Keep this in mind when you watch "The Oscars"

Movies are by far the most popular form of entertainment today, and next month The Academy of Motion Picture Arts will hand out their highest awards for movie excellence.   As Christians, however, we must remember that what is popular should not be our standard for entertainment. In fact the first standard for entertainment as a Christian should always be to think about what we are engaging with our thoughts and emotions. Webster’s dictionary defines two postures toward entertainment: one is “diversion” and the other is “engagement.” As one Pastor has said, “Arguing that ‘It’s just entertaining’ is not an acceptable answer to ‘Why do you like this?’ ‘It’s just entertaining’ is a euphemism for ‘me not think’.” What should entertainment be to a Christian, Diversion or Engagement?

"The first standard for entertainment as a Christian should always be to think about what we are engaging with our thoughts and emotions"

When we see examples of Christians railing against the popular culture including media and film projects it is often due to moral objections. Christians often lament the excess sex and violence that is glorified in many popular films. But using morality alone as a standard for what material should be engaged would exclude a large portion of the Bible, especially the book of Genesis, from being read by Christians.

"We should not retreat from examples of depravity in popular culture"

As John Ortberg observes in his book, Everybody’s normal till you get to know them, “Have you ever noticed how many messed up families there are in Genesis? Cain is jealous of Abel and kills him. Lamech introduces polygamy to the world. Noah-the most righteous man of his generation-gets drunk and curses his own grandson…” And that is just the first few chapters, the examples of human depravity in Genesis get worse in the remaining chapters of this first book of the Bible. Should Christians be reading this kind of material? The answer is yes, of course. And in the same way we should not retreat from examples of depravity in popular culture, on a moralistic basis alone.

The narratives of Scripture serve to teach us that ultimately it is not “good” people that are rewarded with Heaven, and “bad” people who are punished in Hell. Forgiven people are blessed with eternal life, on the basis of Christ’s atoning work. But what messages are movies and popular entertainment teaching?  

"We are not called to retreat from the culture but to engage it"

To those who would object “It’s just a movie!” I would remind you that movies like all art and literature is “upstream” from how we live our lives. This popular culture serves as the soundtrack to our lives, and when we do not critically engage its message we end up singing along. The challenge for Christians is to think about what we are watching, and to always do so in a redeeming way. We are not called to retreat from the culture but to engage it, sometimes by creating culture and by always finding an opportunity to speak the truth in a world of subtle deception.

So as you watch the Academy hand out The Oscars next month, think about the meaning of the movies they award. What are the overt and subtle themes that could serves as a determent or an asset to proclaiming the Gospel to a culture that is highly influenced by this form of expression?

 Because, ultimately we are called to be missionaries speaking the truth of the reality of the Gospel, that Jesus is the only one who can provide life. He is the one who spoke into existence all of creation, He came once to redeem us from the curse of sin and death, and will soon return to restore all of creation to the praise of His glory alone.