Rather than protecting our kids’ faith from the world or conforming it to the world, we need to prepare it for the world.

As Easter approaches, we think through how to answer perhaps the most important question our kids could ask.

Entertainment is not neutral. The threat it presents to our kids' hearts is deeper than exposure to sex, violence, and swear words. It attempts to shape their understanding of themselves and the world. To protect them, we need to do more than forbid certain shows and artists; we need to teach them to respond to the worldview it promotes with the gospel’s more beautiful story.

Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth. It’s a great responsibility to be called to flavor the world around us, so Jesus warns us against losing our saltiness. What does that mean? How do we maintain the flavor of the gospel? And how might the shows we watch make that difficult? Let’s use an analogy that hits a bit closer to home: keeping our cereal crunchy.

Answers to the questions: Practically, how should I decide what to let my kids watch? I don’t have time to pre-watch and analyze the messages in everything my kids want to watch; are there any resources that can help? What about how much I let my kids watch? Can you help me settle “the great screen time debate” in my household?

A curated list of some helpful articles, podcasts, and books on this topic for those who want to explore it further.

The messages secular entertainment promotes to our kids are more powerful and pervasive than we may realize, but the gospel message is stronger still. How do we ensure the gospel is what shapes their hearts?