Collide Magazine

The Problem With Choices

Richard Clark - Originally posted Tuesday, August 4, 2009 -

Let’s get this out of the way: You will never catch up. You will never read all those books you’ve been meaning to read, or play all those games you’ve wanted to play, or watch all those films you’ve wanted to watch. Your time and money are limited, but the choices, seemingly, are not. The task of consuming everything on your Amazon Wish List, your Netflix Queue, and any other lists you might keep is entirely too big, and if you’re honest, it’s just not that important.

Yet there they are, every time you go to rent a movie or browse the shelves at a bookstore. Every time you log onto iTunes, you see a few more songs to download. As you click “Buy Song,” you realize you have three CDs you have yet to listen to. Admit it—the sheer amount of choice you are faced with is overwhelming.

Identity and Choice
We may not realize it, but this vast selection of media influences us. How many times do we find ourselves unable to resist buying “one more” album, game, book, or DVD? This tendency is bad enough among humans who are sinful and find satisfaction in peace. The tendency is made worse, however, when we find ourselves so invested in a certain genre, scene, or style that we think of certain media as a necessity.

We invest deeply because, in a desperate attempt to have some direction in this maze of choice, we decide to use media as that which defines us. We buy punk music, so we are “punk.” We buy a Wii, so we are the “life of the party.” We buy classic literature, so we are “smart.” The “About Me” section of Facebook is comprised primarily of these self-defining media.

The flip side of this coin is that how we think of ourselves also impacts the things we buy. This is why the Christian-specific industry succeeds by selling books, music, necklaces, paintings, and cards that are meant for a certain type of person. Our interest in movies, fantasy novels, or rock music coupled with our desire to express our Christianity leaves us with a strong desire, if not a felt obligation, to buy products which appeal to those aspects of our identity.

Faith and Choice
The antidote for this type of thinking is a biblical view of what defines our identity and how our identity ought to be lived out. The Bible knows nothing of the Christian “brand” with which so many of us are familiar. In fact, the label, “Christian” doesn’t say anything about us. Instead, it speaks volumes about Christ and his gospel. To be a “Christian” is not a point of pride, but an acknowledgement that we need and have received the saving grace of Jesus Christ. It is a solemn acknowledgement that we are both responsible for and benefit from the Son of God’s death on the cross.

This understanding should affect our media choices in two ways. First, we shouldn’t feel the need to remain insular and limit ourselves to products that are for and/or by “one of us.” Yes, we are different from the world but we are also a part of it, and if we rightly understand the gospel we also understand that there is a fine line that divides us from our unbelieving neighbors. That line is grace.

Second, we should begin to see that important decisions have less to do with media we take in and more to do with the way we live out our faith—the ways we love our neighbors, represent our Savior, run from sin, and embrace righteousness. These new standards and goals tend to inform our media choices in varied and unpredictable ways. Perhaps we will go see Transformers because our unsaved friend wants someone to see it with. Maybe we will avoid playing Call of Duty because we find ourselves glorying in war. Maybe we will continue playing Call of Duty because it reminds us of the seriousness of war. These are the kinds of possibilities that the Christian must allow for and take seriously.

Relevance and Choice
Because our culture thrives primarily on commercialism, we are predisposed to feel a strong desire to buy unnecessary things on a regular basis. We have been conditioned to “need” the things we want. Critics and magazines fill their space with “must-see/read/play” lists that imply relevance hinges on whether or not we end up seeing the new Harry Potter film or playing a new video game. To miss the last episode of Lost, thereby damaging our pop culture identity and credibility, seems to us like self-sabotage, so we do everything we can to be there. We do our duty as consumers—we make the time, we spend the money, and we look forward to the next thing.

When Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything,” his edification is not limited merely to the hot-topic issues of alcohol, gambling, and smoking. He is addressing anything that may hold us and our resources captive. When we think through our media choices, it’s important that we carefully guard that which we have been given steward¬ship over, whether it’s time spent with loved ones, money in our savings account, or a free evening. While it may be that media can help us best utilize these gifts, thoughtlessly consuming media certainly isn’t helpful.

Take Friday night. You and your spouse would like to see a movie because you believe it will make for a pleasant date. That is OK. But which film will you see? If you decide that you ought to see the incredibly popular blockbuster, which you both have decided looks cool, you may well be making a mistake. Consider your options. Are other films available that may, perhaps, provide a more life-affirming and beautiful experience? Is there something that would generate more edifying discussion afterward? These are important questions to ask. Remember, the goal here is not media for media’s sake, but instead to use media as a means to live out a God-glorifying life.

Choosing Good
While we will never be able to take in all of the media we would like, we can rest assured that such a goal isn’t really meant to be in the forefront of the Christian’s mind anyway. In our attempt to glorify God, we seek out media that provides opportunities for fellowship and evan¬gelism. We seek media not based primarily on its genre or its appeal to a certain audience, but based instead on whether it is biblically “good.”

Scripture is not silent on this subject. It tells us that truth, beauty, and righteousness are all good things. In this fallen world, they do not always come bundled together, but they are out there. There is truth, beauty, and righteous¬ness in every corner of popular culture, and the places where they converge may very well be the places we should find ourselves most often.

Richard Clark is the editor-in-chief and one of the founders of Christ and Pop Culture (www.christandpopculture.com), an online magazine that attempts to discuss and think rightly about the common knowledge of our age. He lives in Louisville, KY and has a Master of Arts in Theology and The Arts from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.