A well-known social media influencer recently posted a detailed explanation of why she thinks Christian parents should not let their children listen to Taylor Swift. At the core of her argument lay a simple premise: Christians should not follow artists who celebrate sin. Fair enough. But her post led to significant debate just as I was deciding whether or not to see a film that I had been looking forward to for months. A film that I knew would feature some level of ungodliness. Cue a question that I have wrestled with for years:
How should Christians engage with art and media in today’s world?
Truth In Strange Places
Scripture clearly calls believers to actively cleanse themselves from “all filthiness of the flesh and spirit” (2 Corinthians 7:1, KJV). Thus, Christians are confronted with two paths when dealing with modern culture. The first path is one of abstinence. While this can take many forms, it often looks like believers who only listen to Christian music and watch Christian films. This choice, however, is not without difficulty.
In a world that often collapses tension and looks for easy answers, enjoying art wisely can help form us into better disciples.
In recent years, for example, the Christian music industry has been exposed as an often opportunistic culture that values production above godliness and integrity, as seen in such scandals as Michael Tait’s sexual assault and drug abuse and the firing of Maverick City singer Dante Bow. Additionally, much of Christian art is simply not very good, but rather, feels like a weak regurgitation of whatever peaked a decade before. For most of us, then, this path is not a satisfying option.
The second path, however, is even more difficult because it requires evaluating what we consume on a case-by-case basis. If one word could describe this path, it would be tension. Although I might have a more nuanced view of secular artists than some popular influencers, I nevertheless struggle with the tension between worldly artistic expression and Scripture’s call to holiness.
While there is art that Christians should unequivocally avoid, I am generally uncomfortable with wholesale rejections of films and music simply because they are secular. Because the world is full of God’s general revelation, all artists can capture something that points us towards truth. Granted, this truth is sometimes found in the small crevices of otherwise filthy displays. But given that we live in a world that is both tainted by sin and infused with grace, those works are often the more honest expressions of life, conveying a complicated framework of glory, sin, beauty, and shame.
During high school, for instance, I read Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, a fictional yet poignant collection of stories about soldiers fighting in Vietnam. While I learned the facts and figures about the war in my many history courses, it is not an overstatement to say that this book, more than anything else, taught me the reality of both Vietnam and war in general. Talented artists can often peer more deeply into the human soul than we might want to look. When this happens, we emerge with a better and more realistic view of our condition and the condition of those around us. Is this necessary for salvation? Certainly not. But it can give us wisdom in how to navigate the world and our own personal experiences. Sometimes, stories like these can help us understand the humanity in others, a difficult task in morally complicated situations.
Of all the directors working today, Paul Thomas Anderson may be the best at portraying that honest humanity on the screen. In 2007’s There Will Be Blood, the character Daniel Plainview almost perfectly captures how capitalism sometimes rewards those with the most anti-human tendencies. 2012’s The Master offered audiences a case study in what draws humans into cults that end up destroying them. And finally, 2017’s Phantom Thread explored the often-illogical contradictions in romantic relationships through a main character who continues to stay with a wife who is slowly poisoning him to death. In a very Paul Thomas Anderson ending, Phantom Thread concludes with the wife admitting her crime, to which the main character responds, “Kiss me before I get sick.” Strange tensions exist in flawed human beings who often do not understand themselves.
A Mess of Entertainment
Of all the directors working today, Paul Thomas Anderson may be the best at portraying that honest humanity on the screen.
Suffice to say, I’m a fan. Indeed, every time Anderson releases a film, it feels akin to what I felt watching the New England Patriots reach another Super Bowl: excitement mixed with a small amount of dread. Excitement because I can’t wait to see the story he spins and dread because of what it will inevitably show me about humanity.
Anderson’s latest film, One Battle After Another, is perhaps his most commercial work to date. Eschewing his usual arthouse tendencies, One Battle After Another features arguably Hollywood’s most bankable star—Leonardo DiCaprio—alongside an all-star supporting cast that includes film icons like Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro. I was less familiar with some of the other cast members, but they more than rose to the challenge. In particular, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti, who star as a complicated mother-daughter duo, often stole the film during its almost three-hour runtime.
One Battle After Another has everything a film fan longs for: action, strange characters with tangled backstories, and twists and turns that are almost entirely unpredictable. At its core, however, is the story of a broken dad past his prime showing up for his daughter. While the film does veer into the obscene, particularly during its first thirty minutes, its story reflects beauty in some important ways. Almost imperceptibly, beauty slowly creeps to the story’s forefront as it unfolds.
How Much is Too Much?
Although One Battle After Another is a well-done collaboration featuring some of Hollywood’s most talented people, it nevertheless raised a question that has stuck with me ever since I exited the theater, the same question that confronted me in that influencer’s post about Taylor Swift: How much liberty do I have to enjoy secular art?
