I saw an article recently that examined whether Christians should watch the movie Deadpool. I don’t know much about Deadpool and certainly won’t be watching, but in the article, John Piper asked wether Christians should be watching movies with graphic nudity. The fact that this question is even being asked shows how little discernment many Christians have regarding what they watch. I find no biblical justification whatsoever for watching these kinds of movies, and I find many biblical reasons not to watch (Philippians 4:8, 2 Timothy 2:22, Titus 2:12-14, 1 Corinthians 6:18, 1 Peter 1:15, Matthew 5:27-30).
My TV viewing habits have changed over the years. I have come to realize that so much of what I watched was promoting ungodliness, glorifying sin, and encouraging all manner of evil and immoral thoughts. I realize that Christians will disagree over where the line should be drawn, but here are two questions I use to try to discern what should and should not be a part of my entertainment.
- Does this glorify sin?
- Does this normalize sin?
It could be any manner of sin: sexual immorality, fits of rage, revenge, selfish ambition or greed, drunkeness or lewdness. Why would we watch something that glorifies sins for which Christ died. Countless movies and TV shows for decades have centered on glorifying or making light of sin. To use the example of drunkeness or intoxication, think of all the movies that treat this sin as funny, from Dude Where’s My Car? when I was younger to the Hangover movies today. The basic principle of these movies seems to be the apparent humor that can come from drunkeness and intoxication. As Christians, why would we find such immorality funny?
Movies and TV shows have so normalized sexual immorality that what is sinful has become the norm, and many Christians have continued to find this immorality entertaining. We think this is a new phenomenon, but look back a few decades. How many shows from prior years glorified and normalized sexual immorality? How many Christians cheered when Ross and Rachel finally “hooked up”? Or how many thought Jerry and Elaine’s “deal” was humorous? I know I was watching when the West Wing tried to find something noble in the fornication of a White House staffer and a call girl. I know these examples will only hit certain generations, but the larger point is that for decades now, TV and movies have been normalizing what is clearly in violation of biblical commands.
Let me give one more example to try to demonstrate the point of how much TV glorifies ungodliness. One of the shows we recently stopped watching in our house is Garfield. Our kids sometimes watch cartoons on Netflix, and I have a certain nostalgia for shows that were around when I was a kid. So why would we turn off Garfield? Listen to how Garfield is described on wikipedia: “In addition to being portrayed as lazy and fat, Garfield is also pessimistic, narcissistic, sadistic, cynical, sarcastic, sardonic, negative, and a bit obnoxious. He enjoys destroying things, mauling the mailman, tormenting Odie, and kicking Odie off the table; he also makes snide comments, usually about Jon’s inability to get a date.” And Garfield is a cartoon meant for kids.
We should not be surprised when our kids copy the immorality they see on TV when we have exposed them to so much that glorifies what the Bible clearly condemns as sin. We should not be surprised when they are fighting and belittling each other when we have put before them these activities as entertainment. When we copy, glorify, and are entertained by the patterns of the world,we should not be surprised when the results are disorder and every evil practice (James 3:14-16).
I believe that that in many ways Christians and churches have developed patterns of copying the world around us rather than living according to the truth of God’s Word, and we have often fooled ourselves into thinking that we are living more biblical than we really are. The viewing habits of many professing Christians, I think, are a clear demonstration of this truth. I do not think you can find any sound biblical justification for exposing yourself to these kinds of immorality. The only reason we do so is that we uncritically copy what the world around us is doing. The time has come for us to stop doing what everyone around us is doing, and instead to seek carefully and prayerfully the things of God. Why should we continue to entertain and amuse ourselves with what God has clearly told us is sinful? When we do this, many in the world, and some in the church, will ridicule us and call us prudes (or worse). But when this happens, will we seek the approval of the world around us, or will we seek to be holy as our God is holy?
A Family of Faith 