"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." (James 1:22)
Have you ever found yourself watching your own life as if it were a scene in a movie? Do you feel a strange, hollow numbness when you witness the pain of others through a glass screen, as if their suffering is merely "content" for your consumption? Have you reached a point where the betrayal of a friend or the devastation of a global tragedy feels less like a call to prayer and more like an opportunity to form an opinion?
We live in an age where the "Light of God" is often obscured by the flickering glare of a thousand devices. We are more connected than any generation in human history, yet we are perhaps the most isolated from the actual experience of Living. This isn't a new struggle, though it has reached a fever pitch in 2026. Twenty-five years ago, Pastor Anthony Joseph Massotti, Th.M. penned a prophetic warning from our archives that rings with more clarity today than when the ink was first wet.
The Prophetic Archive: A Voice from 2001
In March of 2001, years before the first smartphone and decades before the dawn of AI-driven feeds, Pastor Anthony Joseph Massotti, Th.M. recognized a spiritual "firebrand of emotional devastation" beginning to smolder in our culture. He titled his reflection, "The Curse Of Always Being Entertained."
He observed that we were rapidly becoming a society of "all-knowing" critics. Even then, the constant stream of movies, television, and radio was transforming the way we interacted with the world. Today, in 2026, where every waking moment is curated by an algorithm, his words serve as a solemn lighthouse for those lost at sea.
Pastor Anthony, Th.M. noted: "Our society is becoming 'all-knowing.' We see things happening all over the world, but we see them through a screen. We are becoming a society of critics rather than participants."
This shift is not merely a social trend; it is a spiritual warfare tactic designed to distance us from the very heart of the Father.
The Echo of Genesis: The Death of the Participant
To understand why "always being entertained" is a curse, we must look back to the beginning of the Story. In the garden, the warning was clear: "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:17).
There is a profound linguistic distinction we must make here, a word study in the language of the soul. There is a difference between Information and Abiding.
Information is the pursuit of the "Critic." It seeks to know about a thing so that it may judge it, categorize it, or be entertained by it. Abiding is the pursuit of the "Participant." It seeks to experience the Truth so that one may be transformed by it.
When we consume the world through the lens of entertainment, we are eating from the tree of "all-knowing" information. We think we know the world because we have seen it on a screen. But as Pastor Anthony Joseph Massotti, Th.M. warns, this pursuit of total, detached knowledge leads to a form of spiritual death. We become "dead" to the reality of the people around us. We see a neighbor in need and, instead of acting, we unconsciously rate the "production value" of their tragedy. We have become critics of the Word rather than doers of it.
The Self-Test: Audience, Critic, or Director?
How do you know if you have fallen under the spell of this modern curse? In his 2001 teaching, Pastor Anthony, Th.M. proposed a series of questions that we must ask ourselves today with even greater urgency:
- Am I the audience, the critic, or the director? When you walk into a room, do you look for how you can serve, or do you subconsciously critique the "vibe" of the environment?
- Does the news move me to prayer or to opinion? If your first reflex upon hearing of a disaster is to post a comment rather than to fall on your knees, you are functioning as a critic, not a participant in the Body of Christ.
- Do I watch the preacher with a critic’s hat or an open heart? Are you checking the biblical teaching against your personal preferences, or are you asking the Lord to "behold" the state of your soul through the message?
- Do I see people through a screen? Even when the device is in your pocket, do you view others as characters in your story or as living souls made in the Image of God?
The Dichotomy: The Observer vs. The Covenant-Maker
We are faced with a simple "either/or" scenario: We can either be observers of the Divine, or we can be Covenant-makers with the Divine.
The "enemy" wants you to stay in the seat of the observer. If he can keep you entertained, he can keep you ineffective. He cloaks himself as a "wolf in sheep’s clothing," offering you "Christian content" that feels like growing in faith but actually serves as a distraction from your christian walk with christ.
Behold the Truth: God is not a detached observer. He is the Creator who stepped into the dirt of His own creation. He watches, yes, but He also gets involved. To be made in His image and likeness means we cannot remain behind the screen. We must step into the arena.
Moving from "I’m Sorry" to "Forgive Me"
In our digital age, even our repentance has become a form of entertainment, a performance of "cancel culture" or public apologies. But there is a vital depth in the language we use. Saying "I’m sorry" is often a statement of feeling; it is a critic’s observation of their own discomfort. But saying "Please forgive me" is an act of participation. It requires a second party. It is a humble appeal that seeks restoration, not just the removal of a bad feeling.
To deepen your faith, you must move from being a consumer of theological "concepts" to a participant in the Life of the Spirit. This requires you to put down the "critic’s hat" and pick up the basin and towel.
A Call to Immediate Spiritual Action
The "dirt in the vase" of our modern souls is the residue of constant entertainment. It clouds the water and prevents the beauty of the Lord from being seen through us. You MUST do something today to break the cycle.
If you want to truly understand the Bible and see the Word come alive, you must choose to disconnect from the noise so that you may connect with the Silence.
- Silence the Screen. Dedicate the first hour of your day to the Presence of the Lord without a single digital distraction.
- Engage the Person. Look at the next person you meet: really look at them: and ask the Lord how YOU can serve them in that moment.
- Trade Opinion for Prayer. The next time a piece of "content" stirs your anger or critique, refuse to speak an opinion until you have spoken to God in prayer for ten minutes.
- CHOOSE LIFE. Recognize that every scroll is a decision. Choose the narrow path of participation over the wide gate of entertainment.
The curse of always being entertained is that it makes us spectators of our own salvation. But the Glory of God is that He has called us to be "laborers together with Him" (1 Corinthians 3:9).
Let us lay aside the weight of the screen and run the race that is set before us.
© Anthony J. Massotti Th.M. 3/18/2001
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