As a young Christian I remember stumbling across this statement by Charles Spurgeon on how entertainment and amusement are
not part of the tools of Christ’s mission for the Church in the world.
The 21st Century church in America desperately needs to hear this.
Spurgeon wrote:
An evil is in the professed camp of the
Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most shortsighted Christian
can hardly fail to notice it. During the past few years this evil has
developed at an alarming rate. It has worked like leaven until the whole
lump ferments!
The devil has seldom done a more clever
thing, than hinting to the Church that part of their mission is to
provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them. From
speaking out the gospel, the Church has gradually toned down her
testimony, then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then
she tolerated them in her borders. Now she has adopted them under the
plea of reaching the masses!
My first contention is that providing
amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a
function of the Church. If it is a Christian work why did not Christ
speak of it? “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature, and provide amusement for those who do not relish the gospel.”
No such words, however, are to be found.
Again, providing amusement is in direct
antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and all His apostles. What
was the attitude of the apostolic Church to the world? “You are the
salt of the world,” not the sugar candy; something the world will spit
out, not swallow. Continue at Nicholas T. Batzig
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