“Christian” Media?

In Acts 17, the Apostle Paul stood on the Areopagus, a hotbed of philosophical debate amongst the Athenians.

In an attempt to bridge the gap between the Gospel and Athenian culture, Paul did something I’ve always admired…

…he quotes two of their poets:

For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said,

‘For we, too, are his offspring.’ (Acts 17v8)

The first quote is attributed to the poet Epimenides and the second Aratus, neither followers of God (as far as I’m aware).

And, yet, Paul was no stranger to their work.

Artistic Boundaries

This week, Aaron and I are sharing our perspectives on whether or not followers of Jesus should engage with “Non-Christian” media (art, movies, music, TV, etc.).

And, in my opinion, engaging with such media is not bad in itself.

Allow me to explain.

In Exodus 31, the Holy Spirit empowers the artists Bezalel and Oholiab to serve God via their creativity.

What this shows is that creativity, like all good things, comes from God. After all, what is Genesis 1 but the ultimate act of creativity itself?

Furthermore, God doesn’t exclusively work through His followers (though this is certainly the exception, not the rule). Numbers 22-24 is a great example as we see God speak not only through a pagan prophet but through his donkey as well.

So even though “Non-Christian” artists don’t intentionally craft their work to glorify God, I still believe we can find echoes and imprints of Him there (albeit incomplete).

This is what we see in the poets quoted by Paul and today too when a “secular” band like the Beatles passionately sings that “all you need is love.”

Basically, we don’t need to avoid specific media and art if it’s made by men and women outside the Church. What we should focus on, instead, is the kind of response that media produces in us.

Which leads me to…

A Few Caveats

Like anything, we must use discretion when it comes to our media engagement. 

The things we give time and attention to inevitably form us and so we must regulate our intake accordingly.

And that varies from person to person.

Ultimately, engaging with “Non-Christian” media is no more a sin than eating at a “Non-Christian” restaurant.

We have freedom in this area but, to quote Paul:

…do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence…

Media can easily contain imagery and themes that can, if we’re not careful, exert a negative influence on us. So practice self-reflection and prayer and set boundaries accordingly.

And if that media is deforming you from the image of Jesus then my suggestion is to drop it - “Christian” or “Non-Christian.”

All art emanates from God but, in our fallen world, it bears the marks of imperfection.

So practice discretion and keep your relationship with Jesus prioritized above all else.

Let Him be your guiding principle because, at the end of the day, media engagement is not a black and white issue.

I’ll be back on Thursday to respond to Aaron’s post.

For now, be blessed.

Jon,

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