Is Television "Of the Devil?"

Questions and Answers for Parents

Darren Hom – http://TeachBible.com

Is Television a Bad Thing?

Television is one of the most popular ways our culture communicates its messages to our children.  The technology is not necessarily bad.  The apostle John used the Greek word logos ("word") as a way to describe Jesus Christ in John 1:1.  In Greek philosophy, logos often meant an impersonal, divine sort of rationality.  This, of course, is not compatible with Christianity, since God is personal.  John had to choose a word to describe Christ, though, and he uses the rest of the chapter to explain that the true logos is a real person who came to earth to take away our sins.

Is Television a Good Thing, Then?

Not always!  A lot depends on how you watch.  Just as John did not accept the common use of logos uncritically, we should not allow our children to watch television in an unthinking way.  We need to take "every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5), allowing our minds to be transformed and renewed so we can gladly accept the way that God has asked us to live (Romans 12:2).

It's true that television contains sex and violence, and we should keep our students away from images that will tempt them to sin.  But since we need to take every thought captive and allow ourselves to be transformed, we have a responsibility to do more than simply keep our children away from the worst influences.  The Bible passages I cited earlier don't talk about a defensive strategy of staying away from evil, but the offensive campaign of making our thinking obedient to Christ.  We do our children a disservice if we protect them from shows that are obviously dangerous but do not teach them how to watch shows whose influence may be more subtle.

How Can I Train My Children to Take Every Thought Captive?

The apostle John interacted with his culture by using something that already existed in his culture, the word logos, to communicate his message about Jesus Christ.  At the same time, he did not compromise with that culture.  He clearly explained we should not think of logos, the Word, in exactly the same way that Greek philosophers did.

In the same way, teach your children to think critically about what they are watching.  Television is captivating because it tells a story using characters and life situations we can identify with.  It's important to both compare (find similarities in) and contrast (search for differences between) any TV show and the Bible's point of view.  We should learn how to recognize the things we can truly identify with as Christians.  At the same time, we should watch for ideas in the same TV shows that could draw us away from the truth.

Television is a normal part of American culture and probably an important part of your children's lives.  Make their life part of your life.  Sit together and watch what they watch.  Ask them questions to help them draw out the ideas in the shows they are watching and help them compare and contrast those ideas with the Christian view of life.  Please adapt the twelve questions below for your own family.  You can find more resources at http://TeachBible.com.

1. How does this TV show EXPOSE sin (show sin for what it really is), if it does?

2. How does this show EXPLOIT sin (show sin in a way that tempts people), if it does?

3. What kind of SOLUTION (if there is one) to the problem of sin does the story in this TV show offer?

4. What is the MORAL (lesson) of this story?

5. In what ways does this TV show AGREE with the Bible's point of view?

6. In what ways does this show DISAGREE with the Bible's point of view?

7. Is God presented as the person we should trust in this TV show?  If not, what is?

8. OPTIONAL – for advanced students: If God is not the ultimate object of trust in the movie, explain how the movie fails to provide a foundation for the things it claims to believe.

9. What do you think a Christian could learn from this TV show to strengthen his faith?

10. How could a Christian use this show to share the gospel?

11.Do you think Christians should watch this TV show?  Why or why not?

12.Do you think non-Christians should watch this show?  Why or why not?