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We are mindful, of course, of the gradations of delight: at the highest level, joy, which C. S. Lewis calls the "serious business of Heaven," on down to happiness and pleasure, and then further down to amusement, or mere entertainment. Our experiences of entertainment ought not to form the bulk of our daily life; entertainment, so to speak, is a lower form of joy. It's simple, it appeals to our animal senses, not the higher ones, and it rarely leaves a lasting sensation.

Still, God calls it good. It is good to entertain each other with goofy stories (Pirates of the Caribbean), with adventures (Patriot Games), with thrilling mysteries (The Fugitive), for they remind us in embodied ways of God's great purpose for human beings: to know him and to enjoy him and all that he has made. They remind us to live from the heart, not from dutifulness. They remind us that, at the end of the day, God does not need our little productivities.

The bad thing about entertainment, as the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke put it, is not our acceptance of it but a tendency to "misuse and squander this experience as a stimulant at the tired spots" of our lives and as distraction, instead of as a lightening of the spirit, as God intended it. Good entertainment, such as Toy Story or Lawrence of Arabia, can inspire a dulled imagination, be good medicine to a saddened heart, quicken a wearied body and strengthen the bonds of friendship. In this way filmic entertainment partakes of the re-creative work of God, in the mending and enlivening of soul and body. And as such it is good, very good.

Is it OK to watch Spider-Man 2? Is it OK to be the filmmaker who spends millions of dollars on Ocean's Eleven or Zorro? If it's OK for God to spend divine energy making pomegranates and porcupines and platypuses for his pleasure, for a chuckle or two—for mere entertainment—then yes, yes indeed it is OK, very OK.

Part 4: Violence, Profanity, and Nudity: A Dialogue

David Taylor is the Arts Minister at Hope Chapel in Austin, Texas, and director of The Ragamuffin Film Festival, held August 6-8 in Austin.

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What Is a Good Christian Movie, Anyway? (Part 1)	Printer view
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The Honest-to-God Truth About Movies (Part 2)	Printer view
The best films don't shy away from truthfully depicting the human condition—even when it's ugly and sinful.

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Violence, Profanity and Nudity: A Dialogue (Part 4)	Printer view
What is a Christian's responsibility when it comes to portraying The Big Three vices in film? There are no easy answers to the question.