How to Share Your Faith Using CSI
Last week the number one rated broadcast TV show in America was CSI. Now in its sixth season, CSI: Crime Scene Investigator has demonstrated amazing staying power. The series, set in Las Vegas, chronicles the lives of a team of crime scene investigators. Drawing on their forensics expertise, the investigators tackle crimes ranging from thefts to car accidents to kidnappings to murder.
Watching the amazing use of science to solve crimes is a major draw for the millions of viewer who regularly watch this program. But CSI is also a study in the character of the criminal mind and that holds a certain morbid fascination for many people, as well. Have you ever wondered why there are so many crime shows on TV? Perhaps it's because crime shows shine a bright light on the dark side of human nature. We can view the 'falleness' of mankind from a safe, remote, third person vantage point when we watch crimes happening on the TV screen.
The most recent episode of CSI tackled a topic of particular interest to Christians. Investigators explored the evidence surrounding the death of 11 young members of a cult, determining whether the deaths were the result of suicide or murder. This particular cult had attracted college kids into a strange, transcendental sci-fi group. Cults can draw in even the most sincere seekers and deceive them. Some cults are so 'out there' they are easy to spot, which might seem to be the case with the cult featured on this CSI episode. But some religious cults take basic Christian truths and distort them in ways that are more subtle. As a general rule, religious cults' distortions fall into three major categories:
- Their view of Christ - denying he is true God and true man. (1 John 2:22)
- Their view of salvation - adding requirements of works that allow man to earn his own salvation. (Eph 2:8-9)
- Their view of the Bible - often placing the writings of their own founders or leaders on equal footing with the Scriptures. (Rev. 22:18-19)
In addition to these distortions, cults will often exercise mind control over their members using some of the following techniques:
- Discouraging any individual thinking or questioning
- Manipulating members through guilt or fear
- Discouraging friendships outside the group.
As you get a chance to talk with friends about CSI, here are some conversation starters to help you turn the conversation toward spiritual things:
- Ask your friends if they know much about cults. Could they ever see themselves being interested in such a group? What might be attractive about such involvement? Why do some kids find themselves sucked in?
- What do they think are examples of cults? What kinds of behaviors do they think a cult member might exhibit? Talk about the warning signs.
- On a more general level, ask your friends if they like watching crime shows. What's the appeal? Do they think people are basic good or bad? Why or why not? The Bible teaches that though humans were originally made in the image of God, they sinned and are in need of a Savior, Jesus Christ, to be restored back into relationship with God. If you need help explaining this, check out the GOSPEL Journey™.
Go for it! Use CSI as an opportunity to encourage your friends to investigate God.
