Everywhere our family went, we heard people talking about Stranger Things.
Readers, please enjoy a timely guest post below from my friend, Anne Chernabaeff.
♥Beckie
There were Stranger Things toys at GameStop and Target. Even 31 flavors were making Stranger Thing’s desserts.
I watched the preview and immediately decided my family would not watch it.
When my youngest daughter requested to watch, my husband and I pulled up the Common Sense Media website. After considering it, I finally told my daughter that we would watch one episode to see if it was okay.
I’m not like most moms—I feel like I’m a little more sheltering than most.
I know from experience how movies that portray party/sex scenes in a cool way can help justify it in someone’s mind. As Christians, my husband and I are trying to stay away from movies with scenes like that.
This time, I justified that my daughter was going to be introduced to situations like this in real life anyway.
So, why not watch it with her so we could have “teaching moments” for each situation?
My daughter and I got sucked in pretty quickly.
I was taken aback by all of the language and adult humor, yet surprisingly, I was drawn to the storyline.
I recall thinking, I can’t believe my daughter and I are sitting here watching this.
“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
James 4: 17
I knew in my heart of hearts that what we were watching wasn’t edifying in any way, In fact, it was glorifying the world in every way. But after the first episode, I grabbed the remote and pushed play to watch another.
I told my daughter a few times, “this is actually pretty bad.”
Each time somebody would take the Lord’s name in vain, my daughter and I would say, “where?” and look around the room and giggle to ourselves. We would shake our heads and groan every five minutes when a cuss word was said.
My daughter looked in the other direction when two teens snuck up to the girl’s room to make out, and later in the series, had sex.
I’m not telling you what happened with my daughter and me to condemn or make anybody feel guilty.
I’m just telling you our story as an example of how easy it was for a Christian homeschool parent whose goal in life is to glorify Christ in our home—to so easily allow something like that to play in our home.
“I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.” Psalm 103:3
Now in my defense, I wasn’t enjoying the cuss words or the sex scenes. My daughter and I both agreed that we just like the story.
I’m writing this because God made me aware of how easy it is to compromise for the sake of what’s fun.
Sometimes things seem innocent on the surface but we find darkness, vulgarity and the things of the world. My daughter is a huge fan, and we watched all 3 seasons. She has the sweatshirt and even the poster. I’m not going to lie. Like I said earlier, I enjoyed it as well. As a teen, I watched all kinds of shows like that, but they didn’t faze me because I was in the world at the time.
Yet at the age of 44, even though I’m a huge sinner and have so many things I need to work on, one of the things I feel like God has done in me is creating a desire to stay away from the world in that capacity. I don’t typically care what’s trendy or what all my peers are watching.
When people use Jesus’s name as a cuss word in movies, it hurts my heart quite honestly.
I don’t feel like I’m calloused in any way regarding movies. We are all convicted in different ways, we all make cruddy decisions, and this was mine as a parent.
We serve a gracious God and I didn’t for a second question my salvation or standing before my creator.
What I did question, however, was my decision as a parent. It sends a double message: I can partake in the world as long as I am aware that what I’m doing is bad.
We are told as believers to live IN the world, not live like it.
We are to be set apart, holy, single-minded with the Lord. So, when the lost look at us they see something different.
After Stranger Things, we found The Umbrella Academy. We watched the first two episodes and then I called it quits. This mama was convicted.
From here on out we will set before our eyes things that equip, edify and build us up in the Lord.
Satan is making a killing, seductively pulling parents—Christian parents even—into movies we have no business watching. Our story, the one between good and evil with angels and demons is real life.
And in the true story, we are either warriors or followers in the enemy’s camp.
I will not give in to the enemies lies that I’m keeping her in a bubble, or legalism, or the justification of “teaching moments” as we step over the proverbial fence together in the name of mother-daughter bonding.
Get behind me Netflix!
Readers, It’s Beckie again. This is another reason we need to support Christian and clean movies. See the article HERE.
Man, would I love to see the Beauties from Ashes books become a series with Pureflix 🙂 I wrote the books after I watched the show and read the books Pretty Little Liars, sharing a similar experience as Anne courageously shared above. So, I created a suspenseful story with real-life and difficult issues including relatable characters AND a battle between angels and demons.
About Anne Chernabaeff— Sinner, saved by grace. Happily married homeschool mom. Has three daughters and one grandson.
I watched a little of that show in passing, and I didn’t feel right about it, but just so I don’t sound too puss, I had similar struggle with American Horror Story; that one still shocks me that I ever got pulled in.
Yes, I watch one episode of American Horror Story…nope!
