photo courtesy of Wikipedia
I stopped watching television some time ago. Before I get labeled a fanatic, please understand that I don’t mean the device is itself offensive. In fact, my Saturday evenings are usually spent watching period drama pieces on DVD. What I mean is I gave up watching shows on TV because I find much of the content objectionable. This is where my friends-including Christian friends-roll their eyes and accuse me of not being real. My jocular response is usually, “I assure you, I am not a work of fiction.” But in all seriousness, their argument is that art is merely a reflection of life. So if a TV series depicts sexual immorality, profanity, swearing, and using the Lord’s name in vain, the producers are simply keeping it real.
Needless to say, I disagree.
There is a difference between using the arts to reflect brokenness, versus celebrating and promoting that brokenness as the new normal. Acceptable. Pleasing. A sign of human progress. An expression of living your truth.
One of the reasons I love reading the Scriptures- especially the life of the Kings of Israel-is that it offers an unvarnished depiction of human nature. Is there a more intriguing saga than the story of a middle-aged King who sees a married woman naked, lusts after her, spends one night slaking his lust, sends her back to her husband’s house, learns that she is pregnant and tries to force her husband to have sex with her so everyone will assume the child belongs to her husband? When the husband refuses to sleep with his wife, the King orders his general to orchestrate the man’s murder, then he sends for the woman, makes her his wife and keeps it quiet.
Of course this is the Biblical story of David and Bathsheba. And things become even more sordid as the story progresses! So what’s the difference? Why am I taken with Biblical intrigue and not Empire? One simple verse from the Biblical story answers the question:
And this thing greatly displeased the Lord.
The Bible is not shy about showing us the depth of human depravity, but sin is not celebrated. It is either judged or forgiven. God is not a social media influencer or a politician. He does not take a poll to determine right and wrong. He is not secretly delighted by our wickedness. The Bible reflects His heart in these matters. Sin is not a source of entertainment. TV shows often lead Christians to romanticize sexual immorality, to become desensitized to vulgarity, to cheer for obnoxious children, support covenant breakers and to root for things the Bible calls shameful and abominable. It is small wonder we no longer weep and sigh over iniquity. It is our new normal, brought to us by Hollywood producers on a mission to evangelize the world with their version of truth.
So I will keep it real. But my readers will see clear moral lines drawn. When Kyle cheats on Meri in A Good Thing, there is a price to be paid. The best way to keep it real is to tell the truth about our actions. “Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.”
Rae J