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Should Christians Go
to Movies?
Some Christians may wonder how a
fellow believer can give any support to the film industry, notorious as it
is for anti-Christian bias and moral relativism. I would note that
there is also a view on the opposite extreme: some Christian critics
of culture insist that all Christians have a responsibility to become
culturally aware, to become knowledgeable about cultural trends in art,
music, literature, film, drama and so on.
I reject both of these extremes. A
more balanced position, I think, is to recognize that Scripture tells us
to be "in" the world, but not "of" the world. That
means that we not only may, but should, be willing to live amid
secular (=anti-Christian) influence without ourselves compromising
the faith. In this respect, it doesn't matter whether that
secular influence comes from film, or from involvement in
business, labor, neighborhood, politics, or whatever. Nor, within
the general realm of media entertainment, does it matter whether we are
talking about Beethoven or modern rock, Jane Austen
or William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway
or Jackie Collins, news or business magazines, TV or film, Disney films or
films by Martin Scorsese. To avoid non-Christian
influence altogether, we would have to live as hermits (assuming that we
could even find some place in the world beyond the reach of modern
communications and government). In all modern experience there is a heavy
component of anti-Biblical teaching and influence. But complete
isolation is not a live option for biblical Christians. Even the
Christian hermits of the ancient and medieval periods justified
their existence as a life of prayer, and thus a life which was,
after all, in and for the world. How can we pray for a world we
know nothing about? We must not seek to isolate ourselves from
the world, but rather to be "salt" and "light" in our
fallen culture, to carry out our Lord's Great Commission.
That balance, of being
"in" but not "of" the world, is sometimes difficult to
maintain. One's choices in this area should be based in part upon his or
her own moral and spiritual maturity. Some people, especially children, or
those young in the faith, or those with special problems like alcohol
addiction or unusual susceptibility to sexual temptation, should limit their
exposure to secular culture in appropriate ways. But at the same time they
should be trained in Christian maturity, so that eventually they can enter
more fully the secular arena, not fearing that they will be compromised by
the culture, but expecting to influence the culture positively for Christ.
I do not believe, with the Christian "culturalists," that every Christian,
or even every mature Christian, has an @UN(obligation) to attend art
exhibits, concerts, films, etc. Christians should seek to influence the
world for Christ in some way:
that is the Great Commission. But the precise way in which they reach out
to the world may differ greatly from one believer to another. My
brother-in-law is pastor of a church in the inner city of Philadelphia. He
does not normally go to films, dramas, or art exhibits. But he is
definitely "in" the world, the real world, and he ministers to
it with all the strength God provides him. A knowledge of entertainment
media would be of little use to him in his ministry, and I would be the
last person to urge him to become "culturally aware."
Yet there are others (such as
myself, I believe) who are called of God to devote some of their energy to
Christian culture-criticism. Many pastors, as well as youth
workers, scholars, teachers, writers, parents and others are in this category.
For them it is not wrong, I believe, within sensible limits, to expose
themselves to modern film or other media. The apostle Paul said that he
was not ignorant of Satan's devices (2 Cor. 2:11).
For that purpose, if for no other, we may be called to learn what
filmmakers have to say to us.
Some arguments used by Christians
opposed to moderate attendance at films are as follows:
(1) "Graphic acts of violence
debase those who watch them, making the viewers more prone to
violence." On this proposition there is mixed statistical evidence.
Some people, especially children, do seem to resort more quickly to violence, or
imitation-violent play, as the result of viewing simulated violence on TV
or film. I do advocate that parents limit and monitor the use of these
media by their children. But I find it hard to believe that everyone
should for this reason drastically curtail their film attendance. I have
never myself (even in childhood, as best I can recall) felt the least bit
inclined toward violence as the result of watching it on film. For
the most part, viewing such violence increases my resolve
toward finding non-violent solutions to problems. I think that many other
people are similar to me in this respect.
Further, if we maintain a proper
critical distance from the films we watch (a distance which is necessary
for many other reasons), we can see that film violence is
essentially choreography. No one really gets hurt. And for the most part
in films, even today, unjustly violent people are not rewarded
or glorified.
It is important to maintain
perspective: lack of perspective is one of the most prevalent defects in
Christian thought today, in my view. And the larger perspective is
that violence is all around us, unavoidable. To avoid it entirely
is to depart from the world. Indeed, Scripture itself
contains descriptions of terrifying, even gory violence; just read
the Book of Judges. Since Scripture includes such descriptions, we must
assume that there are good reasons for it-- reasons conducive to
edification (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). It is not hard to imagine what those
reasons might be. The violence of the wicked shows us what the Fall has
done to us; and the violence of divine judgment summons us to repentance.
