Whatever Happened to Conviction?

Diminishing Convictions About Worldly Entertainment by B.J. Clarke

People have always enjoyed being entertained by plays, books, movies, music, radio and television. There is nothing wrong with an exciting plot, tender love story, or funny bit, as long as these things are presented in a wholesome fashion. On the other hand, there is something wrong with the ungodly entertainment that is so prevalent in our world today. A number of years ago, The Statler Brothers released a song entitled, "Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott?" The song lamented the increase of objectionable material in motion pictures over the years. Gasps of horror erupted when Clark Gable uttered a curse word in the film Gone With The Wind, but that was only a foretaste of the outrageous language and behavior to be depicted on screen in years to come.

While "surfing the net" the other day I visited the website at www.screenit.com to gather a glimpse of what kind of material is present in films today. This website gives a preview of all of the current movies showing at the cinema, as well as hundreds of previously released films which are now in video format. It will tell you how many curse words are in a particular film. It will give a rundown of any occurrences of nudity or sexual innuendo. If you want to see just how far the movie industry has spiraled downward into immorality, just visit this site for a few minutes. Parents, please visit this website before you give your children blanket permission to go to the movies! Find out what the film is about and ask yourself whether these are the kinds of values that you want your children's minds to be feasting upon. It is amazing to watch parents allow their children to attend movies that are filled with pornographic images of fornication and adultery, and then watch these same parents shake their heads in bewilderment when their child is found to be involved in sexual immorality. Remember, "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Prov 23:7).

Today, millions of Americans attend movies and never even blush as they watch films that are full of profanity and every kind of sexual immorality. Jeremiah 6:15 is an all too accurate assessment of the attitude of most Americans today. The passage asks, "Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush." Sadly, among those who flock to see such entertainment are some who wear the name "Christian." We must remember that the very name "Christian" carries with it the idea of belonging to Christ. As those who belong to Christ, we have an obligation to "follow his steps" (1 Peter 2:21) and "walk, even as he walked" (1 John 2:6). Would we take Jesus with us to see the movies we normally see? Jesus may not be with us in the flesh when we go to the movies, but you better believe He knows where we are go and what we watch (Heb 4:13).

The same questions should be asked regarding the kind of entertainment we enjoy in our own homes. Imagine Jesus dropping by your home for a surprise visit. Would you scramble for the remote control to try and change the channel before Jesus could see what you had been watching on television? W ith the advent of cable and satellite television there are more and more stations providing more and more opportunities to watch more and more smut. Would you hide the books and magazines that you are accustomed to reading or would you feel comfortable offering those materials to Jesus as recommended reading? If Jesus were riding along in the car with us, would we listen to the same songs on the radio or CD player that we normally listen to?

Incidentally, parents need to be just as diligent in knowing what kind of music their children listen to. Moreover, the music videos on stations such as MTV, VH1, and CMT need to be monitored carefully because many are filled with sexually suggestive images and lyrics. As parents, we must be consistent. Children will see through our hypocrisy if we monitor their music but fail to monitor our own. Similarly, if we prohibit our children from listening to music or watching movies that depict fornication or adultery on screen and then turn around and read romance novels graphically describing fornication in print, then we are hypocritical. It should be remembered that the word "pornography" is a combination of two Greek words: porneia (sexual immorality) and grapho (to write or depict). Thus, writings of sexual immorality are just as sinful as pictures of sexual immorality!

Space limitations forbid us from examining each and every form of entertainment that poses a threat to the Christian. As Christians, we will have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather will expose them (Eph 5:11). As those who have named the name of Christ, we will "depart from iniquity" (2 Tim 2:19). In short, we will put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof (Rom 13:14). We will not love the world, or the things in the world because we love the Father and desire to abide in Him forever (1 John 2:15-17). Adapted