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ginnyrose
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Joined: 2004/7/7
Posts: 7534
Mississippi

 Need article

I am looking for a short article that deals with entertainment in the church. I did a search on SI and found discussions about it, and sermons but no one article. Or, did I miss it?

Thanks for any assistance anyone can give...

Blessings,
ginnyrose


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Sandra Miller

 2008/4/19 15:20Profile
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 Re: Need article


[b]A. W. Tozer on Our Idol: Entertainment [1955][/b]

[i]The Great God Entertainment
by A.W.Tozer

A German philosopher many years ago said something to the effect that the more a man has in his own heart, the less he will require from the outside; excessive need for support from without is proof of the bankruptcy of the inner man.

If this is true (and I believe it is) then the present inordinate attachment to every form of entertainment is evidence that the inner life of modern man is in serious decline. The average man has no central core of moral assurance, no spring within his own breast, no inner strength to place him above the need for repeated psychological shots to give him the courage to go on living. He has become a parasite on the world, drawing his life from his environment, unable to live a day apart from the stimulation which society affords him.

Schleiermacher held that the feeling of dependence lies at the root of all religious worship, and that however high the spiritual life might rise, it must always begin with a deep sense of a great need which only God could satisfy.

If this sense of need and a feeling of dependence are at the root of natural religion, it is not hard to see why the great god Entertainment is so ardently worshiped by so many. For there are millions who cannot live without amusement; life without some form of entertainment for them is simply intolerable; they look forward to the blessed relief afforded by professional entertainers and other forms of psychological narcotics as a dope addict looks to his daily shot of heroin. Without them they could not summon courage to face existence.

No one with common human feeling will object to the simple pleasures of life, nor to such harmless forms of entertainment as may help to relax the nerves and refresh the mind exhausted by toil. Such things, if used with discretion, may be a blessing along the way. That is one thing, however, the all-out devotion to entertainment as a major activity for which and by which men live is definitely something else again.

The abuse of a harmless thing is the essence of sin. The growth of the amusement phase of human life to such fantastic proportions is a portent, a threat to the souls of modern men. It has been built into a multimillion dollar racket with greater power over human minds and human character than any other educational influence on earth.

And the ominous thing is that its power is almost exclusively evil, rotting the inner life, crowding out the long eternal thoughts which would fill the souls of men, if they were but worthy to entertain them. The whole thing has grown into a veritable religion which holds its devotees with a strange fascination; and a religion, incidentally, against which it is now dangerous to speak. For centuries the Church stood solidly against every form of worldly entertainment, recognizing it for what it was—a device for wasting time, a refuge from the disturbing voice of conscience, a scheme to divert attention from moral accountability.

For this she got herself abused roundly by the sons of this world. But of late she has become tired of the abuse and has given over the struggle. She appears to have decided that if she cannot conquer the great god Entertainment she may as well join forces with him and make what use she can of his powers.So, today we have the astonishing spectacle of millions of dollars being poured into the unholy job of providing earthly entertainment for the so-called sons of heaven. Religious entertainment is in many places rapidly crowding out the serious things of God.
Many churches these days have become little more than poor theaters where fifth-rate "producers" peddle their shoddy wares with the full approval of evangelical leaders who can even quote a holy text in defense of their delinquency. And hardly a man dares raise his voice against it.

The great god Entertainment amuses his devotees mainly by telling them stories. The love of stories, which is a characteristic of childhood, has taken fast hold of the minds of the retarded saints of our day, so much so that not a few persons manage to make a comfortable living by spinning yarns and serving them up in various disguises to church people.

What is natural and beautiful in a child may be shocking when it persists into adulthood, and more so when it appears in the sanctuary and seeks to pass for true religion. Is it not a strange thing and a wonder that, with the shadow of atomic destruction hanging over the world and with the coming of Christ drawing near, the professed followers of the Lord should be giving themselves up to religious amusements? That in an hour when mature saints are so desperately needed vast numbers of believers should revert to spiritual childhood and clamor for religious toys?

"Remember, 0 Lord, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned ! For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim." AMEN. AMEN.

