20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
This is critical as we seek to live out the life to which God has called us. The impulses and images that we allow to take root in our hearts can ultimately govern the course of our lives. The Bible speaks of using spiritual tools in order to pull down strongholds. If we have become captivated to harmful ways of thinking, that do not line up with Scripture, then our decision-making can and will be impaired. We have to make sure that God's Word provides the standards for our choices and that we are encouraged in our faith, not weighed down,.
We see a "Philippians philter," if you will, in the fourth chapter of Paul's letter to the church at
Philippi. He wrote:
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.
9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
The world of pop culture, including various forms of entertainment, is a powerful force - I would say that we all like to be entertained, to be inspired, to perhaps be touched emotionally. And, a new Barna Group survey highlights the role of film in our individual lives.
The survey indicates that 67% of adults in America "saw at least one movie at the theater during the past year." Only about 1-in-7, or 16%, saw between 3 and 5 movies. 33%, many among them in the Boomer generation, didn't see a film at all in a theater.
31% of participants indicated they saw 21 movies or more within the past year on DVD, Blu-ray, or streaming. 22% of those surveyed said they had 20 or more movies on television - either cable, broadcast, or via satellite. By contrast, only 7 percent said they saw only 1-2 movies on DVD, Blu-ray, or streaming; 12 percent via television platforms.
The most popular films in 2016, according to this survey: Deadpool, with 37%, Captain America: Civil War, at 35%, and a tie between Batman v. Superman and Finding Dory, with 31% indicating they had seen them.
Among evangelicals, the list of top films is somewhat different, with Zootopia in the top slot with 32%, Finding Dory at 30% and Civil War at 28%. Whereas Miracles from Heaven only attracted 9% of the general audience, 21% of evangelicals said they had seen it.
And, perception of Hollywood's portrayals of faith were part of this survey...the summary says:
And, Ted Baehr of Movieguide is continuing to try to send a message to Hollywood that family-friendly films do better at the box office. A report on the Movieguide website states:
And, this discussion does include what Disney has done recently. In a recent commentary on The Point, John Stonestreet said that, "It doesn't have to be loud to be important." Citing Beauty and the Beast's $170 million box-office take this past weekend and the coverage of the so-called "gay moment" in the film, he writes:
For our own individual lives, we can apply the Philippians 4:8 test to the content that we allow into our consciousness. If we consistently allow messages that are contrary to Scripture to penetrate our minds, we run the risk of being desensitized to the things of the Spirit. We must guard our hearts and protect ourselves against the images and words that can weigh us down.
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We see a "Philippians philter," if you will, in the fourth chapter of Paul's letter to the church at
Philippi. He wrote:
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.
9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
The world of pop culture, including various forms of entertainment, is a powerful force - I would say that we all like to be entertained, to be inspired, to perhaps be touched emotionally. And, a new Barna Group survey highlights the role of film in our individual lives.
The survey indicates that 67% of adults in America "saw at least one movie at the theater during the past year." Only about 1-in-7, or 16%, saw between 3 and 5 movies. 33%, many among them in the Boomer generation, didn't see a film at all in a theater.
31% of participants indicated they saw 21 movies or more within the past year on DVD, Blu-ray, or streaming. 22% of those surveyed said they had 20 or more movies on television - either cable, broadcast, or via satellite. By contrast, only 7 percent said they saw only 1-2 movies on DVD, Blu-ray, or streaming; 12 percent via television platforms.
The most popular films in 2016, according to this survey: Deadpool, with 37%, Captain America: Civil War, at 35%, and a tie between Batman v. Superman and Finding Dory, with 31% indicating they had seen them.
Among evangelicals, the list of top films is somewhat different, with Zootopia in the top slot with 32%, Finding Dory at 30% and Civil War at 28%. Whereas Miracles from Heaven only attracted 9% of the general audience, 21% of evangelicals said they had seen it.
And, perception of Hollywood's portrayals of faith were part of this survey...the summary says:
American adults are split when it comes to Hollywood’s portrayal of Christianity, believing it is either generally negative (11%) or generally positive (13%). Similar amounts believe the portrayal is neutral (15%). The largest contingent (28%) believe the portrayal of Christianity by Hollywood is mixed: It’s sometimes negative, and sometimes positive.Evangelicals are more likely to believe that Christianity is negatively portrayed, with 40% voicing that opinion. The summary states: "...16 percent of Americans were made to think more seriously about religion, spirituality or their religious faith after seeing certain movies."
And, Ted Baehr of Movieguide is continuing to try to send a message to Hollywood that family-friendly films do better at the box office. A report on the Movieguide website states:
The 2017 Annual Report to the Entertainment Industry by the pro-family advocacy group Movieguide® shows that the most family-friendly movies averaged more than $78.77 million per movie in 2016 in America and Canada, but the least family-friendly movies with the most offensive, obscene, or anti-family, immoral content averaged only about $22.58 million.
R-rated movies fared almost as poorly, averaging only $18.45 million per movie.Taking a look at this data, you can readily that the movie industry is quite pervasive, and you can conclude that what we expose ourselves to through entertainment can be influential and even compelling...Christians are especially prone to view films that line up with their values, and the portrayal of faith can make an impact on people. It's not coincidental - that's why our entertainment choices matter.
And, this discussion does include what Disney has done recently. In a recent commentary on The Point, John Stonestreet said that, "It doesn't have to be loud to be important." Citing Beauty and the Beast's $170 million box-office take this past weekend and the coverage of the so-called "gay moment" in the film, he writes:
You see, the power of cultural moments is not in how loud they are, but in how normal they seem. So whether you choose to see the film or not, do not let moments like this pass with your kids without pointing out the subtle messages of the moments, and how these messages are communicated to us. This exercise will cultivate discernment, something that all of us need more and more of as Christians in this culture every single day.Today, we take away that media is quite influential in our culture today, and there is more of it that ever! For the culture at large, we have to be concerned about the messages that are being sent, including about matters of faith. Even though Hollywood doesn't seem to "get it" that more family-friendly fare fares better at the ticket window, there is a statement being made by audiences about what they'd like to consume.
For our own individual lives, we can apply the Philippians 4:8 test to the content that we allow into our consciousness. If we consistently allow messages that are contrary to Scripture to penetrate our minds, we run the risk of being desensitized to the things of the Spirit. We must guard our hearts and protect ourselves against the images and words that can weigh us down.
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