Blessed
are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled
Matthew 5:6
The other day I went to the movies. As usual there
was a series of previews before the movie. And as usual there was a series of previews
for movies that push the envelope of unrighteousness. From sex, to murder, to
straight out evil (in this case witchcraft and demonic activity), it would seem
as if the producers of these movies actually opened the Bible, saw what God
says not to do, and then made a movie glorifying it. Over the years there has
been a steady diet of these types of movies and TV shows fed to America. As the years go by, the entertainment industry
gets progressively worse and worse. You will occasionally hear someone protest
by asking, “Why does Hollywood make such filth?” The unfortunate answer is that
we have a taste for this type of “entertainment”. America has developed an
appetite for unrighteousness.
Standing in contrast to our culture, Jesus says “ Blessed
are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” People who hunger and thirst for righteousness
have a deep desire in them to see God’s perfect standard lived out not only in
their lives, but in our world. Most
evangelical Christians would agree that much of what Hollywood produces is a
stark rebellion to God’s righteous standard. Although we may know this to be
true, we seem to think that it is acceptable for entertainment value. Romans 1:32 states, “ Though
they know God's righteous decree
that those who practice such things deserve
to die, they not only do them but give
approval to those who practice them.” (ESV) Even if we do not practice
the things we see in the movies or on TV, watching and paying to watch them is
a type of approval. Christians should be aware of what God’s standard calls for
in this area.
When I was growing up the wisdom from many of the
church’s leaders was that it was wrong to even step into a movie theater or
rent a video. I am not endorsing that
viewpoint. There is nothing wrong with watching a movie for entertainment
value. However, we a Christians should practice much discernment with what we
watch. Not only for our own personal
holiness, but we are showing approval of the content of a movie when we watch
it. Each individual Christian should make a decision about what they watch. Do
you believe that God hates adultery? Why would you watch a movie or a TV show
that glorifies adultery? Finally, imagine the effect it would have on the
entertainment industry if everyone who claimed to be a Christian would not watch
movies that stand in direct contrast with Christ’s teaching. Not only would it
be a witness to them that we believe in Jesus, but that we believe Him. Imagine
if by our witness we could change what Hollywood produces.