We must flee from anything closely connected to idolatry or demonic influence. We should recognize that media creates fantasy worlds that purport to represent reality. We need to develop discernment by immersing ourselves in Scripture and allowing it to shape our thinking. We bear responsibility for protecting those in our care, especially children, from content that could harm their spiritual development.

In our ongoing exploration of how Christians should engage with media, we arrive at perhaps the most practical question of all: How do we discern what is acceptable and what should be avoided? This question matters because it emerges from genuine Christian hearts that want to understand how to navigate a world filled with entertainment, news, and digital content that may or may not align with biblical values.

• Part 1: The Christian and Media, Part 1: The Fundamentals of Sanctification
• Part 2: The Christian and Media, Part 2: Of God or Of the World?
• Part 3: The Christian and Media (Part 3): Denying Ungodliness

The Foundation: Understanding Worldliness

Before we can discern effectively, we need to understand what we mean by worldliness. Not everything that exists in the world is inherently evil. Some things are simply part of this life. However, when we talk about worldliness in the biblical sense, we typically refer to things connected to or tainted by the anti-God mindset of the world. The Bible clearly commands us not to set our minds on worldly things and to avoid loving the world. This creates a tension for believers who must live in the world without being shaped by its values.

Behind worldliness lies something more sinister: deception and agenda. Media of various sorts often pushes an unreal or ungodly message, even when it appears neutral or informative. Malcolm Muggeridge noted that media has created and belongs to a world of fantasy. He says it is “the more dangerous because it purports to be, and is largely taken as being, the real world.”¹ The fact is, media always shapes its message so that it becomes somewhat unreal, even when simply reporting news.

This fantasy nature applies to virtually any form of media. Whether we consider television, movies, music, the internet, or video games, any form of communication that promotes ideas can present fantasy rather than reality. We should note that this includes sermons as well. All messages require discernment, and we must check every message against the standard of truth, which is the Bible. This necessity underscores why each believer needs to know the Bible as thoroughly as possible, developing skills in discerning messages that depart from its truth.

Two Crucial Biblical Passages

To build a framework for discernment, we need to examine two key passages that are often confused but actually address different situations. Romans 14 speaks to one set of circumstances, while 1 Corinthians 8 through 10 addresses another.

Romans 14 deals with what we call indifferent things. These are matters that have no inherent moral value. The conflict in Rome centered on food. Some believers had faith that they could eat all things, including meat, vegetables, and shellfish. Others, being weak in faith, ate only vegetables and followed a vegetarian diet.

Many Christians misunderstand this passage. They insist it means that vegetarians were simply trying to avoid meat that might have been offered to idols. However, the text does not actually say this. The issue concerned Jewish ceremonial laws about clean and unclean foods. Some believers, particularly those from Jewish backgrounds, felt they must continue observing these dietary restrictions. Others recognized that under the New Covenant, these restrictions no longer applied. God had declared all foods clean.

The question of observing certain days followed a similar pattern. Some believers felt compelled to observe the Sabbath and other Jewish holy days. Others recognized that these were shadows pointing to Christ, and the substance had arrived. These matters of food and days represented indifferent things, neither morally good nor evil in themselves.

Paul’s instruction for handling such matters emphasizes several principles. First, each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. Second, we should not judge or regard with contempt those who make different choices about these indifferent matters. Third, whether we participate or abstain, we should do so for the Lord, giving thanks to God. The key point is that indifferent things remain indifferent. They carry no moral weight.

When Things Are Not Indifferent

The situation in 1 Corinthians 8 through 10 differs significantly from Romans 14, though the passages share some surface similarities. Here Paul addresses meat sacrificed to idols, but his conclusion diverges sharply from his instructions about indifferent matters.

Paul acknowledges that idols have no real existence. There is only one true God. For believers, an idol is nothing. This knowledge might suggest that eating meat offered to idols presents no problem. However, Paul’s argument extends through three chapters and reaches a definitive conclusion in chapter 10: Flee from idolatry.

The critical distinction emerges clearly. The things which pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, not to God. Paul declares emphatically that believers must not become sharers with demons. Christians cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. They cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

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