I once read somewhere* that Christian makes an excellent noun, but a horrible adjetive. I believe the refrence was in fact made surrounding Christian music. And it made me think for a minute…ok, I admit it still makes me think. Is Christian really the best way to label stuff? The word Christian broken down simply means little Christ and so therefore we are labeling certain things as either “little Christ like” or “not little Christ like”. In todays world there is an industry for profit that is even linked to this description…Christian music, Christian books, Christian T-shirts, Christian movies… And I am not saying that any of this is inherently wrong, but maybe that sometimes we get so comfortable looking for Christ in these “Christian” mediums that we forget that He is bigger than any of them.

I am a huge fan of all things media (ask any of my friends how nerdy I am regarding this and they are in concurrence). And I think it it is ok to admit to you that all the movies I watch, music I listen to and books I read aren’t “Christian” as identified by the general market. But does that inherently mean that they are not of Christ? Colossians 1:16-17 says, “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” So if all things are held together in Christ and are created for His glory, then perhaps His truth can be found in media and in culture where we aren’t always so comfortable looking for HIm. There might be a song that expresses great truth about the human condition and that truth comes from God. There may be a book that opens your eyes to the suffering of others and moves you to compassion and that movement comes from God. There may be a movie that helps you speak Christ into someone’s life because of a common love and that common ground is from God.

I think my point is this: maybe we shouldn’t let any market or industry dictate to us what is and isn’t from God. Maybe through the workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we might just be able to evaluate that for ourselves. In fact, we are even given an evaluation formula in scriptuire with which to look at art. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” So maybe next time we pop in that DVD, load up that iPod or turn on that e-reader (that sounded so contemporary) we should Philippians 4:8-it and then see where we stand.

* I believe I remember my source, but am excluding it due to the hype surrounding the source. I can give credit if you ask me individually.