A Different Perspective

Since the fall of 1999, I have been infatuated with a TV show airing on the WB called Roswell. A well-written show with young and talented actors, Roswell blends creativity with technology, all the while perking viewers’ interests by mixing sci-fi, typical high school life, and fascination with alien life. The show focuses on three aliens who were involved in the supposed 1947 UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico, and have been living ‘normal’ lives until one of them uses his powers to save a human.Since the fall of 1999, I have been infatuated with a TV show airing on the WB called Roswell. A well-written show with young and talented actors, Roswell blends creativity with technology, all the while perking viewers’ interests by mixing sci-fi, typical high school life, and fascination with alien life. The show focuses on three aliens who were involved in the supposed 1947 UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico, and have been living ‘normal’ lives until one of them uses his powers to save a human.

The responses from some of my peers amazed me. Quizzical looks were followed by the question, "Do you really like that show?" My enjoyment of Roswell shocked some because they judged the show to be a bad combination of Dawson’s Creek and the X-Files but others were disturbed by the content of the show. They asked if I really believe in aliens, and if I don’t, what makes the show enjoyable? For many Christians, entertainment that includes an unbiblical reality violates their principles.

While astonishment over my enjoyment of Roswell was minimal, the reaction to my occasional viewing of Angel or Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been more severe. I hear comments like, "Those shows are demonic," or "How could you watch that evil stuff?" I must admit to a time in my life in which I would have been the one saying things like these. A variety of circumstances in my life have led to my current stance on television entertainment.

What are the ‘real’ standards we apply to entertainment?
My peers who would ban shows like Buffy and Angel are not really applying fair standards to their television viewing. Most, if not all of them, are watchers of the popular NBC show, Friends. Now, I am not going to propose banning Friends, of course, but it is an excellent example of mixed standards. When someone watches Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it is not difficult to observe the demonic aspects and the purely ridiculous. With a show like Friends, however, habits that do not coincide with the Christian life are more subtly introduced. Sex is a very casual thing on the show, and most of the time an attitude of "looseness" with sexuality is encouraged. I know it is just my opinion, but I must be more careful after watching the "good" shows on television than I do watching the "bad" shows.

7th Heaven receives much acclaim by a large sector of the Christian community. Many Christians herald the show as good, clean television. The show is about a pastor’s family and their struggles in life, but there is only a rare mention of Jesus Christ and few more mentions of God, in general. Is this the model for Christians in today’s society? The Camdens (the family in 7th Heaven) lifestyle is not one we should be modeling. Why does a show like 7th Heaven get acclaim from the Christian community, while shows like Angel (a spin-off from Buffy) get blasted?

The standards we use to judge entertainment are based on the works done in the television show or movie. If the characters predominantly do things that we deem good, the show meets our approval. If the actions of the characters are predominantly bad, we deem the show to be not acceptable for viewing. For many reading this, that makes sense as a standard for Christian television viewing. I am not so sure.

The problem with the above standard is that it exemplifies perfectly legalistic Christianity. The church today seems more concerned with what people do then with the true nature of their relationship to God. We have carried this over to our entertainment. If we were to be honest with ourselves, NOTHING on television would truly meet the criteria. So should we not watch television? Never go to the movies again?

Placing a standard that is dependant on the actions of the characters is not a good way to evaluate entertainment. Certainly, there are actions that we should not view, as is the case with pornography, but for the most part, viewing non-Christian characters living non-Christian lives is not wrong. After all, that is how non-Christians live!

A Different Standard
A different way of looking at entertainment begins with an inner evaluation. Where are we at, and why do we desire the things that we do? What are our reasons for watching certain shows? In fact, the standard I am talking about really isn’t a standard on the entertainment that we choose at all, it is a standard on life.

We compartmentalize our lives in western culture. This is carried over to the Church, where we see entertainment as just one sector of our lives. What we choose to entertain ourselves with should be a natural outflow of the life that we live, and of who we are uniquely designed to be.

I know, many of you are shouting in your minds, "Then how can you watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer?!?!?!?!?!" That is an excellent question, and one that has to be answered in detail.

God designed me to be a creative and visual person. The things that interest and entertain me most naturally are things that are creative and visual. The shows I enjoy most tend to be sci-fi or have incredible story lines, or in the case of my favorite show Roswell, both of these things. Shows like Buffy are attractive to me, because of their creativity and artistic accomplishments. Now, that being said, I know there are still a plethora of reasons and questions that may be racing through your head. Before you condemn me, read on …

Your perspective on life determines what you get from entertainment
This is the toughest part of this article to adequately express. I pre-suppose that watching television shows that contain non-Christian characters with non-Christian actions is not wrong. The standards used to determine what is right and wrong are not applied equally to all shows, otherwise there would be no television shows to watch! Having said that, I believe that what you get from entertainment depends greatly on what you bring to it. When I watch Buffy or Angel, I find myself moved to compassion when "Willow" (a character from Buffy) begins to delve deeper and deeper into the witchcraft religion of Wicca. I do not find myself desiring to participate in witchcraft, rather I am moved to understand why someone would choose wicca over Christ. Questions well up within me that express my heart’s desire for the lost to know Christ. Through watching a television show like that, I develop a deeper compassion for the real people practicing the Wiccan religion, and with that compassion some understanding of the religion, though a highly commercialized understanding. When "Angel" does his good deeds trying to make up for his past sin, I am reminded that many real persons do the same, trying to earn forgiveness for past mistakes. When a plotline runs contradictory to my perception of the truth, I am challenged to think about where the characters went wrong. When I go to the television with a heart after God, I learn about the lost, I learn about myself, and I learn about God.

To the chagrin of much of the Christian community today, 7th Heaven does not help me in life because of superb Christian ethics. Rather, the show challenges me to not compartmentalize my life and to live my whole life with Christ at the center, which is unlike the characters of that show. I see in those characters how the American culture has deeply impacted the church, and I learn which attitudes I need to change in myself, because I have allowed hurtful habits to diminish my walk with Christ.

Now, I have run the danger of infuriating many more people, who would say this attitude is judgmental and over-critical. I am not intending to be slamming characters that many of you may really enjoy, but my purpose is sharing what I get from entertainment and why. I do not want you to think that I am constantly evaluating every detail of the shows that I watch, I do watch some shows for pure enjoyment. As a Christian, however, I do have a different lifeview than non-Christians, and that affects my response to non-Christian television.

The motivation for watching the shows
A part of this new standard for evaluating entertainment questions why we watch certian shows. Our heart’s desires should be called into account and truthful answers sought out. If I were to watch Buffy because of a secret desire to walk in evil power, then by all means watching that show is wrong. If I watch Baywatch for the bodies on the screen, it is not profitable for me (I have a difficult time thinking of any other reason someone would watch Baywatch!). What is your reason for watching a show like 7th Heaven? Be honest with yourself, and see if your viewing standards need a little adjusting.

The only thing that can correct our motivation for the entertainment that we choose is delighting ourselves in God. By living a life of communion with Him, we have a built-in check system when heart strays to something unhealthy for us. Remember to "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." And the desires of your heart will affect your entertainment choices, and what you get out of the entertainment that you choose.

A call to change
This article has not been about entertainment, as much as it has been about a change in viewing life. It is a call to begin self-evaluation and moving towards living a whole life for Christ without compartments. It is a call to stop judging shows and the people who watch them. A call to judge our own motivations, rather than speculate as to other’s motives. It is a call to bring every part of our lives into the worldview that Christ sees.