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The Theology & Show is a YouTube series where we combine the lofty and the regular by talking trends, reviews and theology. Featuring Sandals Church Teaching Pastor Alfredo Ramos.
At Sandals Church, our vision is to be real with ourselves, God and others. This channel features sermons and teaching from Pastor Matt Brown and other members of the Sandals Church preaching team. You can find sermon notes, videos and more content at http://sandalschurch.com/watch
What is up everybody? Welcome again to the theology and show. I'm pastor Fredo, and in this show man, we talk about the lofty and the regular when it comes to, trends, reviews, and theology. And man, today, I got some treats y'all. I got some treats.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:We got beignets. I'm gonna be sampling some beignets from the beignet spot here in Riverside. So shout you guys out. Thank you for the beignets even though we paid for them. So I don't know.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:I mean, thank you for your business, I guess, but here we go. We got a regular beignet, and we got chocolate sauce, and what's this one again? It's a peanut butter and aioli, peanut butter, sriracha. Jerk. Jerk.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Jerk. Jerk chicken. Alright. Let's do this stuff first. I don't know.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Oh my god. Let's go. Let's see. Let's see. Mm-mm.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:This is cool. It's got a kick. Initial kick right away. That's wild. It's sweet, but like really really spicy thing.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Alright. Let's go back to the chocolate, man. You can't get chocolate at all. My goodness, man. Almost made me wanna cut.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:That was good. That was good. Alright. Alright. See a beignet spot too.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Got a little berry action. I should tell y'all that I'm on a food plan right now, and none of this is, like, green lit on the food plan. So my trainer watches this. It's like you're on the same. Oh, man.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:That's like breakfast, cake. That's good. That's very loving right now. That's amazing. That's amazing.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Alright. Well, more, and then we'll actually get to talking. Actually, let me just talk. So today, right, we're gonna be, tackling the question, is it okay for me to watch shows or what's okay for me to watch especially as a Christian? And we found this fitting because the truth is it's a show about theology, but it's also a show about entertainment, things that we are watching.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And so it'd be great to kinda just set a foundation for, what's okay for us to watch. A buddy of mine just said, man, we live in the golden age of entertainment where you can get the best of movies, the best of what a studio offers, like, every other week, either in the theater or at your own home. And so, we're living in an age in which, like, binge watching anything and everything is such a natural thing for us to do. And so for Christians, I think there's a unique opportunity we have to consider what's right, what could be unhealthy. Right?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And so, and this kinda comes out of a a moment just a few weeks ago. I was, in our series. We're preaching on how to pray, and I referenced, stranger things season 4 just dropped. It was a huge hit and had a really important elements to it and I I referenced the show of an important theme that I thought came out of the show and we used a clip online and it was interesting because a lot of people dug the clip. They, totally got the point of what I was trying to say, and it it kinda just it clicked for them.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:For others though, like, there was some concern, like, wow, like, a a pastor who's preaching from the bible, like, is referencing stranger things, like, more importantly, like, they they watch the show. Right? And so I I understood where people were coming from, and I think it was, like, an important thing to raise. Right? Because what's okay?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:What's not okay for us to watch? And for a show like stranger things, you are dealing with, the darkness of the world. You're dealing with demonic. Right? You're dealing with suffering.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And so, for some people that's just too much. And honestly, that that's okay. That that's okay if that's too much for you. But before we kinda dive all the way into there, I do wanna zoom out a little bit and talk a little bit about the theological foundation, for entertainment and and stories and what shows are okay, what movies are okay. And here's the bottom line, we are created by a God who is a storyteller, and because of that, we love stories as humans.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:When you think about all the species on the planet, why is it we are the only ones who write books and tell stories and write and direct movies about ourselves? You don't see monkeys doing that. You don't see any other animal in the animal kingdom doing that. Right? And that's because I think there's a unique part of who we are as people.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And theologically, the phrase there is we are made in the image of God or in Latin, the imago dei. Right? And so there are parts about God that are reflected in his creation, you and I. And I think one of the most beautiful parts about God is his ability to create is also mirrored in us. We have to some degree abilities to create things.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:One of the most important thing things is, is art, man. We make art. And I think because God is a storyteller, you think about the the the gospel, the message of salvation is embedded both in history, people, and stories. You think about the Bible itself. What is the Bible if it's not a story from beginning to end?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Right? And so stories are such a deeply part, of how we understand who we are as people, who God is. And so, it's natural for us to understand why it is that we're inclined to stories. When you think about babies, one of the first things they get from their parents, whether they're fully understanding them or not, are stories. We read stories to our children.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Right? Sometimes what we do for people who are not just born, but those who are close to death. What do we do when we're surrounding our loved ones who are close to passing? What are we doing? We're rehashing stories.