On this basis we cannot deny that some exposure to depictions
of violence can be edifying.
(2) "Sexual scenes in movies
excite impure lusts." Again, I think this is true of some viewers,
but not others. If sex scenes in films have that effect on you, then don't
go to films until God gives you a greater mastery over temptation. But
I don't think this is a problem for every Christian.
But some might go further and insist
that, even for those who are not tempted toward sin by screen sex, it is
wrong to view actors in the process of doing things which are sinful
in themselves. (The same point has been made with regard to the
use of unwholesome or blasphemous language in movie scripts.) I
grant that some love scenes in the movies cross over that line of
being "sinful in themselves." True, screen sex is usually, for
the actors and actresses involved, not very "sexy." The filming
of such scenes is done bit by bit, with all sorts of technical intrusions,
and usually without actual genital contact. Still, if I were married to an
actress who chose to engage publicly in deep kissing and simulated
intercourse with a third party, I would consider myself to have been
violated. In my view that is a scriptural view of the matter.
So some movie sex is certainly
sinful in itself. And one cannot, certainly, justify watching sin for its
own sake. I would not go to a film for the purpose of watching an actor
and actress in a nude sex scene (thus I avoid "XXX" flicks), any
more than I would take a walk in the park to spy on kids making love
behind the bushes. On the other hand, I would not stay away from
the park out of fear that I might happen to observe some illicit
sex. Similarly, if film actors wish to commit sin before the
camera, that is their responsibility. I don't believe I commit sin
when I, in the normal course of my cultural pursuits, observe
what they, without consulting me, have chosen to do in public.
(3) "Modern films promote, very
effectively, a non-Christian philosophy of life." This is true, and
it is the most profound of all arguments against Christian attendance
at films. Sex, foul language, and violence are incidental elements in
film, but the non-Christian world- and life-view is often at its core.
That world-view does more damage in society than any cinematic portrayals
of sex, violence, and ungodly speech. Indeed, that world-view is what
makes the sex, violence, and language in movies unwholesome, in contrast
with biblical depictions of such things.
But again, perspective is in order.
Non-Christian philosophy has dominated the arts and general culture for
the last three centuries. To avoid exposure to
non-Christian world-views and values, we would have to avoid exposure to
Mozart and Beethoven, Emerson and Thoreau, Hume and Kant, Paine and Jefferson, D. W. Griffith and Charlie Chaplin, and so on, not to mention Plato, Aristotle, Sophocles, Euripides, Cicero, and
other ancients. We tend to discount older exponents of
non-Christian values, viewing them with the halo that comes with long cultural acceptance.
For that reason, these older thinkers are often more dangerous than those
which are more contemporary and more obviously anti-Christian. Indeed, for
similar reasons, we must beware of G-rated films as much as of R- and
X-rated films. Yes, let us limit our exposure to all of these influences;
but not to the extent of leaving the world, or to the extent of
becoming ignorant of Satan's devices.
(4) "We should not give our
money to an industry that encourages immorality and unbelief." Scripture
does not require believers to support only industries and institutions
that are morally and religiously pure. Jesus taught his disciples to
pay taxes to Caesar, taxes which supported the emperor cult,
among other things. Paul taught the Corinthians to buy food in
the market place without asking whether or not it had been offered
to idols. Scripture is realistic enough to know that if we had
to inquire about the religion or morals of every merchant before doing
business with him, we could not buy at all.
I do not think it is wrong for
Christians to boycott industries which they believe are doing social
and/or religious harm in the world. They are certainly free to withhold
their economic support from those industries. On the other hand, I do not
believe that Scripture @UN(requires) us to boycott such organizations. We
really could not do that in every case without completely isolating
ourselves from the world.
I would conclude, therefore, that a moderate amount of movie-going is legitimate for most Christians. I don't think we should be ashamed of that or even ashamed of enjoying it. Moderation, of course, requires careful thought about priorities. Even activities which are good in themselves can become wrong if they crowd out of our lives things which are more important. Each of us needs to do some self-examination in this area. Choices about exposure to entertainment and culture are not religiously neutral. But those who are conscientious about pleasing God and keeping his commandments need not feel guilty about moderate movie attendance.