Citizenship Confusion: John Piper and Entertainment Addiction

There is no simple, easy way to discern what is entertainment, and what is not; or what is edifying, and what is not, with modern technology. Which means that before we can begin to cut out our “entertainment” or break our addiction, we need to do the hard work of figuring out what those actions even mean.…The Market would lead us to believe that our purpose is to be happy and to experience wonderful things (read: products, or experiences facilitated by products). Our values are shaped by that purpose. But as citizens of heaven, we have a different purpose: we are called to Love God and our Neighbor.In many cases, I suspect that we’ll find that entertainment can be an act of love. Entertainment is a part of our culture, and our neighbors exist in culture. Sharing the cultural experience of the Super Bowl, or the NBA Playoffs, or the release of a new game can be a meaningful and even serious use of our time. If you want more examples of the potential goodness of culture and entertainment, click around Christ and Pop Culture some more.