An Introduction--Movies and the Christian?

This is my first blog (Thank you to Movie reviewer, Jeff Overstreet, who indirectly introduced this to me by use of his own blog--,Looking Closer).

As a Christian who desperately needs the help of others to walk in this thing called "life", I have decided to begin journaling some thoughts and ideas in hopes that other people can find time to comment. Maybe we can even help each other through this journey. I welcome all Christians, and those who are seeking, to walk this sacred journey with me if they are so inclined.

Where to begin: well, since movies came up, lets start there as this has been a struggle in my life in so many ways. Can a person who call themself a "Christian" like movies? Are there movies that are "off limits" to Christians? A lot of controversey on these questions have cropped up in Christian circles. The range of opinions varies: from the hollywoodjesus.com view that ALL movies are acceptable for a Christian to watch and in EVERY movie you can find some deep-seeded positive spiritual meaning--to the opinion that all movies that do not clearly portray the Gospel and/or Christian values are a waste of time ("evil"?), are "worldly" and are to be avoided at all costs.

For a Christian, there are no easy answers. Through my research, thinking, experience, and prayer, I have come to this conclusion --a lot of movies, including ones with swearing, , violence, and other vices can be acceptable for Christians to watch as God has gifted them with a proper conscience (not all movies, however, are appropriate or even advisable. I myself am somewhat selective on the movies I see...see below for further information).

Here is are some of my reasonings:

• --Movies are but a artistic rendering of a story, just in a visual format. The visual format has its pluses and minuses (but so does the written word...the visual format, at least for me, is easier to identify and relate to). God can use any visual story just like He can use music, a book, or a sermon--these non-visual items are, just like movies, all created by infallible human beings who can error based on their own biases and sin nature. I am to use discernment with a movie just like I do with a sermon. Martin Luther said the following: "O that God should desire that my interpretation and that of all teachers should disappear, and each Christian should come straight to the Scripture alone and to the pure word of God! ...no man can adequately reach and explain a single word of God with all his words...Go to the Bible itself, dear Christians, and let my expositions and those of all scholars be no more than a tool with which to build aright, so that we can understand, taste, and abide in the simple and pure word of God...". I would add extend this idea out to every piece of media outside the Bible, including movies, and let the story be a tool which to build aright keeping in mind that anything can be used for evil or can lead you astray. In my opinion, a sermon that twists the Word of God is more evil then a movie that has 500 swear words in it. I am to the point in my walk now that I ask God to be a part of the film I am watching, if I decide to watch one, and to teach me what He would have me learn as I desire to draw closer to Him. I have been more blessed by this submission and have come to appreciate movies all the more for it.


• --To those who believe that not watching movies will make them "more pure" before God, please read Galatians chapter 5...while not completely apples to apples, I believe an application can still be made. Paul's words are terse towards a group of legalists (the Judiazers) who believe circumcision will make them in right standing with God. In some of his harshest language ever recorded, he curses the Judiazers by saying "As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!" [verse 15] . In the same way, if one believes that JUST by the "GOOD WORK" of avoiding movies will make them in better standing with God, they might as well go the whole way and avoid all stories all together...and avoid the society that watches these movies too by locking themselves in a room with their Bible! In the words of the apostle Paul, these people "...have been alienated from Christ; ...[and] have fallen away from grace." [Galatians 5:4]. I don't know about you, but the idea of believing that my own "good" works can draw me away from God frightens me. God forbid that I believe any of my good works, regardless of what they are (witnessing, praying, reading scripture, giving to the poor, etc.), will make me in better standing with God. I do the good works out of the work that Christ has done in me, out of love and gratitude to my Lord, not out of belief that I will be made right by that action in and of itself. God forbid this ever from happening in my life--it is a form of idolatry as it makes me responsible for my salvation and sanctification. This must be crushed! Don't get me wrong, there are movies out there that do not edify and, therefore, should probably not be seen--my job is to discern the good from the bad and not to throw the baby out with the bathwater so to speak. The "good" and the "bad" must be decided by each person however (for example, the movies, "Moulin Rouge" and "Magnolia" are scandalous to most conservative Christians, yet, if you look beyond the surface, they are movies of great redemptive value and have drawn me closer to God because of their representation of the truth found within the scriptures). I must admit that someone who chooses not to watch movies or is very selective on the movies they watch is not necessarily a legalist. Some choose not to because:
  
  a.) Movies are a means by which the person draws away from God instead of drawing near Him (i.e.they find their life from film rather than from God)...if that is the case, this is idolatry and must be dealt with.
  
  b.) Certain films do contain material that are not artistic, nor are edifying to the individual on a subjective level. At this point, one should consider not seeing that movie as it does not draw the person near to God but has an opposite effect. In other words, each man according to his own conscience and sensibilities.


c.) There is specific struggles with sin and/or a person's conscience is sensitive due to upbringing, culture, sin struggles, etc. (e.g. a person struggling with violent thoughts should probably NOT see a film with extreme violence in it). It is for this reason why I personally review the film's content before I watch the film. There are certain images I know I struggle with, that will lead me astray, and that I do do not want to subject myself to.


