Blessings!

Devorah =)

Usually my goal with watching a movie is to be drawn out of myself to something bigger (at least for the moment). I try to avoid escapism, but do think it is refreshing to be caught up in a good story from time to time. I have in the recent years tried to filter what I watch.

I look forward to the next post.

GB

That’s a great question. To be honest, I think it depends on the movie and how that movie affects me. If I find myself enjoying the glorification of sin, or rooting for sin, then I think it would be wrong for me to watch that movie.

However, there are times when I can watch a movie that glorifies sin, recognize that it’s glorifying sin, and actually have my love for God grow. For example, I recently watched a movie where a man took his own life so that he could save others. He took his life because he felt guilty for previous sins. The movie portrayed the man’s ‘sacrificial suicide’ in a noble light.

I was able to recognize this as sin, and in turn be reminded of the gospel that forgives my guilt.

This is a fine line to walk and I don’t propose to have all the answers. Great question.

I have to respectfully disagree that there is a good time to watch something that glorifies sin to sharpen our discernment. There are many warnings in Scripture for us not to have anything to do with darkness. Going to culturally popular movie that glorifies sin and does not glorify God is part of the issue that we are facing in the church today. There is no difference inside and outside of church regarding entertainment; Where is the counter-cultural path?

I hear the phrase over and over “that it’s only a movie and I just want to be entertained.” Someone once said that they keep and arm’s length away from the culture. My response is an arm’s length is different in each decade and the culture is not moving towards God it’s moving away from God. When you look back on the arm’s length theory we are now accepting entertainment that we would not have accepted in previous years. Think back to what is acceptable on TV now and what was acceptable 15-20 years ago. It use to be that cable was bad now you just have to watch TV commercials and you get bombarded. This is not a personal attack on any one person; I truly believe that our senses are numb to what we have now accepted as acceptable forms of entertainment.

It’s definitely something I’ve felt God challenge me on over the last few years – not that I watch movies that are considered “bad” as such – over here in the UK, our highest rating is an ’18′ movie – like your ‘R’ rating or ‘NC-17′ rating, I think? And I generally don’t watch those movies anyway, ’cause they generally don’t interest me, plus I don’t want to watch much of what they glorify.

But even films that many people find okay to watch, I’ve felt challenged on – esp. in the area of temptations/lustful thoughts, and as you say – movies that glorify sin/evil, and movies that can spark a thought in my mind that spirals onwards into other thoughts that don’t honour Christ.

It’s challenging, but something I think we definitely need to respond to – I’ve chucked out movies before (sounds dramatic and super-holy, but really wasn’t – more responding to God’s challenge to my areas of weakness). The movies were generally fine to watch, some even PG or 12 ratings (US PG or PG13) – but there were things in them that sparked something in my mind that didn’t glorify Jesus – so I just felt the best thing to do was get rid of them.

We can definitely live without movies and films in our lives, but sinning and offending Christ isn’t so good!

Still, it can be hard at times – especially with even Christian friends watching the latest “blockbuster” or great movie, and for whatever reason, you don’t feel it would be appropriate.

But honouring God is most important, and as God says, “Those who honour me I will honour..” (1 Samuel 2:30b)…not that we honour God primarily to receive anything back, but in His grace and love He gives back….but anyway…you get the point! :-p

I have rambled enough! Many apologies!

I still wrestle through these questions and don’t have it figured out. I want to grow glorifying God through my movie watching.