On March 1st my newsfeed exploded with angry moms. Our beloved Beauty and the Beast is GAY.
Well, not exactly. And perhaps that’s where we should start. Is this a “Gay” movie? Or is this just another worldly movie made by worldly people with worldly agendas? Believe me, I’m upset, too. But there is an important difference here worthy of a second look.
Al Mohler, at the recent Shepherd’s Conference, summarized this distinction well. He said there’s a difference between culture being infused into a movie and a movie glorifying a particular sin. Gay characters will be the norm in movies from now on. That’s the agenda. The question we should ask is: Does it glorify the sin, or does it discuss/portray an aspect of culture?
This is the culture God has appointed for us to raise our children in. We need to know how to live in it and interact with it. Our kids are watching us. Our response to this issue will shape how they live within this culture. As we respond to Beauty and the Beast there are two words that should not characterize us as Christian parents.
Naive
If we expect the world to act Christian we will always be let down. Many are crying out, “How could Disney do this!?” Maybe instead our question should be, “What took them so long?” Disney is not a Christian company. Disney is acting exactly the way it is supposed to act.
I think deep down we hope the evil in this world will spare our kids. But evil is no respecter of persons. When we see Disney peddling homosexuality as normal it’s like watching someone pass out candy-covered cyanide to children. We gasp in horror and say, “What’s this world coming to?” But we already have the answer. God tells us that “the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:17) For the Christian there are no surprises – only evidences of God’s promises coming true.
We should be angry at sin, but never shocked. Shock means we got too comfortable here. It means we made ourselves at home in the enemy camp and we were offended when the enemy tried to kill us in our sleep. It means we have forgotten that we are “aliens and strangers.” (1 Peter 2:11)
