Captivated - More than a Review

I watched the movie, Captivated, a couple days ago.  I wanted a TV-lite summer, but things tend to not go as planned.  I assumed, incorrectly, that not having cable or satellite service would deter nonstop, insatiable tv viewing consumption. I was wrong.

Every morning the battle begins.
  

"Megan, turn off that TV.  It's time for breakfast."  

Often my seven year old wakes before me.  She will go sit on the couch and turn on Netflix.  By the time I stumble to the coffee pot, she's halfway through a cartoon.  

My older two at home both have Ipod Touches.  It's a continual feast of passive entertainment.  They are on them so much that I can get a faster response from them, if they have Wifi, by Facebook messaging them than by texting or calling their basic cell phones!

My husband and are aren't much better.  Bored?  Watch a movie.  Play another episode of a TV show we've seen a thousand times.  Turn on Hulu to catch the new episodes.  Amazon Prime has tons of free choices for our viewing entertainment. Since we moved to a larger town, the library has a HUGE selection of videos.  If there is nothing there, we have a Blockbuster and multiple Redbox machines in which our entertainment needs can be met. 

Captivated is one of those documentaries that has intrigued me for a couple years.  I think I saw a preview while watching the movie, Indoctrination. But... It's also one of those movies that I never got around to purchasing... Until last week.  I decided to splurge because I knew that all this screen time wasn't healthy. (Yes, I see the irony of watching a movie that urges watching less television.  I'm also typing a blog post about spending less time on Social Media.) 

I have read the articles about how too much screen time is horrible for children. Captivated added a Christian perspective that simply changes everything... And not just for children. 

Why are we spending our lives allowing so much garbage into our heads and hearts?  While there are a few redeeming programs on television, spending five hours a day (national average) watching television seems like a large waste of time.  Can you imagine all the things we could do with that time?

Anyone need more time in the Bible or in prayer? Anyone want to have more time with your children?  Anyone want to go back to college?  At five hours a day, you could be an expert on any field of your choice! 

We tell ourselves and everyone else that we are too busy, but are we really? Oh, some of us are. We are overscheduled and stressed.  But many of us just spend too much time watching tv, playing hours of video games, or catching all the latest and greatest on Facebook or Twitter.

David Wilkerson, as I've read, decided to spend his time, years and years ago, praying instead of watching TV.  Soon after he began doing this, he felt called by God to minister to the gangs in New York City.  He was so successful at reaching those that no one had previously tried to reach with the Gospel that he opened Times Square Church.  His life was made famous in the book and movie, The Cross and the Switchblade.  What if he had simply decided that he needed the TV time to unwind after a long day? 

I'm not against TV or Facebook.  I dont like many video games, but I have nothing against them in general. I love a good movie.  But here is the catch:  Spending hours a day with my face in a screen leaves one with a feeling of accomplishment FOR DOING NOTHING!! 

Let's think of this practically.  I have recently become a bit obsessed with the game Bejeweled Blitz.  I can play for hours on end on my phone...while watching TV.  But what am I really achieving by having enough points to be on the top of the leaderboard?  Have I spent that time with The Lord?  Have I spent any of that time pouring myself into my husband or children?  Did I learn anything in that time from my efforts?  I wasted that time, sitting on my bottom.  But because I've acquired coins and set high scores, my mind thinks it has accomplished something.  But have I really?  No. 

The same goes for many of the passive viewing experiences.  Yes, I can hear the arguments being thrown my way already. "But it relaxes me."  "I watch good shows."  "It's how I keep up with my friends and family." 

Please hear my heart on this.  There is a balance that is missing.  Are we really living our lives vicariously through actors, dramatic plot lines, and status updates?  There is nothing wrong with catching a favorite show or posting that cute pic of your child that you know your loved ones will enjoy. But... FIVE HOURS IS THE AVERAGE, and that's just television viewing! That is over 76 days of watching TV per year. That is over two years of our lives out of every ten watching television.  That isn't including watching movies, playing video games, spending time on Social Media, or texting our buddies. That is only television viewing. 

Think it doesn't impact your thinking?  Your heart? As Christians, how often is our thinking warped by the culture around us and the television we see versus the Word of God?  Why do non-Christians not see anything different in Christians that they would want?  Why do Christians often have the same views as non-Christians on controversial topics like abortion, gay marriage, or divorce?  Could it be because their minds and hearts are filled with secular opinions and worldly reasoning, and many times they can't even defend the Biblical worldview because they don't know what the Bible truly says.  They'll be led astray by someone twisting Scripture and quoting it out of context because they haven't taken the time to find out for themselves what is really there.  They haven't read it.  They've been too busy listening to ungodly views. Or... they take the word of a pastor or church leader instead of finding out for themselves.

And why do Christians have a reputation as hatemongers?  It is easy to trash other people's lifestyles and actions while living a passive life ourselves.  I wonder how much time Christians would have to reach out to others if they turned off the televisions, shut down their Facebook site for awhile, and actually went out and became the hands and feet of Jesus.  Could we show Christ in this world?  

I'll be generous.  If every Christian spent just two hours of that average five per day being the hands and feet of Jesus, I'll bet the Kingdom would explode.  I'll bet we could put an end to the sex trade.  I'll bet those two hours spent in prayer would lead lost loved ones to salvation in incredible numbers.  I'll bet that two hours of prayer time and Bible study per day would lead to the revivals and explosive Awakenings our Country needs.  I'll bet that two hours a day, focused on discipling young people, including our own children, would lead to lives forever altered as those children follow Christ and lead their peers to The Lord.  

I type this as much to myself as to my fellow Christians. 

I once heard a pastor state that Christians aren't hungry for The Lord because they are too full of everything else.  I agree. 

I don't want to be too full of the world that I have no room for Jesus.  So... I'm going to prayerfully make some changes.  

Anyone want to join me?