My Passion Radar

My Spidey-senses have been tingling with The Passion Of The Christ for a while, I will try to post tomorrow on a few cautions about this movie that I have.

5 Reasons I Don't Attend The Movie Theatre

Andy Byrne asked me to explain the 5 reasons I don't attend the movie theatre. I will attempt to do so shortly but must lay a little bit of ground work. As an independent Baptist I am often labeled as legalistic (hmmm, as far as I have EVER believed only faith in Christ's completed work would get ANYONE to heaven not the Law) and out of touch with the culture. I am neither of those. I was saved at Vacation Bible School when I was in second grade. I was a "bus kid" where some Baptist who cared about my soul came and knocked on my door and invited me to hear about Jesus. Thank God for them because in my whole life I have never had a Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, or Roman Catholic knock on my door to tell me of Christ's love or to invite me to church. No offense meant to my friends of those religions, it's just the truth. So as I learned of Christ's love for me, I accepted his payment of my sins and leaned wholly on him. My parents then began to come to church and I found out that my Dad and Mom were saved but backslidden. My sister got saved too. I began to read my Bible and hear good preaching... even preaching against going to the movies. Some of the preaching I agreed with and some of the preaching I disagreed with. But as a child I went to the movies and when I fell back from God and became backslidden ( from about 14 to 25 years of age) I attend the movies quite a bit. So my reasoning is not from the stand point of having not attended but it is a good "cautious" stand that I make. I will not say that good Christians don't attend movie theaters because that is definitely not a law, maybe a maxim or truism, maybe a generality but not a law.

I can't reason out in my own faith how going to the movies would be evil but watching a ball game or for that matter listening to a ball game on the radio is not. So I will not take the line that ALL entertainment is evil. Recreation is a good thing as long as it is within the bounds of God's word. I truly believe some movies are worth watching and inspire us with the stories of others lives and interactions. I believe those movies are few and far between and that Hollywood is a cesspool of filth and wickedness and I won't let my kids watch "Finding Nemo" because I don't want to put a penny into Ellen Degeneres already rich hands. Does that mean that I think anyone who saw it or owns it is evil? Nope, I just have to live by my convictions on matters like this. This is not a doctrinal issue. The same thing with attending movie theaters... it's not doctrinal, it's just not wise. The wisdom is both Biblical and logical. I know we can't run around in this modern world and just stop buying, living, interacting with people because they are evil, lost sinners. That doesn't make sense to me and I don't see Christ doing it. But if I do see something that I know supports an ANTI GOD lifestyle, some one who has spoken against Christ and God, I try not to support it. I don't always succeed, but I do make the effort. So as you read these keep in mind that this MY guideline, I share this guideline with you as I think it's wise, but ultimately you will have to figure out where your own conviction is on this. These are in no particular order, just a sum of the complete.

1. When I attend the movie theatre, I am sitting amongst mostly lost people who have come to appease their flesh. I am appeasing my flesh (not always a bad thing, eating is good for all of us but overeating is not) without the ability to show them the hope that is in me "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: (1 Peter 3:15)" (This should resonate with some of you POMO/EMERG guys, in other words, I am just a fellow consumer and not able to show the wisdom of God to the other viewers.) Many times we use the term "culturally relevant" as a license to indulge ourselves instead of admitting what we are doing.

2. If I attend a movie with my wife, and my 3 kids I will spend at LEAST $35.00 in tickets, fuel, snacks and such. In 4-6 months I can purchase the same movie with extra footage, bonus feature, DVD quality for $20.00 and have the benefit of not being surprised by a horrible scene or terrible movie. I can then watch this movie again, and in the case as with most movies we purchase... again, again, again, and again... Those with kids know what I am talking about.

3. I am less likely to stand up and walk out of a movie that I just paid $35.00+ for because of the cost, effort, and time involved with when some objectionable portion comes up. I don't like swearing in movies... Movie people like to put swearing in the movies... not a good mix. At home I have a mute button, and if I am not satisfied with the movie. I will take it back to the store. At home I can teach my kids that NO we don't watch that, because the music was bad, the language was horrible or something of that sort. I couldn't do that at a theatre.

4. By going to the theater, attending one of the "good" blockbusters (example I thought the Lord of the Rings was good, no swearing, people were dressed, etc. not "biblical" as some try to say... just entertaining) I help support much worse movies that the movie theatre has that draws many less people but is totally anti-God. They can afford to break even on a movie that the masses don't attend because of all the other ticket sales. So many movies are created not because they are good, or that many people see them, just because people are bored and have "seen everything else"

5. Most of what comes out is trash and I shouldn't watch it anyways. An example, "50 First Dates" everyone knows Adam Sandler is a filthy mouthed, dirty minded actor... yet many Christians flocked to see that movie. "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; [it] shall not cleave to me. (Psalms 101:3)"

I strive to live by that, one day, I may not have a TV, I may not watch a DVD/video, I may not surf the net because the advertisements have gotten so bad. But I will always interact with the world, and as I mature spiritually I have been convicted of things that I wasn't convicted of when I was less mature. In the past few years I have become so convicted of my eating habits that i had to change those. I had to turn it over to Christ and admit that food was a sin for me. I didn't always feel that way... I didn't like being overweight, but I didn't look at it as a sin.

I can say confidently that I believe if every Christian quit seeing movies that shouldn't be set before them... that we would close half the movie theaters and give a wake up call to all our friends in Hollywood. If we quit watching all the "OC's" and "Boston Publics" and the "Will an Graces" that we would see a trend reversing the push to obscenity a la Janet and Justin. I will give you an example of my viewing habits... We have church on Sunday Night and we don't change that for the super bowl. We have Preaching and don't change that for the super bowl, but Church was over before it was halftime and I had some teens over to watch the game. We muted the commercials, we changed the channel as soon as the halftime show started and we never saw Janet's breast. It was not until on the news that night that my eyes were assaulted with that image. And of course on some of the "sigh" level blogs (none that I have listed) of "youth dudes" who felt that they had to post Janet with her boob hanging out... but I digress. See I was in my home and I changed the channel... We didn't watch the commercial's. I knew what to expect. I am amazed at how many Christians said, "That was horrible, that was outrageous, but didn't even care about Jessica Simpson (the poster child for Carnal Christians), Kid Rock and the rest of the nasty folk doing there thing. I have more reasons on not attending the movies but hopefully those five will give you an idea as to why!

Just a quick note

What an incredible, busy weekend. I hope to post some updates later today and some thoughts I had over the weekend. Check back soon!