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What the mass media offers is not popular art, but entertainment which is intended to be consumed like food, forgotten, and replaced by a new dish.

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Again, human attention is a zero-sum game. At some point we must close all our screens and fall asleep—which makes sleep the enemy of digital spectacle makers (and sleep was named chief competitor by ...

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Entertainment vs. Hospitality

Author

Jen Schmidt

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The entertaining host seeks to elevate herself. And as Martha mentions, it’s a bit selfish. When the guest arrives, the entertainer announces, “Here I am. Come into my beautiful abode and have the hon...

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Pop Culture Review: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Author

William Rowley

Keywords

Entertainment

This summer, millions of people across the world will be absorbed in a highly anticipated, years-in-the-making, high-fantasy adventure featuring evil sorcerers, legendary swords, dragons, and a classi...

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Author

Abraham Joshua Heschel

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Scripture

Leviticus 23:, Exodus 15:1-21, Nehemiah 8:9-12, Luke 15:22-24, John 2:1-11, Psalm 100:1-2

People of our time are losing the power of celebration. Instead of celebrating we seek to be amused or entertained. Celebration is an active state, an act of expressing reverence or appreciation. To b...

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Author

A. J. Swoboda

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We’re tourist Christians. We remain as long as we’re entertained.

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Author

Tony Reinke

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TV is imago populi—all of society’s trendy appetites incarnated into visible form and broadcasted.

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Author

Tony Reinke

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Our culture is no longer banded together by shared beliefs; it’s drawn together by shared spectacles. Like Halloween costumes designed to match the most popular movies, we seek our self-identity insid...

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Entertainment Instead of News

Author

Jeffrey Bilbro

Keywords

News/Media

There’s really no good reason to get your news from TV; doing so is more likely to turn you into a macadamized spectator than it is to equip you to be a healthy participant in the public sphere. Even ...

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The Parable of the Theater

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The Danish philosopher, Kierkegaard, tells a parable of a theater where a variety show is proceeding. Each show is more fantastic than the last, and is applauded by the audience. Suddenly the manager ...

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Without Applause, I die

Author

Ryan P. Tinetti

Keywords

Scripture

James 3:16, 1 John 2:16, John 5:44, Matthew 6:1, Philippians 2:3

There’s undeniably a dark side to restless ambition, however. You can see it in dramatic fashion in the documentary Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop , which follows the comedian on tour after he left the To...

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If Hollywood decided to make a movie

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 50:20, Exodus 3:1–12, Ruth 1:16–17 , Hebrews 12:1–2, Luke 7:36–50, Psalm 139:16

If Hollywood decided to make a movie about your life, what would it look like? What genre would it be? Action/Adventure? Drama? Comedy? Who would play you? Tom Cruise? Denzel Washington? For most of u...

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Why We Love Makeover Shows

Author

Emily P. Freeman

Keywords

Scripture

Ezekiel 37:1-14, Isaiah 61:1-4, Job 42:10-17, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Luke 8:26-39 , Psalm 51:10-12

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was one of my favorite shows for a while, mainly because I loved to see the before and after shots. The water damage in the bathroom, the rotting ceiling beams, and the ...

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A Surprise Performance

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 4:10-12, Isaiah 61:1-3 , Romans 8:28, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Psalm 40:2-3

One summer, the composer Edvard Grieg stayed at a small Norwegian hotel. A restless child also resided there, constantly annoying the guests by attempting to play the piano, producing nothing but disc...

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A Christmas with Home Alone

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 15:20-21, 1 John 1:9, Ephesians 2:13-14, Matthew 5:23-24, Psalm 51:10, 2 Corinthians 5:18, Luke 19:1-10

Richness in the Slapstick I don’t know about you, but when I think of insightful, theologically rich content on Christmas , I don’t naturally start with blockbuster films. And no, I’m not referring ...

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Mr. Average Man

Author

Hal Donaldson

Keywords

In 1965 Billy Graham wrote a bestselling book titled World on Fire. In it, he wrote, “Mr. Average Man is comfortable in his complacency and as unconcerned as a silverfish ensconced in a carton of disc...

