Do We Really Need an Alternative?

With the release of “50 Shades of Grey" this past weekend they has been a lot of discussion of whether Christians should see it, whether it should be canceled, and what might be a good alterative for Christians.  It got me thinking.  Do we really need an Alternative?  Allow me to explain.

One of the most frequent topics peppering my Facebook news feed in the past week is the contrast of “50 Shades of Gray” with the new release of Old Fashioned.  I understand their reasoning, and I think their intentions were good.  After all the world hates God and every standard the Bible puts forth, but I don’t like it as a marketing campaign.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to seeing it, but if it’s as good as people are saying, (since my friend Kevin is not easily impressed and he was, it should be) it should be able to stand on its own.  I think that we should produce content because we love our work, not merely as a reaction to what the world does.  In some ways, I think that even the idea that “50 Shades” needs an alternative is a wrong line of thinking.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when we “Christianize” everything.  Here are a couple of examples:

1) Bible Man  

Even when it first came out, I thought it was unnecessary and (when I recently looked back) I agreed with a friend that it was borderline sacrilegious.  There so many real life heroes in the Bible that we don’t need a “Christian” fictional construct.  I like Batman and Captain America and there is nothing wrong with this as long as we are cautious about worldview.

2) Games

Apples to Apples is a great game but the Christian version is unnecessary and not as fun.  There is nothing wrong with taking a few cards out and enjoying the real thing. Scatigories Bible Edition and Bible Tri-Bond are two other games that while not all bad are basically redundant imitations of solid games.  We need to be creative and seek to come up with unique ways to engage the culture instead of simply copying the world.  We need to go on the offensive.

Along those lines, we also need to be committed to quality.  I remember several years ago we bought a Bible Trivia game.  My sister who was seven at the time was able to answer the Expert level questions quite easily.  I am grateful that my parents have taught us diligently from the Bible over the years, but to me this was indicative of a rush by the company to get a game on the shelves.

In closing, I like Podcasts and Podcasting.  I listen to many different Podcasts done by many different people on many different topics. I like learning new things and Podcasts are a great way to do this. I also host the Speaking4Him Podcast every Friday.  I do this not to offer an alternative to other shows, but because I have a passion for radio and have an opportunity to hone my skills and prepare for a job in live radio (Lord willing) and to share the message God has given me.

I am committed to producing quality, informative, and encouraging content every week.  Do I hit the mark every time?  No.  But my goal in every show is to heed the words of the Apostle Paul “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” (Colossians 3:17)  What is God calling you to do?
                   

Speaking4Him,

Andrew Gommesen