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Do You Feel There is Anything Good On TV?

September 15, 1995

From our mailbox
I have seen several good things on TV. I once saw a family picture on the TV. It was sitting beside a set of good books.
Yes, the TV has some good programming, though I do not include the news and sports in that list. Particularly good is some of the educational programs.
However, I have two concerns with the TV. One is the fact that it is impossible to have one around and search for the good stuff without eventually being exposed to the garbage. I would not dig through a garbage can of slop to find the one good biscuit lying in the bottom.
Commercials are full of corruption. And even programs like Little House On the Prairie are strong on humanism.
The second problem I have with TV is that it is a thief. It robs the individual of time and creativity. Watching TV is a cessation of reality. It is an intoxicating withdrawal from the real world. The family with a TV is bucking the odds. The family without a TV stands a better chance of achieving righteous goals. Basically, watching Hollywood productions is an activity of the flesh, and can only produce carnality.
I hear a cry of legalism coming from the garbage can! OK, if you can pray the following prayer over the things you watch, then by all means watch them.
“Dear Lord, we invite you to come join us in this time of viewing. As your children, we commit this time to you as worthy of our attention. May our family be uplifted by this hour before the screen. And Lord, we pray that families everywhere would have the opportunity to do likewise. We thank you for providing this program for us, and we ask you to bless it to the edification of the Holy Spirit within. Now Lord, bless the men and women who produced this show and those who made it available us. May they have your blessings to do more of the same.
In Jesus name, we thank you, Amen.

I challenge you to copy this prayer on a card, large enough to be seen from anywhere in the room, and place it over your TV for all who enter to read. Then have the whole family read it out loud before each viewing.
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16 comments on “Do You Feel There is Anything Good On TV?”

  1. I am so glad we don't have one anymore, but unfortunately the computer can be a problem as well. I'm praying for the Hollywood movies to go too. I'm learning to trust the Lord to do this in my husband's heart, not my nagging.

    1. Good for you, letting God convict your husband. I pray for you and hope that he will have ears to hear. I was a tv addict and my dear husband waited and prayed for me to come around. It can happen!

  2. I agree. We lost our tv when I was pregnant with our 1st child.
    It is however very frustrating that the 6 year olds on our street are allowed to watch and do things that even our 12 year old isn't allowed to do. ie tv, video games, etc.
    I do wonder how other parents deal with the frustration of being in the world and not of the world.
    Our pastor's wife, whom I love and admire greatly, recommended a movie for my boys, knowing how conservative that we are and thinking it was ok, that was not ok. How to help your children understand that? Are we too strict? Sometimes I wonder?
    Just praying for the grace to do what God has called us to do, and thankful for His grace to cover our mistakes.

    1. Lol! We have been in the same position with Pastors. You are not alone. Stick to your guns. This is really Christianity 101 and people are not getting it these days! You are not too strict to love the Lord so much that you want to please him with your lives. Actually, we have not ever found an independent Baptist church whose pastor did not watch tv, and many have recommended movies during sermons or to the youth. You Can expect to get pegged as legalistic or weird. Be proud of it! John the Baptist no doubt was, as were Elijah, Elisha, and many others...

  3. I can only imagine what my great-grandparents would say about the schlock being projected into our homes these days. It used to be 'The Honeymooners' and 'I Love Lucy'. Now we are spoon-fed left-wing trash in the name of 'entertainment'. An unbelievably sad state of affairs. God help us.

  4. For about 8 years now me and my children only use the TV to rent videos that the whole family can watch. The commercials are so sexual and negative that I stopped getting cable and limited our intake on watching TV. We are use to not having to watch TV so we play games, read books, and have more time to share with each other as a family. Our family members see me as depriving my kids from not having TV. I that we have more time to family things together now.

