Comments on: Burn all Secular Math Books! (CMMD pt. 3)

By: Eric Stillman

Eric Stillman — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:22:09 +0000

jessica – don’t worry, nobody threw any math books into any lakes. it was purely fictional.

By: jessica

jessica — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:18:06 +0000

oh my god kids threw math books into a lake? why? im christian and i believe in getting rid of the temptations but seriously those books could be given to needy children i mean math is math. i would never throw out any book i would rather give books away then see them be destroyed.

By: a seeker

a seeker — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 14:05:52 +0000

You know, I think we go through phases in our walk with God. I did toss all my psychology books at one time because I thought that the Bible was it. But God created our minds, our creativity, our personhood, science, music, dance, etc. …and a great novel or movie or violinist can move me and inspire me. But we have to be discerning. It IS work. So you read a book, and you take what you like and leave the rest. You watch a movie, and you find the good and chalk the bad up to sensationalism and commercialism. You listen to music and marvel at the beauty. There is a lot to enjoy in this world! And we will make bad choices sometimes–but the fact that we might feel lousy about what we saw, heard, or read shows we are discerning.
By the way, without being involved in the culture we live in, where do we find a connection with unbelievers? I had a friend who consulted a psychic. She was all confused about it–she felt in her heart that it was wrong, somehow, but she felt compelled to do it anyhow, and compelled to justify her choice. I put in my 2 cents, about the Bible forbidding it, and left it at that. Maybe she will think about that next time she’s in the mood to consult a psychic, or maybe she will think I am a Bible-freak. But it was a point of connection.

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 18:52:06 +0000

Dave – I certainly affirm your desire to be a watchdog over what your children are listening to. And while it can feel so much easier to simply say “Christian=good, not Christian=bad”, I don’t think that’s true to the reality of how God works in this world. Makes your job more difficult, but should lead to some great conversations with your kids.

By: Dave Blough

Dave Blough — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 16:10:12 +0000

I wish I had read the whole article because now all my math books are destroyed! All kidding aside, I agree that we can look at this in view of Phil 4:8 but it is not always an easy task. Unfortunately, I have invoked the lazy man’s approach to listening to CDs, or attending concerts, where if it is labeled Christian then it must be OK, regardless of genre. My assumption is that a Christian artist would not produce something less than God-glorifying. Diametrically opposed to this is my view of some secular music. If someone in my family wanted to purchase a secular CD, then I would insist on printing out the lyrics first, closely examining them, and then make a decision. I guess what I am affirming in this blog is that we must be wise and discerning with everything that enters into our minds. God bless you!