This is a article that I read in Kaio Magazine that was written by Mr. Chuck Webster. I thought it was some pretty powerful stuff! (I know the summer is not just beginning....it is just ending...just play along with me, okay? ;)
As summer begins, millions of young people are putting their books and pencils down and relaxing for a couple of months. You're going to give your brain cells a few weeks off and take a break from class or will you?
Truth is, you'll keep learning, but not from lectures or books. instead of sitting at a desk in a classroom, many of you will be reclined in a nice, comfortable seat with popcorn in your lap. We're talking about movies, of course, and below are some lessons you should watch out for.
Most summer movies include lots of stuff blowing up: cars, buildings, aliens, even people. in fact, moviegoers will probably see hundreds of people die this summer, all from their reclined theater seat.
There's a subtle lesson in all this devastation: violence fixes many problems. Someone in your way? Shoot him. Need a big distraction? Detonate a bomb or two and destroy some buildings. And of course while everything's blowing up and people are dying, throw in a couple of funny one-liners from the movie's main star. And just like that, all the problems are gone.
As Christians, we should remember that God takes "no pleasure in the death of the wicked" (Ezekiel 33:11), and He hates anger and what it produces (Colossians 3:5). Should we laugh at what makes God sad? We'll never kill anyone, but are we becoming desensitized to the destruction of human life? Do we get a thrill out of death and carnage?
But violence isn't the only subject taught in movies 101, of course. See if you can guess this movie: Bad guy hurts nice guy's special someone. Nice guy discovers he's got an incredible talent for hurting people who've messed with people he loves. Nice guy beats up and eventually kills bad guy, and everyone is happy again. Did you guess it? (Take your pick of many of this summer's movies).
The message is clear: vengeance justifies doing almost anything we want to do. Did someone hurt you? Get him back. Make him pay. Make sure everybody knows not to mess with you. You hurt me, and I'll hurt you back. Sound familiar?
Contrast that with the Bible: "Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Jesus, Matthew 5:39). "Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord'" (Paul, Romans 12:19). What do those verses say about most of today's movies?
But not all movies are shoot-em-up, get-'em-back thrillers, and when it comes to guy-girl relationships, one thing will almost always happen: the guy and the girl will hook up one night, and they won't be married (to each other, at least). The message about sex will be that the biblical teaching of abstinence before marriage is an outdated principle that nobody honors anymore. How many of this summer's movie romances will be consistent with Hebrews 13:4? "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous." As Christians, we need to remember the importance of honoring God's standard of morality, not Hollywood's.
School's out, but learning continues. Because one of our culture's most powerful classrooms is the theater, listen carefully, and absorb only those lessons that are consistent with God's will.
Truth is, you'll keep learning, but not from lectures or books. instead of sitting at a desk in a classroom, many of you will be reclined in a nice, comfortable seat with popcorn in your lap. We're talking about movies, of course, and below are some lessons you should watch out for.
Most summer movies include lots of stuff blowing up: cars, buildings, aliens, even people. in fact, moviegoers will probably see hundreds of people die this summer, all from their reclined theater seat.
There's a subtle lesson in all this devastation: violence fixes many problems. Someone in your way? Shoot him. Need a big distraction? Detonate a bomb or two and destroy some buildings. And of course while everything's blowing up and people are dying, throw in a couple of funny one-liners from the movie's main star. And just like that, all the problems are gone.
As Christians, we should remember that God takes "no pleasure in the death of the wicked" (Ezekiel 33:11), and He hates anger and what it produces (Colossians 3:5). Should we laugh at what makes God sad? We'll never kill anyone, but are we becoming desensitized to the destruction of human life? Do we get a thrill out of death and carnage?
But violence isn't the only subject taught in movies 101, of course. See if you can guess this movie: Bad guy hurts nice guy's special someone. Nice guy discovers he's got an incredible talent for hurting people who've messed with people he loves. Nice guy beats up and eventually kills bad guy, and everyone is happy again. Did you guess it? (Take your pick of many of this summer's movies).
The message is clear: vengeance justifies doing almost anything we want to do. Did someone hurt you? Get him back. Make him pay. Make sure everybody knows not to mess with you. You hurt me, and I'll hurt you back. Sound familiar?
Contrast that with the Bible: "Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Jesus, Matthew 5:39). "Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord'" (Paul, Romans 12:19). What do those verses say about most of today's movies?
But not all movies are shoot-em-up, get-'em-back thrillers, and when it comes to guy-girl relationships, one thing will almost always happen: the guy and the girl will hook up one night, and they won't be married (to each other, at least). The message about sex will be that the biblical teaching of abstinence before marriage is an outdated principle that nobody honors anymore. How many of this summer's movie romances will be consistent with Hebrews 13:4? "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous." As Christians, we need to remember the importance of honoring God's standard of morality, not Hollywood's.
School's out, but learning continues. Because one of our culture's most powerful classrooms is the theater, listen carefully, and absorb only those lessons that are consistent with God's will.
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1 says:
Hi! I love this post! This is something I have tried to get my friends to see. That we as Christians can't just be entertained by anything and everything. If God speaks against it in the Bible than we have to be against it too... I have two posts along this line that you might like to read. www.reedsblogspot.blogspot.com
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