How do you know that what you’re reading honors God?

That’s a difficult question, isn’t it? On the surface, perhaps it sounds like an easy answer, but it might be more challenging than you think.

Maybe your answer would be that you only read wholesome, clean, “Christian” content and never even consider stories that talk about sin and wickedness. Again, on the surface, that sounds like a good answer, but if you think about it, if that is the prerequisite for every book you read, you’ve eliminated the most Christian book in history from your shelves.

Yes, I mean the Bible. God’s Word has many examples of stories that deal with every type of sin that exists. Those stories aren’t about evil, though; rather, they are about how God sets us free from our sin.

Stories that incorporate the worst of human nature can still honor God. The question is whether or not the author glorifies the wickedness of human nature or speaks the truth about it.

We live in a world that is inundated with evil, but before we all nod in agreement and shout amen, let’s be sure that we can identify evil. We think of evil as murder and abuse and violence and witchcraft. Yes. All those things are evil. But so are little white lies. In some instances in Scripture, taking a census was evil. Refusing to kill certain people was evil.

We can define evil as any thought or action that honors or obeys any person, place, or object other than God. God must be our foundation. He must be our standard, because He doesn’t change. If your definition of truth comes from human reasoning, you will find that the line will move on you.

With that definition in mind, the best strategy is to develop a rubric to evaluate everything we read or watch. No matter what topic you’re talking about or reading about, the standard we should use to evaluate whether it is true or not is God’s Word. For a follower of Christ, Truth is singular. There is no “my” truth or “your” truth; truth is true no matter where you find it, and it always points to God.

When you know what God says is right about every area of life, you can read any book, listen to any podcast, watch any movie and know instantly whether it is something that communicates truth—whether they are written for the Christian market or not.

Does that mean stories that feature characters who choose sinful lifestyles are automatically bad? Should we always reject every story that contains content that mentions sin?

This is a challenging question, and the answer depends greatly on your personal journey and convictions. The most important rule to remember is this: Don’t turn off your brain.

A piece of media or content may claim to be Christian, buy that doesn’t make it safe. Just because a book or movie claims to have been created with Scriptural inspiration doesn’t automatically mean it’s true. You must pay attention. You must be alert. Yes, watch or read it, but then examine it and evaluate it.

How does the story compare to what God says is true? What about the characters? Do they behave in a way that points toward a lifestyle God approves? Does the story exemplify honor or justice or kindness or wisdom or loyalty or faith? Or does the story present things God says are wrong as though they have no consequences?

Know Scripture, and apply it everywhere. Any story that points to truth can be used to glorify God. Wherever you find truth, you can point it out as truth, whether you see it in a Sunday school lesson or a blockbuster movie in the theater.

As followers of Christ, we have access to truth. We can know for sure what is true and what is not true. Use that knowledge to examine and evaluate everything you read and watch, and if it doesn’t fit God’s standards for truth, identify why.

When have you read a book that was intended for a general market audience that featured actual truth? Have you ever read a book that claimed to be Christian that actually pointed toward a misunderstanding of God’s Word?

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Meet Amy…

A.C. Williams (also known as Amy C. Williams) is a coffee-drinking, sushi-eating, story-telling nerd who loves cats, country living, and all things Japanese. Amy is the author of more than 20 books. both fiction and nonfiction.

Learn more at her website or her BRRC author profile page.