It's been a heated topic within the church about what things are appropriate within the entertainment media. Is it right to see a movie with extreme violence, inappropriate sexual content, strong language, misuse of drugs and other material? Practically every Christian would agree that doing these are wrong, not Biblical and media shouldn't be consumed if they contain those things. However, what happens if a Christian uses these in their works? Is it justified if they use it to make a character or setting more realistic? What if they have this content as a way to show the sinfulness of man in contrast to the holiness of God? What if they have a character who goes through a process of redemption and gives up those old, sinful habits?

It's much more controversial than it may seem. Most of us, as I stated in my first article, would willingly through down a few bucks and watch a superhero movie, despite the violence and possible language involved. Many of us are fans of great action films, timeless romantic flicks and thought-provoking thrillers and we see nothing wrong with them.

But we know they are wrong. We know the violence, language and sexual content shouldn't be done in real life. Ephesians 4:29 states, “Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up others according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” And later on, "Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”

So I bring up the question again. Knowing these Scriptures and others like it throughout the Bible, should a Christian use these acts of violence, language, etc. in their works if it glorifies God?

First, let me explain my personal conviction. I'm not bothered by these things, whether they are in movies, books, TV shows, etc. However, I don't like it when they're excessive, overused and become such a distraction that I no longer appreciate the book or movie for the story behind it. This comes from a mixture of two cultures. I grew up in public school and was subjected to this kind of talk from friends, overhearing people in the hallway and also knowing what goes through the mind of an average teenager. On the other hand, I was devoted in my faith and believed these things were wrong.

When I started writing for fun, I had to decide if I was going to use this kind of content in my stories. As a Christian, I struggled with it. I wanted to portray my villains, and even some of my heroes, in a realistic way. I wanted my characters to have flaws in order to develop them more roundly, and keep the reader interested. I've noticed myself when a character is written as unrealistic or written in a way where they may not be perfect but their actions are still sugar coated, I'm no longer entertained.

So, in short, I started writing these sinful acts into my stories without a worry in the world. Some of my darker stories had more of the violence and language while my calmer stories would maybe have a cuss or two. I was content and very proud of my work. The only things I refused to write were sexual content. The furthest I would go is a couple giving each other a quick kiss.

On the flip side of this: I was never challenged as a writer with the content I had in my stories until I started rooming with a friend I knew from a summer camp. He's strongly against any of the content listed, and is especially offended by language and sexual content. We've butted heads many times, as I believe it's perfectly fine to write this content in the story, as long as it points the reader to Christ by revealing their sinfulness and God’s grace and forgiveness. He believes it ruins the testimony of a Christian and that I'm compromising my faith in order to write something, and that I'm sinning by having the content I have in my stories.

While I personally have no issue with how I write, I need to be aware of a few things. From being exposed to this kind of stuff in middle school and high school, of course there would be no reason for me to see writing these things as sinful. It’s simply what I was exposed to. It’s what I know. And if I feel like I can use these acts of sin in my stories to address that they're wrong and address he fact we're fallen and in need of a Savior, I see no harm in it.

But secondly: he did make me aware of something. He's not the only person who believes what he does. There are other Christians out there who may not approve of the content I'm willing to put in my stories. Also, if someone who doesn't believe in God reads my story, what does it say about what a Christian believes if they have this content?

He challenged me to think about different ways of writing these scenes that can still make it effective, but replacing or removing completely the content.

At first, I honestly had trouble seeing his side. I thought he was completely wrong in his convictions and believed he was being closed minded until I was made aware of a passage in the book of Romans: “Let not the one who eats vegetables despise the one who abstains…one person esteems one day as better than another while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind…Therefore let us not pass judgement on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.”

What this is saying is as a Christian, if another Christian has a different conviction than us, believing something is right or wrong, we shouldn't force them to break their convictions if they believe the way they're living glorifies God. Using this situation as an example, even though I may not fully agree with my friend, I still shouldn't cause him to stumble by using the content I do, or at least trying to convince him it's fine when to him, it's sinful and wrong. In other words, because his reasoning is sound and does not contradict Scripture, I should take to heart what he believes and respect his convictions.

So then, what is the conclusion I've come to? I believe as a Christian writer, we need to be extremely careful with how we portray our characters. I still believe in portraying them in a realistic way, however, I believe we also need to limit the content there is and still find a way to convey our message. If my friend has a conviction about what I write and I don't agree, I shouldn't judge him for what he holds conviction, too, especially if there's no Scripture against it. I should also take to heart what he believes and write in a way that can still glorify God and honor him. Because at the end of the day, having peace with a fellow believer and doing something for God’s glory are the only things that matter.