The Four R’s
In 1994 the classic The Lion King hit theaters. I was only nine years old, but I remember the controversy in Christian culture. Should Christians watch the Lion King? Two allegations were hurled at Disney. First, Pumba was a closet gay character, and subliminal messaging was planted in the stars during the rising action of the movie. Whether these accusations are plausible is up for debate, but I'll leave that for the dark recesses of the internet.
In light of the new company values Disney has adopted and the latest content rating on Disney+, your family may be rethinking its love for Disney. Disney came out with this statement regarding its vision for the future on its Reimagine Tomorrow website:
By 2022, 50% of regular and recurring characters across Disney General Entertainment scripted content will come from underrepresented groups.
Of course, this does not mean that 50% of characters are now going to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender; but given their recent reaction to Florida's Don't Say Gay Bill, we can expect to see more characters like the lesbian couple who share a kiss in the new Disney movie Lightyear.
Also, the parental controls on Disney+ are getting an update as more mature content is being added to the family-friendly streaming service. The shows that have been added contain profanity and more intense violence than the Marvel content that had been on Disney+ before.
Subscribers are prompted to set up parental controls using enhanced content ratings, PIN protection and kids profiles. But, these new parental controls are sure to open the door for Disney+ to add R-rated movies to the streaming service, and also other adult-oriented films and TV that was once not allowed are sure to follow.
So what do we do with Disney (or any other aspect of culture)?
Reject
God calls us to love Him with our hearts, souls, and minds as to His greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-38). The apostle Paul urges us to "flee from idolatry" in 1 Corinthians 10:14 and goes on to say in verse 21, "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too, you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons." This forbids participation in pagan festivals and putting anitbiblicial morals, people, or desires above or on the same level as God. We should stay as far away from these overtly evil themes so we are not tempted to fall into sin.
Redeem
By definition means to "compensate for the faults or bad aspects of something or to gain or regain possession of something." God did not intend for us to hide away from the non-Christian world but to redeem it. Through the entertainment industry, we can reclaim something that is not necessarily bad but has scenes that are not glorifying God. We can teach our children "to chew the good and spit out the bad". Parents, we can do this by taking time to explain what is not God-honoring and why and ask our kids questions about what they think about it. Consider and discuss with your family what worldview is being promoted. We have often taken this approach with our children. Don't judge which "R" we picked… After watching Frozen 2 as a family, we took time to discuss naturalism. Naturalism finds religious meaning in the natural world and rejects the notion of a supernatural realm beyond the natural. If you cant recall a naturalistic theme, just Spotify the soundtrack. More recently, while watching Season 2 of the Mandalorian, we paused taking time to discuss pluralism. Pluralism states that all beliefs and attitudes are historically, culturally, biographically, and contextually conditioned. One religion has no right to truth over another. Jack Jenkins calls the Mandalorian and galactic holy war. Whether following "The Way" or "The Force" characters live by a set of morals informed by their beliefs. The key to redeeming anything from culture is to view it through a gospel lens.
https://www.summit.org/archives/fact-sheets/theology-fact-sheet.pdf
Receive
Can I use this cultural tool for the good of the gospel? Some items are neutral. Your cell phone can be a tremendous tool, but it can also be a tool for addiction and anxiety. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:22 ”To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” If Paul were alive today he would receive tools that were beneficial to the gospel mission. Not all secular entertainment, resources, or thoughts are inherently evil. There is a Common Grace. "Common grace is an expression of the goodness of God. Every favor this undeserving and sin-cursed world enjoys at the hand of God; this includes the delay of wrath, the mitigation of our sin-natures, natural events that lead to prosperity, and all gifts that humans use and enjoy naturally."
Research
As parents, we should be doing our due diligence in setting a guard over our children's hearts and minds. That means that we should know what our kids are watching and listening to within the walls of our homes. They should know that we have boundaries of what they can and cannot watch and listen to in our homes because many things do not promote God's glory or our good. Within our home, Becky is the researcher who, before we view a new movie or show that we are unfamiliar with, will go to trusted websites. Teams of researchers have already viewed movies and television shows and rated them based on age-appropriate guidelines. Do we do this with everything we view? Unfortunately, sometimes we forget and dive in and have had to abandon ship early and deal with questions that arise.
By no means do our children only watch Veggie Tales and sing "Oh where is my hairbrush"all day. We are in the process of teaching them the chew and spit method (Mama Bear Apologetics). The goal is to distinguish between good and bad and leave the good but get rid of the bad." We don't have to accept everything as true, but we don't have to outright reject things either."
Know what your kids are taking in. Be on guard! I Peter 5 :8 - “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
