A few weeks ago I read a biblical plea an acquaintance of mine wrote in response to immoral entertainment through the film medium. Time passed and despite the fallacies within her argument, I found that this young woman’s plea struck some cords deep within my soul.

Should I, should Christians, should those that profess to love the almighty Lord Jesus Christ with all their heart, soul, mind and strength be spending their “free time” fixated on movies spewed with blasphemy, violence and sexual innuendo?

Some say that these movies portray reality, and in many cases they do; however, are we to use the excuse of the worldliness of modern entertainment as justification? It is not that we need a movie spewed with sexually explicit prostitution scenes to know that prostitution exists within our world; enlightenment is possible outside of worldly films.

Some argue that because we aren’t actually committing the sinful acts, watching these films isn’t a problem. We aren’t the ones being physically immoral; rather, we are observers who have separated themselves from the immorality. Since it is Hollywood being immoral, God’s judgment won’t reign upon us observers.

If there is such a stigma towards pornography within our Christian communities, then why doesn’t the protest of an aging grandmother or a “legalistic” friend remind us that our entertainment isn’t terribly far from porn itself? This problem raises a question: where do you draw the line, or more importantly, where does God draw the line?

Should a line be drawn at sex or murder on-screen, or should it be drawn when the plotline includes adultery? Should a threshold be mapped in relatively tame circumstances where married actors have to kiss someone other than their spouses on-screen or when a character utters blasphemy once during a film? Is it even possible to watch a “moral” movie created in a world full of sinners?

One thing I have learnt since becoming a Christian in 2008 is that our God is not an empirical God who measures and ranks our sin and says, “well in that specific circumstance Bob was justified in committing that sin so I will let it slide.” He is just, righteous, and has an unmoving standard of perfection accompanied by his never-ending grace.

In short, he is not impressed with my excuses, but thanks to Jesus I still have a chance at salvation. As it stands, I will probably still make excuses in order to watch movies varying from “G” to “R” ratings and avoid conjuring up the feeling of guilt or remorse. All I know is that if I were watching The Ugly Truth with Jesus I don’t think I would find it as delightfully hilarious and entertaining.