Christian Movies - Take Them or Leave Them?
My opinion on the topic of Christian movies will probably not sit well with about 98% of the Christian population. Nonetheless, I will speak my mind on the matter.
I have become increasingly skeptical of all the "Christian" movies that have been coming out lately. All of them. I guess the commands to "come out from among them and be ye separate" and "do not learn the ways of the heathen" resonate too strongly in me for me to have any level of comfort with Christians making movies.
I think the part that bothers me the most in Christian movie-making is just how easily false doctrine is spread by a movie claiming to be of a Christian topic. We have movies like The Prayer Room which is rife with new age contemplative prayer methodology and we have Saving Xmess (out of respect for my Savior, I avoid putting His name together with the Catholic word "mass") which only promotes a worldly materialism rather than a Godly self-denial, not to mention the true, Biblical story of Christ's birth.
And then we have the concern of the appearance of evil. Anymore, I see a movie theater in much the same way that I see a liquor store; a den of evil and addiction. When most of the movies that are played in a movie theater promote promiscuity, witchcraft, teenage rebellion, false scientism, and a whole slew of other topics that are not appropriate for a person who has given their lives over to Jesus Christ, how can I justify sitting in one to see any movie, let alone one that claims to be a Christian movie?
Now, am I free from the addiction of Hollywood? I can't honestly say that I am 100% free from it, myself, so I understand how difficult it is to live in this world and turn away from the pull of a good movie. But it is something that I have been talking to God about and as time goes on, I have become less addicted to the television and the big screen. I pray that one day every DVD in my home will be thrown into the trash and maybe even one day I will even live in a TV-free home.
But this post isn't exactly about that, it's about Christian movies and how I've become increasingly skeptical of them. Are Christians supposed to mimic the world? Are we supposed to go out into all the world and put the Gospel into a good story line? Should we be perpetuating this big screen addiction that plagues the secular world? What happens when Christian movies become so mainstream that Christians begin to see the movies as their form of worship rather than a church service. (And by church service, I do not necessarily mean going to a big auditorium and following a program, but instead any service of the church that includes a gathering of the saints to sing hymns, songs, and spiritual songs, to pray, and to worship by reading and teaching the word of God.) Is this movie making thing really something Christ would condone? Is this really what He died on the cross for?
So many questions and I'm not about to try to answer them all here. I'll leave that to you to ponder and pray about. But as for me, my red flags go up every time I hear a Christian gushing about Christianity being portrayed on the big screen. Why don't we promote, instead, Christianity being portrayed in real life? Why do we so badly need to be entertained by Christianity that we devise all sorts of ways to make it entertaining, even in the walls of our "churches"? What happens if we take away the lights, stages, cameras, the 7-11 songs (seven words sung eleven times over in a song that might mention the name of Jesus one time, but then again, it might not), the smoke machines, and the celebrity pastors? Would Christianity then be too boring to entertain us? Is that what we're really trying to do here, entertain? Isn't the point of the church to hold Christians accountable and help them to draw closer to God through holiness and obedience? Whatever happened to sanctification anyway?
I think I'll just stick to my Bible; my Christ. I'd rather not get to the point that I have to be entertained in order to feel fulfilled in my worship time with Christ. I'd rather not allow any more opportunities for Satan to sneak false doctrine into my life, he has too many opportunities as it is.
As for me and Christian movies, I think I'll leave them.
How about you? Have any of you started to become skeptical about Christian movies? What was your first red flag?
Do you know, if you were to die today, whether or not you'll go to be with Christ after you die? Are you 100% and completely assured of your salvation? If not, please take the time to read this salvation message today. There is nothing more important than giving your life to Christ and securing your place in eternity. I pray the Holy Spirit leads you to a personal relationship with Christ today, and I pray that you follow where the Holy Spirit leads you.
