“We aren’t in an information age, we are in an entertainment age.” Tony Robbins
Have you seen Top Gun: Maverick? What
about Downton Abbey: A New Era? They predict Jurassic World Dominion
will take a T-Rex size bite out of the box office and be this summer’s biggest
blockbuster. Are you going to see it? Hollywood was hit hard by Covid. Theaters
were shut down for months, causing the U.S. box office to lose billions. Theater
owners are hopeful ticket sales will continue to pick up this summer.
Like every other sphere of life, Christians must approach entertainment with
a biblical worldview. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 exhorts us, “Or do you not
know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have
from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a
price. So glorify God in your body.” That simply means that even our
entertainment choices are to submit to and honor the Lord.
Entertainment
is a matter of conscience. For some Christians, attending a movie is
wrong. We’ve lost something in our “choose a side world” that the early church
understood – God did not create nor does He expect us to be spiritual clones. It’s
spiritual arrogance for a believer to hold that their view is the “right” one
when Scripture is silent on the matter.
Romans
14 and 1 Corinthians 10 unpack for us that going to the movies (and many other choices)
are matters of conscience. Yet some Christians set themselves up as the
standard of godliness. While we must not violate our conscience, we must be
wise and not set up strawmen arguments that cause our children or immature
Christians to question the validity of Scripture in other areas much more serious.
Christians are to be godly thinkers. God has entrusted us with intelligence that
we’re to use.
Let
me share an example of a strawman argument when it comes to attending a movie –
you’re supporting an evil industry. Yet, watching TV (unless you have an
antenna) has the same problem. Personally, I don’t see how attending a sporting
event is any different than going to the show.
Being familiar with entertainment helps us stay culturally relevant. When my son, Aaron, first went to Taiwan, we gave him a Packer’s shirt as a memento from Wisconsin, but in Taiwan, no one has heard of the Packers, nor do they care. God has not called us to be isolationists. We’re to be in the world yet not of the world. It’s not an easy line. One has to continually be immersed in God’s Word and be sensitive to the Spirit to find it.
It’s simpler to be a legalist and follow rules without reason. That’s one of the attractions of Islam for many – rules are so clear. To trust God to lead us and direct us is much more difficult. Living by faith is a challenge, yet it is the only way we can please God (Hebrews 11:6). While Christ-followers are to be distinctly different, God has not called us to be cultural oddities.
In the Incarnation, Jesus left heaven and entered our world. Being an incarnational Christian means entering into the culture so that we can reach this world, not attempting to drag them into ours. The Lord Jesus used His culture as a communication bridge into His world. We’re to do the same.
With some discernment, a good movie can be a romantic date night or a great family activity. It’s fun to sink into a theater seat, sharing a tub of popcorn. Couples and families who laugh (and cry) together, stay together.
Here are some suggestions of how to be a discerning Christian when it comes to movies and entertainment in general.
Be discerning. Most of us read food labels. We check sugar and calories. We’re careful with what we put into our stomachs. Shouldn’t we be at least as careful about what we put into our minds?
In day of the internet, it takes a few clicks to check out a movie before you enter a theater. Personally, I use the parents’ guide on IMDb app. Another site I’ve found helpful is Pluggedin.com. Many movies have parts that are clear violations of Scripture. Some are on the verge of being “soft porn.” Much of what’s passed off as PG or PG-13 is harmful, particularly for vulnerable young people who are still developing their convictions.
Be alert to worldview. While most Christians are alert to language or nudity, we can be oblivious to worldview. For example, think of the last time you saw dirty dishes in a home in a movie. Hollywood gives a message of perfection yet it’s all fiction.
Movie life nearly always ends with a happy ending but life isn’t that way. It has stress, struggles, and suffering. Those who are moral or religious are typically portrayed as prudes or have an evil side that ultimately comes out.
Then, how often do you see functional marriages or families in a movie? Smart-aleck children and bathroom humor is accepted as funny. Strip clubs and prostitution are portrayed as normal. Often the worst villains are those who disregard the environment, not those with no moral compass.
