On the other hand, I am not going to be legalistic and say that Christians shouldn’t watch R rated movies. The fact of the matter is that the Bible is silent when it comes to movies, for the obvious reason that they weren’t invented then. With that being said, there are some principles in scripture that we can apply to our movie watching.
1) If you think that watching a certain movie is going to lead you into sin, don’t watch it. It doesn’t matter what the movie is rated, if it will lead you into sin, don’t watch it. I think the principle of Proverbs 1:10 is applicable here, “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.” Thus, if watching a certain movie is going to lead you into sin, avoid it. For example, if a movie has some strong sexual overtones or his heavy on sensuality, someone who has struggled or is struggling with pornography should avoid such things. So, if there are certain sins you struggle with, and a movie that you want to watch has the potential of enticing you, it is best if you just avoid it.
2) If you can’t do it in faith and with a clear conscience, don’t! Again, it doesn’t matter what the movie is rated, if you cannot watch it in faith and with a clear conscience, avoid it, or turn it off. In Romans 14:23, Paul states that whatever we do that is not of faith, is sin. This principle applies to all aspects of life, including movie watching. Earlier, Paul exhorts believers to be fully persuaded in their own minds (14:5) regarding their daily conduct, to live as “unto the Lord” (14:8) knowing that we are the Lord’s and to have a clear conscience before God regarding our conduct knowing that “every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).
3) It may be lawful, but is it beneficial? In 1 Corinthians 6:12 and 10:23, Paul is talking to the Corinthians about whether or not they should eat meat sacrificed to idols, and gives guidelines as to when it is permissible and when it is not. Since movie watching is a matter of conscience, like eating meat sacrificed to idols, we have to ask ourselves how beneficial it is. Grant it, some movies are for sheer entertainment, like many action movies and comedies, but some are beneficial in other ways. Some movies bring history alive, teach good lessons, and show the consequence of a certain way of life. So, you must use discernment as to whether or not watching a certain movie is going to be beneficial to you or lead you into sin.
4) Don’t watch trash. Not every director is out to tell a story or make a point. Some movies are just plain trash. There are movies that seek nothing more to exalt sex, pornography, bloodlust, decadence, and perversion. Sure, every movie is going to have a hint of this in it, but some films seek nothing more than to exalt such things
When it comes to what we allow our children to watch, we can incorporate some of these same principles. First, I would like to speak to parents with younger children. I don’t want to get into a deep discussion about childhood development, but our children are very impressionable when they are young. This means we need to be extra careful about what we let them watch. The principle of whether or not a movie will lead them into sin is applicable here. For example, we don’t let Owen watch shows that have a lot of name calling in them. Why? Because he latches on to those words and wants to immediately go use them. Thus, these types of shows lead him into sin and are not beneficial for him.
Another thing to evaluate when it comes to younger viewers is how do these shows depict family life? Are the parents portrayed as morons and the kids are the “know-it-alls?” This type of philosophy goes against what we as Christian parents are trying to establish in our homes.
However, as you train and teach your children, I believe that it can be beneficial to let them watch things that might not line up with the values of the home or with scripture, and use them as an opportunity to dialogue about certain things. I do this with Emma Kate now, and it has been a good teaching tool.
Finally, we do need to be careful about how much tv we let our kids watch. The fact of the matter is that we don’t want our children drawing their values, philosophy, and worldview from movies, but from scripture. This can’t happen if they spend more time watching tv than they do being discipled. Movies are a great source of fun, entertainment, and cultural engagement, but they are not a good source of truth.
As far as teenagers go, the four principles we outline above are applicable to them. With this being said, you also have to consider their walk with God and their maturity level. As parents, part of our job is to shepherd our children in all things, including their entertainment.