By Steve Hale
While waiting with one of our deacon’s family during his recent surgery, a talk show was blaring on the TV in the waiting room. It was on network television. I haven’t watched daytime TV in years, and what I saw shocked me! The vulgarity and coarseness of conversation between five women was just unbelievable. It sounded like the talk of pornographers. Thankfully, one of the ladies in the waiting room had had enough and changed channels. I wanted to cheer!
They can produce it, print it, and broadcast it, but that doesn’t mean we have to watch it! Turn it off! Read a book! Read the Bible! Have some family time! Play a board game or go for a walk. At the very least, change the channel!
Some good news…if enough people quit watching it, they’ll quit producing it! For example, the TV show GCB did not make it because it did not attract enough viewers. GCB was based upon Kim Gatlin’s novel Good Christian B&$@.  The series changed its name from Good Christian B@&@s to Good Christian Belles then finally GCB.
It only attracted about 5.9 million viewers and only carried a 1.9 rating among the critically important demographic of people ages 18-49. The American Family Association filed a protest against the show and said: “With a title like Good Christian B@*$#@, you can imagine what kind of show it will be. Even if they change the title, the content will still mock people of faith.”
The series was about a newly widowed mom of two, Amanda Vaughn, moving back to Dallas to get a new beginning. Instead, she finds a lot of gossip, fraud, and similar things. This is far removed from shows like I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show, and Leave It to Beaver. For years, television shows taught some wonderful moral values. They emphasized everyday practical living rather that the sensual, vulgar nonsense that dominates modern television.
For example, Leave It to Beaver ran from October 4, 1957, to June 20, 1963.
On June 25, 1958, the episode aired: “Beaver Runs Away.” Beaver decided to run away from home when he thinks is unfairly reprimanded for allowing his friend Larry Mondello to drill holes in the Cleavers’ garage with Ward’s electric drill.
Before Ward can issue punishment, Beaver runs away and stays with Larry. So, what should Ward do? Cave in to his son in order to get him home? Punish him severely for running away? Ward chooses neither. Rather, he chooses to help his son understand that genuine love means taking responsibility for the consequences of one’s actions. Learning to accept responsibility is one of life’s greatest lessons (Galatians 6:7-8)! The values a child learns from his parents will follow him all the days of his life (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15)! How much better we would be as a people if shows taught timeless Christian values and individual responsibility!