Movie Night

My freshman year of college I walked out of a dorm room movie night with my friends, an act that resulted in a major scene that left certain friends bewildered and others angry even.  As a result of my refusal to watch The Ugly Truth, I was bitterly called everything from “critical” and “ridiculously naïve” to “fun-sucking”.  For the first time in my life I was even called a “prude”.    Now a junior, I still receive flack for that night two years ago where I walked out of a “great” and “funny” movie which “accurately” portrays our world.  I believe that movie, however, and our fascination with turning towards others like it for “entertainment” only testifies to the crudely depraved and sin-filled world we live in.

Just recently, I was put in a similar situation to what happened my freshman year.  Only this time, the night went quite differently. I was with the same group of friends, and we were only minutes into our movie before I knew that I had no business sitting in that living room.  The movie was beyond distasteful—it was vulgar in the most extreme sense of the word, containing foul language, lusty young men and loose women.  As a whole, the messages it portrayed stood in direct opposition to everything I claim and hold to be true.  It was my freshman dorm room movie night all over again. 

And so, what was my response?  Did I say something to the others?  Did I get up and leave?  No.  I was given the opportunity to reflect Christ to my friends, an opportunity from which I fled.  I believe at one point I said “This is awful!” and then I continued to sit there.  Rather than face the criticism of my friends (both believers and non-believers) or go through the arduous process of explaining myself and thereby causing a huge disruption, I sat passively by through a movie I was out of line to watch. I was wrong to be there, but I took what I thought to be the easy way out.   My cowardly response was to compromise. 

Needless to say, I felt dirty and sick to my stomach, deeply aware of the fact that I had blatantly ignored the convictions of the Spirit inside me.  As a result, I failed to live as Christ—I was not watchful and I did not stand firm.  Rather, I acted in complete cowardice and selfishness.

Since then, I have acknowledged my wrong and sought the forgiveness of each of my friends present that night.  I am still, however, left with this question: As a Christian, what should my thoughts, words, and actions look?  I am called to be “in the world but not of the world,” yet this is a hard line to walk.  My prayer is that Christ will continue to pour His Spirit into me, thereby granting me not only the wisdom and discernment to know His truth, but also the boldness to stand firm in that truth.