In Defense of (Some) Sex in Movies
That being said, it’s possible to
take any argument too far. Some readers might interpret me to be saying what I
am not saying at all—that any and all references to sex or sexuality should be
eliminated from public storytelling. Yes, some prudes are Christians, but not
all Christians are prudes. As a Christian movie patron, I hope to act with
prudence, not prudishness.
Why support the prudent portrayals
of sexuality in films? Because both the uses and abuses of sex are a part of
life. To ignore sex and sexuality altogether would be a disservice to human
experience.
All over the world, people fall in
love and get married. All over the world, people have children, sometimes in
and sometimes out of wedlock. All over the world, people fall into various
forms of sexual temptation. Virtually everyone reading these words can be found
in at least one of these “all people” categories. To completely ignore
sexuality in our films would be to ignore a very real part of the human
condition—a condition created by God Himself.
Furthermore, because sex is God
ordained, we need to take it seriously. It isn’t a random or trivial aspect of
the created order. Sex was designed as a powerful tool to glorify God, serve one’s
spouse, and receive pleasure to boot. One of my problems with much of modern
film fare isn’t that it deals with sexuality, per se, but that it does so with
little to no seriousness. Especially in the comedy genre, sex is treated as not
much more than a joke or a gimmick. Something with such dignity and gravitas
shouldn’t be treated so casually.
When it comes to sex, we need more
films to deal with the beauty of its right uses and the horror of its misuses. Even
Scripture, which is far from a seedy tabloid publication, does not shy away
from dealing with sex in all its forms. It even includes a love poem that celebrates
the beautiful intimacy of conjugal relations. If the Bible itself deals with
the human condition in all its forms, shouldn’t at least some of our stories do
the same?
I’m aware that Hollywood as an
industry isn’t founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs. I don’t expect every movie to
conform to a Biblical standard. What I do expect, and hope and pray for, is
that Hollywood treats the power of storytelling with greater responsibility.
It has done so in the past. That
is, it has shown an ability to deal with sexual themes—even dark ones—with
respect for both actors and audiences. This includes movies that have had a
deep impact on me: Casablanca
(adultery and sexual manipulation), Cape
Fear (the original!) (sexual predation), and Unbreakable (adultery and rape), to name a few.
When I blog about Hollywood’s
abuse of sex, it’s not because I have a vendetta against the film industry. On
the contrary! Much of my scholastic and recreational endeavors have had to do
with video and film production. I love
movies. I will continue to be a (cautious) patron of Hollywood. In the future,
as I continue to take filmmakers to task for their irresponsible treatment of
sexual themes, please know that it’s not because I hate films or God’s gift of
sex. In fact, it’s because I love and respect them so much that I want to
critique the ways in which they are abused.
So yeah, sex in movies is fine. At
times, it may even be necessary. But the abuse of sex never is—not in real
life, and not in our entertainment.