I find it interesting that most Fundamental Baptist preachers speak of the evils of going to see a film at the Movie Theater, but have no problem going to the library and checking out the same film.

For most of these extremists this boycott extends to movie rental stores.  When you present the argument that not all movies are harmful to watch, the response is usually; “well, we are to abstain from the appearance of evil”.  Of course you might be going to see a perfectly wholesome movie at the theater, a weaker brother or potential convert might see you at the theater and assume you are there to watch the sexually explicit R rated film that is also showing at the same theater.

I suppose a very weak argument could be made for abstaining from the appearance of evil; but isn’t it also true that if you drive into town a weaker brother might assume you are on your way to the local tavern.  Or if you stop in at a convenience store to buy a soda and a few gallons of gas, a weaker brother might mistake that event as a liquor run; or standing at the checkout counter you might be confused with someone buying porn magazines.   Where does it end?  I mean, really, if you follow that argument to it’s logical conclusion we might as well all move into a secluded wooded area away from all lost people and live as the Amish.  Of course, that would completely restrict us from the Great Commission; and obviously that is not God’s will for the believer.  Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17:15 that He might not take us out of the world.  It is necessary that we as Christians be part of the world, interact with lost people, and engage in social activities in the community.  But it is equally important that we use discernment when choosing which activities we participate in.  The Apostle Paul said in 1 Cor. 10:23 that not all things are edifying, so it stands to reason those activities should be left alone.  But I don’t believe going to a movie theater to watch a wholesome movie is an activity to be shunned by Christians.

It does make me wonder though; why is it that the Movie Theater is singled out by Fundamentalist preachers, and preached against with such ferocity?  When you consider when the Fundamentalist movement started, how it gained momentum, and how it’s growth was almost completely stopped… the movie theater boycott starts to make sense.

The Fundamentalist movement got it’s start in the late 19th century as an answer to the liberalism and modernism in Christianity, and was propagated by many prominent preachers.  One of these preachers was Billy Sunday.  Billy Sunday’s ministry was huge in it’s day.  When Billy would come to town Christians and non-believers alike were eager to get to the meeting place to see the famous Billy Sunday preach.  He was much more than a preacher… he was an entertainer, and in a day when visual entertainment was lacking, Billy Sunday was a superstar.  But Billy Sunday’s ministry came to an abrupt halt with the advent of the Movie house.  Once the movie houses were built, people had another form of entertainment, and soon Billy Sunday didn’t have the attendees he once had.  In fact, the decline in attendance was so severe that meeting were being cancelled and Billy’s ministry was all but dissolved

This truth brings several thoughts to my mind.  Firstly, if it were so easy for the movie houses to supercede the revival meetings of Billy Sunday, it seems that maybe much of Billy Sunday’s ministry was built on the entertainment factor rather than a real spiritual revival.  And secondly, could it be that Movie Houses were preached against so vehemently not because they were truly considered to be damaging to the body of Christ.. but because they were competing with the entertainment value of the Fundamentalist revival meetings?  I’ll leave the answer to that question up to the reader to decide.  But it is something to think about.