A consistent view of culture

It seems that each Christian needs to seek out a consistent view of culture. One specific element that comes to mind is fiction and TV.

There is it seems often a sense in which many Christians prohibit and exclude cultural elements and include at random.

For example C.S. Lewis and Tolkien are included and all other books with any form of magic are excluded.

I am likely not being exactly fair but this is often the case. You see certain things get a pass and possibly deservedly so but there needs to be an underlying reason.

We should be more thoughtful in our inclusion and exclusion. I guess all of this seems to be sort of academic but it is one thing which has always frustrated me with conservative Christianity is that often things are held thoughtlessly with no reason.

It is as if such leader thinks this so it must be. To me it makes the witness of the church weaker if we have all of these random rules which we cannot explain and the rules seem arbitrary.

I suppose maybe the need for trust is present because we cannot sample all things and probably should not, but you see there is this great randomness that exists in the church.

You will even in the church see often a confusion between generally good ideas expounded by church leaders and the teaching of scripture. We often cannot tell the difference between advice which is generally good and what is absolute in scripture.

I guess for the good of the church its members need to think more and to developed some ideas and thing for themselves.

Gresham Machen once said "the truth shines in the light." And he wrote with great excitement one semester that the youth in the seminary were thinking for themselves.

More often lack of thought is the enemy of the church than thought. Really mindlessness is the real danger to the church.

You see the bible tells us there are many false leaders and many people wishing to lead us astray and advises us to be shrewd and innocent.

You see thinking is not the enemy of the church that people think. Really it is thoughtlessness which causes the masses to follow false teachers. If they really picked up the scriptures and did thinking with the help of the Holy Spirit they would see the truth of what is said.