Although many souls have been saved and are being saved through various ministries, special events, evangelical outreaches, and home and foreign missions, many more are not saved. These spiritual venues fail to do little toward motivating them to entertain the idea of a faith-based life or how their life would benefit from it. They are either frightened or offended by their own perception of Christianity. How do we reach THESE people? Personally, I believe that the Christian community has yet to fully employ one vital instrument as part of its ministerial arsenal. That instrument is fine arts, or more specifically film and television. Many in the Christian Community refuse to acknowledge the fact that we live in an entertainment driven culture, and they undermine it.

I believe Jesus gave a clear example of the power of entertainment. Now please don’t misunderstand me by thinking that I am even remotely suggesting that Jesus was an entertainer! No, on the contrary, but in addition to all that He was, Jesus was the world's best storyteller! Sometimes he would use direct speech, but other times he would convey his message by way of an illustrated story. In my mind’s eye I can see him before a small wild-eye group or throngs of people holding them almost spellbound as he conveyed some hidden biblical truth via an interesting tale. I would have to reason that the reason our own Lord and Savior sometimes did that rather than preach all of the time, was that he knew his audience/listeners. He created for them a more palatable atmosphere for them to hear Him. Now granted some eventually dismissed the stories once He revealed their true meaning, but for others the light came on and stayed on.

In my opinion, I think this opposition to using entertainment as a vehicle for ministry is due to the stigma that has been placed on the secular industry for much of the garbage it produces. Some in our community have even demonized the art form itself, when actually it is the ungodly messages being conveyed through it that is the problem. But rather than embracing and utilizing this art form for the glory of God, they are much quicker to organize public protests, point fingers and throw verbal stones at Hollywood when it cranks out more visual fodder. I am not suggesting that we should stand by and do nothing to defend ourselves against legitimate attacks to our faith, but that we should exercise care and choose our battles carefully. Public protest is a double edge sword! Sometimes it can work against you by generating interest and curiosity where none would have existed otherwise, and giving time would just disappear on its own. And lets be honest and admit the unsaid which is that the success of many of these television shows and box office films—good or bad, you be your own judge—can be partly attributed to Christians. If anyone believes otherwise he or she is in denial! Due to the absence of alternative Christian shows and films, those that the secular industry produces have filled the void.

But some may say in defense that the Christian community DOES have a film industry! Do you mean those straight to video gems that churches sometimes show in the sanctuary on their overheads or is found in Christian bookstores that most people would not be able to tell you a single title because they never rent them? Those you mean? When is the last time that you have seen one at your nearby movie theater or multiplex? Why hasn’t the Christian industry generated an interest or market for a Christian movie theater chain? With thousands of television stations worldwide and hundreds of channels to choose from, why aren’t there any devoted to Christianity? But you may also be saying, "Wait up a minute! There are some television shows being made by Christians; in fact, they are aired on and by a Christian owned station!" Do you mean those shows that are top heavy with mostly preaching, make-up, prophecy, sing-a-longs, talk shows, and MAKE-UP on a station that has a disproportionate number of mostly middle age and senior citizens watching? You mean those shows on that station?

We must counter secular television! Due to its easy access and the fact that it is free, it wields even more power and influence than film! Although it would be great to inundate the secular media with Christian or Family-friendly shows—not that that would EVER happen—it would be even better if we had our own channel where those in the Christian community had controlling interest. The appeal of a fairly popular Christian station—I would prefer not to mention its name—appears limited to a certain age and location demographic, and it falls heavily on the side of traditional ministry. By traditional I mean the entertainment value of their programming is almost a mute point, very little to offer or attract. For this reason or another I know many Christians whom this type of programming format does not appeal to. There is just not enough variety. Sometimes you just want to get lost in a good story!

Now please do not misunderstand! As I have said before, I believe that God has many well-crafted tools in his toolbox and each one serves a special purpose, and each has its strengths and limitations. So rather than demean or trivialize this station, I commend it for its efforts and its successes. However I must be truthful in stating the obvious. This particular station has a limited viewership and even fewer choices to choose from. Thus, it is a tool which use has not fully been realized. So, if it does not appeal very much to Christians, the odds of it appealing to non-Christians are not very high! As the saying goes, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. If this is true, then an innovated Christian channel with vision can speak volumes to a much wider audience!

I would like to see a Christian station that is geared toward entertainment much like their secular counterparts, yet without much of the garbage they air, AND without compromising itself. Yet it must not be timid or afraid to try new things. Even among Christians, we have different viewing preferences. Christian programming should be tailored to the taste of its diverse audience. Not everything will appeal to everyone, but hopefully nothing will greatly offend either. It should also air from time to time the best and worst of those video gems which now gather dust in those Christian bookstore. Why the bad? Because a filmmaker made it, and, who can predict the diverse taste of the audience or the impact one of these could have on one of its viewers? And as with the secular network, the audience ultimately will be the ones passing judgement on everything that is aired by what they choose to watch or don’t watch.

