Which Character Do You Play?

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Recently I listened to N D Wilson talking about ‘story’. Some of his comments were extremely thought-provoking. Watch for instance his short film Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl. He portrays God as a great storyteller or playwright and we are living and acting as characters in His world play. What follows are not my ideas, but Wilson’s ideas which I am thinking about and musing on.

What kind of character are you? We all like to think of ourselves as heroes of the story, which we often think of as our story, but is that really the part we are playing? Who are you? Would you like the character you are playing? So often when reading great literature, watching good films, or even reading biographies of good men and women, we think of ourselves as playing the parts of heroes. We put ourselves in Corrie Ten Boom’s shoes. We imagine ourselves as an Atticus Finch standing up for the downtrodden and oppressed, or maybe a Dietrich Bonhoeffer who was involved in an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler.

But what part do we actually play? Imagine that you were watching a great movie on the madness of our covid times. Perhaps a tale of the small town or community you live in and how it responds to the pressure and stress of this worldwide issue. Would you like the character you play? Would you feel sympathy? Embarassment? Frustration? Disgust?

How would the average viewer see you? Would you be the leader who means well, but whose cowardice paralyses him from standing up against unrighteousness? Would you be a man whose principles are as malleable as plasticine which responds to the pressure from the forces that surround it? Would you be the businessman who knows what is right, but because of financial pressure bows to the evil and nonsensical laws that ban unvaccinated people from your premises? Are you a pastor who has segregated your church when your Lord never drives anyone away? Are you the woman who uses the apartheid vaccine certificates because a haircut is more important than standing against unrighteous partiality?

Well the truth is, we are in a story. We are in the great play of world history which began with creation and climaxed with Christ’s death resurrection and ascension, and is following a protracted denouement to his universal reign and inheritance of all the nations. You are in the play. Your actions now testify to the kind of character you are playing. Good characters grow and develop. They consciously submit to Christ’s lordship and live out the implications of that in the cameo role God has given them. Consider how your character can grow in boldness and righteousness in the time and situation God has placed you.

Encouragingly, there are individuals who are standing up against the divisive unrighteousness that our government is promoting. These are the characters who we would be cheering for if we were watching this on the big screen. For instance, take a look at Tried and Tested, and electrical safety testing, maintenance & repair business servicing the Wellington region. Support these types of people. Take your business away from those who discriminate. Let’s move from cheering the good guys from the safety of our sofas to practising righteousness and supporting the good guys in practical ways.

Apartheid in New Zealand

Today is a shameful day for New Zealand. We now have two classes of citizens. Those who are permitted by Mother Jacinda to have a little bit more freedom for being good little boys and girls and obeying Mummy. Then there are those truculent and dirty children who have refused to do what they are told because they think of themselves as free people and not slaves. These remain in time out. No freedom for you.

Our media are celebrating this as ‘freedom day’. Somehow I think that we will look back on this day and it will be given another name. Once again our bought and paid for whore media prove to be utterly useless in holding an out of control and incompetent government to account.

Think carefully about how you act in these times. The courage or cowardice you show in your treatment of others will be remembered for a long time. Sadly too many Christians in positions of leadership have shown that pragmatism rules over principles as wide and easy roads of compliance have been followed rather than the difficult and treacherous path of justice and righteousness. While the road of compliance is endorsed and celebrated by the majority at present, the audience we ought to be thinking of is our king. Explaining away being complicit with injustice to him is another thing entirely.

Squid Game and Media Musings From a Christian Perspective

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Recently, I watched the Netflix show Squid Game, and like many, I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, the show has generated some controversy, specifically surrounding violence and the issue of children watching such shows. Putting the viewing age aside, although it is certainly apparent that it would not be age-appropriate for anyone under 18, Squid Game caused me to consider an issue Christians seem to be forever talking about: how should we relate to media and various forms of entertainment?

As Christians, we ought to examine our motives for entertainment, because the chief end of man is not to have a pleasurable, comfortable life full of popcorn and cheesy rom coms. Our purpose is to glorify God in all that we do and to enjoy him forever. This conversation cannot be side-lined as media and various forms of entertainment constantly bombard us. Various television shows, movies, and video games are constantly vying for our attention; therefore, it is not as simple as switching them off and ignoring them. It is becoming increasingly vital for us to consider how best we should relate to media and how we ought to consume media.