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:We're remembering beautiful moments of their life before they pass. Right? Stories, when you think about it from the beginning of life to the end of life, play such a critical part of, what it means to be human. A great resource that I would recommend to you all on this is by an author. She's fantastic.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Her name is Babette Buster. She writes on the importance of stories. She is a believer. She follows Jesus, and she's been consulted by Disney, Pixar, and many others when it comes to the importance of storytelling, for companies, brands, right, all that kind of stuff. And so, theologically, we understand God's a storyteller.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:We also love to tell stories. When you think about the gospel, Jesus, when he's trying to communicate who he is and what he's coming to do, he uses things like parables. Read the gospels. You see these all the time. Right?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:But real practically, when we think about, the role stories play and which ones we should watch, here are kind of 2 levels that I wanna offer to you. The first is your conscience. So going back to stranger things 4, people are a little bit bothered like, wow, a pastor would reference this in a sermon. If your conscience is not okay with it, you should listen to that. You should completely listen to that.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Right? Scripture talks about this. The apostle Paul does throughout the New Testament. If your conscience is not okay with something, do not partake in it. You can draw that line.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:But here's the thing. Just because you drew the line there, it doesn't mean that you've got to draw the line there for every other Christian too. Right? There's there's liberty of conscience. I would recommend to you the Westminster catechism of faith.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:It's a helpful just handbook of theology, doctrine, statements, and it and it's got a great section in there on the liberty of conscience of Christians and how we relate well to each other, how we love well, other people, and and understand that their conscious is different than ours. Right? The second level I would talk about beyond conscious is also community. So what does your community have to say? If people in your life who are, loving you well, maybe they're older and wiser than you, if they point out to you that your particular habits when it comes to watching shows or movies is kinda leading you to act a certain way or be a kind of person, you should take that into consideration on whether or not you watch something.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Right? And so the question needs to be nuanced. The question really determines who you are and where you're at in life. I'll speak personally to that too. I wasn't, aware of how much I watched in my life until I got married.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Honestly, I loved going as a kid with my dad to Best Buy. We'd buy these things called DVDs, and we get a 2 desk version because the special edition had all the behind the scenes, all the deleted stuff. Right? We'd love I mean, we'd spend, like, probably a $100 and get, like, 5 movies every Saturday, and we just go home and watch them. I loved watching movies and shows my parents.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:It was just something I did growing up. But then I got married, and my wife would kindly point out to me that after a long day of work, I just wanted to disconnect from everybody and just, like, turn on some mush entertainment and just kinda just just binge out for a second. And in her kindness, she pointed out that, like, wow, this is becoming a habit, and TV isn't necessarily a bad thing, but why are you needing TV in this particular moment? Right? And so I think you and I should be sensitive to community in our life and how they're pointing out particular rhythms, patterns, habits in our daily lives, and and entertainment is a big part of it.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Right? Some of your guys' lives would be much better if instead of binge watching in your, you know, bed at night, you you spend an extra 5 minutes just in prayer. Alright? Some some of you might feel more energized to, have deep friendships if you weren't so connected to the screen early in the morning or late at night. Right?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And so we we should be sensitive to how our habits of consuming entertainment are shaping us as people. And the last thing but I'll get to in a second because this fried chicken is calling my name. Let's try this first, and then I'll talk about artists who make stuff. Let's see. I'm a do I'm a add this.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Let's make a little beignet sandwich. Let's see what this is like. Y'all getting this. Look at it. Look at this.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Yo. Chick fil A got nothing on what I just made right here, man. Y'all got a breakfast biscuit. It's good, but I don't know. Let's see.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Oh, my lord. Sorry some chicken's raw. This is freaking fantastic. Alright. I'm a rank them.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:My little beignet sandwich, numero uno. This is amazing. 2 of them are classic, but not with the peanut butter kick you in your face sauce, and then I'll go 3 with a pancake because I'm not a big pancake guy, but the berries are not. If you're into fruit and sweets, you can get it here. But, man, this is that was amazing.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:That was amazing. Yo. And here's the thing. If you, are following Jesus and you're a Christian and you feel called to create art, maybe you do it professionally already, man, that is a beautiful thing. And I think, man, as you embrace those two layers of what what's okay for your conscience and how your community is helping you, be shaped into the image of Jesus in your work.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Right? I think those are 2 things that you've gotta be able to hold on to, as you continue to follow God and and, create art as a as a professional. But here here is something that I think is really important, and this actually comes from n t Wright. He is a theologian. He says the burden of the Christian artist is to tell stories and create art that help the audience long for and want desperately the new world that God is making.