We had a whole section on this earlier, so I won’t go into this in huge detail, but it bears emphasizing. Because, what you put into your heart will impact you. It will also impact others. So, whatever you do, you need to consider your audience, and what you’re saying in the picture you create through music, writing, art, or whatever.
You should seriously consider any words that you happen to be singing, as well as using. If you write, are your characters acting in a Godly way. If they aren’t, do the bad guys lose in the end? Is some horribly bad main character subject to judgment for their wrongs by the end of the story? Even if that judgment is that they become gloriously saved and changed on the inside, with their sins being judged at the cross, at least the Gospel has been told then.
Case in point – have you ever read Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”? The story of Scrooge is a fabulous one, and can easily be used as a Gospel illustration. It doesn’t give it directly, but it’s a fabulous allegory for it. It shows the evils of ignoring the needs of others, and also the bitter end of Scroog’s behavior, if he continues on his present course.
All that is to say this – sin should never be glorified. Scrooge’s ways are quite detailed, but his sin is never said to be good. In the incredibly popular “Left Behind” series, even the main bad guy is evil, but not nearly as evil as the real one that Revelation describes will be. The authors wrote him that way, most likely, because they didn’t want to be seen as glorifying evil. They wanted their focus to be on good things, and on the justice that would eventually come to the devil and his minions.
Of course, your stories or songs don’t have to have the Gospel in them. They do, however, have to have a positive message that helps people to think on the things of Philippians 4:8. That means you should guard what entertainment is brought into your home, as the spiritual leader.
And, as we said in II(B)(4)(b), different people can handle different things. Some people might be able to watch certain shows and not be tempted to act like those peple, while others can’t. Those are borderline shows, and you should let the Spirit guide you. Remember, though, that ones with lots of crude language, too much sensual stud, and lots of violence should be totally off, because the stuff can put thought in your mind that can cause problems later; especially for young people.
However, you should also guide them toward proper use of their writing or other artistic skills. If a person wants to do something in the secular world, they need to be very careful, because it’s too easy to get caught up in the bad stuff. Especially in music, it’s best to just stick with doing it for God.
