Are Churches Too Protective?

[LadyKay]

On 2/17/2021 at 8:29 AM, Uber Genius said:

A poll taken by George Barna called, "6 Reasons Young Christians Leave Church," suggested that, "Churches seem overprotective, or Churches are too concerned that movies, music, and games (pop culture), are harmful." 

I raised my children in the mid-1990s through 2010. We never owned cable tv, we had a language filter on our tv, and for a few years, when our kids decided tv and video game watching rules didn't apply when I travelled for work, (which was every week), I took the tv power cord with me. So it is fair to say that I'm on the extreme side of the bell curve when it comes to measuring overprotection from pop culture.

My three kids all remain in the church to this day. They thank me for forcing them to read and memorize scripture, ask questions of every idea or hypothesis by every author (of course they complained vociferously when they were kids).

What is others experience of protection by church against pop culture?

Where should we draw the line?

I am not sure if this is about what the church should do or what a Christian parent should do.  I have my own thoughts and ideas about what a church should do. But as for what a parent should do, I stay away from telling other parents how they should raise their children. Unless directly asked for my thoughts on what to do about something. Then they can take my advice or not.  It seem your kids turn out alright so whatever it is you did must have been the right thing for you to do for your family. Not all families or kids are the same. So what might work for one may not work for another. But as I said. I do not like to tell other people how to raise their children. So that is all I have to say about that. 

[JohnD]

20 hours ago, Uber Genius said:

I was 12 at the time and lived in Columbus Ohio. My dad took our family to Xenia to help wherever we could. I was stunned, whole town seems leveled, miles of debris. 

I was about the same age. Dad had already passed away in 1972, We moved to a neighboring town (Jamestown) like a year or two before he died.

Mom and some of the neighbors went to Xenia to help a day or so after the tornado. When we kids went a few days later to bring blankets and canned goods, a lot of the debris was removed but looked like a nuclear bomb went off. The neighborhood we lived in there was flattened. Only basements and an occasional wall left standing. 

Similar to this was the aftermath of the conflagrations in San Diego we lived near. As with tornadoes, fires, floods, hurricanes (lived in Florida as a teen)... the LORD has always delivered / protected us. 

Praise Him!!!

 

[JohnD]

Just now, JohnD said:

I was about the same age. Dad had already passed away in 1972, We moved to a neighboring town (Jamestown) like a year or two before he died.

Mom and some of the neighbors went to Xenia to help a day or so after the tornado. When we kids went a few days later to bring blankets and canned goods, a lot of the debris was removed but looked like a nuclear bomb went off. The neighborhood we lived in there was flattened. Only basements and an occasional wall left standing. 

Similar to this was the aftermath of the conflagrations in San Diego we lived near. As with tornadoes, fires, floods, hurricanes (lived in Florida as a teen)... the LORD has always delivered / protected us. 

Praise Him!!!

 

And I still say we in America have (had) it better than many of the nations I' visited in the Navy. I'll never forget the abject poverty of Karachi, Pakistan. Nor the opulence of Sitra, Bahrain ( for the "haves" ). I actually kissed the ground once back in the good old U.S. of A. I just pray we are not on a fast track to becoming like the rest of those nations abroad.  That would solve the immigration problem wouldn't it...

[JohnD]

20 hours ago, Uber Genius said:

Loved the Night Stalker! And remember Star Trek where Kirk would go into his chambers with some...well female something or other, and the next scene would be Kirk on his bed pulling back on his boots, lol. 

Scandalous in those days.

You or somebody mentioned a couple in bed together that weren't married.

Even married couples had twin beds on TV shows back then. And they were rarely in them at the same time. 

Legs were allowed to be seen (obviously) but not navels... cleavage but not side or bottom... 

Men had to have boxers for loss of pants moments (understandably... I believe it is somewhat in force today)...

I am not mocking but rather shaking my head at how far down we've sunk as a moral society... and the all that little kids are exposed to today...

Luke 17:2 (AV)
2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

God's Grace is all forgiving. So perhaps it is along the lines of greater and lesser rewards in heaven... but what we allow, indulge, or ignore in this world to happen (and especially to children; even what they are exposed to) may come back to severely bite us in the end... of time... that is...

Our parents (and even the structure of society) back in the day fought hard to protect us from what came of turning our backs on Christ, prayer in schools, even Bible being taught in schools [before our time, but it once was... in fact I recall reading somewhere it was the first public school textbook when public schools were just formed], embracing secular humanism as the norm for the public square, embracing atheism in schools and the religion of macro-evolution, defying God, defying parents... free love, protest everything unchristian at will... 

Maybe a bit of old time protection is just what the doctor ordered...