The Good, the Bad, and the Best

Everything in life must be approached with discernment.

We must, according to the Bible, examine it all and retain (keep) only what is good. Naturally that means that doesn’t mean all is permissive, yet not all is beneficial, as another text says (that’s a very dangerous crutch). There are things which we avoid (or abstain of) physically, that must involve our eyes, ears, and minds (plus all the rest). These things include murder, sexual immorality, lying, and everything else that falls into the general series of sins which Paul (and others) often present. Although it is true that many good (even great) books and songs and films contain such elements, often as pivotal to the plot, there are different “tones” (tactics) used by their employment. Even the Bible presents all of these sins, yet never does it condone them. I believe that we must live in the world, but not become a part of it. Someone once depicted this to me as the image of a boat which must be in water, but that the water must not be in the boat. We must be wise as serpents, yet harmless as doves. Discernment is vital in our sorting through all of these issues. It is a requisite in our examination, even our pre-examination (the examination of what we examine).

Life has often been divided into a war between good and evil. T.S. Eliot wrote of it to say, "The world turns and changes, but one thing does not change, in all of my years, one thing does not change, however you disguise it, this thing does not change: The perpetual struggle of good and evil." For the Christian however there is an even greater war. It is the war between what is good and what is better. As Christians we can, or should, completely nullify evil from our lives. So we are left to struggle between good and best. Everything settles into one of these three categories. I want to briefly define or give examples for each:

Best: This is the category in which everything is purposefully God-honouring. It includes, in other words, Christian literature, film, art, and music. The intent is often of superior virtue than the aesthetic quality (enjoyment) or philosophical structure (education). C.S. Lewis, for example, is of superior virtue in both of these themes; he is superb both aesthetically and philosophically. Yet there are plenty of other Christian authors (I’ll not name any) who cause suffering instead of enjoyment or instead of being philosophically sound they seem to be philosophically silly. Nevertheless they are writing for God’s glory and He will bless their efforts ("Virtue – even attempted virtue - brings light; indulgence brings fog." Lewis)

Good: This is the category which stimulates God-honouring thoughts. The original purpose was not to produce such stimulation and yet as Christians we must learn to view everything through a Christian filter. That means that the evil is banned as evil and the good exalted for its goodness. For example, in The Count of Monte Cristo Dumas uses the sin of revenge to produce repentance and thus a final (climatic) redemption follows. There are many art forms which contain elements of sin, the natural man cannot be divorced from his creation. On the other hand the very capacity that he has to create magnifies the image of divinity within man. This man can then, at times, transcend his animal form and become as a god producing, in "McGrewan" terms, a “secondary goodness.” Because of the sinful elements presented, or rather the philosophy and form (or tone) of their presentation, can be so very influential it is important to be discerning.

Bad: This is the category with which the Christian must never be associated. In this category fall, for example, the obscenity of satanic songs or pornographic films or things which seem to purposefully dishonour God.