The number one show on English-speaking Netflix right now is “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” With over 200 million viewing hours collectively, this 10-part series broke the previous record held by Squid Games.
This isn’t an anomaly. Violent media is always popular, and honestly, I get it. There’s something alluring about it. But porn is alluring too.
The Secular world values personal choice above all else. For them, what media to consume or not to consume is simply a matter of taste, not morality.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to a different standard.
When we watch violent content, our brains absorb it like a sponge, and it can replay the images in our heads for weeks if not years later.
This is certainly not what Paul had in mind when he said, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8 NIV)
God created every life with extraordinary value and is angry when that value is violated. We should think twice about consuming art that trivializes this for the sake of entertainment.
In a day with no media at all, King David still recognized the power of what we view. In Psalm 101, verse 3, he declares, “I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all who deal crookedly; I will have nothing to do with them.”
So, what is it that allows us to shrug our shoulders at the evident incongruence between what feels like common sense Biblical teaching and the things we watch?
The most basic answer is that we are fallen human beings, living in a fallen world. We will be tempted, and sadly we will fall. But I want to address a very dangerous, underlying mindset that I think explains much of the compromise in this area.
It's the "that's between God and me" defense.
Perhaps the most dominant idea in 21st Century western culture is relativism. Post-modernity replaced the deification of rationalism characterizing the post-enlightenment west and challenging every view, every truth, and every assumption.
Entire generations have now grown up skeptical of traditional authority (especially of priests and politicians) and believing truth to be a subjective preference.
The Church has not escaped society’s abolishment of absolutes unscathed - and how could it be when our schools, workplaces, and entertainment continually reinforce this message? It's not hard to understand the popularity of this perspective. Who doesn't want to be in control?
In light of this view of morality, any claim that a particular behavior or attitude is "right" or "wrong" is met with a flood of anger - not only from secular culture but from within the Church.
The harshest criticism is not against the moral issue at hand, but the audacity of someone claiming to know the truth. You'll hear, "That's between God and me" or "that's a matter of personal conscience."
This is simply relativism packaged in Christian language. The subtext is clear: "You don't get to tell me how to live!" And this is true - I am not God, I didn't write the Bible, and it isn't my standard that is being violated. But where do we get the idea that our faith is strictly private, immune to outside perspectives?
Ultimately, God is the judge, and we will have to answer to Him, but the notion that our brothers and sisters in Christ play no role in keeping us accountable and helping us discern biblical truth is itself unbiblical and dangerous.
We are not spiritual islands determining our path. We are inextricably linked together as many members of the same body and should strive, with grace and humility, to help each other better understand and follow God's design for our lives.
To me, this includes our entertainment choices. We are called to build one another up and to speak the truth in love. The loving truth is not always easy to hear.
As followers of Jesus, it should be our desire to know the will of God, and not to be "conformed to the patterns of this world."
We do this by renewing our minds, a process that can be subverted by the content we choose to watch or the subtle mindsets that we use to justify it.
Want to listen to the full conversation? Listen to Episode 450: Jeffrey Dahmer and Culture's Fascination with Violence (Including Christians)!
