Poem about Christian kids, TV and hymns!

[kjvsteve]

Had this poem sent to me, apparently written as part of a sermon by a Pastor Steve Anderson, of the Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona.
I know very little about this Pastor and church, hence I can not endorse, but the poem is soooo true;

"This is a poem I wrote for a sermon recently about the fact that Christian kids these days don't even know the old hymns anymore, but they know all about the TV shows, rock music, etc."

Our kids used to know “Amazing Grace”
Now they know “Will and Grace”

They used to know “In the sweet by and by”
Now they know “Queer eye for the Straight Guy”

They used to know “How great thou art”
Now they know “Homer Simpson and Bart”

They used to know “To God be the Glory”
Now they know “A Shark Tale” and “Toy Story”

They used to know “Blessed Assurance”
Now they know “Bel Air Fresh Prince”

They used to know “Close to thee”
Now they know “VH1” and “MTV”

They used to know “My Faith Has found a Resting Place”
Now they know “Star Trek” and “Lost in Space”

They used to know “Wounded for Me”
Now they know “CSI Miami”

They used to know “Send the Light”
Now they know “Entertainment Tonight”

They used to know “Revive Us Again”
Now they know “Seinfeld” and “Friends”

They used to know “On the Solid Rock I Stand”
Now they know “Sponge Bob” and “Spiderman”

They used to know “At the Cross” and “He lives”
Now they know “Everybody hates Chris”

They used to know “Shall We Gather”
Now they know “Ted Kopple” and “Dan Rather”

They used to know “Whiter than Snow”
Now they know “The Late Late Show”

They used to know “Sweet Hour of Prayer”
Now they know “A Current Affair”

They used to know “When We See Christ”
Now they know “Desperate Housewives”

They used to know “Keep Nothing Between”
Now they know “Billy Graham” and “Joel Osteen”

They used to know “On Zion’s Hill”
Now they know “Oprah” and “Dr. Phil”

They used to know “When we all Get to Heaven”
Now they know “Frasier” and “7th Heaven”

They used to know “Oh Say But I’m Glad”
Now they know “My Two Dads”

They used to know “He hideth My Soul”
Now they know “American Idol”

They used to know “There is a Fountain”
NOW THEY GO TO THE MOVIES AND WATCH “BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN!”

[michelle]

That is so good - and so true

[pamelacassada]

Brother Steve,
I thought this was an amazing work. I hope you will give me your permission to post it on my facebook page to share with my friends. Keep up the good work.
Blessings and prayers,
Sister Pamela

[benshelpmeet]

Hey Bro Steve good to see your still with us!

Thank you for the poem, sadly enough most Christians know about all these shows, I'm so glad we got rid of the TV, wicked thing... I'm going to give this poem to quite a few people I know who claim to be Christian but still have no problem with TV programs.

Thank you for sharing this with us, it's very thought provoking.

Blessings, ~ sister Darlene ~

[kjvsteve]

I hope you will give me your permission to post it on my facebook page

Hi Sister Pamela, glad you like it!
Unfortunately I can't take the credit for this fine work, it was written by a Pastor 'Steve Anderson'.
As long as you mention Pastor Anderson as being the author, I'm sure it's ok to post on your facebook, and anywhere else you can!

I've been busy e-mailing it to people, and I've printed a few copies to hand out to anybody who will read it.


I'm so glad we got rid of the TV, wicked thing...

Hiya Sister Darlene, I enjoy being here!
As for those TV devices... rotten things. I wish they'd never been invented.


Yours ever heartily;
Steve

[George]

I spoke with our music Pastor this morning. He is very interested in getting a copy. I will print one for him and of course the credit will be given to Pastor Anderson.thank you for posting this.

In Christ,
George

[Brother Ben]

I wanted to bring this post back to the surface because of a comment that was made to us about a phrase that was used in the above post by Sister Darlene:

I'm going to give this poem to quite a few people I know who claim to be Christian but still have no problem with TV programs.

Darlene and I by no way, shape, or means, beleive someone CANNOT be a Christian if they have a television. The phrase, "...claim to be Christian..." must be taken in context of the following remark, "...but still have no problem with TV programs." Many people claim to be Christians, and do all kinds of things. This does not make them "unsaved," but cause one to wonder if they ever have a problem with the stuff that comes across general viewing.

When we used to watch television, and I'm not talking about videos, (or as they use these days: dvd's,) we might pick the program we are going to watch, i.e., Little House on the Prairie, but we could NOT control the commercials. Furthernore, even in a programs like, Little House on the Prairie, (relatively wholesome for non-American readers,) there were attittudes inconsistent with the message we wanted our children to learn. The overt and subliminal messaging in programming and commercials is not suitable for the serious pilgrim on the pathway.

Just a sample of the things you see:

Immodest clothing
Immodest behaviour
Unhealthy attitudes
Rock and other types of worldly music
Over-emphasis on on materialism

...and the list goes on.

As for the psychological affects, the studies are too numerous, (see study below,) to ignore as to how the mind, as it were, goes into nuetral when viewing video programming of ANY sort. When the mind goes into this state, any message contrary to the convictions you believe or teach to your family are being embedded deep withing the subconscious mind. The apostle Paul said:

Rom 12:1 ¶ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.


2Cr 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds
2Cr 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Phl 2:5 ¶ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Phl 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Phl 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Phl 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Notice some of dynamics of the above verses.

Holiness
Non-conformity
A renewed mind
Pulling down strongholds
Taking captive EVERY thought
Obedeince
No reputation
Servanthood
Humility

Is this the message coming out of Hollywood? Of course not. This is just a few reasons the soberminded disciple needs to think seriously about getting rid of their television. As we endeavor to "...be not conformed to this world..." we must look for those things that are fighting against us.

The flesh is NEVER going to agree with disciplines that result in holy living. Holy living is just that...holy. It comes from heaven. It is the part of the Lord's (example,) Prayer when he says:

Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven.

I heard a preacher say once, the believer is not to live anchored on the earth and stretching for heavenly things, but is to live, seated in the heavenlies, and stretch down and minister to those around us on earth.

If we are filling our minds with their media, message, and mindset, we are fighting against ourselves and the kingdom of God.

If you view this board and posts like this you need to consider the following: This forum mainly consists of families that have come to the point in their Christian walk where they are seeing, or beginning to see, the flaws in society, the average churches, and the things most call "normal life."

As we rapidly approach the second coming of our Lord, he told us what the world would be like in these last days. Henceforth, we need to make strong, serious, and soberminded decisions about our lives and the lives or our families, and those we fellowship with IF we are going to have the power of the Holy Spirit to rely upon, not only for daily living, but for the hard times to come.

From my heart,
Bro. Ben

Taken from the article: Television and Children

Does TV affect children's brain development?
With television programs—and even a cable channel—designed and marketed specifically for babies, whether kids under two years of age should be watching becomes an important question. While we are learning more all the time about early brain development, we do not yet have a clear idea how television may affect it. Some studies link early TV viewing with later attention problems, such as ADHD. However, other experts disagree with these results. One study found that TV viewing before age three slightly hurt several measures of later cognitive development, but that between ages three and five it slightly helped reading scores [11].

The American Academy of Pediatrics takes a "better-safe-than-sorry" stance on TV for young children [12].


"It may be tempting to put your infant or toddler in front of the television, especially to watch shows created just for children under age two.

But the American Academy of Pediatrics says: Don't do it!

These early years are crucial in a child's development. The Academy is concerned about the impact of television programming intended for children younger than age two and how it could affect your child's development. Pediatricians strongly oppose targeted programming, especially when it's used to market toys, games, dolls, unhealthy food and other products to toddlers.

Any positive effect of television on infants and toddlers is still open to question, but the benefits of parent-child interactions are proven. Under age two, talking, singing, reading, listening to music or playing are far more important to a child's development than any TV show."

In addition, TV can discourage and replace reading. Reading requires much more thinking than television, and we know that reading fosters young people's healthy brain development. Kids from families that have the TV on a lot spend less time reading and being read to, and are less likely to be able to read [13].

Disclaimer: Because of the "secular" nature of this article they recommend a "safe" amount of viewing. There view does not take into consideration the overall "spiritual" influence and dangers of television. I just wanted you to see what television is doing to the young mind.

[Deleted]

Loved the poem; I read it at the beginning of our family worship tonight. We used Bro. Ben's post at the bottom as the main part of the devotional.

We watch very little television/movies and use the computer mainly for educational purposes, Biblical study and communication, but we still do view some television programing (not mainstream or prime time or movie channels and very few and only select movies), which I still question frequently.

This is another issue that my husband and I aren't in total agreement about, though I keep it in frequent prayer; which has resulted in Charley, curtailing the amount and content of his television viewing.

The boys and I, with the support of my husband, are going to have a total television fast this coming week while he is away on a business trip. Charley will also be fasting from media as he will be working and will have virtually no time to watch television.

Thanking you Brothers for your Godly wisdom.

Peace and grace in the worthy name of Jesus. ~Joanna

[benshelpmeet]

Brother Steve (KJV STEVE) Where are you? Please come back, we need strong, bold christians around here. When I saw your name was Navy blue meaning your not on this site anymore. My heart was saddened. I enjoyed your post. Bro Ben and I need thought provoking past, they encourage us. I enjoyed hearing about England too.

Come Back we sure do miss you little brother.

A member of Eternity stranded in time, Looking for the soon appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, ~ sister Darlene ~

I have to say I still am against TV/ Movie watching besides being a waste of ones time, we notice people that watch TV are less creative and children are hyper, whiny, disobedient, unthankful, uncreative, short attention span, and have a hard time following directions this even applies to adults. There are much better things one can do with their time.

You can literally tell the difference in children who watch TV and those that don't.

Teen age children who watch TV/Movies, get on the Internet, are allowed to get on the cell phone and to text, etc. These type of young people act different too, no matter how careful a parent is. It causes them to act older than they are, to think about things they should not be thinking about or worrying about at such a young age, they think they are smarter than their parents (more than normal) They even get an attitude. You can see it in their face and in the way they respond. How sad.

Parents have a big enough job trying to raise Godly children, without adding the god TV/Movies. Yes I think it is an Idol. Everybody has one, people have a very hard time getting rid of it. It has a pull on people, it has a hold on most. People get very mad about this subject (fighting mad) they start trying to justify themselves...I only watch good things like the News , and history, and christian things. honestly who has time in their day to waste their precious God given time watching the Tube. I would not have that questionable thing in my home.

As for the Computer it can be a time waster too and people can use it for bad. Because it has a small screen most people do not arrange their furniture around their computer in the living room. Most do not have one in every room, most do not leave it on for noise.

I personally think the computer is a tool to be in a common place like the kitchen or living room where there can be accountability,I do not think children or teens should surf the web. Adults should go only to sites they know are ok and open only e mails their sure of. A computer should be used like a tool not for entertainment purposes. We do not even play games on ours.

People are way too highly stimulated, why do we need all this foolishness in our lives.

Just thinking.