Dance like no one's watching

My church has recently started a "Shepherd’s Note" section in our weekly bulletin, where the Elders of the church will write a short sharing of sorts.  I thought last Sunday’s note was interesting and am reproducing it here:

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We should not be surprised by the on-going yet futile spiritual warfare against god and Christianity.  these campaigns often include unedifying movies, books, websites and other overt acts and events.  Some are more subtle whilst others blatantly blasphemous.  Remember not too long ago the Da Vinci Code saga which developed from book to movie to a host of paraphernalia?  Well, they came to pass and God remains sovereign.

Currently there is an email chain warning of a new "children’s movie" to be released in December called "The Golden Compass".  Described as "atheism for kids" it is based on the first book of a trilogy by Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials".  Pullman is reported to be an atheist and secular humanist who despises C.S. Lewis and his "Chronicles of Narnia" and his motivation was specifically to counteract Lewis’ symbolisms of Christ in the Narnia series.

What should be our right response to these?  The Lord has taught us to pray… "lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil."  We should not be ignorant nor fear the devil’s ploys.  Neither should we over-react or engage him unwisely, doing so without first submitting ourselves to God (James 4:7).

Let us be wise even as we engage in spiritual warfare for the hearts and minds of innocent children and ignorant adults alike.  We would not participate or contribute in any way to these ungodly activities or be over confident that we are able to withstand evil, thinking that is is harmless entertainment.  It is also our duty to warn others to be discerning, but let us not unwittingly give the devil undue credit or publicity.  One of his ploys is to draw attention, arouse curiosity or invoke fear and hatred and thereby tempt or stumble the weak and the unwise.  By doing right, we counsel by our example and not just preaching.

On the other hand, let us support good wholesome forms of entertainment and edifying literature.  For those with specific interests in apologetics (the defence of the Faith), I suggest the highly readable books by Lee Strobel on "The Case for Christ" (which has a kids edition), "The Case for Faith" (which has a Student edition), and his most recent "The Case for the Real Jesus".  they address important issues and FAQs raised by those who reject the Christian Faith and are effective resources for group study and witness.

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I did a quick search on the Internet to find the "general views" people have of Philip Pullman.  Skimmed through an entry on Wikipedia on Pullman.  Not sure how anti-Christ his works are… but i most probably won’t be watching The Golden Compass.  There is a difference between fantasy stories to entertain, and fantasy stories to subvert.  God gave every individual the power of free will – to exercise their choice in what they choose to believe.  But let us not stumble another, before they make that choice.