Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Format for Practical Application

As we work through the practical application of discernment principles to specific fiction gray areas, we will keep to a basic format for each topic covered. This will make it easier for us to navigate complex topics that could easily overwhelm otherwise.

First, I will define the topic. Words like “violence” can cover a huge area that can mean different things to different people, often with facets that might be easily overlooked or dismissed. So to make sure we are on the same page, what the word means and examples of what falls under its umbrella will be provided.

Second, we will look at how that topic conforms to Philippians 4:8 and the standards it gives us. (We’ve studied these standards at length area, archived under the sidebar folder “biblical foundation.”) This will grant us a foundation to build on, as we delve deeper into what Scripture says about that topic specifically. The Bible has much to say about the gray areas we face consistently, whether humor or sexuality, and what it really says might just be a surprise to some.

From there we’ll design some basic principles. These will give us some tools by which we might navigate these gray areas, even while we are in the midst of them.

Finally, we will conclude with a practicum. I will choose an excerpt from a book or a clip from a movie, which will generate some good discussion, I hope, on whether the excerpt portrays good, bad, or mixed use of that topic. Then I will post my thoughts on it.

Okay, now take a deep breath, and put on your thinking cap. We’re about to take the plunge. First up? Humor.