Why would the Religious Herald publish an article like “Pass the Popcorn” [May 29] that contains a secular view of entertainment media without balancing that view with spiritual commentary from respected Christian leaders and teachers?
The article “Pass the Popcorn” by Jennifer Harris presents a secular apology for contemporary films and media while depicting Christians as individuals who possibly lack understanding of the world, their neighbors, and God's command for Christians to love one another.
The details in the article, presented primarily by such men as theater and rhetoric professors, contain no biblical basis. In fact, the content might be quite misleading to struggling Christians trying to deepen their relationship with God and find his will in their daily lives.
The article contains specious statements, such as the following one by Jeffrey Overstreet (editor, author and freelance movie reviewer) in paragraph seven: “He [Jesus] was found at the corner pub, surrounded by messed up people.”
Overstreet goes on to imply that Christians “bombard” others with the gospel and “just keep shouting.” The article also seems to suggest that most Christians would be better Christians if we embraced modern media, immersed ourselves in modern culture, and through both began “relating to the world we are called to love or the world God so loved.”
Overstreet also voices elitist views when he says, “The importance [and profundity of R-rated films] lies in knowing how to interpret films, which may be difficult for those who have never studied literature or other arts.”
Harris quotes Chad Johnson, a production assistant for Allen Press and an adjunct online instructor of communication: “It always surprises me that Christians will dismiss an R-rated film, yet read R-rated books in the Bible like Judges.”
I, on the other hand, am surprised that anyone supposedly writing about spiritual development would compare an R-rated film with a book of the Bible. In Romans 15:4 Paul wrote, “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Of course, Paul was referring to Scripture, not to R-rated films or to any other aspect of popular culture.
While people can deepen their understanding of the world through many avenues, including various media, they should also exercise spiritual discernment. If Jesus were here today, I think that He would not spend two hours in a movie theater watching an R-rated film containing immorality, profanity and/or violence in an effort to understand people's needs.
We will prove faithful by turning to God rather than to secular culture for guidance in Christian living.
Julia Killian, Richmond