How Should a Christian View Entertainment?

There are a ton of things believers and non-believers can do to be entertained. They can read books, listen to music, go to the theatre, watch movies, binge TV shows and do many other things. This should raise a question in the believer's mind. How should a believer view entertainment?

According to God's word, what you do with your free time is your choice. You can choose to sin or not to sin. Those outside of Christ do not care whether what they do honors Christ. It's written in the Scriptures that we should not be surprised when we see nonbelievers act in wicked ways, but nonbelievers will be surprised when they see believers not joining them in their reckless behavior (1 Peter 4:4). Peter writes that when someone becomes a child of God, "they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God" (1 Peter 4:2). A Christian with a new heart will not want to engage in sinful behaviours. Their conscience will convict them to be righteous and to keep away from things that will cause them to sin. With this in mind: What should a Christian think about things in which they can participate that don't cause them to sin, such as entertainment?

To help us consider this Paul wrote a letter to the church in Corinth. Paul wrote that he saw division amongst believers over what foods they were eating. In summation: some Christians were eating food that was sacrificed to idols and other Christians were appalled by this. Paul wrote in response that eating food sacrificed to idols was no harm, because idols are worthless and there is only one God who is worthy of making food blessed or cursed (1 Corinthians 8:4-6). He went on, though, to write not everyone knows this, and these people getting angry at seeing believers eating this food were weaker in their faith (1 Corinthians 8:7-8). Paul then didn't chastize the weaker believers or applaud the stronger ones. What he said was "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak...When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ" (1 Corinthians 8:9-12). What Paul is saying here is that strong believers should not place a stumbling block, an obstacle that can cause someone to sin, in front of weak believers based on what earthly things they partake.

So, what do these verses show us about entertainment?

1. Entertainment is an earthly thing in which we can partake. 
2. Weak believers can have a question of conscience when they see another believer partaking in something they believe to be  un-Christian. 
3. Strong believers should be cautious about what they use for entertainment, when they know they are with weak believers.

Applying these verses to my life, I have seen a struggle between weak and strong believers on the matter of Harry Potter. This book and movie series about a boy wizard was not allowed to be read at a Christian school I attened. I myself at first was indifferent to the movies, but then I grew to actually like them. For awhile I viewed them regularly for entertainment purposes. I watched them with others, and afew times I even used a pencil to pretend and mimic the things the characters in the movies do with their magic wands. Now, though, I'm abit disgusted by these movies and I'm sickened by the wicked stuff the characters, mostly the villains but sometimes the good guys, did in these movies. What happened to change my view? I met people who actually practiced witchcraft. Suddenly, the wizardry in those fake movies no longer seemed completely fake in the real world, and the Bible clearly states that practicing witchraft is a sin (Galatians 5:19-20). Having seen that sin practiced firsthand, Harry Potter was no longer something in which I could find enjoyment.

The Harry Potter movie franchise has caused 
controversy within many churches.

That being said, though, I still own one Harry Potter movie on DVD. Why? Well, first off it's because I was unsuccessful at donating it or selling it, but it's also because Harry Potter is very important to a fellow believer whom I deeply love and want to show my love. In our relationship when it comes to Harry Potter I'm like the weak believers who were nervous about eating food sacrificed to idols. The idol of Harry Potter should not bother me, because it has no power over my eternity, and being a ficticious story about things that don't exist, it's content should have no effect on my faith. Me keeping or getting rid of it will not matter in the grand scheme of things. Everything of the earth is fading away and only things of God shall last forever (1 John 2:17). So, I keep my copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban on DVD, because it makes this fellow believer whom I love happy and it also reminds me that this DVD has no power over me. The movie is not witchcraft. It's just a piece of ficticious entertainment.

The relationships I form with my fellow Christians are more important than what movies do and don't sit on my shelves. I don't want myself to sin nor do I want my fellow believers to sin. By those grounds, and hopefully those grounds alone, I'll remove or add any movie to my collection. What I use for entertainment should be used to build up others in Christ. As Paul writes to the church in Corinth, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31-32). My fellow Christians, do things that build up the Church and its members.

Think about what you watch, and with whom you watch it.

Sources:

• The Bible (New International Version)
• 23 Bible Verses on Christian Liberty