Rusty Benson
AFA Journal associate editor
May 2002 – “Real love...real love…”
“I haven’t heard that song in years,” I thought to myself as I mumbled along with the lyrics. Then the oddity of the moment struck: I was standing in the middle of the frozen foods section at a local supermarket, trolling for mixed vegetables and singing harmony with the Doobie Brothers. The birthday card someone had given me was right – you know you’re getting old when you hear your favorite songs on muzak.
However, you don’t have to be an aging boomer to realize there is no escaping the pervading influence of music, television, movies and other forms of media in our society.
The obvious problem for Christians is that much of modern media’s content ignores or even demeans Biblical truth.
The less obvious problem for Christians is that our relationship to the media is not all that different than that of the unbelieving world. The mind set of many believers is “trying to figure out how much sinful content from media they can handle and still be okay” says Joshua Harris, a member of the pastoral team of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
He likens that attitude to taking half a poison pill. “When it comes to what we watch or read or listen to, we shouldn’t ask how many halves of poison pills we can take without dying. We need to examine the cumulative effect of our media habits on our attitude toward God and sin and the world.”
Harris’ teachings on the theme of “Worldliness” from I John 2:15-17 are calling Christians to closely examine how the media is redefining their reality, a role once reserved for God. Harris is also the author of the best-selling books I Kissed Dating Goodbye and Boy Meets Girl.
“Modern media is after our hearts, seeking to instruct us about what is good and worthwhile,” he says. “It is defining our reality – telling us what romance is, what family is and what things we should own.” Media does that not with reason, but by appealing to our emotions and affections, Harris claims. “Even though we know what is true about God … our hearts can be far from Him, because media has grabbed our hearts and enticed us to love the world.”
Resisting the pull of media
The scripture does not give us a list of specifics concerning media, but addresses values, sensibilities and attitudes, Harris says. Christians can examine the effects of media in their lives by asking three questions based on 1 John 2:16:
1. Cravings of man – Are my media habits encouraging me to want my own way?
2. Lust of the eyes – Are my media habits stirring up covetousness in me?
3. Pride of life – Are my media habits encouraging me to exalt myself and value such worldly things as social status, athletic achievement, fame or wealth?
Harris warns that neglecting Christian standards in entertainment can cause a separation from God. “If you have been desiring growth, but feel cut off from God, examine your media habits,” he says. The reason is clear: “God wants our hearts. The world wants our hearts. You can only love one, so which one are you going to give your heart to?”
Practical life change
When God’s Word brings conviction about how we relate to media, our first response must be to lower our fists and humble ourselves before him, Harris says. He warns that conviction without change is meaningless and even dangerous to our souls because it leads to hardness of heart. “There is a point at which the Holy Spirit quits bringing that conviction. Then he lets us have our way with a cold heart,” he says.
Harris offers these practical insights to help Christians resist ungodly media content:
1. Change media habits – Rearrange your home so that media forms, particularly TV, are neither omnipresent or central. Other habit-changing strategies include identifying places in your life where media has become the default activity; creating media-free zones in your life; and periodically fasting from various forms of media.
2. Increase discernment – Bring biblical values to bear in evaluating media. Resist taking a mental nap when watching a movie or TV show, listening to music or surfing the Internet, so that you can recognize where false doctrine is being promoted. Finally, be willing to turn it off or walk out.
3. Raise standards – Rule-keeping is not the goal of upholding God’s standards, Harris says, because that can lead to self-righteousness. Seeing God is the goal, and according to Hebrews 12:14, that is impossible without holiness.
Sowing, reaping: God’s truth
When Christians make excuses for making poor media choices, we deny the connection between our actions and the fruit of our lives. In other words, we mock God by saying we will not reap what we sow, Harris teaches.
“We need to change the mental picture of negative content in the media. We view it as dirt that lands on us and we brush it off. A more accurate picture is sowing seeds that will eventually grow up. This is the God-ordained reality of the universe,” says Harris, citing Galatians 6:7ff.
Media tests
In the most practical terms, how can Christians evaluate media content? Harris defers to the advice of World magazine Editor Joel Belz and Pastor Wayne Wilson.
In the September 28, 1996 issue of World, Belz wrote: “If you can’t bow your head and sincerely thank God for a movie or a symphony or a newscast or a novel … then for you that activity is wrong. Stop arguing with yourself, and move on to something else.”
Harris summarizes “the sister rule,” a unique test suggested by Wilson in his book Worldly Amusements: Do not watch anything that you would not want your sister or son or daughter to act out. 
From MovieGuide® eNewsletter, Dr. Ted Baehr offers these comments on the recent Academy Award winning best movie, A Beautiful Mind, and the four other nominees. For more information about the online newsletter or magazine, call 1-800-899-6684 or visit www.movieguide.org. MovieGuide magazine is published 25 times a year and contains informative articles and reviews that help parents train their children to be media-wise.
These reviews are not meant to convey AFA’s endorsement of any movie, but are offered as examples of a resource that helps Christians evaluate the content of a movie. A summary of MovieGuide’s acceptability ratings:
+4 Exemplary
+3 Moral
+2 Good
+1 Worthwhile
-1 Caution
-2 Extreme Caution
-3 Excessive
-4 Abhorrent
The Lord of the Rings is a wonderful epic fantasy about good and evil with top-notch actors, storyline and special effects. The movie is clean, but there is plenty of sword-fighting violence that is, at times, a bit too strong for children. Happily, the filmmakers have left in plenty of Christian author J. R. R. Tolkien’s biblical, metaphorical references. Acceptability rating -1
A Beautiful Mind tells the story of John Nash, a Carnegie Scholarship genius attending Princeton in 1947. It’s the redemptive story of a wife who is willing to lay down her life to rescue her husband from mental illness. Taking the best from the true story, this is a cleverly-portrayed, but sobering, look into the mindsets of the mentally ill and the healing powers of love. Acceptability rating -1
Although it breaks with traditional movie storytelling by delaying the jeopardy until the middle of the movie, Gosford Park succeeds. Although there is some strong foul language and sexual content, in the end, it is one servant’s compassionate, thoughtful, forgiving spirit that ultimately transcends all the foibles and human sin on display at Gosford Park. Acceptability rating -2
Moulin Rouge is set in the decadent world of the infamous Paris nightclub around 1900. From the colorful and comedic cast of characters to the amazingly beautiful and elaborate set designs, Moulin Rouge overloads the senses with sounds and images. These are combined with an edgy shooting style, digital editing effects, many comical sound effects, and unique renditions of modern songs from Madonna, Elton John and the Beatles to The Sound of Music. The problem with all this, however, is that the movie’s romantic worldview promotes erotic frenzy in the name of love, although there are some obvious Christian references in the movie. There is discussion about sex, much implied sexuality, some crude sexual references and aggressive erotic dancing, just to cite a few examples. Acceptability rating -2
The first two-thirds of In The Bedroom are one of the best-acted, most rewarding family dramas of the year. The final third of the movie, however, rejects forgiveness, redemption and true justice in favor of revenge and a confused, unintelligible warning about controlling mothers.… In The Bedroom also includes some contrived violence, foul language and immoral sexual implications. Acceptability rating -2
© baehr, 2002