For some, an R rating serves as a veritable “Stop” sign at the ticket booth. For those with this conviction, there is certainly some wisdom being exercised. We live in a culture that often uses sex and violence to appeal to carnal instincts or as a distraction from weak plots, generic lyrics, and so on. But such content can ruin even an otherwise great work of art. The White Lotus’s first season featured a strong plot that was blurred by repeated obscene content that made my stomach churn. Similarly, I never made it through 2024’s Poor Things, which won Emma Stone an Oscar, because of the gratuitous sexual content. In such cases, the Christian receives almost no benefit from consuming the work in question. Thus, I can sympathize with believers who choose to keep all modern culture at arm’s length.
Although I tend to believe that all-out rejection is not the best path, One Battle After Another put that conviction to the test. Early on in the film, a complicated love triangle takes shape. On one side is DiCaprio’s Bob Ferguson, a left-wing revolutionary fighting against an authoritarian government with extreme tactics. On another side sits Taylor’s Perfidia, Ferguson’s lover and partner in crime. In the opening scene, their crew of extremists breaks into an immigrant detention center with explosions, gun fire, and plenty of chaos. Soon after those initial explosions, the triangle’s third and final side arrives: Penn’s Colonel Lockjaw.
I confess, I was tempted to leave during this opening act. Although there isn’t any nudity, the perverse relationship that develops between Perfidia and Lockjaw is troubling. In fact, had One Battle After Another been made by any other director, I probably would have walked out and dismissed it as yet another film ruined by over-the-top sex and violence. But with Anderson, there is always a method to the madness. I knew that if I hung with the film long enough, there would be a reason for the initial discomfort.
Any middle schooler learning how to craft a story knows that surprise is essential. One Battle After Another excels in this area. As it unfolds, the reason for the initial discomfort becomes apparent. Perfidia and Lockjaw’s wickedness is exposed, and those initial scenes help us understand the depths of their depravity. Thankfully, One Battle After Another changes course soon after and settles into an entirely different sort of film, a dramatic action title.
As the action increases, DiCaprio’s character gets an opportunity for redemption after living as a deadbeat for far too long. While this is not a new theme in cinema, the way it’s recounted here is unique and raises some compelling questions. Is redemption possible after a lifetime of selfishness? Can a moment of glory make up for years of neglect? And finally, what resides in the depths of someone that can turn them into an almost heroic character in an instant? As Christians we know the answer: we are creatures made in God’s image. We are capable of both great glory and tremendous darkness, often at the same time. One Battle After Another confronts you with the truth that humanity is more complicated than you thought. Can this lesson be learned elsewhere? Possibly, but Anderson’s film certainly excels at driving the point home.
A Question of Conscience
Although I tend to believe that all-out rejection is not the best path, One Battle After Another put that conviction to the test.
In Romans chapter 14, the Apostle Paul writes at length about the different sensitivities of believers: “One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables . . . one person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike” (Romans 14:2, 5a). While Paul is dealing with issues that were divisive in the early church, the principle remains the same today: different Christians have different convictions about what they consume, and that includes the art and media in their lives.
The goal of Paul’s argument is one of unity. The last thing he wants to see the early church dividing over are things like food and days of the week. He knows that believers across time and space are united by a gospel that drives down much deeper than what we consume and demands that we make space for a variety of convictions. At the same time, though, we are to think clearly about what we allow to form us.
Clearly, there are many works of art that are unhelpful. What is always difficult, though, is what to do with complicated stories like One Battle After Another. Does the redemptive arch justify the few obscene references early in the film? For some stories I would say “No.” For this new Anderson film, though, the message is worth it.
What sort of people are Christians?
Christians are a peculiar people often described in many ways. Culture might label us judgmental, backward, or rigid while we describe ourselves as people of truth. I’m sure Christians have fallen into all of those categories and more. At our core, though, we are a people shaped by beauty. We are a people who can see beauty in the tragic nature of the cross when Christ does the very thing he had encouraged his followers to do: lay his life down for his friends. We live as a people of deep hope when things look dark, and at our best, we are a people who understand the intrinsic dignity and humanity in every person. These qualities take shape over time. Thankfully, God has given us Scripture, community, and other disciplines to help us grow, but we must also be a people who learn to see the beauty and glory in all of creation.
Complex, challenging art can also help with our formation. In an evangelical culture that often struggles to break out of black-and-white thinking, such art can teach us wisdom in our decisions. Should Taylor Swift be shunned by Christians because of her persona? Maybe. But it is just as likely that a Christian can enjoy some of her songs while exercising discretion in avoiding others. Similarly, some of the best movies in history have featured dark characters and questionable morality. While we do not need to continuously wander into trashy depictions of life, sometimes these complicated films help us understand those around us better. One Battle After Another is one such film. Are all left-wing extremists the same? No. Some are motivated by power and violence while others are fueled by instincts we all share. Are all bad guys fully bad? Certainly not. All of us retain some glimpse of glory.
In a world that often collapses tension and looks for easy answers, enjoying art wisely can help form us into better disciples.