Movies influence us and we often don’t even know it. For example, who really was clamoring for a Top Gun sequel? The answer, potentially: the U.S. military. The original Top Gun, what with its glamorous pilots and thrilling aerial scenes was a huge boon for the country’s armed forces, particularly the U.S. Navy. Recruitment rates skyrocketed after the film’s release—rising a ridiculous 500%. The movie was, according to “Flying” magazine, a “one-hour, 40-minute recruitment ad.” Now the Air Force and Navy are hoping for another surge with Maverick. Movies influence us even when we’re unaware of it.
Watch movies in community. Years ago we attempted to start a group at church to attend movies together for the purpose of discussing them afterward. There are many powerful messages in movies, some good and some bad. Having another Christian friend to discuss them with, helps all of us grow. It could be a group or another couple or even a friend. Movies are a-musement. Muse means to think; a-muse means to not think. Discussing a movie with a friend helps us think through what we just watched and helps sharpen our biblical discernment. As Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
Being familiar with entertainment helps us stay culturally relevant. When my son, Aaron, first went to Taiwan, we gave him a Packer’s shirt as a memento from Wisconsin, but in Taiwan, no one has heard of the Packers, nor do they care. God has not called us to be isolationists. We’re to be in the world yet not of the world. It’s not an easy line. One has to continually be immersed in God’s Word and be sensitive to the Spirit to find it.
It’s simpler to be a legalist and follow rules without reason. That’s one of the attractions of Islam for many – rules are so clear. To trust God to lead us and direct us is much more difficult. Living by faith is a challenge, yet it is the only way we can please God (Hebrews 11:6). While Christ-followers are to be distinctly different, God has not called us to be cultural oddities.
In the Incarnation, Jesus left heaven and entered our world. Being an incarnational Christian means entering into the culture so that we can reach this world, not attempting to drag them into ours. The Lord Jesus used His culture as a communication bridge into His world. We’re to do the same.
With some discernment, a good movie can be a romantic date night or a great family activity. It’s fun to sink into a theater seat, sharing a tub of popcorn. Couples and families who laugh (and cry) together, stay together.
Here are some suggestions of how to be a discerning Christian when it comes to movies and entertainment in general.
Be discerning. Most of us read food labels. We check sugar and calories. We’re careful with what we put into our stomachs. Shouldn’t we be at least as careful about what we put into our minds?
In day of the internet, it takes a few clicks to check out a movie before you enter a theater. Personally, I use the parents’ guide on IMDb app. Another site I’ve found helpful is Pluggedin.com. Many movies have parts that are clear violations of Scripture. Some are on the verge of being “soft porn.” Much of what’s passed off as PG or PG-13 is harmful, particularly for vulnerable young people who are still developing their convictions.
Be alert to worldview. While most Christians are alert to language or nudity, we can be oblivious to worldview. For example, think of the last time you saw dirty dishes in a home in a movie. Hollywood gives a message of perfection yet it’s all fiction.
Movie life nearly always ends with a happy ending but life isn’t that way. It has stress, struggles, and suffering. Those who are moral or religious are typically portrayed as prudes or have an evil side that ultimately comes out.
Then, how often do you see functional marriages or families in a movie? Smart-aleck children and bathroom humor is accepted as funny. Strip clubs and prostitution are portrayed as normal. Often the worst villains are those who disregard the environment, not those with no moral compass.
Movies influence us and we often don’t even know it. For example, who really was clamoring for a Top Gun sequel? The answer, potentially: the U.S. military. The original Top Gun, what with its glamorous pilots and thrilling aerial scenes was a huge boon for the country’s armed forces, particularly the U.S. Navy. Recruitment rates skyrocketed after the film’s release—rising a ridiculous 500%. The movie was, according to “Flying” magazine, a “one-hour, 40-minute recruitment ad.” Now the Air Force and Navy are hoping for another surge with Maverick. Movies influence us even when we’re unaware of it.
Watch movies in community. Years ago we attempted to start a group at church to attend movies together for the purpose of discussing them afterward. There are many powerful messages in movies, some good and some bad. Having another Christian friend to discuss them with, helps all of us grow. It could be a group or another couple or even a friend. Movies are a-musement. Muse means to think; a-muse means to not think. Discussing a movie with a friend helps us think through what we just watched and helps sharpen our biblical discernment. As Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
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