Digital Gluttony...
Digital Gluttony...
I recently read a superb blog post by The Village Church and was convicted and provoked. It is worth a read. It addresses the challenge of gluttony in a digital age...below are some of the most penetrating parts of it. The full article is HERE.
“Consider whether you know the ins and outs of the characters on your favourite show better than you know the people God has placed around you.”
“Our habitual indulgence in television shows and social media has become a form of gluttony that, if not controlled, will lead to our destruction.”
“Paul Matthies defined gluttony as “a lack of faith in God that expresses itself through excess and expects total satisfaction from some idol of choice at the expense of community, responsibility and trusting worship of God.” At its root, gluttony says, “My desires should be met, right now, by whatever I crave.” Gluttony is the suicide of self-control; instead of trusting in God’s goodness and sufficiency, the glutton tries to seize satisfaction apart from God for desires he thinks belong to him.”
“With the technological advances of the last several years, many of us have become digital-age gluttons. Whether we’re endlessly scrolling down social media feeds or binge-watching whole television series, we have found it easy to treat digital goods in overblown ways. Simply consider this: What if you ate ice cream like you watched the waiver wire in your fantasy league? What if you drank wine to the same degree you spend time on Instagram?”
“When we choose to spend another night streaming or scrolling rather than engaging others face to face, we choose to forsake love of neighbour in order to feed a craving”
“Gluttony jeopardizes our ability to responsibly steward all that God has entrusted to us. By giving too much of yourself to screen time, you may find that those who need you have less of you than they need. When we overindulge in something like digital media, it’s not just we who suffer from the absence of others; others also suffer as a result of our absence. Consider whether you know the ins and outs of the characters on your favourite show better than you know the people God has placed around you.”