Last year, the idea to write about the contrasts between Biblical teachings and world teachings took root in me.
The deeper I go into my Biblical studies the more intolerant I become of the messages presented in pop culture. By and large, the messages are presented for entertainment purposes, but they are either blatantly or subtly misrepresenting the Word of God. Whether you want to believe and acknowledge it or not, entertainment culture in this country is greatly influenced by the Bible. The entertainers or public figures may pull from Baptist, Catholic, Evangelical, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc practices and teachings, but they aren’t necessarily pulling from the Bible or the spirit of it.
So, our culture is saturated with innumerable man-adjusted illustrations, images, and suppositions about Biblical teachings which contribute to widespread sinful behavior. But because it’s so pervasive, prevalent, and popular it’s taken as the norm, as harmless, as something to aspire to.
My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children. The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. They have exchanged the glory of God for the shame of idols. ~ Hosea 4:6-7 NLT
The seed of the Pop Culture v. The Bible blog series is: instead of preaching fire and brimstone to God’s errant children, preach Jesus. Inform the people why the worldly things they honor and cherish (i.e. money, sex, celebrity/fame, power, endless consumption, etc.) are wrong and show them what is right. Show them Jesus. With knowledge, with exposure to God, the Holy Spirit will do the rest.
If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:3-5 NLT
I hope you get enough out of the series to share with others.
God bless you,
LaShawnda
