![]() Movies dominate our culture. Do your kids know how to respond to the Truth and lies they encounter? Join AMBrewster as he lays out some tips for Christians to help guide their kids to Truth in their entertainment. Check out 5 Ways to Support TLP. Listen to the following episodes on Apple Podcasts by clicking the titles. “The Most Destructive Thing about Your Entertainment is Not What You’d Think” (episode 14) “Your Kids Need an Interpreter | helping your children navigate the world’s delusion” (episode 104) “Teach Your Children to Think" (episode 210) “The Merest Christianity” series (starts in episode 95) Click here for our free Parenting Course! Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow AMBrewster on Twitter. Follow us on Pinterest. Subscribe on YouTube. Need some help? Write to us at [email protected]. Click "Read More" for today’s Episode Notes and Transcript. Episode NotesTo download this document, please right-click and select "Save Image As." TranscriptIntroductionAs helpful as today’s content will be, I fear that this episode will one day be partially dated. Nearly all of our episodes are evergreen because they have nothing to do with parenting fads, trends, pop culture, and current events, but are firmly rooted in God’s unchanging, eternally relevant, and gloriously practical Word. However, in episode 24 we talked about “How the World Trains Your Kids to Fail” by referencing the song “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus. Well, that song came out in 2009. So, even though the interpretational tools we used to understand how Failure Philosophies in our kids music train your kids to fail, it’s easy for that episode to feel dated because it’s referencing an “old song.” And that’s probably going to happen to this episode at one point or another because any examples we use to illustrate the principles we’re discussing today are eventually going to be old and outdated . . . but we must remember that the Truth still stands. So, if you’re listening to this episode in the year 3058, and you haven’t even heard of the movies I’m going to reference, that’s okay. The point is not the movie; the point is how we can help our children interpret their movies in a Christ-honoring way. But before we get any deeper into that, I want to take a moment to thank Josh, Heatherly, Cara, and an anonymous donor for making this episode possible. We are a listener-supported ministry, and I praise God for providing the finances necessary to do what we do. But I also believe the Lord would be glorified by our doing more. So, if you think that you might be able to help us do more for the glory of God, please click on the “5 Ways to Support TLP" link in the description of this episode. It may be hard to believe, but if all of you only gave $5 a month — a little more than a dollar a week — we could start implementing Phase Two of our development. We hope for TruthLoveParent.com to become the premier hub for all things biblical-parenting, so that whether your family is hurting or thriving, you can find everything you need to take the next step in your conformity to Christ. Please prayerfully consider what you might be able to give and join us in this awesome work of equipping dads and moms all over the world to become the intentional, premeditated, disciple-making Ambassador Parents God called and created us to be. It’s an awesome work, and there’s always room for one more. Okay, so how can we help our kids interpret their entertainment correctly? TopicBroadly, this information will be applicable to all forms of entertainment or teaching that involves human language. I’m not going to deal with musical melodies and sports and things like that. This is about ideas, communication, and philosophy. However, my illustrations and examples are going to be pulled primarily from movies. The main reason for that is the idea for this episode came from one movie in particular, so my first illustration will come from that movie, but I will also allude to others. But before we dive in, let me remind you of the fact that we have episode notes linked below and that we have another fantastic episode all about the most dangerous element in your kids entertainment. That episode is linked below, and the main pulse of that show will be extremely important here as well because it will cover our last two points. But first, let me ask you this . . . How does your family approach movies? 1. The best way to approach entertainment is with your spirit turned on. I asked “how does your family approach movies” because the mental posture we take while watching movies will either seriously handicap us or set us up for spiritual success. Psalm 1:1 reads, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.” Unless every movie you watch is decidedly Christian, you can be guaranteed that you are putting yourself and your family under the influence of wicked sinful scoffers. That’s a fact. So, if you’re going to put yourself into their presence, are you walking with them? Are you standing with them? Are you sitting with them? What does all of that mean? The idea is that we’re putting ourselves into a relationship with them that we are inviting their influence. I can sit in a room and listen to someone lecture about evolution but do so from a contrary perspective where I’m listening to better understand how they think, but I will never accept what they say as Truth. Or I can sit there and consider their lecture for the purpose of making it part of my worldview. The first would be appropriate, the second would not be. So, when we sit down to watch a movie, what is our posture — not our physical posture, but our spiritual posture? There are some who are spiritually and mentally engaged to reject any lies they encounter. I believe this is the posture we need to take all the time. This is why I John 4:1 says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” We