Beckie — I love Anne’s post.
I agree 100 percent.
Del
Thanks, Del! I do,too.
Good on you Ms. Beckie. Realizing that Satan’s favorite deception is “death from a thousand cuts” is so important in our Christian walk. We we walk IN this world, as you so eloquently put it, we are bound to get some of the muck and garbage on it. We become stained by sin just being in this world. It’s when we justify that a cuss word is not that bad, or sex outside of marriage can be excused. It’s not right we say, but still we condone it. In those cases, we are all double-minded as James wrote. It’s so easy to fall into Satan’s traps. Am so proud that you are your husband are taking a stand on this. I am especially pleased to see you are raising your children through the example you set in your life. Are we perfect? No. Do we seek to become better, more Christ-like? Absolutely. Your example is sowing the seeds for your children’s future ma’am. God’s blessings.
We must be aware of what our eyes and ears are seeing and hearing. We must keep our focus on Him and not on anything that doesn’t glorify Him. Thank you for this message.
Anne and Beckie, Thanks for sharing this lesson. If more parents were courageous enough to screen their children’s viewing, some of these shows would not have viewers and wouldn’t be on the air. We need to live the life we say we are–are we followers of Jesus? Are we more than just readers of the Word–are we doers of the Word? Thanks for inspiring parents and grandparents to be involved.
Great article! I agree with you that we need to be anchored and be careful on what we allow to pull us.
Now what i say below is just skimming the surface dealing with the argument of contextualization.
I watch shows and read books and judge these based on storyline, character development, technical details (including flow and use of general language). Here is a question to answer this question… Should Christians read Jane Austin? If you read her books there is also cussing and swearing (not much but it is there) as well as a debated scene where sex was implied in one of her books. What is the difference here and Stranger Things? But then i could take this argument further.
I have watched the whole series. I liked it.
Was it edifying? Just as much as reading a magazine on cars or going to the store for a product. The lures of this world are everywhere. One cant even run a bussiness without willing exposure into marketing and ways to lure someone from one thing to another. Is this edifying or edifying behavior?
I think what we need to do is to look at things and be aware of things, righteous and unrighteous, that can draw us away from God.
Check out Ecclesiates 3:11.
Also note that the first century church were constantly exposed to the world. In some ancient cities they would have orgies in the streets.
Here is another question… At what point do we not choose to see or do anything in the world? (Now i am not talking about watching porn or doing things that lead us astray.) We are in the world not of it. It is that word ‘of’ that is interesting.
Last question… How big is God? Paul Tillich talks about how small we make God and the things that we put more power in than God and through this make them the gods in our lives. He even explores how we limit God, if we can imagine him we have limited a limitless God. The Bible gives us an idea who God is but we forget how fathomless he is. And we forget what fathomless means.
When I watch shows like these I wonder and explore what the writers are thinking. I look for pieces of truth like they are an altar The Unknown God. In that little light I see hope and am encouraged. I feel tickled happy in myself that God is working in these writers hearts somewhere and second that I can use these truths, as I have, to witness to people.
Finally, if all you are looking for is darkness in a way to avoid from falling into it… Your eyes will become fixated on the darkness are ound you and you will always be in the dark. But, if you keep your eyes on the light and let that guide your path in the dark you will always be in the light. The darkness is something that happens. The fire is something that comes and goes. But these things are not our God who IS.
I realize that not everyone is where everyone is in their walk with God. I will always love them all. For some, these things are those that do not distract others so much. I came from darkness, was stillborn in dead places that enslaved me. Those things no longer rule my heart nor threaten my Freedom in God in me. I have walked in dark places with many people. I have known and loved on theives, murderers, and rapist and seen God plant deep seeds in their hearts. The things I watch is nothing that I have not seen or heard. But i do not dwell on these either. For me, my life is my relationship with God and this can never come undone. He is always my Breath. I watch TV and read books. I have seen Stranger Things. But more importantly I know the truth and look for The Light of God to shine.
Jonathan, you have so many valid points. Thank you for sharing them here. I pray it is helpful to readers.
It’s sad that most television shows and movies have lapsed into the vulgarity you described. As I have grown in my connection to God I want to insert him into my life in all ways and this is one of them. My husband watched all three seasons of Stranger Things recently and he’s also a Christian. I watched season one but lost interest after that. I did hear and see some parts as he had the television on where I could. It was terrible to me. But I know where you are coming from. We have to work everyday to maintain our integrity in our relationship with God.
Yes, so true. Thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment.
Anne With An E is a very kind series, do you know of somewhere to find lists of new movies or series that are kind 🙂