My Movie Standards

I grew up in a home that some called "strict". To me as the child inside the home, it was a loving, God honoring, Christian home. My parents admittedly were strict - but they were amazing listeners and communicators. They always fully explained why they made the rules they had and they always accepted me unconditionally.

So when my husband called me for our very first date at the age of 17 (exactly 17 years ago last month) and he said "Do you want to see a movie?" I answered "Sure." The only movie that fit my parents standards was Disney's Aladdin - rated G. My future husband was from a home with no rules - so he definitely found this to be a bit alarming but respectable.

Rewind 4 years to me at the age of 13 at a slumber party with my cheerleading squad. The girls have just put the movie "Top Gun" in and I'm sitting there thinking - UH OH - I'm not allowed to see PG-13 movies...what do I do? I did the only thing I could do - I faked sleepy, yawned, laid out my sleeping bag and for two hours laid there wide awake but faking sleep.

Through a loving relationship, my parents were able to transfer their convictions to me. They taught me "garbage in/garbage out". That we must protect our minds. I am SO thankful for this gift they gave me.

Fast forward now with me to the age 20. I am now a Senior in college and I am with a group of Moody Bible Institute Students on a missions trip to Key West. It's our spring break and we are there to do beach evangelism. The group has decided to go see a movie. I'm excited and in! We arrive at the theatre and to my astonishment - they choose an R rated movie! There I stand, knowing I've never seen an R rated movie and that my parents would not approve. Faking "sleep" would not work in this circumstance. lol!

I'd been in this situation many times between the age of 13 and 20. Most of the time it was when I was with non-Christian friends so it felt okay to be misunderstood. But here I stood with a bunch of missionary and pastoral majors...hmph - now what's my excuse? In one quick second, I caved to the peer pressure of my Christian friends and into the movie theatre I went.

You can bet 2 hours later I emerged from that theatre feeling miserable. Why in the world did I watch such wretched behavior on the screen? It was not entertaining at all for me. The words of my parents went through my mind. These are the movie standards they passed onto me (paraphrased):

1. I remember mom saying: "If a couple who was unmarried came into your living room, would you allow them to make love on your couch? Certainly not! Well, that's what you are doing when you play a movie in the privacy of your home that has fornication in it. You have invited this couple right into your home to do such things!"

2. "If you were taking Jesus in the flesh with you to the theatre - would you take him to see this movie or be embarrassed of the sin displayed for which he was beaten to a pulp and then nailed on a cross for? Jesus died on the cross to save us from these very sins we entertain ourselves with. Would you take Jesus with you to see this movie? If Jesus can't see it, neither can you!"

3. Your eyes take in images that your mind locks up and cannot erase. Do not play before your eyes images that pollute your mind. (Philippians 4:8 says: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.")

Does this seem extreme in our culture? Yes, it does and I took a lot of flack as a teen for this stance in a public school - and even inside Christian circles. But do not underestimate your children and their convictions. Proverbs 22:6 says: "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." These are the same standards we hold to in our home today.

Start while your children are young talking to them about what is best for their eyes to see on television, their ears to hear on the radio and their minds to take in at the movies. Talk talk talk talk talk about these things. And don't be afraid to be "strict" as long as it is Bible based and balanced with a loving relationship. I can testify as a product of parents who lived out their strong convictions with love - that I am sincerely thankful for my parent's strictness. Will the world change your children or will your children change the world? The answer to that question is in your parenting.


Walk with the King!

Ps. An excellent resource for previewing movies is: Focus on the Family's Plugged In Movie Reviews. You can know in advance the content of profane language, violence, etc.