need to push everything that flows into our eyes and ears through the filter of God’s Word. That’s the first way to approach our movies. Of course, some people are spiritually immature and are willingly to embrace Failure Philosophies and enjoy the sin on the screen. That’s the second way, and that form of movie watching should be avoided at all costs. But there’s another category into which I believe far too many Christian young people slip. It happens because so many of us like to be amused. We like to shut our brains off and simply enjoy something without giving it any critical thought. We’re watching the movie just to have fun or unwind or distract ourselves from he cares of the day, and we enter the experience with our guard down and our hearts exposed to whatever lie the writers and directors and actors want to present. So, the first consideration for the day is that we cannot afford to approach our movies and music and books with our minds turned off. My daughter is almost ten, and she has enjoyed all sorts of books from Dr. Seuss to the classics, but recently she started a series of young adult fiction that is a new genre for her. And since my wife and I know almost nothing about the series, we did our due diligence to find reviews and learn as much as we could about the book without reading it. And still, it doesn’t matter how many people say the series is appropriate and inspiring and a giant step for YA fiction, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be huge, biblically objectionable elements. So, I’m constantly engaging my daughter’s mind to critically analyze the characters and their decisions and their worldview and even the general plot line of the story to make sure it doesn’t contradict God’s revealed will. And where it does, I’m asking her to talk to us about it. So, hear what I’m saying . . . I don’t believe it’s unwise to allow your children to encounter Failure Philosophies. It’s unwise to let your kids encounter them without being able to biblically and critically engage with the ideas, accept what’s right and reject what’s wrong. So, let’s talk about what takes to equip your kids to do that, and then discuss how the right foundation can lead to the right interpretation. 2. The best way to spot lies is to know the truth. I know you saw this one coming, but I had to start with it. You’re not going to be able to spot counterfeit money if you spend all your time studying counterfeit money. There are as many fakes as their are criminals, and — after a while — you’re going to forget what real money looks like. However, hire an observant teenage to be a cashier, and it won’t be long before that child is so intimately aware of what real money looks like and feels like, they’ll be able to spot a fake the moment it’s handed to them. Our kids need to be so intimately aware of the reality that God created that the moment someone suggests that things work differently than God says, your child instantly realizes the error in what they’re hearing. All of this to say that I don’t think you need to spend the majority of your time teaching your kids about the world’s Failure Philosophies. The majority of your time needs to be spent teaching the Truth of Scripture. Now, that’s not to say that you don’t teach your kids about the world’s Failure Philosophies. I have taught my kids about evolution, atheism, abortion, transgenderism, and a bunch of other lies. But I teach it to them with the purpose of helping them compare and contrast it with God’s Truth. However, I try not to expose them to a secular lie without first at least introducing them to what God has to say about it. Remember Proverbs 18:17, “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.” I’d prefer my kinds have God’s case stated first and then use that to examine the lies. But we don’t always have that luxury, so we do our best. And that’s it. That’s the foundation of solid interpretation. Everything must come back to and be compared to God’s Word, and — in the end — God’s Word must be obeyed. Now, what do you do with that knowledge? 3. The best way to know how your kids interpret life is to talk to them about it. I won’t spend much time on this point because we’ve discussed it a lot on this show, but also because that’s the content of the rest of this episode. So, maybe you watch a movie at home, your kids see one at a friend’s house, maybe you head out to the theater, and your child is exposed to the potential truth and lies of the movie. If their brains are turned on and have been filled with Truth, they have a far better chance of being able to answer the following questions in a Christ-honoring way. And if you talk to them, you’ll be able to know their hearts. Now, let’s look at six questions your children should be able to work through when it comes to encountering the world’s lies in entertainment. 1. How does your child interpret obvious sin? When your kids witness characters doing wicked things, how do they understand it? There was a tribe of people in a third-world country who valued treachery. When a missionary shared the Gospel with them, they thought Judas was the best character because he befriended Christ and then betrayed Him. Why did I share that anecdote? I share it because some of our kids watch movies because they want to enjoy the sinful parts. They want to see the sex scene. They fantasize about what it would be like to be that criminal who just stole $500,000,000. They enjoy the sinful lifestyles and worldly philosophies in the movie because it’s a reflection of their heart. We must not assume our kids will correctly interpret the sin they see on the screen. Now, I assume you’re not deliberately watching movies with gratuitous sin, but we have to acknowledge that every protagonist needs an antagonist. Every bad guy does sinful things. Now, it’s not bad to witness that happening. The