Tertullian
Tertullian was born into a pagan family in Carthage (modern day Tunisia) sometime around the middle of the 2nd century. He received an excellent classical education, which is evidence of a privileged upbringing. He converted to Christianity sometime before 196AD and became one of the most prolific Christian writers of his time.
Tertullian wrote on a wide range of subjects, and as a prominent member of the church (though he didn’t hold a position of leadership), he gives us a unique insight and perspective into everyday life and the challenges ordinary Christians faced.
In the early 2nd century one of the main challenges Christians faced were ‘the spectacles’. These were public entertainment festivals, which included gladiatorial games. Anyone who has seen the Ridley Scott film, Gladiator will have some sense of what gladiatorial combat may have been like. While worship of the gods and the afterlife is woven through the narrative, the gods are very much in the background. However, the reality is that the gods played a central role in these festivals.
This is the main point which Tertullian addresses in ‘On the Spectacles or Shows’. Even if you could somehow morally justify going to watch men kill one another in the arena, it would be impossible to disentangle the entertainment from the worship of false gods. The challenge for Christians was that these festivals were tied up with culture and even patriotism. Avoiding such events meant standing out, being left out and even considered a bad citizen.
Unsurprisingly some said that Tertullian’s view was a bit strict, a bit black and white. They argued that if God created all things good, surely then we are to enjoy all that he has created.
Tertullian in response contends that ‘we did not receive eyes for lust, nor the tongue for evil speech, nor ears to listen to evil speech, gullet for the sin of greed, organs for sex of shameless excess, hands for violence, feet to wander; nor was spirit imparted in body for the planning of treachery, fraud and iniquity.’ Rather, God ‘requires of us innocence, hates all malice, and every thought of evil. . . he never created to issue in acts which he condemns , even if those acts are performed by means of what he has created’.
Still others argued, ‘we nowhere [in the bible] find it expressly laid down: “you shall not go to the circus, you shall not go to the theatre, you shall not look on at contest or spectacle. Tertullian’s response is to point them to Jesus Christ as he is found in Psalm 1, ‘happy is the man who has not gone to the gathering of the impious, who has not stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilences.’ If the ‘gathering of the impious’ prophetically spoke about the church of Jesus’ day, how much more ‘this vast assemblage of a heathen people?’
What relevance does this have for us today?
When it comes to entertainment, we live in a much more complex world than in Tertullian’s day. But Tertullian’s critical engagement with Christians and the culture around him in Carthage is surely a reminder that we need to be doing the same in our day. We may not draw the same conclusions as Tertullian (who is at times too black and white, resulting in occasionally throwing the baby out with the bathwater), but we do need to engage our hearts and minds as we interact with the culture around us.
It is more likely that many of us don’t think seriously enough about entertainment and too often see things in shades of grey. As human beings, we naturally don’t want to feel left out or shunned. We don’t want to miss out on that cultural moment or not be able to participate in conversations with everyone else. And this fear or anxiety can cause us as Christians to be tempted by and participate in things that we should avoid.
It can be simple things like the TV show or football match that’s on a Sunday, which you know will be the main topic of conversation in school, university or work the next day. The entertainment may not be sinful in and of itself, but it is taking the place of God on the one day he has set aside for his worship and our rest. This is an area where we will find ourselves increasingly under pressure, even from other Christians.
But there are also things which have elements which make them immoral, regardless of when they are watched. And this is where some of the objections to Tertullian, start to feel pretty contemporary.
Think of the massive increase in the popularity of UFC and other violent sports. There are impressive feats of athleticism; should we not be drawn in and impressed by such things? Look at the ability God has given that man or woman! But the ultimate goal is to injure the opponent. We should guard our hearts and eyes against such things.
Or think of the summer blockbuster Oppenheimer. In many ways it is a gripping story of great historical significance. But one that has explicit sex scenes. Are the sex scenes enough for us to say ‘I can’t go to that’, or do we justify all the ‘good stuff’ in the rest of the film and say we’ll close our eyes at the inappropriate parts? And should we just limit our criteria to sexually explicit content? What about bad language and violence? Are there certain themes we should avoid? Perhaps we are all less consistent than we should be on this point.
This isn’t a call in the spirit of Tertullian to cancel your Netflix subscription and live the life of a hermit. But we do need to be discerning. We are all tempted in many different ways, and as our culture moves further away from God and his Word, the temptation to conform to this world and its values will likely grow stronger. Tertullian echoing Psalm 1, calls us to guard our hearts and to seek a better path, which leads to ultimate and lasting satisfaction.
