Christians & Movies (Film)
I was going to make a blog entry regarding Christianity and movies and lo and behold I run across an entry from Tim Challies on the subject. My post was actually going to be on viewing movies with a Christian worldview (I will still post on that).
You can read what Tim has to say on the subject here, with a follow-up entry he made here.
I would like to add my name to the list of people that disagree with Tim on this subject (to an extent).
I suppose I find myself torn on this subject. I could easily see myself taking a stand that Christians should not partake in anything secular. However, I often wonder how possible that is for all Christians to adhere to. I mean how many Christians can say they live remotely similar to even the apostles, much less Jesus. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that we shouldn’t attempt to live our lives as Christ did. I am not saying that we shouldn’t follow His commandments and instruction. I am just asking the questions.
I believe that you can’t just arbitrarily decide what you will partake in on a secular level and what you won’t. That is a recipe for hypocracy. So some Christians may preach/write all day long about not watching secular movies…but I ask, where does it begin and where does it end (what does secularism encompass)?
Do you buy goods made by secular companies?
Do you read secular newspapers or publications?
Do you visit secular websites?
Do you buy anything secular?
Do you partake in anything secular?
Do you listen to secular music?
What makes music “secular”? (lyrics only?)
Where do you draw the line?
Who is the judge on what one can partake in (on a secular level) and what one cannot partake in?
Now, as Christians we are quick to say Scripture is the judge…and that is truth. However, that means 99% of Christians are falling short in this area. In addition, 99.9% of Christians arbitrarily decide for themselves what they can and cannot partake in (on a secular level).
On the other side of the coin…
As Christians, all things are lawful but not all things are helpful. I have to agree with what someone else wrote in one of the posts above that how mature you are as a Christian is a big factor in relation to this subject. Another big factor is who it effects. For example, I am pretty much anti- Harry Potter anything. However, I don’t have a problem with a mature Christian reading such material. On the other hand, if they are “eating it up” in front of young children, I have a problem with it.
I believe the Lord uses men and women in all walks of life and all types of jobs to accomplish His work. I know that it is basically impossible for all Christians to completely separate themselves from culture/secularism and the world.
So the issue leaves me torn. I do know that I have a Biblical worldview and everything I view/read is filtered through that Biblical worldview. I attempt to evaluate everything in light of the Scripture. I can confidently say that for me personally I have no problems watching movies at any level (obviously some I don’t care to watch, period). However, I am responsible for more than just myself (i.e. my wife and children) and I always need to keep that in mind because it has a major impact on what I do. Similarly, we need to think about how our actions affect our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Another factor to consider is who you are “supporting” when you buy certain goods/services and/or participate in certain events/activities? Where is your money going?
So, though I can see where Tim is coming from (notice I said “to an extent” above), what I disagree with is his arbitrary (inconsistent) application.
1 Corinthians 6:12
Romans 14:1
Romans 14:5
1 Corinthians 8:12
Romans 14:21
Now, on to what I was originally going to post about. I recently watched a secular movie and I couldn’t help but think one thing throughout the entire movie. It seems that the world’s goal in movie making, book writing, etc, etc… is to destroy (or go against) the Biblical worldview (I realize there are exceptions, I am speaking in general). The diverse nature of this attack is interesting as well. Sometimes the attack is so obscure that the Christian viewer may not even notice it. Other times it may be shrouded with an appeal to man’s intellect (the flesh). With film, television, books, music, and everything else peppered with such subliminal attacks it is no wonder that many Christians use human logic (the flesh) to interpret Scripture and doctrine. It is no wonder many Christians have a hard time understanding certain Biblical truths. The world has logic on a pedestal and attacks the Biblical worldview on a daily basis (and many Christians are buying into it).
As Christians, we must mold our logic to the Scripture (not the other way around) and we must learn to filter everything through a Biblical worldview.
AMDG
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