Bible is filled from front to back with historical accounts of wicked people dong wicked things. But the Scripture interprets that wickedness for us and helps us see the destruction and foolishness of it. We need to help our kids do the same thing — especially in movies where there is a very fine and super grey line between the good guys and the bad guys. When the protagonist is the criminal, we’re blurring the distinction and making it hard for our kids to differentiate how they’re supposed to feel about the “good guy” doing wicked things. I’m going to say that every single movie ever produced is going to portray sinful people doing sinful things. Our kids need to be taught to interpret that sin correctly. It needs to be viewed as sin. It needs to be understood to be destructive. Our children need to interpret it as being unsatisfactory and undesirable. And though this may be a hard one to talk about because the kids don’t want to admit that they like the sinful stuff, this is the easy one. It only gets more challenging from here. 2. How does your child interpret feel-good messages? So, you’re watching a movie and there’s this idea or message that gives you the goosebumps and the tingles because it’s empowering and noble. Let me give you the example that sparked the idea for this episode. So, my family was very excited about seeing The Greatest Showman. You may or may not have seen it. It stars Hugh Jackman and portrays P.T. Barnum’s quasi-historical rise to fame. Now, you may already be scandalized that my family would have seen the movie. Maybe you think the music or language or costumes are inappropriate . . . and maybe you’re right. My point is not to label any of the movies as good or bad or even start a discussion about all of the possible biblically objectionable elements. There were a lot; I’m just pulling one example from this movie. So, one of the climactic songs of the movie is the one the world has really applauded and onto which many groups have latched. Let me give you and idea of the lyrics. Here’s just a few of the lines: This Is Me “Another round of bullets hits my skin. Well, fire away 'cause today, I won't let the shame sink in. We are bursting through the barricades and Reaching for the sun. Yeah, that's what we've become. I won't let them break me down to dust; I know that there's a place for us For we are glorious. When the sharpest words wanna cut me down, I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out. I am brave, I am bruised, I am who I'm meant to be. This is me. Look out 'cause here I come. And I'm marching on to the beat I drum. I'm not scared to be seen. I make no apologies, this is me.” Now, let me tell you that the aberrant sexuality proponents love this song. It’s the anthem of inclusion and self-acceptance. “I am brave, I am bruised, I am who I'm meant to be. This is me.” And I think it’s good for our kids to be able to see how the world might use such an anthem to legitimize their sinful lifestyles. However, I believe the Christian can find great joy in this song. Listen again and consider these words spoken by David as the world harangued him for righteous living. “When the sharpest words wanna cut me down, I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out. I am brave, I am bruised, I am who I'm meant to be. This is me. Look out 'cause here I come. And I'm marching on to the beat I drum. I'm not scared to be seen. I make no apologies, this is me.” Within the context of conformity to Christ, this song can be interpreted in a very holy and appropriate way. “Another round of bullets hits my skin. Well, fire away 'cause today, I won't let the shame sink in. We are bursting through the barricades and Reaching for the sun. Yeah, that's what we've become. I won't let them break me down to dust; I know that there's a place for us For we are glorious.” I think you understand where I’m going with this, but how are your kids interpreting that song? Does it resonate as an anthem against authority? Does it help them celebrate their sinful lifestyle? You won’t know until you ask. 3. How does your child interpret moralistic philosophies? This idea is similar to the last one. My illustration for this point is Groundhog Day. If you haven’t seen it, Bill Murray plays a pompous weather forecaster who ends up repeating the same day over and over until he learns valuable lessons. Over the course of the movie he moves from being an arrogant, unkind, self-absorbed jerk to a humble, generous, other’s serving, and really sweet, lovable guy. How does your child interpret that? Now, most of us would love it if our kids had a Groundhog Day/It’s a Wonderful Life/Family Man kind of experience that shows them just how lucky they are to be alive and helps them throw off their sinful ways and embrace Christ’s calling for their lives. But, in the movies, most of these moralistic life lessons have no basis in God’s Word. Some children interpret those events as being stupid. They liked the jerk better. Some children will connect the ethical life-lessons to the Truth they know from Scripture. Some children will have it reinforced that “good living” and “decency” are the goal for a successful life. And who knows how other children will interpret that lesson. Talk to your kids about what they think. It can be during the movie, after the movie, days later during a meal. But don’t let it slide. Remember, like we discussed in episode 104, “Your Kids Need an Interpreter,” it’s amazing how children can hear Truth and arrive at far-fetched, ridiculous, and often downright sinful conclusions. They need help logically, analytically, and biblically thinking through the material. I also want to recommend a two part interview I conducted with my mom called “Teach Your Children to Think.” Those episodes are another pivotal part of helping our kids learn to step through information and arrive at biblical conclusions. 