Why blog anyway?

Has it really been over a week since my last post?  Time seems to roll right on by, just like a big katamari.

So I was thinking the other day about the motive behind my blogging.  I suppose that if I treated this as an “online journal” that it would be rather….normative, which is something that I am trying to avoid this go-around.  I could probably blog about “interesting things” I found on the internet, how I feel at the moment, movies I went to see, videogames I am playing, baseless comments about news articles, and many other things that are, quite honestly, not of much lasting consequence to me.  I have created blogs in the past of this sort, and I get bored with them quickly.  Not many people want to read about your daily routine when they have their own to deal with, and one opinion in a sea of opinions is not worth much, especially if you do not know a decent amount of information about the subject.  In my opinion though (and it’s only my opinion), the best possible material is material that is of lasting consequence.  If I am blogging for my own benefit, I might as well make a journal offline in the traditional way.  The truth is, though, I don’t want this blog to be solely for my benefit.  I want to blog about something that I think is important (Christianity and different aspects of Christian living) not for my own sake, although it does help me to clarify and organize my thoughts, but I want to blog for the sake of others as well.  I want others to read this, even if it is only in passing, and be challenged to at least think about Christian topics throughout the course of life. 

As you can probably tell, faith is quite important to me.  When I am gone, it’s what I want people to come back and find if they read my blogs posthumously.  Every day I have a choice:  to concern myself primarily with spiritual things that have eternal value or to concern myself with nonspiritual things that have only temporary value.  There is a time for everything.  I know that.  There is a time for the trivial.  Not all of life has to be serious (thankfully).  I want to enjoy life, but I have a compelling urge to study God’s Word and let others know what I have been pondering.  Blogging also provides a great system for edification as well.  Networking and blogrolling is a blast, and I love reading what my peers are writing about.

There is enough triviality in the world; however, I hope that what you will frequently find here are astute and poignant postings about life, religion, worldview, and the pursuit of God.

Situational Prudence?

In an article a few days ago, I discussed moral prudence and the need to carefully choose that which you let into your life.  A question that I have for discussion is this:  In your opinion, is it Biblically acceptable to watch or to listen to immoral things outside of the company of others who are more sensitive to “adult issues”?  (Example: Not wanting to watch a PG-13 or R rated movie in front of young children, but watching it later in the company of adults or alone)

My opinion thus far is that the issue can be decided based upon what the intent of the production is.  Is the message of the production a good thing to meditate upon (that will stir us to good action and Godly lifestyle), or is the intent of the production to exploit, destroy morality and goodness, or corrupt?  Also, I do not think that moral compromises can be made with trivial things.  If there is no purpose other than to entertain, entertainment alone does not justify immoral content.  Certainly our primary source of meditation should be God’s word.  We should be filling ourselves primarily with Godly things, and we should let everything else be secondary, utilizing prudence to determine what is acceptable for Christians to partake of.  If we are cultivating a true relationship with God, His Spirit within us will chastise when we stray from the sanctified life that He is working to produce in us.

Moral Prudence and the Pursuit Thereof

In Chapter 15 of the article ”Of the Morals of the Catholic Church,” Augustine defines prudence as being “love making a right distinction between what helps it toward God and what hinders it.” [link]  For Augustine, love is the impetus for prudence, which is certainly a truth.  Due to the fact that God loved us first, we love, and therefore we want to make correct moral decisions based on our love for God and what He has done for us.  However, because of the compelling nature of the Holy Spirit and the Lordship of Christ over our lives, one has to postulate whether there are not some other driving forces behind the pursuit of prudence in the Christian life.  Fear is a good example.  A correct understanding of the God of the Bible is that he is infinite in Holiness, being the source of all that is good and holy.  If through lack of prudence we do things that are offensive to God, there is no way that He can be pleased with our actions.  This ties in to the idea of “grieving the Holy Spirit,” which I will discuss at a latter time.  Also, as Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 12:13:  “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”  Prudence is certainly part and parcel of the keeping of the Lord’s commandments.

In personal terms, I have been somewhat under conviction lately about the things that I let myself watch, listen to, and partake of, especially while in the company of others.  This seems to be a big issue in modern culture, because much of what is considered commonplace, especially in the area of humor, is obscene in nature.  The situation is even more difficult for me, in that I find myself in the target market of many of the worst of these comedies: the young adult male.  Recently I have found myself watching movies and trying to make allowances for the inappropriate material.  “I wish they wouldn’t put that in there,” I think to myself, or I say out loud to let others know that I don’t approve.  “This movie would be great if it weren’t for the language” is another popular one.  Oftentimes the material other than the obscenity is truly funny in an innocent way, but does that make it right to sit and watch as actors take the name of the Lord in vain, pervert words, and make light of subjects that should not be mentioned in public?  God forbid that my entertainment and personal pleasure is grievous to the Holy Spirit.

I am also realizing more and more that no matter where I am in life, I have the potential to make an impression upon those around me.  I can either do the easy thing and try to blend in with the culture that allows things like this to go by because it’s the norm, or I can try to be prudent about what I allow myself to watch, listen, and do.

Certainly all truth is God’s truth, and knowing about the culture and the times in which you live is crucial, but there has to be a place where I draw the line.

Here’s a good starting point:

Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”