Entertainment takes many forms throughout our society and influences our lives and our culture to a great degree. Therefore, it is important for Christians to take a stance on when enough is enough. How much violence? Is this too sexual? What about swearing and Satanism? We must individually examine our entertainment through many lenses and carefully consider a variety of factors as we strive to reach the spiritual goal of “bringing every thought in captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Violence is real, but glorifying violence is evil

One thing I’ve noticed is the amount of violence that can be found in the Bible itself. The godless bloodshed and enmity before the Flood is written of, as is how everyone but Noah’s family was drowned or pummeled to death (Genesis 6:5-8, Genesis 7:17-24). We can also read of how a young woman was abused and violated by a gang of men for an entire night. When the man at her house found her corpse he sliced it into twelve pieces, and sent one to each tribe of Israel (Judges 19:22-30).

God’s prophet Zechariah speaks of a time when the city of Jerusalem will be ravaged, captured, looted, and raped. These attackers will then be destroyed with fire by God: “Their people will become like walking corpses, their flesh rotting away. Their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths” (Zechariah 14:1-2, Zechariah 14:12).

Violence is a fact of life, and to say that it is impossible or did not happen would be dishonest. The violent and gruesome events of the Bible happened, as well as the ones we remember more recently, including the Holocaust, D-Day invasion, and Dresden bombing of WWII. Of course, detailed knowledge of such events is inappropriate at young ages, but it is clear that there is a need to scrutinize the context and purpose of violence in entertainment. There is a difference between glorifying grotesque violence (which is sinful) and referencing violence as part of a work to tell a thematic narrative, symbolic or historical.

The standard God has set

We need to make detailed judgments and prove, with research if necessary, what is good and acceptable by God’s standards without conforming to the low standards of this world (Romans 12:1-2). Do we outwardly proclaim God’s Word while our entertainment denies Him?

What type of entertainment would deny God? Perhaps those that are filled with and which glorify and exalt sexual immorality, evil desires, uncleanness, idolatry, covetousness, envy, wrath, malice, drunkenness, blasphemy, strife, filthy language, unrighteousness, wickedness, deceit, pride, and those that are atheistic, murderous, rebellious, disobedient to parents, dishonest, undiscerning, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, and practice that which is sinful, deserving of death (Colossians 3:5-8, Ephesians 5:3-7, Romans 1:28-32).

God warns us that continual consumption of this harmful material can lead our conscience to become “seared”, rendering us unfeeling to the reality of unrighteousness, violence, and sin (1 Timothy 4:2). Instead, search for entertainment that is truthful, noble, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, praiseworthy, honorable, admirable, excellent, peaceful, loving, joyful, longsuffering, kind, faithful, gentle, patient, self-controlled, righteous, obedient, and that which is of God and His nature (Philippians 4:8-9, Galatians 5:22-26). Considering this, we can bring our mind closer to what God desires for us to have: His mind, and a place in His Family during the coming Kingdom of God.

As people in the world, we, along with everyone, are inundated and bombarded with entertainment sending a plethora of messages to us at all times. However, as a people not of the world, like Christ, we must set the standard high and let it shine on to others. With God, we can rise above the mud of this world’s morality to reflect the clear, stunning example Jesus set for us.

Our entertainment should not define us—we should define our entertainment!