MOVIES DON'T FIT THE NEW GLEN

BY: ELEANOR ELIASON MEIER - Originally entitled "What About Movies?" 
These Times, November 1968, pages 15 - 16.

"Twenty-five young people filled the living room, some on chairs, some seated on the floor. On their laps rested plates filled with popcorn, sandwiches, and cookies. Tall glasses of punch were within easy reach of each one, but the usual all-consuming interest in food was missing. Only a few were absentmindedly munching on the refreshments they held.

"For over an hour they had been on one subject. There was no chairman for the discussion. Questions, statements, replies - all seemed to increase without prodding. The few adults in the room had faded into the furnishings and shadows. They were wisely quiet, and their presence was forgotten as the young men and women began to dig into the recesses of their questions. The thought, usually well guarded from measurements by parents or person of authority, were being taken out for inspection.

"The question of discussion was not a new one. Teen-agers have tossed it back and forth since the advent of the motion picture industry. The aspects for finding a solution were new, however, for the past ten years had brought new sidelines to what had once been dogmatic.

" 'The apostle Paul stated that all things are lawful.' The speaker was a tall dark-haired senior. Soon to leave for college, she wanted to make her own decisions. 'If I watch a film about the Revolution in history class, there really isn't much difference if I attend a film on that era of time taken from a historical noel, is there?' It wasn't a question, for the emphasis in her voice indicated her feelings.

" 'We can't be too quick to use Scriptures to prove our personal pint.' Earl was smiling, but his tone was serious. 'Paul also said, "If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh." Maybe our group could attend the motion pictures in the local theater without harm, but what of classmates and working associates who see us there?'

" 'Leave it to Earl to come up with the high hurdle,' said Betty with a laugh. 'Actually, I have thought of the same thing. I know that television is simply a form of motion pictures. I select those programs with care. If I select the shows I attend with equal screening, I doubt very much that it would harm me. The only thing that holds me back is, What about the person I have witnessed to? And what of the Christian who is really too weak to select only the "good" films?'

" 'That reason no longer applies!' Jeannie was more emphatic than the group was accustomed to seeing her. 'Since Billy Graham and other Christian films have been shown in theater buildings across the nation, people now realize that we attend, within the confines of a certain building, merely for the even that is scheduled. They associate us with the type of program being offered. Therefore, our attendance is not a deterrent of the testimony of Christ as it might have been even five years ago.'

"Following her outburst there seemed to be no answer. The evening had already exhausted the thoughts: Christ has made us free; we are not under the bondage of sin; just as hair styles and clothing styles alter, so does man's attitude regarding new inventions. 'After all,' one boy argued, 'didn't the grandparents of most of us believe that radio and the automobile were tools of sin when first put on the market?'

"Most of them could agree that we can sin in anything - food, sports, business, home family, etc., by overindulgence, giving it priority over Christ, allowing our pleasure or job to interfere with church attendance.

"The logic of the night had been well presented, a product of much thought. The very quality indicated that they had been bothered by this decision for a long time. The spoken sides were just vocal utterance of that which they had been wrestling with for months.

"One member of the group had been silent all evening. No one had seemed to expect a response from him, and he had been content to simply listen and wonder. He was the new convert. Church, the person of Christ, even prayer, were new experiences to him. What could he possibly have to offer to a group brought up in the church? 'Born into it,' as Luke's humor described them. Glen was impressed by the knowledge of Scripture that seemed to flow about him. He wondered how they could rattle off so many verses from memory without any hesitation. He wanted to look them up as they went along, because they were leaving gaps, filled with additional questions, in his mind. He didn't want to draw attention to himself by taking out the Bible that almost become part of his clothing. It was as automatic for him to place his Testament in his pocket as it was his comb or handkerchief.

"The silence was growing, but on one seemed to notice. It appeared they were all thinking the conversation over, trying to find a path through the maze they had created - Was it wrong for a Christian to attend the movies? If not wrong, was it right for a Christian to attend movies? Their comments had proved that it was the latter question that concerned them. Many things can be wrong if we make them wrong. As young people, they wanted something concrete to bite into. Not a list of don'ts or wrongs, but directions - clean-cut, positive chunks on which to build a life. Benefit, not detriment, was of value for them.

" 'Glen!' It was Jan who broke the silence. As she spoke his name, everyone in the room suddenly realized he was there. 'Tell us, why did you stop going to movies? Did your sister jam it down your throat? Did the pastor tell you not to go? Why did you quit?'

"'Well.' Glen licked his lips, stalling his response as he felt twenty-four pairs of eyes staring at him. 'No-o-o. It wasn't jammed down my throat. No one even mentioned it to me. Seemed I wasn't interested in going anymore, so I didn't. Just didn't care to attend after I accepted Christ as my personal Savior. I don't think I have even thought of the movies the past few months - at least not until now, when you asked me.'

"His reply startled Jan and the other young people in the room. Why had Glen lost interest in something that had formerly consumed him? It had not been a secret that he attended every new billing in town prior to his conversion. He wasn't just a fan, hew as addicted to shows. Before the group could probe , Glen again startled them with a question of his own.

"'Tell me' - Glen turned, searching every face, even though he directed the question to Jan - 'how did you know I stopped attending theaters? No one asked if I quit. How could you be so sure I wasn't going any longer?'

"'We just figured you weren't because - well, I mean we knew you weren't because - ah - 'Jan turned with a helpless shrug to her friends for aid.

"They were all looking from one to the other with blank expressions. Then, filed with wonder, they began to exchange looks again. They had found the answer, not only to Glen's question, but to the entire evening discussion.

"'It was the difference in you that made us know.' Martha spoke slowly, searching for what she wanted to say. All over the room heads were nodding in agreement. 'You became interested in church. You became a member of the youth group, joined the choir, attended every service. The way you talked changed. You no longer use a lot of slang... expressions. Then you stared bringing other people to church with you. I guess we knew that church finding more of Christ, was so important that you didn't have time for movies. They don't fit with the new Glen!'

"Silence again filled the room. Each of the young people was suddenly wondering if the new individuals they had become in Christ 'fit' with their favorite pastimes. As though someone had thrown a switch releasing light in a dark room, the felt and saw that it was no longer a matter of 'Is it wrong?' but 'Is it right?' 'Is it important to my new life in Christ?' 'Is it beneficial?' The questions this time were not limited to one item, either.

"As one person they stood, gathering up personal belongings, going home without speaking . A silence had fallen, one that results when a person has face the recesses of his won soul before the mirror of Christ's death and resurrection.:

*Eleanor Eliason Meier, originally entitled "What About Movies?" These Times, November 1968, pages 15, 16.