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Christians in the Media: Film,
TV, Theater, etc.
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Fade In:
An interesting thing happened in World War II: Germany, using
a combined force of tanks and planes, nearly conquered the world.
The paradox in this is that the British invented the tank and America
the plane, while only Germany fully acknowledged the power in them
and developed these weapons of war.
Britain and America discovered their error and in a desperate
move began to play catch-up. They eventually did but only at a terrible
cost in lives.
Likewise, the mass media was originally developed to publish the
Bible and propagate the gospel, but only the "world" fully
acknowledged its power. With this power the media has flooded the
world with Michael Jackson, Ronald McDonald and Dennis Rodman.
Are we trying to win?
The tactics of previous evangelistic efforts have
yielded results much like the cavalry charge in medieval warfare
and are now in need of drastic renovation if they are to compete
against today's weapons of mass destruction. If they are not improved,
the resulting carnage will eclipse even the bloodiest scene in Braveheart.
Utilitarianism (the mindset)
The media arts (film, TV, music, theater and the press) are powerful
tools for presenting the gospel, but are largely untapped by the
church. Laura Holland, of ORU's drama department, suggests that
one major reason for this may be the utilitarian worldview that
is widely held by the church. If a piece of art, film or play is
not overtly Christian then it is secular, and if it is secular then
it is bad.
The Crossover Christians
This misunderstanding has led many Christians who hold this view
to condemn the arts and, unfortunately, those Christians who take
part in them.
A recent uproar accompanied the "crossing over" of Christian
musicians Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith, among others. Mark Steele,
of Impact Productions, reminds those who have difficulty with crossover
artists: "The fact remains that there are thousands upon thousands
of non-Christians who never would have bought a Christian album,
buying Amy Grant's album that has ‘Children of the World' and
these other spiritual songs that introduce Christ to them."
Join the fan club today!
What about the already established Christian alternative art
forms? Don't these present a pure and positive image for the world
to see?
While this Christian market-based media presents a valuable alternative
to Christians, it has failed to exert an influence on anyone not
already in the church. Cory Edwards explained it this way: "Christian
entertainment a lot times creates this Jesus Fan Club. You get in,
you get all of the jokes, you get the TV shows, you get the concerts
. . . if you're not in the club you don't get it."
Christian Caste System?
Another damaging side effect of the Christian utilitarian view
is that it has created an almost caste like system. This system
classifies Christians according to how evangelistic a particular
career is. From the upper caste levels of pastors, preachers and
evangelists; to the mid levels composed of politicians, judges,
and community leaders. And somewhere near the bottom are the Christians
who work in the secular market; scientists, businessmen, artists,
etc . . .
This Christian prejudice was one of the things Chancellor Oral
Roberts fought against when he developed a university that trained
Christians to go into "everyman's world," and not just
the pulpit. Paul held the same theology when he wrote that as believers
in Christ we are all ordained to be priests. He also said that he
became all things to all men so that he might teach them.
Physicians to the Soul
The Christian artist is caught in the trap of "justifying
[his] position instead of realizing [his] purpose," Laura Holland
said. "If the Christian artist can capture the idea that they
are ‘physicians to the soul,' it will give them the identity
that they have been searching for a long, long time."
The Devil's Own Box
Things are changing. Many changes occurred with the advent of
the radio and television. "When the [media] arts first began,
there was a lot of opposition in the church," Steele said.
"One of the reasons that [ORU]' is such a force in the arts
is because Oral was one of the first ones to use [the media] effectively.
When the radio was so effective, he used the radio; when the TV
came, he used television. He didn't shy away and say, ‘This
box is of the devil.' Instead, he said, ‘Let's put something
on it that's not.' Because the church didn't respond [in a positive]
way, the church has played catch-up ever since, and has never been
on the cutting edge."
Quality and Christian: No longer Oxymorons
Not being on the cutting edge has been a cause of much grief
and horrendous efforts done in the name of Christ. Mark Steele lamented
the poor quality in many Christian productions and the mentality
that as long as the message was good, the quality could suffer.
Cory Edwards said that in reality, the opposite is true. "Worry
about the quality of your entertainment first, and then people's
hearts will be open to anything you have to say in your story, in
your message and in your show," he said.
A Place in the Church
There is now a place in many churches for artists to apply their
trade and more pastors who understand and have a heart for artists.
"The church is not going to be ready for what makes a cutting-edge
impression on the world," Steele said. "But I think there
will be enough church support [of Christian artists] to keep it
going, and I think [the individual artist and the church] will both
have a profound effect on our community."
"[The world] sees something like the ORU [promotional video
and] they say, ‘Wow, these people can laugh with me; they're
real,' " Steele said.
Communicate to the Communicators
Edwards, Holland and Steele all expressed the need for Christians
to not only create better shows to capture audiences, but also to
capture other people in the media.
"What we have completely failed to do as communicators is
create a way for the other communicators to come to know Christ,"
Steele said. "The great percent of performers, directors, etc.,
are homosexual. They see the church as a complete place of hate
and condemnation. We're showing them no love. It's no wonder that
there is so much junk on TV today because [they] are going to retaliate
against those they feel rejected by.
Keep it Real!
The church has come a long way in its evangelistic war effort,
but it still has a way to go before it turns the tide. This begins
with an understanding of the arts, and acceptance and encouragement
(with love and solid Biblical counsel) of those who are in them.
The important thing to remember is not what the church has or
has not done, but what you are or aren't going to do.
"The entertainment industry is just as much of a mission
field as anywhere else," Holland said. "People in the
industry are just waiting - waiting and hoping that if you're a
Christian you're genuine that you don't go by the wayside."
Synthesis for Humanity
Even now there is emerging a synthesis of the body of Christ
that will profoundly influence the media arts: from the maturity
of elder pastors to the vitality of young artists, from biblically
sound doctrine, to the intense love that will die to reach the lost.
The church is beginning to focus on the task at hand.
There is a war for the hearts and minds of this generation. It
is a fight that the world cannot afford for the church to lose.
Three individuals contributed to this report: Laura Holland,
a tenured professor in ORU's drama department and play director
who holds a master of fine arts; Mark Steele, an ORU alumnus who,
as an actor and writer for Impact Productions, has already begun
to shake the bounds of Christian humor and insight; and Cory Edwards,
who is a co-director of Blue Yonder Films, comedian and host of
CCM-TV (his wife, Vicki, is an ORU alum).
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