Would Jesus see movies?
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Would Jesus see movies?
By Pastor Emil L. Galang and the KKB Core Leaders
from KKB Website
Sex, violence, words too crass to be seen in print, Quentin Tarantino and Da Vinci Code. Perhaps they made it to your pastor’s top r eason s why seeing movies should be met by disciplinary action. But is it really so bad to see movies?
Evil places
Some believe that movie houses are intrinsically imbued with evil power, causing the Holy Spirit to instantly depart from Christians once they set foot on cinemas. This view is not true as it clandestinely campaigns the devil as being more sovereign than God over believers. The Spirit’s residence in the Christian is based on God’s grace that guides the believer into holiness.
Christian maturity
And as temples of the Spirit, we should bear in mind that God must have involvement in all we do. The center of all our activities should serve to not dishonor Him (1 Corinthians 10:31). The Bible tells us that we should fill our minds with things that are good and praiseworthy, things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and honorable (Philippians 4:8). The danger in seeing movies lies in the depth of impact its scenes may communicate to us. The element of one’s personal Christian maturity plays a very big role here.
Christians tread maturity on different paces. Some grow faster than others. A Christian who is not yet mature in the area of sexuality might easily get visually adulterous (Matthew 5:28) on any scene with Megan Fox in it. Some might get easily swayed by plots and messages that challenge Christian beliefs and values. A good example is Da Vinci Code, which theological assertions might confuse the gullible.
One of the best things Christians can do is to have an honest personal evaluation as to whether or not seeing a particular movie would be detrimental for them. Movies that would stir us to pursue godlessness should, needless to say, be avoided. This would require us to obtain adequate information on the movies we plan to see (without stumbling upon plot spoilers, of course!).
Obviously bad movies
Now, there are movies which determination of whether or not Christians should see can be handled by sheer common sense. Bruno, American Pie, Death Note and Harry Potter should not send us fasting just to hear from God if it’s ok to see them. There is already enough common knowledge about the negativity of their plot available on the internet.
The challenge
Movies—like many art forms—are culturally inevitable. As long as we live, we shall be presented with entertainment materials that do not preach Jesus, but are not necessarily evil. There is no point in absolutely refusing to get some entertainment from movies. In fact, some films can be useful for sermon illustrations as they may aid in connecting even with non-Christian church guests.
The challenge for Christians is to live in a movie-going world without compromising their faith. If we isolate ourselves from the world, who else will be its salt and light? That’s why Jesus prayed “…not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” (John 17:15)
We must also keep in mind that filmmaking is a money-making industry that is now dominated by producers who are openly non-Christian in their worldview. So if a film is backed by those who clearly oppose Christianity, we must refrain from financially patronizing it.
The movie we consume can end up consuming us instead. So let us not be ignorant of the schemes of the enemy (2 Corinthians 2:11). Let us resolve not to defile ourselves by taking in trashy media. We must spend more time consuming our time for media, literature and other entertainment activities that would not cause us to be drawn away from the things of God.
Researcher: Lovely Nazareno, KKB CAM
Pastor Emil L. Galang has been faithfully serving the Lord since KKB's growing up years during the early 90's. Under the leadership of KKB Chairman Joel Villanueva and the JIL Church Executive Management Board, he is now the Executive Director of KKB Movement. As such, he leads its supreme decision-making body known as the KKB Core Leadership. He writes KKBmovement.org’s “Hot Topic” column with the KKB Core Leaders. Pastor Emil is happily married to Weng, and super-dad to Josiah Charles and Ruth Beatrice.
Author: Glenn Posadas
20 year old 5th year Computer Engineering Student, a blogger, photographer, programmer, and an electronics hobbyist; a Christian who loves God very much..
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