Gratuitous Sex or Violence
Some people love to try and shock their audience. Singers pack their songs with as many curse words as they can manage. Movies try to get the audience to scream, and books want to make their readers cringe. Shock can be a valuable part of entertainment when it comes from an unexpected twist. The unexpected death of a main character or the sudden reveal that one of the detectives was the murderer all along can take a story to new heights. Unfortunately, rather than choose a narrative shock, many authors and directors choose to use sex, violence or a mix of the two to shock their audience.
A bloody battle or a single love scene is not necessarily reason for a Christian to walk out of a theater or put down a book. The Old Testament, after all, is filled with battles, and the Song of Solomon is pretty darn steamy. There is a difference, however, between the portrayal of violence or sex that is necessary to the plot and the sort of blood-and-guts gore-fest that has become so central to horror movies. Christians know that sex is a gift, not a show. They are also aware that they are called to love their fellow man. Neither of these is particularly compatible with the gratuitous sex and violence common to slasher flicks and aptly named “torture porn” movies such as “Hostel.” There is plenty of entertainment for Christians to enjoy without watching or reading about excessive sex, the violence the human body is capable of surviving or, worst of all, the intersection between the two.