So. Homeschool.

[ric]

I went to a church this summer where the only mention of pop culture was to tell everyone how much of an abomination it was. And music with drums! Don't get me started on the evils of music with drums.

I don't believe music with drums is evil. This is merely a stance held by some sheltering families that I don't believe is entirely sinful.

While it may not be 'sinful', I would argue that it's ignorant to the point of harm. I'm honestly quite tired of people going, "yeah I may be sheltered to the extreme, but at least I'm not sinning", because you're clearly harvesting a self-protect mindset that isn't beneficial to anyone else. Jesus didn't merely call us to be holy.. he called us to be missional.

For the love of God, shatter your delusional world of safety and relate to people who are searching for Christ! They don't want to see that your life reflects rules of 'do not's, they want to see that your passion for your faith supersedes your self-protect mode! The heart and soul of Jesus Christ can be found and accessed through the most potent R-rated films you can imagine. I'm hardly saying that we need to drop all our barriers simply so we can be more like the world; I'm wholeheartedly suggesting that we fully embrace the fact the Jesus is out on the streets interacting with prostitutes with a greater passion than ministering to a church full of people who would rather sit at home and criticize foul language. What's the priority here?

YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!

But why can a parent not have some rules for their children UNTIL they become old enough to realize that the goal isn't just to entertain yourself, but to prepare yourself for the real world? It is the parent's job to teach their children, and until you and I become parents, we're not going to understand. I'll admit, I really have no idea about parenting, but I do know that the goal is training your child in God so that they can be a light to the world, go out among the nations, etc, and it is my opinion that letting a 14 year-old with limited spiritual maturity listen to and watch whatever they want because 'the time has come when they need to discern for themselves' is not working toward that goal in the least.

Also, Jesus was interacting with the sinners, the prostitutes, the tax collectors. He wasn't studying up on their favorite music or their favorite style of clothes or whatever was big back then. He was interacting with the PEOPLE. Maybe I just haven't had enough interaction with non-Christians, but I do not get how you need to know all about pop culture in order to witness to people! Yes, it can be a medium through which you can witness, but it is, in my humble and admittedly ill-experienced opinion, non-essential. Perhaps I am wrong, and it is entirely likely. Time will only tell.

[Angel]

Also, Jesus was interacting with the sinners, the prostitutes, the tax collectors. He wasn't studying up on their favorite music or their favorite style of clothes or whatever was big back then. He was interacting with the PEOPLE. Maybe I just haven't had enough interaction with non-Christians, but I do not get how you need to know all about pop culture in order to witness to people! Yes, it can be a medium through which you can witness, but it is, in my humble and admittedly ill-experienced opinion, non-essential. Perhaps I am wrong, and it is entirely likely. Time will only tell.

I have had those interactions, and I agree. We really should take "in the world but not of it" seriously. We can keep up with current events and such without being influenced by them. My parents have let me and my siblings (at a reasonable age) read books, watch movies, listen to music, etc. that they didn't necessarily agree with or think was fruitful to our spiritual life. They didn't even raise a fit when my brother converted to a different belief system than our's. It's about our actions. As long as we can still speak the truth in love, as long as we aren't cussing everywhere, and causing harm to others (and thus not being a Christ-like witness), we can still live our life. So the main idea is; we don't need to build barriers so high that we don't even know who Bieber and Gaga are, but we don't have to delve into the culture either. It is helpful in witnessing to understand the standpoint that people are coming from...but here's a question for everyone: How far do you go in order to reach out to those that are not Christians, and how much tolerance should we have?