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And what he means by that is, Jesus, the good news of Jesus is that in his life death and resurrection, he's making all things new people this world right and so art, especially if you're a Christian, you you should be thinking about how can I make something that helps, tease us like an appetizer right before the meal that helps point us towards what's coming? What we know is ultimately coming that's beautiful and good and that the human soul desperately needs. How do I make art that kind of points to that? Then he also says, and at the same time, be honest about the reality of the desert we live in. And I think that's such a a poignant phrase.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Right? And so art can be twofold. It can help point us to the world that we long for, the world that Jesus says is coming because of what he's done in his life, death, and resurrection. But then also, how do you tell stories that are honest about the human experience? Right?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:The reason why I thought stranger things was profound, and we can fight on this one y'all, is because it's honest about pain. It's honest about suffering. It's honest about what the lack of forgiveness and healing will do to you and to the people around you. Right? And it does it, I think, in an artistic way.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Y'all just got sauce on my elbow. But it does it in an artistic way because it it it does so pulling on a lot of nostalgic elements of the eighties nineties and and even just it brings in human friendship. Right? And so I even think of a show not as dark as stranger things, but you think it's something like 30 rock, a really well known show from NBC. It had a great run.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:People loved 30 rock. While it obviously highlighted life in the entertainment business living in New York, what it really was after was a show trying to help people understand how important friendship is in the midst of difficulty and suffering. Right? And so fine shows or or fine movies or if you're an artist, create things that are gonna tell stories that are honest about the human experience and maybe even leave people wondering, man, where does redemption come in from? Right?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And so I think that's where Christians can engage art well and say, man, this this story, this movie is saying something very true about the human condition, about sin, about, human frailty or about how people act. Right? But here's why I think the good news of Jesus offers us a better way forward. I think think that's a really healthy way to do it, man. That's how I approach anything I watch, whether it's Spiderman or something serious like breaking bad.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Like, I'm always, thinking through, a gospel lens. And it honestly doesn't ruin the show or the movie for me. It actually enhances it because I actually enjoy it for what it is. Right? And here's why.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Let me just address the elephant in the room. Here's kinda why I struggle sometimes with with Christian movies or Christian kind of TV shows is because they haven't done the hard work to be honest about the human experience. You know, more than, like, the acting kind of being cheap or, like, the story feeling kind of rushed or the budget just ain't there. Right? Because it's not like Warner Brothers giving you 80,000,000 to go make this Christian flick about not watching porn or something.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:It's it's that they haven't done an honest job with telling something that's very human that connects with people. Right? And then, like, they kinda just slap Jesus on like a band aid and, like, oh, yeah. You just need Jesus and life gets better. Like, we gotta be more creative with the journey, the the the journey of life that's up and down that sometimes without answers.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Right? When you read through the old testament, it's hard to moralize every story because sometimes you just read us, you'll read an account like in first kings, you know, like, what what does this even mean? Well, maybe the author isn't trying to give you a mean in the story. He's just trying to give you a history lesson about what this king did in their idolatry and how they let people to do this, and they had a war. Right?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Like, life oftentimes does not have a little beautiful point at the end of whatever happened. And so sometimes Christian art feels forced to give you a point, and it just it doesn't land well. And it certainly doesn't feel like it connects well with with an audience that maybe doesn't care for Jesus or certainly doesn't identify as a Christian. Right? And so my hope for us, especially as we move forward in the golden age of entertainment, is that we would get thoughtful people who are telling stories in a compelling way.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:I'll offer you one. His name is Scott Derrickson. He's a director. He's done things like, the exorcism of Emily Rose. I know it's a horror flick, but he also did the first doctor strange, which was amazing.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:He actually went to Biola University, which you don't know is a Christian school. Then I think he went to USC film school. Anyways, he he you can follow him on Twitter. He's a he's an interesting follow. He talks about his faith, but I think he tells stories in a compelling way that that connect with a larger audience, but also get them to wrestle with what you and I would say are important themes in life that we believe Jesus offers a solution to.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Right? And so, it can be done. This is the same for musicians, hip hop artists or any other kind of artist. Right? Like people are out there following Jesus trying to figure out how to faithfully follow him with the art that they are creating for the world to enjoy.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Alright. And so man, I hope you all enjoyed this. Like I enjoyed these beignets. We'll be back. Make sure to like and subscribe to the show.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:We got so much other stuff coming. I am so excited to continue on. Thanks for tuning in. I'm pastor Fredo, and you just watched Theology and Show. Yo.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Thank you all so much for watching. Make sure to subscribe to this show and the whole channel. We got tons of great content on Christianity culture. We'll see y'all soon.