What Should I Watch?
DEVOTIONS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS
Remember Blockbuster Video? The bright lights, bold blue and yellow decor, hundreds of neatly arranged titles… and the agonizing dilemma of which one to choose!
Fast-forward 10-15 years to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Apple TV, etc. All the videos in an entire Blockbuster store plus thousands more at our fingertips. With so many “binge-ready” options, an often-minimized spiritual dilemma is, “What kind of material is really appropriate for Christians to watch?”
It’s not a new question. The challenge has been issued for generations about movies, books, magazines, music, and video games. But with current online accessibility to so many uncensored choices right in our own homes, the issue is arguably more important than ever.
To get a sense of current Christian viewpoints, I posted this simple question to a social media group of over 10,000+ worship leaders worldwide:
“Is it OK for Christians to regularly watch movies or TV shows with immoral themes, graphic and uncensored violence, sex, and/or profanity?”
The responses were surprising. Some Christians spoke out against this kind of material, but a large number of believers trended toward a different position: “It’s a matter of the heart. If your heart is OK with it, then it’s OK to watch.”
Their answers reminded me of a devotion my dad wrote years ago about the similar sounding words of Titus 1:15: “To the pure, everything is pure.” And in this age of endless streaming options, his thoughts are worth revisiting. So here’s an updated/streamlined version of Dr. Dave’s words on Titus 1:15.
Can Christians take in a stream of violent, immoral, profane and/or sexually-charged imagery from movies, TV shows, websites, etc, and expect that their spiritual hearts and thought-lives will remain undefiled?
Opinions are not as clear-cut as they used to be. Christian culture has been largely desensitized in this area. Believers have different motives and convictions. Christian liberty is in play, but also potential spiritual immaturity. It’s even been argued that the Bible, itself, has excessive violence and sex — and some biblical movies fall into that category as well. So while there will always be some gray area in this discussion, let’s not split hairs over particular titles, motives, or “exceptions to the rule.” Rather, let’s approach this topic as Christ-followers who can all agree that a continual pursuit of greater purity of heart and mind should be our goal.
Titus 1:15 says, “To the pure, everything is pure.” Taken at face value, this verse might sound like a free pass for Christians to watch whatever they want. Some believers even use this verse to defend secular entertainment choices. In their minds, as long as their “hearts are in the right place,” believers with pure motives can remain untarnished, no matter what they view. Only a person who feels deeply convicted or corrupted by such material should avoid watching.
Is this what the Bible teaches? Can Christians binge explicit programming as long as there’s an “interesting plot and great character development”? Can Christians consume graphic content as long as they view it as "artistic"? Can believers remain unaffected by the corrupting influences of ungodly material, as long as it doesn’t bother their own conscience, and they feel their own heart is “OK with it”?
Incorrect interpretations of Titus 1:15 are usually nothing more than a justification of worldly habits. These viewpoints not only indicate a potential lack of spiritual discernment, but they break two of the most basic principles for interpreting Scripture:
1. Scripture must agree with other Scripture
2. Scripture must not be pulled out of context
Let’s take a closer look at these points.
1. Scripture must agree with other Scripture.
“To the pure, everything is pure” is far from a stamp of approval to view ungodly content, or a permission slip for Christians to hit pause on their moral and spiritual responsibilities. Why? Because the overwhelming thrust of Scripture tells us that believers should stay away from any and all corrupting influences. Period. End of discussion. This goes for the Old and New Testaments. God’s people shouldn’t lower their standards in any area, for any reason. Scripture can’t contradict other Scripture.
When the nation of Israel entered Canaan they were told not to even ask about the immoral and ungodly practices of the land (Deuteronomy 12:30). Everything pertaining to those pagan lifestyles was to be eliminated… destroyed… wiped out. God’s people were not even to "investigate" these things out of curiosity, lest they be drawn in.
This idea can apply to all of us. Have we ever curiously clicked on a link, or watched “just a little bit” of something to “see what the hype was about,” but then found ourselves completely drawn into a series, movie, or website we knew was not appropriate in God’s eyes?
God doesn’t want our thoughts and memories polluted by anything ungodly. Romans 16:19 says, "I want you to be wise in what is good, and innocent in what is evil." Instead of binging on TV programming that’s questionable-at-best, we can become more knowledgeable about good things. We can be experts in doing what’s spiritually best for us. We can remain intelligently ignorant of things that might corrupt our minds or lead us into temptation.
We’ll never "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5) if we’re immersed in entertainment designed to appeal to our fallen sinful natures. The Bible urges us to "flee evil desires" (2 Timothy 2:22), and to avoid whatever could "easily trip us up" (Hebrews 12:1).
2. Scripture must not be pulled out of context.
The apostle Paul wrote this letter to Titus, whose assignment was to build up the new the churches on the island of Crete. The verses surrounding Titus 1:15 refer to the legalistic false teachers of that time. They viewed their relationship with God as a list of rules. They followed the old ceremonial laws and emphasized man-made notions of “purity.” They failed to recognize the need for faith and trust in the grace of Jesus.
Paul called these false teachers out. When he said, “To the pure, everything is pure,” he was saying, “Those who have been saved by faith in Jesus are purified by Christ’s death on the cross. They’re no longer subject to the ceremonial laws or manmade rules for cleansing and salvation.”
So Paul was obviously not telling Titus that Christians could fill their minds with ungodly imagery without negative side effects. The context of Titus 1:15 has nothing to do with justifying questionable entertainment choices – then or today.
Using this verse as a proof text for sketchy TV or internet habits is bad hermeneutics (biblical interpretation). As Christians, we don’t have a magic filter that sanctifies everything we view just because “we’re good people inside.” In fact, it’s quite the opposite! When Christ went to the cross, He died to purify us. He “gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are… eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14). If we pursue and embrace the impurities that the world offers, we minimize His sacrifice for us. We turn away from the rich and lasting joy, hope, and peace in Jesus that secular entertainment can never fulfill.
Would we be proud to show Jesus our Netflix viewing history, or web-browser history? Perhaps Philippians 4:8 sums it up best, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
- Dave Reid / Ron Reid
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