This issue is something of importance, and we as Christians should be careful as to what we take into our minds. I mean, that should go without saying, and therefore we have that agreed upon. What we don't agree on, however, is where to draw the line. This is why each believer should truly look to God for guidance and wisdom on what to do, not only in this, but in other situations, as well. But as someone said earlier, everyone thinks differently regarding this issue (and others like it), therefore making for different convictions.
So... I will proceed to give my perspective regarding entertainment. Now, I know that some people will disagree with some of what I am about to say, here. That's okay, as I am not expecting everybody to agree all the time. But I will ask, in advance, that when you disagree, that you do so respectfully (remembering Romans 14), and view me as a sister in Christ with simply a different (and not inferior) way of looking at things.
First, I will go over movies/TV. Undoubtedly, there is a lot of trash that dominates the screen, and a lot of things exalted (more often than not) that clash with the general Christian perspective. There's no denying it; it's there, and it's not going away anytime too soon. And I really do believe that such things ought not to be viewed by a Godly person, and it would rule out much of what is current on TV (with some exceptions). Other programming, however, is a matter of dispute. I mean, every program is going to have a little something that we as Christians won't agree with. Really old programs had a lot of smoking, some drinking, and sometimes featured people going to nightclubs with skimpily-dressed dancing women, and a few other things. More recent programs might have something like a fleeting remark, mild occasional swearing, and so forth. What matters, though, is that the program has a generally agreeable worldview and carries with it some sort of morals or valuable life lessons, or is just simply good clean fun. And if it looks like they're setting out to dwell a bit too long on a questionable topic or goes into explicit territory, then off it goes. That's why there are some TV series I generally enjoy in which I have to go by episode, with the premise of the show being good, as a whole, but have entire episodes dwelling on questionable topics. This is where I have come to learn what to shrug off, and what to take seriously. That being said, my absolute favorite movies are the "moldy oldies"!
And as far as the music is concerned, there is a lot to say about that. Like with the TV programming, we should be careful in that area as to what our ears take in. But this is another thing in which the line is drawn in different places. I have been influenced by music pretty much all of my life. There was always music on in the house when I was growing up, so I really heard a variety. And because of this early influence, I actually remember a lot of the popular mainstream music from the late '70s and early '80s; even though I was a little kid and couldn't understand what the lyrics were talking about, I was old enough to enjoy the tunes of such music. Now I did have some Christian records at that time, but it was all kids' Christian music, and along with the hymns I heard in church, that was the only Christian music I knew, until I was a preteen. Then along came Amy Grant, who was my first real influence as far as CCM is concerned (having attended a concert when I was about 11), and from there, my Christian music collection started to grow, and now I have a variety of Christian music, and is still a strong influence to this day. Now when it comes to mainstream music (and this is where I might meet with disagreement), I personally don't object to some of it, if the message is wholesome, positive, or universal (and there is more of this out there than we think). I mean, I am aware that it's not labeled "Christian" or recorded by Christian artists, and don't mention God in the songs. But I look at it as no different from TV programming of the same nature (no different than watching The Brady Bunch, Leave it to Beaver, or any Shirley Temple movie). Examples of such songs might be Ebony and Ivory, Turn, Turn, Turn (some Christian artists have even been known to do covers of it), novelty songs whose only intention is fun (like Teddy Bear's Picnic and I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat), and instrumentals that have no lyrics, allowing the listener to soak up the artistry of the music. And even at that, I can't call such music "secular". To me, truly secular music is that which exalts drugs, sex, false religions, and other types of immorality (which still dominates the music scene), and there should be no question about it that Christians should stay away from such music.
So, those are my basic views on the issue. I'm not wanting to debate, or anything like that. Just giving my perspective on the issue.
God bless.
