Much alarm was raised when the director of Disney's new live-action Beauty and the Beast stated in an interview that the film contains a "gay moment." He has now said that the story has been overblown, but I suspect that that may have been his intent all along. Christians have reacted in many different ways, finding every step on the spectrum from hysteria to apathy. Some have called for boycotts, while others have praised the film. I personally have no particular fondness for the original (or really any Disney film that doesn't feature Phil Collins' music), but I took note because my wife and children will probably want to watch it. After all of the debate, it seems as if this has all been much ado about nothing, yet it brings up an important point. How are we as Christians to respond to Hollywood's attempts to impose the homosexual agenda on our children? Let me offer a few suggestions.
1) Lovingly. I believe homosexuality is a sin. The Bible (both Testaments) says that it is, and, as a Christian, I submit my beliefs to the teachings of Holy Scripture. On that there can be no compromise. However, my belief does not imply that I hate gay people. As Christians counter homosexuality, they should do so in a manner that reflects the love of God without condoning behavior that He censures.
2) Graciously. Things are often less black-and-white than we'd like them to be. Christians will respond to this issue in many different ways, and we need to allow each other to do that. We will apply Biblical principles to this issue in different ways, and there won't always be hard-and-fast lines (there will definitely be some) telling us exactly what movies we should watch or what musicians are acceptable. One Christian might look at Elton John and say there is absolutely no reason to listen to the music of someone who has lived the type of aberrant lifestyle he has (not just homosexuality). Another person might be able to enjoy the God-given talent of the man, despite his flaws. I don't know that the Bible gives an explicit answer to that question (the content of specific songs would, of course, be important). We need to be gracious as we attempt to hold each other to the standards of Scripture.
3) Realistically. Here's the thing. Homosexuality is a part of our culture now. We can argue about Church/State relations and what an ideal situation might be, but our situation is this: our culture is normalizing and glorifying homosexuality. What does this mean for raising children? Can we shield them from it at every point? Commercials now regularly feature homosexual couples. Will you say watching TV is a sin? Say you get rid of the TV (that's probably not a terrible idea), will you refuse to take your children to the grocery store? The park? Outside? Where does it end? You cannot shield your children from everything bad, but you can teach them what God says about it. This can be difficult when a child is too young to participate in a rational discussion of the issue, but it is never too early to pour God's Word into our children's lives. Sin is all around us, and, too often, within us. We must be realistic about how we counter it. We must approach homosexuality the same way that we approach drug use, divorce/adultery, and other behaviors we hope our children never experience. Parenting isn't as easy as just ignoring life and hoping our kids don't notice it.
4) Holistically. Make no mistake about it, homosexuality is part of a bigger agenda to undermine the ideals of historic Christianity in America. Homosexuality is just one piece of the puzzle. Disney has consistently permeated their products with anti-christian, left-wing propaganda. A "gay moment" is merely a symptom of the larger battle between ideologies that is being waged. Our education system in America is even more zealous than Hollywood. The vast majority of Christians educate their children through a system that disdains their God and indoctrinates their children with approximately the same gospel that is preached on the Disney Channel. How can we refuse to watch a movie with a "gay moment" and yet send our children to a school that encourages sexual relativism? Barring our children from watching Beauty and the Beast will not save our children. Refusing to let them take in any given source of entertainment, while perhaps advisable, will not guarantee anything. Instead, we must seek to reinforce a worldview that consistently views everything from God's perspective. Every sphere of life (home, church, employment, economics, entertainment, etc.) should be submitted to God's ideals. Some people have viewed this as impossible to accomplish while living "in" the world, but the answer is not monasticism or communism. We must consistently teach our children what God thinks about what is going on the in world around them, calling them to distinction and Heavenly priorities.
So, go see the movie or don't go see the movie. It probably won't matter. What is important is that we actively train our children to be aware of the different worldviews that exist and to recognize when they're being influenced. Some things, obviously, should be avoided as spiritually detrimental, but even everyday life will present opportunities to teach our children what it means to be different from the world.
1) Lovingly. I believe homosexuality is a sin. The Bible (both Testaments) says that it is, and, as a Christian, I submit my beliefs to the teachings of Holy Scripture. On that there can be no compromise. However, my belief does not imply that I hate gay people. As Christians counter homosexuality, they should do so in a manner that reflects the love of God without condoning behavior that He censures.
2) Graciously. Things are often less black-and-white than we'd like them to be. Christians will respond to this issue in many different ways, and we need to allow each other to do that. We will apply Biblical principles to this issue in different ways, and there won't always be hard-and-fast lines (there will definitely be some) telling us exactly what movies we should watch or what musicians are acceptable. One Christian might look at Elton John and say there is absolutely no reason to listen to the music of someone who has lived the type of aberrant lifestyle he has (not just homosexuality). Another person might be able to enjoy the God-given talent of the man, despite his flaws. I don't know that the Bible gives an explicit answer to that question (the content of specific songs would, of course, be important). We need to be gracious as we attempt to hold each other to the standards of Scripture.
3) Realistically. Here's the thing. Homosexuality is a part of our culture now. We can argue about Church/State relations and what an ideal situation might be, but our situation is this: our culture is normalizing and glorifying homosexuality. What does this mean for raising children? Can we shield them from it at every point? Commercials now regularly feature homosexual couples. Will you say watching TV is a sin? Say you get rid of the TV (that's probably not a terrible idea), will you refuse to take your children to the grocery store? The park? Outside? Where does it end? You cannot shield your children from everything bad, but you can teach them what God says about it. This can be difficult when a child is too young to participate in a rational discussion of the issue, but it is never too early to pour God's Word into our children's lives. Sin is all around us, and, too often, within us. We must be realistic about how we counter it. We must approach homosexuality the same way that we approach drug use, divorce/adultery, and other behaviors we hope our children never experience. Parenting isn't as easy as just ignoring life and hoping our kids don't notice it.
4) Holistically. Make no mistake about it, homosexuality is part of a bigger agenda to undermine the ideals of historic Christianity in America. Homosexuality is just one piece of the puzzle. Disney has consistently permeated their products with anti-christian, left-wing propaganda. A "gay moment" is merely a symptom of the larger battle between ideologies that is being waged. Our education system in America is even more zealous than Hollywood. The vast majority of Christians educate their children through a system that disdains their God and indoctrinates their children with approximately the same gospel that is preached on the Disney Channel. How can we refuse to watch a movie with a "gay moment" and yet send our children to a school that encourages sexual relativism? Barring our children from watching Beauty and the Beast will not save our children. Refusing to let them take in any given source of entertainment, while perhaps advisable, will not guarantee anything. Instead, we must seek to reinforce a worldview that consistently views everything from God's perspective. Every sphere of life (home, church, employment, economics, entertainment, etc.) should be submitted to God's ideals. Some people have viewed this as impossible to accomplish while living "in" the world, but the answer is not monasticism or communism. We must consistently teach our children what God thinks about what is going on the in world around them, calling them to distinction and Heavenly priorities.
So, go see the movie or don't go see the movie. It probably won't matter. What is important is that we actively train our children to be aware of the different worldviews that exist and to recognize when they're being influenced. Some things, obviously, should be avoided as spiritually detrimental, but even everyday life will present opportunities to teach our children what it means to be different from the world.
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