Now in all fairness to the Christian movie industry there are some well-produced films. However they are few and far between and they receive little attention from neither Christians nor non-Christians, and are straight to dvd rental and sale items in obscure venues, with little promotion or fanfare. And truthfully, most of what I have seen belongs there, for the quality, technically and artfully, is extremely bad! But the interesting thing is that even the bad ones will elicit praise from many Christians. You say Jesus’ name in a film and they will swear it was the best thing they have ever witnessed! Christians are such a forgiving people! As for the ones that I found that were pretty good, my issue with them is only that most are heavy-handedly done for Believers only. Don’t get me wrong; there is nothing wrong with making films that lends support and help for those navigating through dark waters, or that teaches new principles for strengthening and deepening their faith. Such films are great for those that already believe, but where are the evangelistic ones that reach off the screen and touch those that are unsaved, those that zeros in on their level and addresses the issues they face and the conditions in which they live? And where are the ones that appeal to both Christians and the unsaved? If the world can, OCCASIONALLY, produce a film or a show that is herald by both Christians and the unsaved, then, likewise, I believe we that are heirs to the King of the universe can do just as well if not better, but with more meaningful substance.

I realize that the Christian movie industry is made up mostly of low budgeted, independent studios, but I have seen and enjoyed some wonderful movies filmed on a modest budget by the secular industry. The reason that many in the Christian Industry do not do as well as they do—whether on the big screen or little screen—can be summed up by a movie manager that I complained to after watching the bomb, Time Changers, a few years ago. Here was a Christian film that was touted and promoted by the Christian media and those involved directly with the film as being "the film to watch"! To say that this was an over-exaggeration would be too kind! After viewing the film, I cited to the movie manager numerous technical problems that I had observed while watching the film, which I naturally attributed to the projectionist that was running it. However the manager stated that it was not the case. He said, "The problem with many of these independent films is that the filmmakers do a rushed job to get them into the theater, resulting in technical problems which you will generally find in the actual footage itself".

In all honesty, even without the technical problems this film would not have been received well, because the filmmaker’s message and purpose over shadowed writing a good story with a convincing plot. Furthermore the characters themselves were not convincing. As I watched the film, I imagined seeing little minister’s collars around every actor’s neck each time that they opened their mouths! People pay to be ENTERTAINED! Now if you can weave a subtle bible truth or message into the story line, that’s even better! But as a paying consumer, I expect—NO I demand the same quality in a Christian project as I would in a secular project! And God deserves no less! To do otherwise, you may win praises from some of those forgiving Christians, but you will anger those Christians that aren’t as forgiving. As for the non-believers you have targeted, if he is not distracted by the film’s technical errors, the evangelistic opportunity could still be lost, for the story itself may be viewed in much the same way as being preached down to by an overbearing, overzealous, fanatically religious person! A Christian filmmaker, whether he is targeting fellow believers or non-believers, he would be well advised to keep his focus on scripting a good story, finding talented and believable actors, and, if any is required, using the most affordable effects. In addition, and only if it can be done where it flows naturally with the story, a subtle message would especially be a nice touch.

The scripture say ‘that we should be shrewd as snakes but as innocent as doves?’ There are a number of ways one can interpret it, but I read it as confronting the world on its own terms, but without sin. I feel it is time that we as Christians stop taking it on the chin, stop bellyaching about what the world produces, and stop being on the defensive. It is time we take the reigns—much the same as some of our country’s ace Christian lawyers have done in defending our civil rights—and mount a constructive offense against visual pollution by the secular industry! We can not expect HollyWEIRD CaliPHONY to do anything more than what they are doing, because they answer to a different director than we do. In Scripture, Christians are aptly defined as ‘light and salt’; and, likewise, we are to take on their character in transforming our world around us. We must use the blessing of His gifts, talents, abilities, and the technology to dispel and displace the darkness in the world; and, in doing so, preserve His word and enhance the world’s understanding of His character, sovereignty, and endlessly abundant love. I can think of no better way to reach a rebellious world where it lives than through the power of the media! It’s time we fight fire with fire!

But we must not stop there! It would be foolish and even irresponsible of me to suggest that entertainment alone can get and keep a person saved! It is only as effective as what follows the performance. Regardless of how well a performance is or how spirit-filled the message is, the church involvement is VITAL in solidifying the message! Performance ministry can ONLY point a person in the right direction, but once the performance is over it still needs committed Saints to help them reach their destination. They will still need to be supported, equipped, and mentored. That was the failing of many in the church during the successful run of the hit movie The Passion. This Trojan horse called entertainment touched many unchurched and unsaved people, and yet many fell through the cracks afterwards! The main focus of some churches appeared to be in making the movie a big success and rubbing its success in the faces of the Hollywood elite, rather than using this rare opportunity for some serious mentoring and evangelism. So ministering through entertainment, absolutely, but then it should be backed up with a one on one, supportive, mentoring relationship. Nothing can ever take the place of that!

In closing, the bottom line is simply this. Our country today is being driven by pop culture, mostly the film and television industry, with Satan as its designated driver. Now we can either continue to be a complaining passenger or we can put our own car on the track!

Enough said. That’s a wrap!!!