<\/p>\n
Very often, the truth is hiding in plain sight. That\u2019s certainly the case with much of children\u2019s entertainment.<\/p>\n
The underlying message affixed to any number of movies geared toward kids seems to be some version of following one\u2019s own heart, listening to his desires, chasing after her feelings. But that message, according to Trevin Wax, is a direct contradiction to the Gospel.<\/p>\n
Wax, an author and visiting professor at Cedarville University, recently appeared on CBN\u2019s \u201cFaith in Culture,\u201d were he eschewed such ideologies. While the world calls those ideas \u201ccommon sense,\u201d he said they are incongruous with Christianity.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think of these slogans that are out there, like, \u2018Be true to yourself,\u2019 \u2018You do you,\u2019 \u2018Live your truth,\u2019 \u2018You are enough,\u2019 \u2018Follow your heart,\u2019 \u2018Chase your dreams,’\u201d he said. \u201cSociologists call that \u2018expressive individualism.\u2019 \u2026 That\u2019s the plot line in so many movies, even, like, good wholesome movies, in Disney movies. \u2026 It kind of passes for common sense in our day and age.\u201d<\/p>\n
The secular understanding of \u201cfreedom\u201d is a far cry from true freedom as explained in Scripture, Wax said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just so easy to define freedom in our day as a freedom from constraints, from limitations,\u201d he explained. \u201c[The world says] freedom is me doing whatever I want to do, when the Bible actually teaches that, \u2018No, you doing just whatever you want to do, especially in our flesh, is a kind of slavery.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Throughout the New Testament, the Apostle Paul explains human beings will always be slaves to something \u2014 either to sin and our own desires or to a just and merciful God whose ways are higher and better than our own.<\/p>\n
In Romans 6:16, Paul wrote, \u201cDon\u2019t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living\u201d (NLT).<\/p>\n
\u201cTrue freedom is submission to God, and it\u2019s freedom for something,\u201d said Wax. \u201c[I]t\u2019s not doing whatever we want; it\u2019s aligning our wants with God\u2019s will, recognizing that that\u2019s when we\u2019re truly freest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wax is the author of the new book, \u201cThe Gospel Way Catechism for Kids,\u201d a children\u2019s edition of his book by the same title.<\/p>\n
In it, he and his co-author, Thomas West, outline 50 faith-centered questions and answers for children to read, study, and talk about with their families. He explained that these catechisms should serve as conversation starters in the home.<\/p>\n
\u201cA catechism isn\u2019t supposed to be everything,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s supposed to be something. It\u2019s meant to give you the structure or the scaffolding that you can then come in later and begin to fill in.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the world teaches a \u201cmeditation\u201d that empties the mind of everything, Wax emphasized a godly mindfulness that calls believers to fill their minds with the commands and promises of Scripture.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to distinguish the Christian understanding of prayer from just mindfulness routines or just Eastern meditation that leads us to sort of empty our minds,\u201d he explained. \u201c[B]iblical meditation \u2026 is a filling of the mind with Scripture and God\u2019s Word.\u201d<\/p>\n
Catch our full conversation with Trevin Wax in the \u201cFaith in Culture\u201d episode above.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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