kathleen, have turned to biking. And Neal's bow makes serious music on his violin. What He Said
One barometer of American interest in amusement is the salaries of professional athletes and other entertainers. These tell us that entertainment has become a diversion not only in the sense of playful relief from the main business of life but also in the sense of a distraction from it, an evasion of it, a sometimes grim, big-business alternative to it.
We all need and relish amusement now and then. But by its nature, amusement shouldn't be taken seriously. The winner of the World Series makes front page news, but, objectively speaking, who wins doesn't matter at all. All that matters is that the contest be entertaining.
So when people begin to focus their lives more on amusement than on doing their work well, raising their children securely, gaining an education, and helping those in need, they begin to evade responsibility. The problem is that the evasions are lots of fun and therefore very tempting to all of us. It takes strength to resist them. When we fail, spending our leisure time becomes our occupation.
Adapted from Not the Way It's Supposed to Be (Eerdmans, 1995) by permission.
Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click
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Lord, the entertainment I'm exposed to could easily deflect my mind and heart from Your truth. Help me make sound choices.
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