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The News-Media: Moving from Sports to Entertainment to Horrible Crises

Author

Steven Garber

Keywords

Scripture

1 Kings 19:11-12, Isaiah 55:8-9, Psalm 46:10, Matthew 6:33-34, Philippians 4:6-7

In those same weeks, Harper’s Magazine featured an evening-long conversation between two professors, Neil Postman and Camille Paglia, about the meaning of television for persons and for polities...

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Forever Elsewhere

Author

Sherry Turkle

Keywords

Scripture

James 1:25, Mark 4:19, Hebrews 2:1, Isaiah 55:2-3, Ecclesiastes 5:1

We say we turn to our phones when we’re “bored.” And we often find ourselves bored because we have become accustomed to a constant feed of connection, information, and entertainment. We are forever el...

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Author

Sherry Turkle

Keywords

We say we turn to our phones when we’re “bored.” And we often find ourselves bored because we have become accustomed to a constant feed of connection, information, and entertainment. We are forever el...

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Music: Yesterday & Today

Author

Jay Y. Kim

Keywords

Scripture

Colossians 3:16, Psalm 100:1-2, Psalm 95:1-2, Revelation 14:2-3, Nehemiah 12:27

These days, music is everywhere. It’s on television and film, elevators and restaurants, public bathrooms and dentist offices. It’s in our cars and on our phones. With just a few taps to our screens, ...

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15 Great Quotes from Tony Reinke's Book Competing Spectacles

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Book Reviews

Tony Reinke's Competing Spectacles provides a well-thought out argument for a more intentional, nuanced approach to our often all-consuming digital world. The following quotes provide a decent...

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The Great Re-Wiring of Gen Z

Author

Jonathan Haidt

Keywords

Gen Z became the first generation in history to go through puberty with a portal in their pockets that called them away from the people nearby and into an alternative universe that was exciting, addic...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, 1 Corinthians 2:1-16

Author

Ryan Bundrick

Keywords

Scripture

1 Corinthians 2:1-16, Matthew 5:13-20, Isaiah 6:1-13, Psalm 112:1-10

Ancient Lens What can we learn from the historical context? Relevant Background 1. The Purpose of Paul’s Letter 1 Corinthians is written to a local church with the purpose of reproof and cor...

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7 Christmas Sermon Quotes to Inspire Your Last-Minute Prep

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

'Twas just two days before Christmas and the reverend was stressing. There's a sermon to write and prayers of confessing... If that's you—we see you. You're definitely not alone, and...

lectionary

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany

Author

Ryan Bundrick

Keywords

Scripture

1 Corinthians 2:1-16

Ancient Lens What can we learn from the historical context? Relevant Background 1. The Purpose of Paul’s Letter Recall that 1 Corinthians is written to a local church with the purpose of reproof...

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When Rest is Radical: Why the Sabbath Matters for Christian Leaders

Author

Jason Jensen

Keywords

What Eric Liddell Did Not Do Scottish athlete and missionary Eric Liddell, whose story is told in the movie Chariots of Fire , was a favorite to win the hundred-meter sprint in the 1924 Paris Olym...

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Living with Pain in a World Governed by Technique

Author

Alan Noble

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 11:1-9, Exodus 16:13-36, Ecclesiastes 1:12-18, Luke 10:38-42, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Psalm 127:1-2

Living in a society governed by technique conditions us to believe that in every way life is easier than it ever has been. Technique is the use of rational methods to maximize efficiency, and we...

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Nudges for the Worse

Author

Andy Crouch

Keywords

Scripture

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 , Genesis 13:10-12, Exodus 32:1-4 , Matthew 4:8-10, Romans 7:15-20, Psalm 1:1-3

As popularized in Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein’s fascinating book by the same name, nudges are small changes in the environment around us that make it easier for us to make the choices we want to ...

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The Silence wasn’t to be Feared

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 3:1-14, 1 Kings 19:9-18, Mark 1:35, Matthew 11:28-30, Psalm 46:10

In Lancelot , one of Walker Percy’s final novels, the narrator reflects on his own struggle with idleness and addiction to entertainment. In a poignant scene set outside his Mississippi mansion, ...

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Will Cain Kill Abel?

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 4:1-16, Hebrews 11:4, 1 John 3:12, 2 Timothy 3:16, Psalm 119:105

Some years ago when radio was still a primary source of entertainment, a French dramatist was commissioned to write the script for the debut episode of a Bible study radio series. For the most part, ...

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