Human Matters with Sami Parker: Should Christians watch secular media?

Should Christians watch secular media? That's the question Live Action's Sami Parker tackles in the latest installment of her new video series, Human Matters.

Key Takeaways:

• In the second episode of Human Matters, Live Action's Sami Parker evaluates whether it's good for Christians to consume secular media.

• Parker offers a three-step process (notice, consider, and decide) when evaluating media content.

• She gives real-world examples to walk viewers through those steps.

The Details:

Should Christians Watch Secular Media? (Traitors, Taylor Swift, & Hollywood)

Human Matters is a new show powered by Live Action and hosted by Parker. Throughout the series, she will discuss some important topics and trends in society today. In the latest episode, she considers whether Christians should watch and enjoy secular movies, TV shows, or music.

"My answer is yes," Parker says, "You can absolutely enjoy secular media as a Christian." But, she cautions, "you need to develop the skill of identifying what is good and true in it — and what isn’t."

Parker explains that many people watch TV to relax, and when that happens, we tend to let our guard down, which means we're no longer analyzing the messages we're hearing.

"But when we do that, we can end up absorbing ideas that change our worldview without even realizing it," she says, noting that media isn't always neutral, and is often used to shift public opinion on a subject or issue.

Zoom In:

She then walks viewers through steps to take in order to be more mindful about media consumption: notice, consider, and decide.

She breaks these steps down further:

• Notice - really listen to what you are seeing or hearing. Notice the content and/or the lyrics, rather than passively consuming.

• Consider - think about the meaning or message that is being conveyed.

• Decide - is this a message you will absorb or reject? "Is this message aligned with Scripture?" Parker asks. "Does it reflect the proper view of the person- created in the image of God?  If so, absorb it. Enjoy it. Thank God for it. If not, block it. Name it. Reject it."

She also notes that rejecting an idea doesn't necessarily mean you stop listening to a song or watching a show, especially if it's just one or two ideas in an otherwise great piece of media or content.

She then walks viewers through several pieces of media content, showing how to put the steps into real-life practice.

The Bottom Line:

Parker ends with advice for anyone who wants to get better at looking at media with a discerning eye.

"... Read the Scriptures so they’re quick to come to your mind, pray for discernment, pray for your conscience to be sensitive and not hardened, so that you can find God’s goodness and beauty even and especially in secular media."