• --At times, when I need to laugh, I pray and call a friend. When I need to cry, I pray and I play piano. When I need to share an experience of hurt, I pray and write in a journal. When I feel discouraged and without hope, I pray and I watch "Shrek 2". None of the above actions are inherently immoral...all are amoral. Which of the above is the most biblical response to my emotion? If we look at this logically, none are truly "biblical" but a response based off my personality. Yet, some religious Christians would automatically state that the Shrek 2 movie is wrong because God is not exhorted and, worse yet, has a fairy godmother in it (gotta avoid that "witchcraft"). All I can say is to quote the words of Jesus: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill, and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel." (Matthew 23:23, emphasis mine). In other words, the Pharisees are focusing on the minors and are not looking at the big picture of what really matters to God. The reality is is that my friend can be used by God to bring me joy, the piano can be used by God to draw me into worship Him in His presence , the journal can be used by God to heal the hurts inside of me, Shrek can be used by God to permit me to REST in His arms and give me hope for tomorrow (and it has, by the way! I received a well needed laugh despite the seriousness of life).


• --If I am to be salt and light in this fallen world, I need to know what the world is seeing and believes. I am not to be of the world (by following and believing its precepts) but I am still IN the world and need to be present in order to BE salt and light. Movies are not the only place where I can be affected by lies and temptations from the devil...I can also hear the same swear words by going to work, reading a book, listening to the news, walking down the street, playing Monopoly, etc.. If, in a movie, I see someone espouse a humanistic point of view, I will disregard it but note that my neighbor will also be seeing this and it could affect their point of view (case in point: one of my friends saw the movie, "Ghost" which espouses that if you are basically "good" you will go to heaven. If you are basically "bad" you will go to hell. She immediately stated to me, "That is WHAT I BELIEVE WHAT WILL HAPPEN! " How would I truly know what she was talking about unless I saw the same movie and was prepared to approach this false thinking from a biblical perspective [see Romens 3:10-18]?).


• --Good art reflects life, specifically the artist's view of the world. If we are all created in the image of God, then there can be "nuggets" of truth found in such art. One of our many jobs, as sojourns within a fallen world, with the help of the Holy Spirit, is to discover these nuggets of truth and allow them to affect our lives. I argue that even films with swearing, violence, and/or have some merit to the art of storytelling (e.g. the and violence in "Schindler's List" is poignant and is vital to the story of the Jewish struggle. A sanitized version of this movie would do little to help the viewer truly understand the evil befallen on a persecuted people.). I quote Jeff Overstreet, a Christian movie reviewer whose insight I have come to respect:
  
  
  "Art is irreducible to paraphrase. Great art reflects to us something of the artist's apprehension of the world, in its brokenness and beauty. It will reveal both wonderful and ugly things. It will reflect the many ways people behave, the choices they make, and the consequences. It will reward patient examination, and if it's good, it will further reward those who revisit it, offering myriad insights and suggestions that lead us to deeper questions and a greater appreciation for people of other experiences. We cannot judge a work of art by the behavior of the characters in it: their speech, violence...etc. (Otherwise, what do we do with the sordid tales of Scripture?) We certainly cannot demand that art reduce itself to didactic argument, and we especially cannot judge a work based on how far it goes to explicitly spell out the gospel. We can instead look at art and catch glimpses or truth, beauty, and meaning that are available to any man, woman, and child. As Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans said, the mysteries and truths of God are evident to all human beings so that they are without excuse. His glory has been imprinted upon our hearts. It is my goal as a film reviewer to listen for those rumors of glory, look for this moments when the elements in a film congeal to reveal something that has the power to transform us."


• --It comes down to this in my opinion: ANYTHING can be used by God to draw us closer to Himself because EVERYTHING is under His sovereignty. Even if the something is evil, God could use that evil to help the person see that there is something opposite--Absolute Good--and help that person desire and draw near that one God who can provide TRUE life (just ask someone who was formerly involved in Satanism...no one else can differentiate light from dark like they can! In the context of movies, I saw "Die Hard 2" around 2 months ago and it had so much senseless swearing in it that I personally felt disgusted...I desired to be as far away from that movie as possible and ended up praying that evening because of my bad feelings. Was it good that I watched that film--for me, no. Did God use it to bring me to his loving arms, ABSOLUTELY).

Now don't get me wrong...I am not encouraging anyone to go out to see "House of 1000 Corpses" in hopes to find God. Nor am I saying everyone is called to my convictions (heaven forbid! While I am a child of God, I am a Child of God who still sins!).
What I AM saying is that, in all you do, in regards to movies (or any leisure activity you like to do), is to invite God to be part of the experience, use discernment to determine if the movie is appropriate for you, use that same discernment, along with scripture, to determine the nuggets of truth, enjoy the gift, and worship the Giver!

Regardless of the decision you make, I encourage you to remember that God creates each man with a conscience and not all consciences are alike. With that, it is wise, regardless of our opinion on this issue, to not condemn or think less of a person who watches movies (or, in my case, condemn someone who does not watch movies). As Paul indicates, "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak." (1st Cor. 8:9). In addition, Jesus, in Matthew 9:13, states very clearly (this is my favorite verse by the way :-) ): "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to not call the righteous but sinners." Christ came here and worked with the fallen, the ragamuffins, the prostitues, the tax collectors, the movie watchers, and the non-movie watchers. With these words, I boast of my weaknesses as the chief of sinners. I do not revel in sin, of course (who would, after just receiving an antidote for the poison they just took, would decide to partake in the poison again "just for kicks"), but will admit my brokenness. It is with this attitude, when I see a Christian do wrong, I will call it sin-- yet with full acknowledgement of my sinfulness; thereby, identifying myself with the fallen person instead of judging.

I am sure there are many holes in my thinking but this is just the beginning of my thinking (and my first draft :-) )....so I welcome your feedback and gentle correction. For some more thinking on this issue, check out

Christianity Today's discussion on this very topic.

In upcoming blogs, I will hopefully bring to light several movies that are significant in my walk with Christ and that God has used to help shape me into the person I am today. God bless you in your journey.