Why this is an important issue and why we Christians should be considering how we use technology and consume media:

1. Media is not neutral

Firstly, media is not neutral, and it is dangerous to treat it as such. Yes, dangerous; we cannot just passively let media wash over us. This is not about any bias found in news media but is about forms of entertainment, like Squid Game, and how they are almost constantly sending a specific message, affirming a lifestyle, or speaking from a specific worldview. This lack of neutrality is inevitable and is a feature of any media, as entertainment is produced by finite humans who are not naturally inclined to be impartial. If we wholeheartedly believe something or ascribe to a specific belief system, as all humans do, we often produce things that affirm said worldview. It becomes a problem when we are unaware of this and subconsciously accept underlying messages which contradict what the Bible says. For example, we may think watching a trashy reality T.V dating show is harmless, but have we considered the message the program is sending? What message are they sending by having their contestants sleep with one another? What worldview are they affirming? Would this offend or grieve God?

Maybe I sound like an old fuddy-duddy or an overly pious and uptight individual. That is fine. I am not saying these shows are off-limits; that is up to our own discretion. We are not to become hermits and have our only recreational time involve churning butter or burning all electronics and ceremoniously deleting our Netflix subscriptions. Instead, we need to be conscious of this new battleground that has emerged in the 21st century. Instead of just going ‘cold turkey’, we must be filtering what we interact with through the Christian worldview, and to do this effectively means constantly being in God’s word and hearing the public teaching of God’s word.

Personally, I am certainly guilty of kicking back after work or university, laying on my bed, with my phone and passively scrolling. Frankly, I would say many people, religious or irreligious, would probably admit they spend too much time on various forms of media. It is a problem shared by many and is not aided by how addictive these forms of entertainment can be. Although, as Christians, we must remember that even if we are relaxing, the devil is always active, and these forms of entertainment are a perfect opportunity to gain a foothold. In 1 Peter 5v8, it says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”. Satan is always active, and we must not forget this.

2.As Christians we ought to be wise with our time

Secondly, we should be using our time wisely. Ephesians 5 v 16 says, “making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” We only have a certain amount of time on this earth, so we ought to make that time count. A past teacher once said that we ought to “use our recreational time for our recreation,” in other words, use your downtime for kingdom-related endeavours. Of course, at the time, young me internally rolled her eyes, but my teacher, she was right. We often have limited free time, so it is wise to use some for eternal good rather than solely for fleeting, frivolous fun.

Before moving on, I must stress that this is not a black and white issue and that an additional hour of T.V is not damaging your soul. Entertainment is not inherently evil, and we should enjoy ourselves, but that is not our sole purpose. Rather, we must examine our hearts and carefully consider whether how much media we consume negatively impacts our walk with Christ. What is the first thing you do when waking up? Do you prioritise reading the Bible? How is your prayer life? What do you do on a Sunday evening? It would be hypocritical to say I do this perfectly; arguably, I’m a terrible culprit of the ‘mindless scroll.’ The majority of us enjoy various forms of entertainment, and that is all well and good; however, we must remember that we are not put on this earth for pleasure. I would argue we Western Christians, who, on average, enjoy a life of relative comfort and security, have sadly forgotten this fact.

3.A Brief mention of our call as Christians

Finally, we cannot effectively create disciples if the world’s sin entertains us. Part of being a Christian is sharing the hope we have with unbelievers and proclaiming Jesus as Lord (Matthew 28:16-20). That requires us to share a crucial part of the gospel message – confess your sins, repent and turn away from them to Jesus Christ. Additionally, we are called to be ‘salt and light’ (Matthew 5:13-16), in other words being effective witnesses and having a positive impact on the culture around us. In an “Ask Pastor John” episode on Christian engagement with media, John Piper mentions that we cannot be salt and light if we find the glorification of sin in what we watch entertaining. This makes sense! How are we any different from the world if we enjoy watching others in their sin?


Rather than overindulging in media or becoming culturally starved, and avoiding any form of entertainment, we need to bring our interaction with media under the lordship of Christ. Whether it be Instagram, a movie, or any other form of entertainment, we ought to be aware and switched on, ultimately seeking to serve Christ well with our time.