  5. We use our television for watching our church's library of Creation science tapes and other materials. We can't even get free local TV now that the country went digital. I threw away most of our kids videos, but a few are so good like Nemo with it's prodigal fish theme. We also love yelling at our old evolution dinosaur videos as they contradict themselves and comment on apparent design. The kids are also fascinated with an old hurricane news video which prompted further science studies. It was old enough that the reporters were respectful and supportive of those who claimed God's protection and provision, unusually frequent for a secular news program. I think TVs are good when used the way we do. Our computer is also a tool for being in the world, but not of it, and for reaching the lost or encouraging the faithful. Friends watch the Creation science tapes on our TV and reject evolution because of it. I am typing on my new laptop which will allow me to present your gardening DVD to my co-op class. I heard that computers and TVs are making spreading the gospel easier like the Roman roads did 2000 years ago. God chose to come in the flesh when travel was easy. How much easier is it now in so many ways!

  6. This is an awesome article and an awesome site. I enjoy reading your archives. And yes, you are right... that prayer, I am printing out today! Thanks for sharing! God bless!

  7. We don't own a tv either. And i get stressed when my stepson comes over and makes me feel like im wrong for not having one. But im never going to have one ever again, my kids love playing with their toys, when before when we had tv they didnt play or do anything besides watch tv.

  8. There is a channel called the Sprout Channel and it has the Berenstein Bears on it. We record that on our DVR for our son and he LOVES it. Since he's 3, I can control what he watches and how much. Most of the time the TV is background noise...we are usually playing on the floor. I'm able to fast forward through the commercials, so he isn't exposed to that, but I've see some of the things that children even his age watch and it's disturbing. I myself like the educational programs and channels like the History Channel and the documentary channels. It's scary about what's out there that my son can see & I know I can't protect him all the time. I just hope that I can teach him in a way that he can make the right decision for himself when he's older.

    1. If the tv is "just background noise", why not just turn it off?
      Watch out for kids tv because the toxic element is the attitude the child will pick up from the characters (smart mouth, putting down others, etc.) why not stop "picking through that trash can to find the one good show" and use the time to connect with your precious little one? Bake cookies, take a walk, etc.
      And tv is not good for adults, either, as it distracts them from doing real things that can make a difference. Pray your prayer list, visit widows, or cook a good meal for your husband. If the devil can't get you to spend time for his activities, he will try to get you to waste it on vain pursuits.
      No offense, just saying....

  9. Amen Brother Mike!!!
    My parents decided not to have TV before I was born and I am so thankful that they did. Our telavision is used to watch things like "teaching responsibilty" and "movers and shakers" or else it's the math DVDs that we use for school. My 8 sibilings and I have done just fine without it. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Php 4:8

  10. Well said! I have always told my children it's not just the bad you may see on television that is wrong but also that you are not living YOUR life. It is all the time it steals from doing what God created YOU to do. Television, besides being filled with corruption is the passive observance of someone else's imagination or life. I know there possibly could be on occasion some good program that illustrates a virtue and or teaches something valuable but I think Mr. Pearl nails it when he likens it to searching for a biscuit in a heap of garbage. It is much more expedient to pull a good book off the shelf from a reputable author. I haven't watched television all my adult life but as a nurse I am sometimes unavoidably exposed to it when in patients rooms. I continually am grieved and repulsed by what I see and my first thought is always the poor children who are growing up with this are desensitized to crudeness and wickedness.

  11. So absolutely true! Our family threw the tv in the trash 15 years ago. Best thing we ever did. No movies, either. Not even "christian" movies. We have all boys, a tiny house, and 5 acres. Shooting birds, wild cats, possums, dragonflies, hunting, fishing, shooting bow and arrows inside or outside are their passions. No video games either. Bible studies and a proverb chapter each day of the month. This was the LORD's prescription for producing Godly young men, evidently.
    I would urge any parents to dispense with all that trash and start enjoying your children rather than setting them in front of a computer or tv screen "so you can get some things done". They are a gift from your God and every minute counts. You will definitely be proud and blessed by them later on. I was a tv addict. I know it seems impossible to some. But with our mighty God all things are possible.
    Just a video over a few days still can cause my boys to sour on doing real things. And they are good boys. But tv and video games take no effort. We have told our boys that fun takes effort and that is why just plopping in front of a screen is so attractive. They were pretty quick to notice themselves and reject this vain pursuit themselves!
    Not self-righteous, just emphatic about this. I want other parents to have this blessing. Seen too many homeschool kids that are no different or worse than public school kids because Mom and Dad are not allowing the school to corrupt their kids--they want to do it themselves!