This week marks the beginning of the Lent season in which Christians choose to abstain from something for the 40 days leading up to Easter.
What did Christians give up before the Internet?
A lot of my Christian friends have been posting farewell messages on Facebook and Twitter. They made statements like “See you in 40 days Twitterverse” or “This will be my last status update until Easter”. I guess they wanted everyone to know that even though their walls have gone dark, nothing terrible has happened. I’m actually really glad they informed me because, if they hadn’t, I would have gone all Liam Neeson in Taken.
With so many Christians giving up social networking and other aspects of the Internet, it made me wonder what Christians gave up before the Internet. The Internet really began showing up in homes in the mid 90s. So here are some sacrifices Christians could have made for Lent in the early 90s.
Must See TV
For some unknown reason CBS is America’s most watched network. Deep down I think Les Moonves, the president of CBS, made some sort of Faustian deal with devil. In my mind that’s the only reason why Two and a Half Men made it to its eighth season and Arrested Development was canceled after three. CBS hasn’t always been king, though. In the early 90s NBC and their “Must See TV” lineup was the belle of the network television ball.
Well meaning Christians, looking for a Lent sacrifice, could have sworn off NBC’s Thursday lineup of Friends, The Single Guy, Seinfeld and Caroline in the City (2 out of 4 would have been sacrificial).
Giving up “Must See TV” would have meant not knowing about the progression of Ross and Rachel.
Giving up “Must See TV” would have meant not knowing the nothing that Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer had spent 30 minutes talking about.
Giving up “Must See TV” would have meant not knowing how Marty McFly’s mom was doing in her new sitcom.
Today if we gave up a night of television for 40 days we wouldn’t really miss anything. Once Easter passed we could just spend a Saturday catching up on the DVR or spend our lunch breaks watching what we missed on Hulu. Back in 1995, though, those options weren’t available. Missing out on Friends would have been a tremendous sacrifice and almost as difficult as Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness. Sure, Jesus didn’t have anything to eat, but without Friends how would anyone have known how to style their hair?
Jesus Freak
In 1995 DC Talk released a force of nature in musical form. Jesus Freak is one of the most popular Christian albums of all time and defined Christian music for a generation. I remember listening to Jesus Freak and being blown away by the music and the message. And then, when I heard the song “Just Between You and Me” on secular radio, I thought we were standing on the precipice of a new revival led by two singers and a white rapper. Jesus Freak was an amazing album that impacted a generation –which is why it would have been a good Lent sacrifice.
The bronze snake that Moses used to heal the Israelites wasn’t a bad thing; it was exceedingly good. However, it became a stumbling block when the people chose to worship it instead of worshipping God. Jesus Freak was well intentioned and definitely drew people closer to God. Because of its success and popularity, though, it could have become an idol like the bronze snake. Instead of being actual Jesus freaks, Christians could have found themselves becoming Jesus Freak freaks. Ironically, the album which had the song “What if I Stumble?” could have become a stumbling block itself.
Plaid
For some reason Christians giving up plaid would be just as difficult today as it was 15 years ago. At the height of grunge music everyone was wearing plaid. No one could look cool and disheveled without the appropriately plaid flannel jacket. Was it even possible to listen to Nirvana and Pearl Jam without wearing plaid? Christians looking to give something up for Lent, though, might have offered up their plaid. Instead of finding their identity in Christ, they were finding their identity in plaid – those criss-crossed lines, squares and colors.
The church is facing the same problem today as it did back then. Christians all across America are finding their identity in plaid instead of in Jesus. I saw way more plaid than Christian t-shirts at a conference last week. Instead of finding their identity in “Jesus Button” shirts or “Lord’s Gym” shirts, Christians today are falling back into the sins of the early 90s. Instead of giving up the Internet this Lent, maybe Christians should feel compelled to give up plaid and find their identity in Christ instead of Urban Outfitters.
Obviously Lent isn’t anything new. It is a longstanding tradition of the church intended to take our focus off this world and firmly center it on Christ. If giving something up aids that focus and reflection then we should do it in a heartbeat. However, there were distractions before the Internet and there will continue to be distractions with the Internet. Our challenge is learning how to live with the distractions while still wholeheartedly pursuing Jesus.
Even if that means not hearing Joey say, “How you doin’?”
What, if anything, are you giving up for Lent? What do you hope it will help you accomplish?
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