Such a stance requires adding restrictions to the Christian life beyond Scriptural guidelines, which, taken to its logical extension, would rule out not only most literature but also the Bible itself. Certainly book lists can be helpful, but in dealing with objectionable elements, book lists take the guidance process out of the hands of the parents, without regard to individual student maturity or sometimes literary merit. A far more satisfying solution for achieving a balance in censorship is to discover and apply Biblical criteria for a literary analysis that both honors God and edifies the believer. The first step to establishing these criteria is defining what is objectionable. Scripture itself includes notable examples of each type of objectionable element.
Scripture even presents subtly false religious and philosophical assumptions.
The entire book of Job pits the main character against friends who offer seemingly sound reasons for Job's sufferings. The fact that God includes objectionable passages in Scripture is not grounds, of course, for indiscriminate reading of objectionable literature. But neither should the Christian think he must never read those passages. If the Christian parent, therefore, adopts the Holy Spirit's criteria and guidelines for the inclusion of objectionable elements in God's Word, he will have a good basis for determining the worthiness of other literature. The next issue of the Helper will present a method for teaching this literature in a way that honors God and edifies His child.