These views of the constructed new world must all be evaluated in light of God's Word and world. When you view a movie, remember that it is almost impossible to see a movie where there is not some attack made upon a Biblical worldview. How may Christians gauge the impact of movies on their thinking?

Proverbs teaches that you must guard your heart from the influences of those that would turn you from God. (See all of Chapter four but especially verse 23) Movies are the power tools of influence. Christians must ask themselves how they have been influenced by movies and by those who make them. Because of the powerful influence of movies, you come into close company, close space, with those in the movie. In other words, for the two hours or so that the movie runs, you hang with the theme and characters of the movie. Therefore, the warning of I Cor. 15:33 applies to movies when it says that "Bad company corrupts good character." Here are a few questions to help you to analyze the impact of movies on your life.

Immediately after viewing the movie, ask yourself these questions.

1. What is the message, theme or main point of the movie?
   
   

2. How was this message conveyed?
   

   • Was the acting, the plot, the cinematography, the special effects, or some combination the main tool used to convey this message?




3. What is the movie’s view of God?
   
   

• Ways you can tell—
  

  1. What is the view of creation of the earth?
     

  2. What is the view of sexuality?
     

  3. What is the view of authority?
     

  4. What is the view of the weather, or other examples of providence?
     

  5. What other ways can you discern the movie’s understanding of God?
     
     

4. How did the movie affect you? Attempt to analyze why you were happy, sad, tempted to sin, angry, or cynical towards something portrayed in the movie.
   
   

5. How did the use of humor in the movie affect you? Were humorous situations occasions for you to laugh when God and His laws were openly mocked?
   
   

6. Were your views of godly sexuality assaulted by the movie?

   • Were you influenced to think that being a homosexual is not really a big deal? Were you relieved that only heterosexual sin was shown in the movie? In other words, are you less disturbed at heterosexual sin than with homosexual behavior? Were you tempted to see fear as something that can be overcome without the power of God? Did the movie make you see your own home situation less sympathetically? Were there occasions where you were tempted to envy and lust? If the movie was historically based, was the historical representation accurate? Do you find yourself wanting to be like one of the characters portrayed in the movie?
     
     

7. Do you need to talk with your parents or a leader in your church to help you deal with temptations that may have been presented in the movie?
   
   

8. Is there a way you can use the theme of the movie to talk to others about Christ and His gospel?
   

This brief guide is a challenge to you, Christian, to think about the impact of movies on your life. Those who made the movie had a definite message in mind that they wanted to communicate. Were you influenced away from biblical thought patterns by this message? Seek out others, your friends, your family, your pastor and talk about what you have seen. After you have traveled to the movie maker's world, can you still see clearly the real world, God’s world? If not, reach for your Bible so you can see the world again through the eyes of the Spirit.

©2000 by John A. Younts/The Milieu Online