What is a Christian supposed to watch on TV?
As with every issue, there are extremes. Some believing we should (A) ingest no television/movies/music unless they are made by Christians, for Christians. Others say that Christians can (B) watch practically anything they want, because Romans 8:1 clears us from condemnation. I have good friends in both camps.
My issue with the former (A) is that most Christian movies are terrible, and I’m not willing to take one for the team just to be entertained. The same is true, I think to a lesser extent, with Christian music. Some is good, some is really bad, and the wise believer will not blindly trust that everything under a Christian label is good/safe/biblical.
For example, the Christian world rejoiced when Facing the Giants came out on the big screen, with many churches holding an evening service at their local theater to watch it together. I didn’t see it until it came out on DVD, but with everyone so excited about it, we just went ahead and bought it. At the end I was totally bummed and wanted my money back, because the Joel Osteen-ish message (get your life right and God will obviously love you more because you’ll keep your job, your finances will bounce back, someone will give you a truck, your barren wife will have children….and most importantly your football team will win state championships…) was just more than I could stomach.
As for the latter (B), for me, it comes down to Phil 4:8 and Col 3:2-3. We are instructed to set our minds on things above, on things that are pure and lovely and holy. I’m discerning in what I watch, so if something surprises me I don’t feel doomed and sin-infected as if a sick demon sneezed on me (Romans 8:1 has relieved me from that fear, praise God). Yet at the same time, Romans 6:1 encourages me not to make a mockery of God’s grace. Thankfully I live with a wife, 3 kids, a dog and some chickens, so I’m not too hard up for entertainment.
Most Christians would much prefer every decision to be black and white, right and wrong. Trying to make everything fall into our checklist is legalism. There is always a tension, so we must trust and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, and grant grace to fellow believers who hold to different convictions. I do have lines I won’t cross, obviously, but at the same time I don’t feel the need to limit myself to PG. Were that the case, I would have to close my Bible, at least the Old Testament anyway.
Michael,
I agree with everything above. We did like Facing the Giants however. Sherwood Baptist has a great message. We rent many types of movies, they don’t have to be on a PG rating for us. For example, Taken, and a whole list of romantic comedy movies Hannah has wanted to watch. Legalism does not equal the Rogers house I am raising.
However I will not accept what a retailer forces down my throught. My brother (and your brother) has sacrificed and seen way too much to have our country go to Hell in foggy wine glass.
I really like this posting and honestly love you & Audra’s commitment to authenticity. If I have learned one thing from my last small group, it would be how can we love & live authentically.
Anyway, back to the post. The thing that frustrates me about TV is I can watch a PG program and then have a not so PG commercial play during that slot. For example, I currently have the TV flipped on HGTV or something like that and they’re doing a home makeover. Completely allowable for little ones to see -not that they would be interested, but whatever. Anyway the commercial break came and there were two commercials, one about physic kids talking to their dead parents and the other about a woman finding ghosts in her house. Now, if I was eight years old, I would be freaked out by this. I frustrates me so much when TV stations do this and many times, I have to turn away from the commercial or flip the channel- and I’m an adult!