From R&B’s latest smash single to magazine ads to billboards and Paris Hilton “washing� a Bentley to sell a hamburger, the mainstream media is more saturated with eye candy than ever before. These “creative minds� continue to push the line every year, all while hiding behind the age old mantra that “sex sells.� Frankly, I’m getting fed up with all of it. And as Christians, I see us having three options.

Option 1: Lock ourselves in our basements with our home study groups, singing hymns and worship songs at the top of our lungs effectively drowning out the world around us.

For me, sheltering myself from the world does not do any good because I have a mindset that in order to reach a lost world, you have to be able to at least communicate with them. I can’t talk to a kid about music if he’s listening to Fiddie Cent (I admit, I like saying that) and I’m listening to Amy Grant with no clue about what his music means to him. I’m instantly irrelevant with no foundation to grow on. Of course, that’s an extreme example, and everyone’s different in how they communicate, but hopefully you see where I’m coming from.

Each week, I read Entertainment Weekly from cover to cover. I try to catch Fox News or a little talk radio each day to at least keep a small pulse on national and world events. I listen to mainstream music and will always listen to a song at least once, even if it’s complete trash. Sometimes, I’ll find myself enjoying shows like Survivor, 24 and even an occasional episode of Scrubs. None of these things give me spiritual edification, nor should they. I do find enjoyment and entertainment from them, but more importantly, I strongly believe it gives me a greater understanding of the world in which I, along with my neighbors, are forced to live in–Like it or not.

I find a lot of Christians today are sheltered. Maybe that’s a good thing, but part of me wonders if the gap between the saved and unsaved is growing wider every day. Sooner or later, that leap is going to look a little too daunting and no one will be meeting in the middle to hang out.

Option 2: Embrace mainstream media. If you can’t hide from it, why try to fight it. Sure, you’ll see some occasional nudity in a movie, but the movie was great, wasn’t it? That top 20 song may be filled with the worst lyrics of the year, degrading women and idolizing promiscuity, but the beat was great! As long as you know where you stand with God, what does it matter if you’re inundated with some occasional crude humor?

I find this other extreme to be just as dangerous as the previous one, yet I know more Christians, especially the younger generation, who are embracing the very things they are taught to avoid during Wednesday night youth group.

Option 3: Shout louder. I heard a statistic the other day that said just 3% of the population considers themselves as homosexual. Other studies say between 4-8%, but I doubt it is that high. Even less are atheists (believing in no deity). There are just as many studies that site over 80% of the US population call themselves Christians, acknowledging a higher power. Ok, that’s great, but then why I am hearing more about gay marriage and separation between church and state than I am about God? Christians need to shout louder than everyone else, and we have the numbers to drown out even the largest group.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. The Passion of the Christ is the highest grossing R rated movie of all time, beating number 2 by over $110 million and currently sitting as the #9 top Box Office movie of all time! The Christian/Gospel category of overall music sales is the sixth most popular genre according to SoundScan’s 2004 year-end report. Gospel music sales outpace sales of Latin, soundtracks, jazz, classical and new age genres. People are flocking and hungry for entertainment with a good moral and even Christian foundation..

So our job, as Christians, is to continue to shout louder. Get our music heard, our movies seen and the message of Jesus Christ saturated into today’s market. You can’t do that hiding in a basement, and you can’t do that while swimming in the same pool as the others. I guess you could sum up this post by saying “Be in the world, and not of it.