Entertainment evil as good

hey joycelyn! This questions falls into the greater realm of a Christian worldview about entertainment.

Some helpful resources:
https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/is-it-sinful-to-watch-sin-on-a-screen
https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-do-my-entertainment-habits-reveal-about-my-soul

Most modern entertainment today (including books and social media) is not just secular but ungodly and anti-Christian. Entertainment is not content to castigate Christian morality but even insists on celebrating and parading immorality. Christians just have to admit that is what is going to happen whenever they turn on the TV or open a novel; there are few, if any, exceptions.

To that practice, God says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20).

But the question is, what are Christians to do about it? Because something portrays sin, does that mean I shouldn’t interact with it? To that, Christians have to say, “No,” because or else we wouldn’t be able to read the Bible, which tells of murder, incest, rape, etc. in the very first book (which… is one reason we’re not going beyond Gen 11 haha!). God does not encourage us to bury our heads in the sand and pretend like sin doesn’t exist.

However, that doesn’t mean that interacting with entertainment that portrays sin is necessarily always permissible for Christians. As you said, that book is trying to persuade you that something God says is sinful is in actuality good—which actually sounds just like Satan in the garden. It is crafted to get you to enjoy what God hates.

I think these questions might be helpful for that JHer to think through:

• What do my parents think about me reading this? It would be a great shepherding opportunity for them to talk through these things.
• Can I read this to the glory of God? All things, even reading a book, ought to be done to magnify and enjoy Him (1 Cor 10:31).
• Do I find myself being swayed to think less biblically about this issue because of what I’m reading? If so, flee and find biblical answers! (2 Cor 10:5). Or, am I even more convinced at the reality of God’s truth because this media upholds the moral law? (Psalm 1:6)

It’s great that she brought this question up! It’s a great opportunity to help her think  like a Christian and help make a decision that honors God. The fact that she’s already wary about such material is really good, and it sounds like she needs encouragement to keep growing in thinking biblically rather than correction to stop doing something she likes.

More important than her making the “right” choice is helping her think about God’s desires first. I’m thankful that you’re also cautious of just telling her, “Don’t do that.” Ultimately we don’t want her to just conform to what we tell her; we want her to think according to Christ and own her own life.

Okay, that was a lot; I hope it helped! let me know if you want to follow up in person about it, too