April 22, 2002
What could be in week without TV?
___By John Hall
___Staff Writer
___"Must-see TV" is myth, according to an author who wants pastors to promote a television-free week in their congregations.
___Kevin Lee, author of "Fixing Our Eyes: A Guide to a Television-free Week," and the book's publisher, Tyndale House, are giving complimentary copies of Lee's book to pastors.
___Lee is a former Southern Baptist who teaches communications at Illinois State University. All proceeds from the book will go to missionary entities.
___The average American watches 3.5 hours of television a day, according to Lee. Multiplied out, that equals one day a week, two months a year and about 10 years of the average life--time Lee believes could be better spent.
___"Sometimes we have the mistaken idea that if we miss something on TV we are missing something important," he explained. "But I would say if you are watching TV, you are missing something important."
___People often complain they don't have enough time to attend church activities or handle family responsibilities, but they find time to watch several hours of television a night without thinking twice, Lee said.
___Kenneth Taylor, chairman of the board at Tyndale, believes television serves to inform much of the nation through news programs. But otherwise, television programming is "essentially a waste of time" and has accelerated the rate of moral decline in America, he said.
___"Certainly television programs and movies depicting the glorification of illicit sex of all kinds, adultery, pornography, defiance of parents, etc., have resulted in a huge acceleration of the downhill slide," said Taylor, who raised his children without television. "There are some valuable television programs, but one has to seek them out."
___National "turn off the TV week" is scheduled for April 22-28, but a congregation could promote the emphasis any time during the year, Lee said. His goal is to help Christians get a taste of what life could be like without so much TV.
___"TV-free week is like a deep breath," he explained. "It is an opportunity for people to see how much TV they watch and how they can better use their time."
___For more information about the program, visit the book's website at www.fixingoureyes.org.
The Baptist Standard
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