To listen to the radio version, click here.
To search archives, click here.
Apples of Gold
Radio Script for February 2, 2009
“Don’t Lower the Standard Just to Get a Laugh”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
I have always been a sucker for laughter.
Growing up I always migrated towards people who made me laugh.
I liked comedies and comedians, cartoons and comics. I went from Charlie Brown to Bloom County to Calvin & Hobbes to Dilbert. And don’t forget the Far Side.
And even though I wasn’t really asking for it, a lot of foul things were introduced into my life through comedy.
Just for the laughs I listened to Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx and Rodney Dangerfield. Throw in Steve Martin and Saturday Night Live.
Oh, I had a lot of laughs, but I got something more. These people also passed along their values.
The main value they passed along was, “What is acceptable to say?”
See, if they said it, then it must be okay to say. And they were willing to say most anything to get a laugh. In fact, sometimes the foul things were the funniest.
But you know what? As Christians, there are some things we should not say. There are some things that should never come up in conversation. Ephesians 5 says these things include filthiness, foolish talking and coarse joking.
It says these are out of place for saints. They are improper for God’s holy people.
So think about it. Do you ever say things that fall into the categories of filthiness, foolish talking or coarse joking?
Now here is the danger zone. I think we are more likely to say these things when we are trying to be funny.
Somehow, when it comes to being funny, we have received the values of the comedians more than the values of God.
Now there’s nothing wrong with being funny. Nothing wrong with a good laugh. But it is wrong if it’s filthy, foolish or coarse.
I’ve seen pastors do this while preaching. I’ve seen youth leaders do this, and Bible teachers. All of a sudden they say something in order to get a laugh, but lo and behold, it’s filthy, foolish or coarse.
Most Christians, in their normal conversation, would not be filthy, foolish or coarse. But somehow that standard gets lower when it’s time to get a laugh.
We are more willing to say something crass in order to get a laugh.
Comedy involves the element of surprise. And since coarse joking is almost always a surprise coming from a Christian, it can cause the much desired laughter.
In other words, a great way for a Christian to get a laugh is to be coarse.
Laughter makes us feel good. We’re happy! Even if it’s a guilty pleasure, we’ll take the pleasure, thank you.
Okay, now let’s pull the lid off this thing. What’s the difference if we all sit around and tell coarse jokes and have a good laugh? It’s just talk, after all. I mean, for example, we can joke about adultery all day long. It’s not the same as doing it.
Well let me tell you. Jokes matter. Jokes change our attitudes. When we laugh about things that are sinful, then we start to attach positive feelings to things God hates.
It will be hard to feel strongly against racism if you sit around and tell racist jokes all the time.
It will be hard to respect women if you tell jokes that demean women.
It’s hard to have a godly view of sex when you tell dirty jokes.
If you laugh a lot about drunk people, it’s hard to feel the depth of sadness and grief for them that we should.
What we choose to laugh about matters.
The Bible says that filthiness and foolish talking and coarse joking are not fitting for saints. They don’t belong in our conversations.
The first step is to stop saying these things ourselves. We just decide that this is unacceptable and we stop saying them.
The second step is to stop listening to others who say such things, including comedians.
I believe these things grieve the Holy Spirit of God. So let us examine our lives and work to do away with all communications that include filthiness, foolish talking, and coarse joking.
And let us beware of that oh, so subtle temptation – to lower our standards just to get a laugh.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here: http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one: douglas_apple@msn.com
(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-
No comments:
Post a Comment