Tuesday, March 1, 2011

AND THE WINNER IS...

It is a basic human need to want to be loved, respected and appreciated by others. Sunday night I watched a few minutes of the Academy Awards, the annual extravaganza for the movie industry to reward itself. The Entertainment Industry does this often with an ever-growing number of annual award programs. Entertainers make their living pleasing the crowds, and how well they do is important to them.

I've always tended to be a bit harsh in judging entertainers and politicians (who equally make their living acting in front of crowds). St. Paul discourages us from passing judgment on people, that is, deciding on the appropriateness of someone's actions without having all the facts. He says in Romans 14 we should, "...do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." He also says, "Anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval" (Vs. 18, 19).

The sacred and secular are not completely separate. We live with feet in both kingdoms and often seek to please both people and our Lord. There is a place for gentle judgment, however, when we see what is wrong and inappropriate. Then we need to "speak the truth in a spirit of love" (Ephesians 4:15).

Being able to judge right and wrong is part of what makes us human. Secularists tell us there are no absolutes and that all morals are relative, made by humans. To a secularist, the only "absolute" is never to be judgmental. But to declare something right or wrong is not the same as being judgmental.

Calling attention to the rightness or wrongness of an action can be very necessary. To fail to acknowledge wrong and not to try to change it can have serious consequences. Parents find this out quickly as they teach their children. We all need boundaries, just to get along in this world.

St. Paul tells us, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; The old has gone and the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17). I like being entertained, so long as it's done appropriately.

"And the winner is...."

No comments: