World Magazine is reporting in its November 5, 2011 issue that there is a “comedy revival”1 that is taking place in America. It is taking place through the sitcom craze that is suddenly hot again. Now remember that “reality” TV has been the hottest thing since sliced bread. It all started with Fox Television with the series Cops. It has aired since 1989 and it has had a huge following since it first started. Right after Cops we had America’s Most Wanted that aired on Fox Television for over two decades. Now we have America’s Got Talent and American Idol. Reality TV has been huge.
But the reality of the crises that we are facing here in America today are taking its toll on us. The seriousness of people losing jobs concerns everybody—even those who are still working because they have seen co-workers laid off. The reality of the economic issues that we are facing is equally disturbing. For those who have invested heavily in the stock market or in mutual funds they are seeing their retirement go up and down, up and down. For the most part, because of the world economy, we just don’t know what’s going to happen next. Then we have wars and rumors of wars. We used to have enemies that we simply knew as enemies. Now we’re not sure if our next door neighbors are actually friends or terrorists. The wars for which America is involved are slowing down and even coming to a supposed “end”, but the casualties are still rising and uncertainty in those regions is growing.
So comes the comedy—the sitcoms. Now that everything has become too real, we need a little entertainment to take our minds off of the reality of what’s happening around us. An interesting idea about these modern-day sitcoms is that they are geared toward families once again. No, it is not the “Leave It to Beaver” or the “Ozzie & Harriet” types of families that we are seeing. Rather, we are seeing the “new” families. The Modern Family is a huge hit on ABC but the families they portray are not how the Bible speaks of how the family ought to be. There is a homosexual couple who has an adopted daughter. Another couple shows how a man and a woman just seem to get along life’s journey but without much order. Again, these families are not portrayed in the Bible and they are not as they should be.
“What is that supposed to mean?” God’s view of “family” begins in Genesis 1:26, 27 when He desires to create man in His image—both male and female. In Genesis 2:21-25 He describes how the man is alone and that He desires for him to have a helper. God creates a helper for Adam and Adam names her Eve. God charged the new couple to “be fruitful and to multiply” in order that they may subdue the earth. He blessed them with the ability to have children. Moreover, see how the family was structured: one man, one woman, to bear children. Even the New Testament (cf. Ephesians 5-6) describes that an intact family consists of one man, one woman and their children. Over and over again we see how God has established the family.
But is the sitcom really something in which we should participate? Is reality TV something in which we should participate? The reality of these shows—both sitcoms and reality TV—will eventually guide your thinking if you’re not cautious. What humors us most may hinder us most. Let’s study God’s Word to learn how to deal with the daily issues that we face.2
1 World Magazine, November 5, 2011, Comedy Revival, www.worldmag.com/articles/18769.
2 We will be sharing other Scriptures in the coming weeks of how the family is to operate. Be looking for the upcoming issues of A Note From the Pastor.
