Resources: Plugged-In Online

Today is the first entry in what will be an ongoing series of various resources you can use in order to live a more pure life in today's world. Until I can come up with a catchier title, I'm just going to call this series "Resources". We're going to begin with Plugged-In Online.




Plugged-In Online (http://www.pluggedinonline.com/) is a website put together by Focus on the Family. What they do is review movies, TV shows, music, and video games from a Christian perspective. Instead of giving a rating the movie based on the usual standards, they review them based on content and what are the appropriate and inappropriate elements you'll be subjected to if you watch/listen/play.

The website first categorizes what they are reviewing (Movies, Video/DVD, Music, Television, and Games). The movies section covers films that are currently in theaters, while Video/DVD covers things that are currently out on video or DVD (snazzy, eh?). The other three are pretty self-explanitory. I use it mostly for the Movies section, so that's what I'm going to concentrate on here.

When you click on an article to read, they start off with a brief synopsis of the plot. This is to give you a general idea of any blanks you might need filled in before partaking. Don't worry, they do NOT spoil the plot. They give a Spoiler Warning before they list anything that will spoil the movies/shows plot lines.

After that, they list out the Positive Elements. They are pretty thorough, and sometimes some of the positive elements they list are kind of a stretch. Take, for example, this Positive Element from the movie G-Force:

When in the midst of a smash/crash chase scene that concludes with a massive fireworks explosion, one of the careening guinea pigs looks at some observing children (and us) and says, "Don't try this at home, kids."

While that is indeed a positive element, it's kind of stretch, but it does go to show you how thorough they really are in their reviews. This section also gives you a good idea of what to reinforce with your child if you take them along with you.

After that, they start to review the bad stuff. They break the bad stuff into several different categories (Sexual Content, Violent Content, Crude or Profane Language, Drug and Alcohol Content, and Other Negative Elements). They continue their thoroughness in each of these different categories as they break down specifically what occurs in the movie. For example, they will tell you how many times various words are used in the film, even down to "jeez", "suck", and "what in the heck?" (again using the G-Force review as an example). In place of the filthier language, they give us the good ol' grade school trick of "s---" and "f---" (remember using the phrase "the f word" back in the day?) instead of the actual words. Again, they will give you a Spoiler Warning before they spoil anything you may not want to know before seeing the movie.

Finally, they give you a conclusion on the movie. This is the writer's general summary of taking the positive elements and the negative elements and telling you their overall opinion on the movie. By the time you've reached this point, you already should have a pretty good idea about the movie, but they use this space to explain if the negative moments are isolated and barely noticeable, or if they permeate the entire movie.

Clarinda and I personally use Plugged-In Online for help in making our movie-watching decisions. We've all been there where a movie trailer has us excited to see a movie, then we go watch it and wonder why they had to add all the filth to it. Plugged-In Online will give you a warning beforehand on what filth you'll have to subject yourself to in order to see the movie. The key is to use this tool, and then use your own discernment on whether you want to subject you or your children to the good AND the bad in a movie.

The Me-ism of Social Networking

One of the biggest trends of the times is the increase in the use of social networks. Social networks are websites and services that bring people together. The biggest ones at the moment are Facebook and Twitter. The sites let people meet up with "Friends" and keep in touch.

Social networking promotes the mindset of me-ism. People feel the need to post every little detail about their life trying to get people to look at me. Look at me, look at what I'm doing/done/thinking, etc. Posts such as "I just finished school, now I'm making a sandwich" try to get the author out there with people focusing on their everyday lives. Twitter is rife with the mundane ramblings of people too caught up in their own self importance. Facebook is the same way, but with more pictures and more quizzes involved.

The problem is that most people aren't even aware of the me-ism of social networking. They happily go about their lives using these tools as a way of socializing, while rarely meeting their "Friends" face-to-face and establishing real relationships. They just assume that everyone they know wants to know what they thought about the drive home or the commercial they just watched. The me-ism is there, but it's subtle.

The Bible teaches us to not focus on ourselves (Romans 12:3). According to a Biblical Worldview, my focus is supposed to be on God (Exodus 33:11), then others (1 Peter 1:22), and THEN me. I should be last in this list. I'm to treat others better than myself (Philippians 2:3-4) . However, the way most people use social networking, the goal is to get others to focus on me rather than me focusing on others.

It's very important to understand that while this snare does exist for everyone, not everyone has fallen into this trap. People use Facebook and Twitter every day to connect with others and see how their friends are doing. The problem is when we use these tools to lift ourselves up rather than to lift Christ and others up. It's something to be wary of. The question you need to ask yourself is "Am I using these tools for the right reasons?" It's a question that has to be answered by the individual. No one else can answer that for you. If you are using them for the right reasons, then keep on using them. If you aren't, you may need to evaluate if you really should be using them at all, or if you should consider stepping away for a period of time. A short break can do wonders for your motives (which is why parents have found that grounding their kids WORKS if used properly).

I implore you to check yourself in this area today. Does using Facebook or Twitter add value to my life? Am I lifting up Christ above all else? Am I lifting up my friends? Or am I just in it for myself? These are questions we all need to ask ourselves not just today and not just on this subject, but at all times.

A Beginning

I decided to start up this blog to record my thoughts on recent pop culture from a Christian perspective. There's lots of trash out there nowadays that people just accept because it's part of our culture. We need to always look at the things of this world from a Christ's perspective, never accepting them just because The World does. Hopefully we'll be able to get a good discussion going on some of these topics and we can help each other live more godly lives.