Doug Wilson recently had a good piece on our modern day’s attractive yet distracting forms of entertainment. Are we as young Christians being effective in our call to be in the world yet distinct from it? Or, are we just a few steps behind everyone else?

I don’t think the modern mediums of media such as movies, music, and literature are negative in and of themselves, but is it possible that we over emphasize them in our daily lives at the expense of more lofty and eternal pursuits? Movies are a recent invention as is the ability to listen to any music you want anywhere. People have lived for thousands of years without media and entertainment as we have it today. Could you?

At very least we must understand that the time we spend consuming is time not spent producing. Not only is time spent consuming entertainment eating into our ability to produce, but more often than not, we find ourselves feeding at the trough of humanist anti-christian entertainers.

Are there movies in your DVD shelf that you shouldn’t own? Get rid of them. Is their music in your iTunes library with a Godless worldview or that deals with inappropriate subjects? Delete it. Find productive replacements.

On the flip side… Do you struggle with keeping yourself accountable to a regular Bible reading plan? If you’re like me, you start out strong, but after missing a few readings begin to struggle. The iPad or computer is much more attractive in the morning than spending 30 minutes in Numbers or one of the minor prophets. Unlike what I recommended earlier, you shouldn’t throw the iPad or computer out. They are useful tools if put in their proper place. They’re not the real problem. It’s your false elevation of them that leads to their distractive power. So, my recommendation would instead be to remove those unproductive elements from your electronics and replace them with better things such as an excellent electronic study bible, a reading plan app, books, and useful content for learning about creation. You might find that you have less “uses” for it now, but you’ll be able to accomplish your goals and become more productive.

I’ve felt the false feeling of accomplishment after finishing a video game. I’ve also felt the real feeling of accomplishment after a hard days work or a long powerful novel. We as Christians, especially us young people, need to strive for real accomplishment, value, and fulfillment. Our culture offers counterfeits. It’s time that we order our lives in accord with our Christianity.