Most of us are familiar with the film rating system of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA): G (general audiences), PG (parental guidance suggested), PG-13 (may be inappropriate for children under 13), R (no one under 17 admitted without parent or guardian), or NC-17 (no one under 17 admitted at all). Sadly, it seems today most movie theaters fail to enforce the age restrictions for R-rated movies and sometimes even NC-17 movies, and we the Church need to change that.
We basically seem to agree that G and most PG movies are okay. I believe many of us would not take a young child to a PG-13 movie, at least not without previewing it first. Some of us would not even view a PG-13 movie ourselves. I believe many of us would never allow our children under seventeen to view an R-rated movie without our supervision, and that’s a good thing. What's better, many of us would not allow them to watch such a movie at all! What about mature Christian adults who want to view an R-rated movie without any children present? Would they be committing a sin?
The best way to answer that question is with another question: Would I take Jesus to see this movie with me? It always helps us to be well-informed of a movie’s moral content before we watch it. That way we will be more likely to make wise decisions. Many Christian social organizations, such as the American Family Association and Focus on the Family offer movie critiques from a biblical perspective; they are helpful and informative.
It is a fact: the vast majority of R-rated movies contain impressionable amounts of profanity, vulgarity, lewdness, nudity, illicit sex, violence, and/or murder. Therefore, it may seem to follow logically that Christians ought to boycott all of such movies all the time. However, the mere portrayal of violence and murder is not always evil. Violence and murder in the movies are not always gratuitous (portrayed as something fun and adventurous). In some cases they are meant to be brutal reminders of the reality of cold-blooded evil in our world. Examples of such portrayals are found in movies as The Killing Fields (which portrays mass genocide in Cambodia), China Cry (which portrays brutal persecution of Chinese Christians), The Schindler’s List (which portrays the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust), and Saving Private Ryan (which portrays gory, life-like casualties of war). Furthermore, have you seen The Passion of the Christ? Weren't those brutal beatings and the cruel crucifixion of our Lord unspeakably violent?! Therefore, while movies that portray violence or murder certainly warrant our caution, they are not necessarily “evil” movies on those grounds alone.
There are several applicable Scriptures to keep in mind before going to the movies (or renting a movie to view at home):
“Everything that does not come from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23b NIV).
“I will set before my eyes no vile thing” (Pss. 101:3a).
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Prov. 4:23).
See also Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.
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