Home And Away
Christianity as seen in Summer Bay.
For the last couple of years, the only Christian some Australians knew was Geoff Campbell on Channel 7’s Home and Away. Played by Lincoln Lewis, he’s the sheltered Christian kid who’s been introduced to a world that he doesn’t quite understand. He struggles to maintain his faith as he is tempted by the two greatest lures for the Australian male - girls and footy. What does Geoff tell us about being a Christian in 21st century Australia?
Yeah, I do watch Home and Away. Not every night, but enough to keep up with what’s happening. It’s a guilty pleasure. DON’T JUDGE ME!
First up, there’s Geoff’s girlfriend, Nicole. After being stranded in the middle of nowhere, they got involved sexually. Geoff has regretted his actions. He has recognised that they were not in line with God’s Word. However, he’s still keen on going out with this girl, who is not only a non Christian, but very much keen on continuing the sexual relationship she’s begun. The focus here has been on what he thinks about sex, not about what a godly approach to dating is. Nicole isn’t going to building him up in Christ. She’ll want to take attention away from God. That’s a pretty bad situation to be in.
I think the biggest thing we can learn from Geoff is the need for Christian fellowship. Geoff goes to Church. But he lives with non Christians, his friends are non Christians, his girlfriend is a non Christian. Even his sister is dating a non Christian. Geoff needs a community around him to keep him on track. To shoulder his burdens. To help him out when times are tough. To encourage him to stay focused on God. He needs to be an active member of God’s family. We don’t see this aspect of his Christian life. Church for Geoff is a place he goes to for an hour on Sunday. It’s a place to go, not a family to meet with. We don’t even see him opening his Bible. Maybe Geoff wouldn’t be facing the problems he does if he was regularly meeting with other Christians.
Geoff might be a fictional character. But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from him. Is your Christian life looking a little bit too much like Geoff’s? If so, what are you going to do about it?
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