Christianity and the Movies

I was reading reviews on a movie that I saw around a year ago.  You’ve probably heard of it: There Will Be Blood, which stars Daniel Day Lewis, who plays a greedy oil prospector in the early twentieth century.  I honestly had mixed feelings about viewing this movie before I actually did watch it.  “It’s anti-Christian!” some said.  Others were just opposed to the idea of lots of blood in a movie, although the fact is, there really isn’t that much (at least, compared to some of the torture porn movies…aka Saw series…favorited by many these days…yikes).  What I found after viewing it was a really good, thought provoking movie about greed and evil human nature.  If you want an excellent review from a Christian perspective, check out this one that was posted to the Christianity Today online magazine.  He came to the same conclusion that I did:  I wouldn’t recommend it for those who have impressionable ideas about Christianity, since Christian faith is not overtly represented in a positive way.  The guy that wrote this review is Jeffrey Overstreet, who is a Christian film reviewer and author.  You should most definitely check out this interview that he had with Christianity Today.  They asked some hard questions, and he had some very good answers:  Studying the Silver Screen: An Interview With Jeffrey Overstreet.

This brings up an excellent question though, and I’m sure that it’s one that you have struggled with as well if you are a Christian:  What movies are acceptable to watch as a Christian, and why should a Christian watch movies anyway?

Obviously, I can’t answer that question for everyone.  I have wrestled with this issue before though.  I really like what Overstreet said (in the above interview – bottom of the first page) in reply to a question about offenses to the conscience through the viewing of film:

“I’m learning to proceed with caution, but I’m also learning to reject the approach I learned growing up in the church. I want to quit lamenting culture and start engaging it. We need to approach movies the way we approach people. Jesus and the apostles got involved with messed-up people all the time and walked in to some of the most pagan places. But they did so with discernment, conscience, discipline, and, above all, grace.”

Right on, Jeffrey!  I usually come to the same conclusion that I always do when I think about such things, and that is this:  Perhaps the best way to live life is not in a state of extremity, but rather in a state of continual temperance through God-given wisdom and prudence.

Situational Prudence?

In an article a few days ago, I discussed moral prudence and the need to carefully choose that which you let into your life.  A question that I have for discussion is this:  In your opinion, is it Biblically acceptable to watch or to listen to immoral things outside of the company of others who are more sensitive to “adult issues”?  (Example: Not wanting to watch a PG-13 or R rated movie in front of young children, but watching it later in the company of adults or alone)

My opinion thus far is that the issue can be decided based upon what the intent of the production is.  Is the message of the production a good thing to meditate upon (that will stir us to good action and Godly lifestyle), or is the intent of the production to exploit, destroy morality and goodness, or corrupt?  Also, I do not think that moral compromises can be made with trivial things.  If there is no purpose other than to entertain, entertainment alone does not justify immoral content.  Certainly our primary source of meditation should be God’s word.  We should be filling ourselves primarily with Godly things, and we should let everything else be secondary, utilizing prudence to determine what is acceptable for Christians to partake of.  If we are cultivating a true relationship with God, His Spirit within us will chastise when we stray from the sanctified life that He is working to produce in us.

Moral Prudence and the Pursuit Thereof

In Chapter 15 of the article ”Of the Morals of the Catholic Church,” Augustine defines prudence as being “love making a right distinction between what helps it toward God and what hinders it.” [link]  For Augustine, love is the impetus for prudence, which is certainly a truth.  Due to the fact that God loved us first, we love, and therefore we want to make correct moral decisions based on our love for God and what He has done for us.  However, because of the compelling nature of the Holy Spirit and the Lordship of Christ over our lives, one has to postulate whether there are not some other driving forces behind the pursuit of prudence in the Christian life.  Fear is a good example.  A correct understanding of the God of the Bible is that he is infinite in Holiness, being the source of all that is good and holy.  If through lack of prudence we do things that are offensive to God, there is no way that He can be pleased with our actions.  This ties in to the idea of “grieving the Holy Spirit,” which I will discuss at a latter time.  Also, as Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 12:13:  “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”  Prudence is certainly part and parcel of the keeping of the Lord’s commandments.

In personal terms, I have been somewhat under conviction lately about the things that I let myself watch, listen to, and partake of, especially while in the company of others.  This seems to be a big issue in modern culture, because much of what is considered commonplace, especially in the area of humor, is obscene in nature.  The situation is even more difficult for me, in that I find myself in the target market of many of the worst of these comedies: the young adult male.  Recently I have found myself watching movies and trying to make allowances for the inappropriate material.  “I wish they wouldn’t put that in there,” I think to myself, or I say out loud to let others know that I don’t approve.  “This movie would be great if it weren’t for the language” is another popular one.  Oftentimes the material other than the obscenity is truly funny in an innocent way, but does that make it right to sit and watch as actors take the name of the Lord in vain, pervert words, and make light of subjects that should not be mentioned in public?  God forbid that my entertainment and personal pleasure is grievous to the Holy Spirit.

I am also realizing more and more that no matter where I am in life, I have the potential to make an impression upon those around me.  I can either do the easy thing and try to blend in with the culture that allows things like this to go by because it’s the norm, or I can try to be prudent about what I allow myself to watch, listen, and do.

Certainly all truth is God’s truth, and knowing about the culture and the times in which you live is crucial, but there has to be a place where I draw the line.

Here’s a good starting point:

Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”