The content of movies has changed dramatically in the last 100 years. What once was considered offensive and even pornographic is now commonplace.
The false dichotomy of either mindlessly enjoying all contemporary media or withdrawing from and rejecting it undermines the Christian’s vocation to both be separate from the idolatrous values of the world and simultaneously live redemptively in and for the world Jesus died to redeem. The key to living in this tension is to use the Christian Story (the story of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration in Jesus) to critique the culture’s alternative versions of this story.
In addition, Christians should be aware of their own tendencies to fall for fake stories; in other words, those who struggle with a particular idol should be wary of exposing themselves to media that fosters that idolatry. With this in mind, the Christian calling to be agents of God’s redemption should motivate us to engage with the culture from this Gospel perspective.
Very good.
I agree. I found this episode definitely touched on an idea that has always been a hot topic among my Christian friends. My upbringing said that if you watch or listen to anything that has sinful language or depictions, you yourself are an extension of those sinful things. There was a strong beliefs from the church and grandparents that we, especially at younger ages, should not be able to watch movies or TV or listen to most music genres.
This episode definitely provided some clarity to the topic.