Lois recently posted on how television watching can have a massive negative effect on our hearts and our time. I think it’s not too much to say that not only television watching, but web surfing, video game playing, music listening, movie viewing, and other prominent activities in our entertainment culture are similar black holes, when done without constraint and careful moderation.

Desiring God recently posted an audio excerpt of John Piper’s comments from the Gospel Coalition conference, titled “Netflix and Hell.” He expresses eloquently the fundamental problems with undiscerningly participating in our surrounding culture. Paraphrased,

1. Our culture is obsessed with entertainment (cf. Neil Postman’s classic book Amusing Ourselves to Death). The success of NetFlix is an example of that.
2. When Christians absorb the culture around them (or are absorbed by it), they end up looking (and acting) just like the world.
3. Christians should rather be “obsessed” with God, not simply spending our lives seeking “entertainment” — however “clean” or rated “G” it may be.
4. All this while people are going to hell. And we are the only ones with the message that can deliver them from that fate.

As usual, Piper is Biblical, insightful and prudent and compels me to examine my life and priorities, “for the days are evil.” Here’s a transcript of his brief comments:

The fact that Christ has come, that he’s died, that he’s risen, that he reigns, that he’s beckoning me to know him, fully spend eternity with him and come with the fruits of my life into his presence makes me want very much not to buy into NetFlix. I said to Noel the other day (it’s a concrete thing, right off the front burner, she was talking to me about these deals, now, on the web where you can not just rent videos or dvds once a week & have ‘em sent to you, but now you can download them or you will be able to soon):

“You know, Noel, I’m afraid for us as a family, and for my church, of the entertainment culture that we live in. Almost everybody - because of the internet largely - is thinking, ‘Maximize entertainment. How many movies can I see? How many iPod songs can I listen to? How many games can I load onto this computer? How many gadgets can I have?’ And pretty soon you wake up and realize Christians are just like everybody else, they’re just maximizing surround sound.’

“‘And every night, let’s eat, let’s sit back, let’s put our feet up and watch clean videos’… while the world goes to hell. And I just don’t want to be part of that. I’ve just got a teeny little life to live, and only what’s done for Christ will last.”

So what’s driving me is the lostness of the world, I really believe in hell. And I’d rather that people not go there if I can have any influence upon them not to go there. I want to maximize my joy in God, and I know that happens through service. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” So what’s driving me is: hell is horrible, eternity is long, Christ is beautiful, my heart is designed for him, and I want to maximize my joy and take as many with me into that everlasting pleasure that I can.