Christians should disdain passive, couch potato’s strategy for watching a movie and instead adopt a pre-emptive, culture changer’s battle plan. I have listed some basic steps that you can take to develop your own battle plan for taking on films.
Preparation
Read a review of the movie before you watch the movie for several reasons, (a) Know what topics you will address and maybe gather some additional resources to support your case and (b) Make sure that you are not open the doors of your home to a spiritual Trojan horse. I have found Plugged In Online reviews to be systematic and do an adequate job of providing a heads-up.
During the Film
Wear the Play/Pause button out! Any opportunity to point out positive and negative elements in the film should be seized with gusto. Field and encourage questions from the audience to clarify issues. This is your opportunity to offer your own commentary that can involve biblical principles, filming techniques, and behind-the-scenes information.
After the Film
Discuss the movie as a whole, looking at the major themes and the ultimate message the directors and producers tried to communicate. Compare your analysis to any reviews you read before watching the movie. You could have your family compose their own review of the movie.
When a Christian normally approaches a film to ascertain its ability to provide wholesome entertainment for the whole family, the typical investigation consists of reading the short descriptions of the film or seeing a trailer and the all important MPAA rating check. Thankfully, many families will go the extra mile and read a review performed by a Christian or family organization. However, it today’s culture Christian need to go farther than these steps if they truly desire to ensure that their children are not negatively impacted by the images that flash before their eyes. Not only do families need to do their homework before they watch a film, but also the homework during and after the film.
I am glad to note that most Christians are quite able to identify and debunk the filthiness of Hollywood. When worldviews involving socialism and evolution appear, we can immediately identify, explain, and instruct those around us in the way of truth. Many Christian organizations are able to provide excellent guides to avoiding movies that contain foul language, immorality, and unjustified violence. Not all organizations provide helpful counsel, sometimes even showing favor to movies that strike against God and the family. Many films contain ideas and implied assumpstions which will slowly erode the foundations of the Biblical family.
In some ways a G or PG rated film can be just as dangerous as a more mature film. Why? First, Christians have accepted the world’s standard for grading a film and just assume that the film is okay to watch and immediately lower their guard. Secondly, due to this absurd level of trust, we let their values trump ours if you just make rules that involve ratings to determine what is viewed in your home. The G or PG rating gives a false sense of security, lulling the Christian into a philosophical slumber. I do not advocate watching mature rated films just so that you are forced to be on your toes, but I am arguing that we need to always be on guard. Movies like Princess Diaries 2, analyzed at the 2009 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival (SAICFF) arguably can be one of the most cleverly concealed and damaging movies for the family.
Next week I will post a short guide on how to analyze a film, providing you with a guide to forming your own battle plan to avoid passively viewing a film.
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