Drivel of entertainment

The gospel reveals eternal realities about God that we would sometimes rather not face. We prefer to sit back, enjoy our cliches, and picture God as a Father who might help us, all the while ignoring God as a Judge who might damn us. Maybe this is why we fill our lives with the constant drivel of entertainment in our culture-and in the church. We are afraid that if we stop and really look at God in his Word, we might discover that he evokes greater awe and demands deeper worship than we are ready to give him. (Platt, David. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2010. p29)

I enjoy entertainment as much as the next guy. A good movie to provide escape is often something to look forward to at the end of the day. A well-contested hockey game or a adrenaline-raising video game might work the same for others. Or perhaps the latest paperback thriller or romance is more your thing. We all like to be entertained. And as I mentioned, the entertainment value to me is much about escape. I have always felt that this urge to escape was a retreat from the hectic pace and heavy pressure of life in North American culture; a brief time-out in the rat race of life. It never really occurred to me that the very thing I might be trying to escape is a confrontation with the personal God. A confrontation through His word or by His Spirit that might be a little too awe-inspiring or demanding. A little to real. But I think that far too often it ultimately must be God that my too-often roving and far-ranging heart is avoiding when I look for escape. God help me!