Someone asked me recently, “What’s the most complicated aspect of engaging movies and pop culture as a Christian?” I should have responded, “How long do you have?” There’s a lot to say. But the thing that came to mind first as an answer is simply that pop culture itself is complex. It would be easier as Christians if we could look at any given movie, TV show, or song and say, “It’s all good! No concerns whatsoever,” or “It’s 100 percent awful. Stay away.” Occasionally something falls in one of those extreme categories, but it’s very rare.
Because we are made in God’s image and yet fallen creatures, most of the culture humans make is a mix of goodness, truth, and beauty and badness, falsehood, and ugliness. And that makes it complicated. Should we recommend movies that are artistically beautiful and full of true insights about life, and yet contain a few bad ideas and some explicit content? Should we abstain from watching an acclaimed and thematically laudable TV series because one episode depicts an abortion or some other morally objectionable activity? What tips the scales toward yes or no in debatable questions—gray matters—like these?
Because there is no clear answer on every situational moral question, we need wisdom. More than being told the answer to the questions, we need to know what questions to ask as we process through our decisions about media and pop culture. This was my intention in writing the article, “5 Questions for Young Christians About Their Media Choices.” Though directed particularly to young people as they wade through the glut of pop culture, trying to exercise faithful discernment, the questions I recommend are helpful for all of us. I hope they’re helpful for you.