4. How does your child interpret religious events? Superman is counseled by a priest. A symbolist discovers the living heir of Jesus Christ. A man talks to God in a shack. As antagonistic as the world is to organized religion, it amazes me how many times Hollywood finds value in allowing a religious figure to give life-changing advice. This is due to the fact that most people still have an underlying belief that religious people are the ones who have the answers to life. But Hollywood also likes to make the religious experiences palatable and acceptable to our secular notions. It likes to define terms the way they make sense to us. So, after being told by Superman that he doesn’t believe the enemy could be trusted, but he’s not certain the people of earth can be trusted either, the priest tells Superman, “Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith first. The trust part comes later.” I get what he’s saying. It’s not egregious. But it’s also not biblical. We discuss this at length in The Merest Christianity series — faith, trust, and belief are all identical terms used throughout Scripture. So, how exactly should we respond to the advice to take a leap of faith first because the trust part comes later? For me, that’s just confusing. How are my kids to understand that? Even more so, how are my kids supposed to respond to this female who’s claiming to be the God of the Bible but who’s saying things that are very unbiblical? There are so many lies about God and the Bible in the movie, The Shack, but when it all sounds so inspirational and feel-good and moralistic, how will your child interpret those counterfeit truths? Worse yet, how will your kids know how to respond when they see a movie about a group of people who seem to have very convincing arguments for the fact that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalen and had a child with her? Now, perhaps you prefer to not allow your kids to watch such movies, and I wouldn’t criticize you for it. But your kids will one day encounter Failure Philosophies and lies very similar to the ones in the movies, and how will they know how to respond when that happens? I once worked for a man who claimed to be a gnostic who believed that people are like God’s fingers. He experiences the world through us as we live our lives. How would your kids interpret and understand and respond to that claim? The moment anything takes an air of religiosity in the movies, are your kids going to be able to tell the difference between truth and lies and come to the right conclusions? I recommend you create a family habit of talking about things like that after you’ve watched movies. I remember when I was young, I actually thought that all the references to God and Allah in the original Disney Aladdin were a positive thing. But then my parents helped me realize that the god they were talking about was the god of Islam. That changed how I interpreted the scenes thereafter. Moving on . . . 5. How does your child interpret atheism and death? The vast majority of movies produced these days have absolutely no concept of God. How does that sit with your kids? When certain of the Avengers died in Endgame, did your kids ever wonder what happened to them? Did they just enter into nothing? Did they go to Heaven? Did they go to Hell. Why? I think it’s interesting that we’ll allow movies to redefine our understanding of the afterlife. If we’re honest, we have to acknowledge that this hero who just died to save humanity was in fact —as the writer’s created him — unsaved. That means, biblically speaking, that after he sacrificed himself for the whole world, he entered Hell. I know we don’t like to think like that when watching movies, but isn’t interesting how we allow ourselves to ignore God’s clear teachings simply to be entertained? Death is very common in movies. Do our kids respond in a desensitized way with no thought to their life and eternity, or do they interpret those scenes differently? I think it’s easy for us to overlook death in movies. We see so much of it. But I don’t think the problem is that we become accustom to death; I think the bigger issue is that we become accustom to a death that doesn’t exist — a death that doesn’t conform to God’s descriptions. But if interpreting atheistic deaths is difficult, consider this last point. 6. How does your child interpret atheistic success stories? So the Avengers or the Justice League save the world . . . without God. The boy and girl make love work . . . without God. The protagonists save the dinosaurs . . . without God. And nearly every movie we watch tempts us to believe that life works just fine without any consideration of God. Do your children believe that? How do they work through that? I’m concerned that they don’t really think about it, and subconsciously they’re sitting in the seat with scoffers and allowing their views of life to tacitly influence them into thinking that church is a facet of life where God is important, but when it comes to being successful in relationships or business or family or science or whatever else . . . you don’t need God. ConclusionMaybe you know exactly how your kids think and work through these questions. Perhaps your family has discussed these issues and compared the entertainment to the Word.
That’s wonderful! But perhaps you don’t know what your kids think . . . if anything . . . when they watch movies. I’d strongly encourage you to have those discussions and bring Truth to bear on those ideologies. You may be very surprised to hear the conclusions to which your kids have come. We want to equip you and your family to glorify God in all you do, and we pray this episode has been a huge part of that. And we hope that our upcoming review series will continue that process in you and your kids. So, to that end, I’ll see you next time.
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