A secular company, in this case, Disney, has done something Christians don’t like.

In other news, the sky continues to be blue.

Specifically, the director of the Beauty and the Beast remake, Bill Condon, told Entertainment that there would be a “gay moment” in the film. As a result, a drive-in theater in Alabama boycotted the film.

Don’t feel too bad for Disney, they made $174 million dollars on their opening weekend.

But this isn’t about Disney, this is about how people, particularly Christians, should respond to an entertainment product with a large scope when it contains elements that they do not support.

Personally, I think if you don’t want to see it, don’t go see it. If you do want to see it, see it.

Simple, right? Either way, it’s a beautiful exchange between consumer and producer in the free market.

Of course, others, like Pastor Jeff Harris in San Antonio, Texas, have a different response. Now, to you, Pastor Harris.

Let’s get a few things straight here. Disney is not a federal regulation or a license. Disney is a private company which produces products. Those products are distributed by different private companies, such as the drive-in theater in Alabama.

The drive-in theater in Alabama will probably not get any more movie deals from Disney because Disney has the right to not do business with that theater just like the theater has the right to deny distributing Disney’s products at any time.

All this to say that people don’t need to see anything Disney produces. If people want to boycott Disney, then that’s their right to do so. They can do it for whatever reason they want. They can boycott any private entity they want, including your favorite restaurant if they want to.

You have every right to oppose them and spreading the word about how amazing your favorite restaurant is and how lovable the openly gay server is that works there.

I agree that we lost the culture wars a long time ago, so what? We, therefore, have no voice in the culture at all? That’s not very true to the Great Commission, is it?

“We want no-fault divorce and strong marriages; we want strong immigration walls and to go fulfill the great commission; we want to limit young peoples’ access to contraception and have a world where abortion is illegal; we want to be pro-life and pro-death penalty.”

Who are the “we” you’re talking about? For your first point, I don’t know of any Christians who want no-fault divorce. My Christian friends are in total solidarity in wanting strong marriages.

I don’t know why you think the desire to protect yourself and your family is irreconcilable with the desire to spread the gospel. Matt Walsh has already explained how you can be both. Do you think people need to become American citizens before they become Christians?

I don’t know who’s limiting young people’s access to contraception. Here’s where you can find places that distribute free condoms.

Are you seriously trying to shame people for opposing the death of unborn children?

“Put your sword back in its place… for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” From the mouth of Jesus in Matthew 26:52. Just in case you missed it, Jesus did not oppose the death penalty.

Let’s think about Jesus’s relationship to entertainment. There are no recorded instances of Jesus going out of His way to entertain Himself. He certainly never went to gladiator matches or circus races. He never directly addressed entertainment.

Luckily, the Apostle Paul has something more direct;

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17 ESV)

“Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” (1 Corinthians 8:8-9 ESV)

So, in short, everything we do should direct glory to God and what we do shouldn’t cause other people to question either their faith or ours.

Do you think going to a movie whose director has stated that he wants to rip pages out of Bibles won’t cause anyone to question the sincerity of your faith?

“I’m sick of Christians not representing Jesus, but rather a thinly-veiled, self-righteous version of themselves.”

I’m sick of people trying to turn a conversation about objective Christian morality into an opportunity to vilify people who disagree with them. Both of us being sick of something doesn’t further the conversation.

I agree that we need to bear our cross daily, but that’s what we are meant to do. Jesus already paid for our sins, but that’s not the end of the story. We must undergo justification in our life as we seek to become more like Jesus.

“My righteousness is judgmental and full of comparison… My compassion is self-interested and self-congratulatory...”

And that, therefore, means you can’t identify sin and call people to repentance? You are commanded to do so. Remember, Jesus’s first disciples, the ones he sent into the world to proclaim his Gospel, were not perfect people. Jesus’s present disciples are still not perfect. That doesn’t mean we have no ability to preach His message.

Why don’t you stop taking in garbage through TV and social media so that you don’t make the gospel irrelevant? Why don’t you, like the rest of Christ’s followers, seek to become more like Him every day?