So, Sex and the City the movie opened over the weekend and made 56 million dollars…that’s HUGE! I was listening to 94.9 the point this morning and they were getting reactions to the film. Apparently everyone loves it, but there were a handful of concerned callers. A few callers were voicing their concerns with parents who brought there 6 and 7 year old girls to an R rated movie. The caller wanted to know whether or not she should have said something to the parent. Great question.
It leads me to another question. You see I know lots of Christians that saw Sex and the City the movie over the weekend. According to 94.9 the movie had a lot of nudity and language that was not appropriate for children. Anyway, I often struggle with confronting people. My struggle is I don’t ever do it and sometimes I think I should. I have not seen the film and I would not see it even if it was called Abstinence and the City. I prefer action movies. Maybe the film is not that bad. Maybe it is not any worse than the movies that I enjoy. I am not trying to cast stones. Because I have not seen the film I am not saying that Christians should not see it. I guess I am looking for some healthy dialog. I know the handful of people that read my blog don’t normally comment, but I would love to know your thoughts. Should Christians stay away from a movie like Sex and the City?
My personal standard is that I don’t go see movies with nudity. I know too many guys who are addicted or struggle with pornography and I don’t want to put my mind in a compromising situation.
Here are a couple of verses that relate to my questions.
- Matthew 7:2 – For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
- Matthew 7:3-5 – Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
- Romans 2:1 – You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
- Romans 14:10 – You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. I
- Corinthians 5:112-13 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.
I will try and take a more active roll in your blog! 🙂 O.K. the judging or confronting (which is different than when someone asks your opinion) I think it would be much better to encourage them to have a personal relationship with God, let them know that God will guide them if He is asked (I still am not real sure on how that works, I am doing my best) and then to ask them to really search out the answer if they are having 2nd thoughts on weather they should do it or not. As far as children going to this movie, it is much simpler just to follow the law. If it is R rated, they are telling you that it is not for children, just like drinking before your 21, or drugs period.
Rob, I really enjoyed reading this blog and thought it very thought provoking. I actually went and saw the movie last night with a bunch of women from my stay at home moms group (we left the kids at home). I think that there are some racy scenes in the movie and the movie could have been the same without them. My favorite part of the show has always been about the friendship and connection between the women. They did a good job in the movie of developing that aspect and I think that is why so many women like the show/movie. Not to mention that women like clothes and shoes and there were a lot of wardrobe changes in the film! I took the movie for what it was…entertainment. I do feel though that it is adult entertainment and that children should be left at home.
Will read some more of your blogs when I get the chance
Don’t know my Blogger ID
Kimberly Coughlin
Heather and Kim,
Thanks for posting comments. I love the dialog!
I have to agree with Kim on this. I went and saw the movie with some friends from work, and what we enjoy in the show/movie are the relationships among the women and with their boyfriends/husbands. And the fashion, of course 🙂 I think that to confront someone about seeing this movie would be to guess at their motives for seeing it. Unless you know or at least strongly suspect that the person struggle with issues like pornography and sex, I don’t know if it would be a good idea to confront him or her. I would venture to say that there is more lust generated in action films where the heroines end up in bikinis chained to villains (as in Star Wars) or in soaking wet clothes waiting to be rescued (as in Spiderman), etc., etc. than there is at the Sex and the City movie where 98 percent of the audience is made up of women who are much more concerned with whether Mr. Big and Carrie will get together than what kind of crazy sex Samantha will have next. But that’s my opinion!
On a related note, this blog post reminded me of a similar post on the light-hearted blog, “Stuff Christians Like.”
http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/2008/05/262-hoping-tbs-edits-sex-in-city-movie.html
Good topic! Keep up the blogging, Rob!
Hey Rob,
I read this and thought about it, and I have two comments. First of all the Bible tells us to flee even the appearance of evil.
Second, I think that is what causes the problem with trying to confront someone. If we confront someone on something like that, which I believe to be justified, we have to then come clean on our own potential viewing indiscretions. Just because It doesn’t have nudity, doesn’t mean it still doesn’t at least have the appearance of evil.
It’s an all or nothing. I know some would say you need to discourage that kind of activity. I, since I became a youth pastor, immediately stopped all rated R movies, and I’ve actually only seen one Pg-13 in Ironman in 8 months.
That doesn’t make me any better than anyone else, I just made that because I really hate the language and other aspects and if it’s rated R, you can almost assume for language.
I do strive to please God, and have personal holiness. I don’t know where that line is sometimes, as anything that we put our focus in apart from Christ is an idol, whether it be things that are obviously evil, or things that may not be inherently evil, like playing the WII or watching the finals. It’s all about motive.
P.S. It’s nice to read your blog, and wild to be an adult writing you.
-Brian Norris
I read your blog and have read all the comments. I just went to see this movie 2 nights ago with 6 other moms (we left all the Dad and kids at home). I don’t know what all of their relationships with God is like but I do know that of the 7, 4 of us are Christians who love God. I, like a couple of the other girls, liked the show and the movie because of the relationships among the women, the fashion and that sort of thing. The movie would have been just as good and hillarious without the nudity but I personally am more offended by violence and bad language. You have to take it for what it is, entertainment and I had not laughed so much in a very long time. I laughed so hard I cried when Charlotte pooped her pants! As for as taking children to see this movie. That is just downright wrong. It is most definitely not a movie that children should see or be exposed to. I wouldn’t even tell Grace and Zachary what movie I was going to see because I didn’t want them repeating the word “sex”. I just said it was a mommy movie. Anyway, those are my thoughts on that.