Ted Baehr

The shooting at the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises will be blamed on many things. One reporter who called me blamed it on violence in movies. Certainly, violence in movies, television and video games has had a tremendous impact on society. More than 500,000 studies, capped by the latest Dartmouth University study, show …

Who’s to Blame for Colorado Theater Shooting? Read More »

How to have media discernment for your family in the cluttered world of junky entertainment

The entertainment industry today is an influential world force. Yes, we all probably know that already, but let me illustrate just what I mean. When I am in my office, I am only about 45 miles north of the heart of the industry in Hollywood, Calif. Frequently I am called to speak around the world in far-away places such as Poland, Ukraine, India, Japan or Laos. When I step on the plane, I find Hollywood movies and television programs playing during the flights. When I go into the jungle of the highlands of Thailand, Hollywood is still very close by—there are satellite dishes run by generators connected by exposed wires, which bring the industry’s entertainment into the flimsy grass huts of the people. The children in these villages try to dress like the Hollywood stars they idolize and try to mimic their lives—right down to the smoking, drinking and sexual promiscuity. Hollywood is not just a geographic place some 45 miles south of my office. It’s a huge entertainment industry that reaches the world—for good or ill. Aided increasingly by foreign investments, it is the voice of the United States to people everywhere, especially the youth.

As Jesus told the leading spokespeople of His day: “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them” (Matt. 15:11, NIV). All too often, what comes out of the mouth of our entertainment-oriented culture are movies such as Hostel, Kill Bill, Sex and the City orSaw IV.