Voices From the Past Regarding Christian Entertainment
(You will find it helpful to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
William Prynne (1600–1669)"The playhouse is the devil's chapel, the school and nursery of lewdness, the fortress of sin, and the citadel of the Devil."
Richard Baxter (1615–1691)"The play-house is a nursery of lewdness, a school of vice, a place of Satan's appearing, and a sure way to harden the heart against God."
"The common stage-plays are not indifferent things which a Christian may use without sin, but sinful things which he must by all means avoid."
Thomas Watson (1620–1686)"Sin enters in at the eye. How many have looked themselves into Hell! The theater is the devil's playground."
Increase Mather (1639–1723)"Among the many sins that have brought down the judgments of God upon nations, the play-house has ever been a notable provocation. These are the places where men meet together to forget God."
John Bunyan (1628–1688)"Stage-plays are but Satan's instruments to steal away the heart from God, and drown the soul in perdition."
Philip Stubbes (1555–1610)"Theaters are the very chapels of Belial. The plays are not only the delights of the wicked, but snares of the devil to entangle poor souls."
Charles Spurgeon (1834–1892)"The theater is the temple of the devil as much as any place can be. Let people once go there for amusement, and they are in the way of being damned."
"The theater is a moral pest house. If men must have amusement, let them not seek it where the leprosy of sin is bred."
"Plays are not fit for the Christian to witness. The very atmosphere is tainted with sin. To go there is to court spiritual disease."
J.C. Ryle (1816–1900)"The theater is one of the chief places where the devil's children gather together. Let not the Christian be found among them."
"I warn you plainly against the frequenting of theaters. The tendency of stage plays is manifestly immoral. Their whole tone is antagonistic to the spirit of Christianity."
"Can a man touch pitch and not be defiled? Can a believer feed on folly and not weaken his soul?"
Robert Dabney (1820–1898)"The theater is the school of lust and vanity, of vice and blasphemy. It is the polished instrument of Satan to destroy souls under the guise of mirth."
Albert Barnes (1798–1870)"No man can regularly attend the theater without injury to his soul. It is a house of spiritual disease, and all its associations are unfavorable to piety."
Thomas Guthrie (1803–1873)"The theater is not the school of virtue, but the house of temptation."
Scriptural Principles Regarding Christian Entertainment
The call to holiness and separation from the world."Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." 2 Corinthians 6:17
The danger of feeding the flesh."Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh." Romans 13:14
Guarding the eyes and the heart."I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me." Psalm 101:3
"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." Proverbs 4:23
Avoiding the appearance of evil."Avoid every kind of evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:22
Not loving the world."Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15-17
Fleeing youthful lusts."Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." 2 Timothy 2:22
Setting our minds on things above."Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Colossians 3:2
Friendship with the world is enmity with God."You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God?" James 4:4
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