Taken from Root of the Righteous, Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1955, p. 32-33.[/i]


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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon

 2008/4/19 15:29Profile
TaylorOtwell
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Joined: 2006/6/19
Posts: 927
Arkansas

 Re: Need article

"Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats?" by C.H. Spurgeon

http://www.all-of-grace.org/pub/others/amusing.html


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Taylor Otwell

 2008/4/19 15:50Profile
ginnyrose
Member



Joined: 2004/7/7
Posts: 7534
Mississippi

 Re:

Greg,

Oh, my Lord and my God! This article is overwhelming! It is so rich in rebuke, in lament and all so true...it just about makes me weep!

Thanks, Greg...I was going to comment on segments, but I can't, not now...I did copy/paste it for future use...

Blessings,
ginnyrose


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Sandra Miller

 2008/4/19 23:05Profile
ginnyrose
Member



Joined: 2004/7/7
Posts: 7534
Mississippi

 Re:

Taylor,

I really appreciate you sharing this link to this piece. I had it earlier in my church bulletin files but when my hard drive bit the dust, it took this piece with it.

Thanks and God bless!

Blessings,
ginnyrose


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Sandra Miller

 2008/4/19 23:09Profile
ginnyrose
Member



Joined: 2004/7/7
Posts: 7534
Mississippi

 Re:

I have a lingering question: Tozer writes about entertainment having wormed its way into the church:

"Many churches these days have become little more than poor theaters where fifth-rate "producers" peddle their shoddy wares with the full approval of evangelical leaders who can even quote a holy text in defense of their delinquency."

Now what kind of entertainment is he talking about? This article was written in 1955 - things were pretty tame back then, were they not? I was 8 years old in 1955 and we never saw any type of activity that could rightly be called entertainment...but then we did not attend any of the 'popular' churches either. What would he say if he could see what goes on in today's church under the guise of 'ministry'?

ginnyrose


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Sandra Miller

 2008/4/20 15:38Profile









 Re: Need article

Quote:

ginnyrose wrote:
I am looking for a short article that deals with entertainment in the church. I did a search on SI and found discussions about it, and sermons but no one article. Or, did I miss it?

Thanks for any assistance anyone can give...

Blessings,
ginnyrose



I found this site, on-line, that might refer to your request:

REPENT ye, and BELIEVE the gospel
Your SINS are KILLING you! You NEED the BLOOD of Jesus!

Dear Reader, I am not online and therefore I do not check emails. May you find Christ and leave the internet and television alone. Read your Authorized King James Bible diligently and obey it. Ask God to show you the old paths (Jeremiah 6:16)--the old way of living and worshipping God. Look for the old ways--Father working, Mother cooking, cleaning and caring for the children. You will find rest for your soul and a whole new world will be opened to you. You will be changed at your root. We have almost lost our manhood and womanhood--our deceptions are great but the word of God will deliver us if carefully applied to our lives. God made man to rule the world. Man was destined for greatness. May the men reading this understand that they are the image and glory of God. Repent of your sins, hide the word of God in your heart and rise to who you were made to be. Get out of debt (including your house note) for the borrower is servant to the lender (Proverbs 22:7). Woman, clean your house and teach your children at home from the Authorized King James Version of the holy scriptures. That book will give you the foundations/rudiments of everything in all of creation and every subject to be studied--Language Arts, Geography, Counting/Mathematics (e.g., Geometry), History, Botany, Law, Economics, Science (e.g., Chemistry)--everything. Embrace Genesis 1:1 - 2:7 as your outline--read it to your child regularly. By God's grace and almighty power, babies can read while they are still in diapers. Two year olds can praise God and his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Three year olds can read the Authorized Version of the scriptures. Four year olds can learn cursive writing. Five year olds can expound the word of God. Little children can exercise Biblical discernment and be wise. They can choose righteousness because they can see and feel its excellencies for themselves...On this website, there were times that I knowingly did not use proper English grammar. Please forgive me for this transgression.
http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/

Sincerely,

Walter

 2008/4/20 15:50





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