This has been on my mind for sometime now. I have been trying to avoid the issue, but now feel that it is imperative that I make a small post on the subject matter. As a Christian, I find it a bit difficult to find films or television production that delivers the message of the Gospel accurately. It seems to me that many folks rate movies/shows as Christian as long as it mentions God in a line or two. No! Media is only Christian when it delivers the message of the Gospel in accordance to what the Bible says. We should not add or take away from God’s Word! What’s wrong with the media today? The devil seems to be working hard in order to lead many astray. My friends be not caught in these fatal traps. Let the Holy Bible be your first source by which you use to measure each and everything in life.
Since I am a big television person, I find it necessary to warn of some of the media that preach false messages, which can result in one being led astray. So I will use this post as a guide to some of the media that come to our television screen that are wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Touched By An Angel – Any discerning Christian can tell this show preaches a false message from its pilot episode right through to its finale. Where is the Gospel of Christ? Touched By Phonies teaches salvation by good works. I have never heard repentance, John 3:16, giving one’s life to Jesus and trying to live a Christ like life preached in that show. For instance, there was some episode in season one about some baseball coach who was a dying bitter guy and had lost his shot to play in the big leagues. So guess you can say he treated others badly. On his death bed the “angel” Monica told him that he needed to do the “right thing.” Huh? Didn’t Ephesians 2:8-9 basically say that we are saved by faith, that faith being in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour? Sure faith without good works is dead [James 2:17], because we can’t say we love Jesus and then willingly disobey Him or deny Him by our actions, but at the same time, the Bible is clear on how we are saved, John 3:16, John 14:6, Hebrews 11:6, Luke 11:23 and so many more Biblical examples..So why the constant teaching about doing good things and not a peep about Jesus and His Gospel?
Little House on the Prairie – Show has many lovely episodes, but ever so often there are some episodes which message is just false false false! Take the episode the Lord is My Shepherd 2 for instance, I know the name of the episode sounds very Christian like, however, some of the things said was down right a lie straight from the devil’s mouth. To cut the story short, the main character Laura went up to a mountain because she wanted to be closer to God. Though we can find God by just following 2 Chronicles 7:14, that’s all good. Laura was a kid and this was her understanding of how to get closer to God. Anyhow, while there, she met some guy named Johnathon which said so many outrageous things about God that it was absolute torture for me to listen to. Nevertheless, I listened. The young girl Laura wanted to know why God hadn’t responded to her prayer. So Johnathon, I’m guessing he was supposed to be some kind of “angel”, in a nutshell told her that God has many things to do and needs time to catch up with her prayer and that He is tired and taking a nap. I even remember John telling Laura that “he thinks God is sometimes even surprised about the way we feel about things.” Hello! Since when does God need time to catch up? God does not get tired and He is all knowing, nothing surprises Him. So maybe Johnathon was just trying to explain things to Laura in the way she would understand, that reasoning still does not give the right to tell lies on the Lord God. He could have simply said: “once your prayer comes straight from the heart, God has heard you and you just need to be patient”. Plain and simple. There are more examples, but I’ll just leave this just one. For those of you who watch this show, just beware of the message in some of these episodes.
Florence + The Machine’s – You Got the Love – Great melody, cool lyrics. The overall package of You Got the Love however was distorted by its anti-Biblical message found in its music video. In the lyrics:
Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air,
I know I can count on you,
Sometimes I feel like saying “Lord I just don’t care”,
But you’ve got the love I need to see me through.Mind you, throughout the song she never mentions Jesus, but many folks argue that she is in fact referring to Him. I don’t know but based on the content of the lyrics, we can generally assume she is. Anyhow, if you watch the music video, you’ll notice the way in which the artist carries herself is completely contrary to the Word of God. I don’t know if it was her intention to act as an exotic dancer, but human beings are blessed with talent. Surely there must be a more modest way in which this can be done. I think.
1 Timothy 2:9-10,” In like manner also, that women adorn (dress) themselves in modest (decent) apparel, with shamefacedness {bashfulness} and sobriety“;
And for those of you who believe that she isn’t out to preach anything, I got one verse for you. 1 Corin 10:31 – “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” After watching such a music video someone might say: “Wow, it’s really easy to be a Christian. I can call Jesus my Saviour and dress and behave like that.” If being a “little sexy”, as one blogger puts it, is right by God, I believe He intends this kind of intimacy/sensuality of the body ONLY for spouses (a married man and woman) and it should in no way be publically paraded as in how we so often see it today. In other words, kept for the marriage bed, enclosed by four walls and a roof!- What if God Were the Sun – This is a movie. The name of the movie in my opinion is insulting, but this is just my opinion. God is not the sun and never will be. He created that great ball of fire. Geeze, there are no what ifs about it. Now this movie, might try to twist your emotions, it does have a touching story. However, that story got spoiled with the subtle false message it wanted to preach. Basically, some Jewish woman was dying. She had great faith in God, but there was no message of Jesus Christ and His work on the cross. Some time in the movie I remember her saying she was “going home”, this was in relation to after her dying. Right. Last time I checked, Jesus said that He’s the only way to heaven. (John 14:6) So, I’m not sure what home the woman was really referring to.
It’s all great that we believe in God but it’s salvation! when we believe in what He did for us on the cross, strive to live a life like Him, a life out of sin. A life of continual repentance and desire to draw in a closer relationship with God. The Gospel of Christ is very simple. I don’t know why folks feel they can teach something else and then brand it Christian.
We are to know that we are sinners, that we cannot get to heaven without complete dependence on Jesus Christ. We are to love God, follow His commands and hate sin. We are to feel remorseful of our sins and repent of them. We know we are seeking out/living the Christ like life when we enjoy the Word of God, enjoy chatting to friends about the Lord Jesus, deeply bothered when we disobey God…these things. There’s no Christian without Jesus CHRIST as King and Lord of our lives. Just believing in God, doing “good” things does not bring forth salvation. We got to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, we have to love Him, love others and love our selves. When we say we love Him, we got to strive to live the way He did. It’s hard with all the temptation in the world, but He is the narrow gate to heaven.
If you want the Gospel, read the Bible. If you want to see references of it onscreen, watch movies like Flywheel, Fireproof, the Board. Want to hear it through music? Listen to Don Moen, Natalie Grant, Phillips Craig and Dean…plus many more. Either way, let the Spirit of God lead you. Not sure about something? Just keep reading the Bible, keep praying and speak with other believers who know and love the Lord.
Watch out as the enemy is quite crafty, the creep.
God bless!