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March 16, 2004 A Moral Hollywood? Today I read an article in the New York Times called "Hollywood Rethinking Faith Films After 'Passion'. The article really stirred something in me rather unrelated to the title. While Hollywood is wiping the nasty after taste of their feet out of their collective mouths, it is interesting to follow as critics kick around various issues as it relates to God and movies. Though the Passion is predicted to surpass even box office sales for the Matrix trilogy, movie executives aren't 100% convinced they'll jump to imitate. Although, I am certain they want to. In the article, movie producer Michael Nozick said, "You can't deny when a movie makes that kind of money that the audience has spoken to the filmmaking community, but it's a frightening comment." Indeed it is frightening for them. Hollywood salivates over success like that of Mel Gibson, but even Warner Brothers' president of production admitted, "I wouldn't know how to duplicate this". Hollywood's fear is rightly justified. The mold that may have worked in the past of pushing out mindless box office hits can't really be applied to God or His Word. Hollywood's fear is that they would attempt a work like the Passion and fail miserably. There has long been contempt in the movie industry of an absolute good and evil. The statement in the article that really struck a chord with me read, "As divisions of major media conglomerates concerned with their public image, Hollywood studios have historically shied away from all but the most benign values, like friendship, family and love. Movies with strong points of view -- political and particularly religious -- have had difficulty receiving green lights." This is what is shocking so many about the Passion. It is doing well despite pushback from the major media conglomerates. The author of the article is absolutely right. The values in Hollywood are watered down and tired. The combined work of filmmakers over the last 20-30 years has left a gaping hole in the consciousness of humanity. In other words, it's done absolutely nothing. Ask the average person about the last movie they saw that completely changed their life and they may have an answer for you twenty minutes later if at all. Film has been relegated to insipid tales of friendship and foe, 18th century epic sagas, stories on the endurance of the "human spirit", and action-packed special effects thrillers of an erethreal Jesus. And yes, I too loved and found insight in the Matrix. We don't need more Christian movies. We need more movies that are Christian. What's the difference? Instead of pushing a Biblical worldivew, we've pushed a "Christianized American" worldview. Let's just be honest. Stereotypical American Christianity is dull. We have downgraded Christian films to "end-time depictions" with hokey salvation messages. The world is not hungry for epic films characterized by men with beards and tunics. The world is not hungry for "Christianized" films with crappy production. The world is hungry for Truth. This I believe, is the main draw of The Passion. The world is hungry for a message that can be translated in more than just a literal gospel account, but how that account affects the lives of humanity. Package it as you may, but Truth will always be the best seller as far as I am concerned. It is only a matter of time. Nature abhors a vacuum and wherever we as believers fail to make the truth known, the lie comes in full of fluff. Martin Luther (no not King) spoke to this point exactly: "If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved and to be steady on all the battlefield besides is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that one point." For far too long, Christians have shot blanks with our theology. We often address everything except the very point that is being attacked by the world. Our message is too infrequently relevant. This may seem unrelated, but guess who is one of the greatest "pastors" of women in our current day? Oprah Winfrey. That is a sad reality. Realize my working definition of "pastor" is merely "shepherd". Oprah is filling a void on television. Some years back she coined the phrase "Change Your Life Television". That was in my opinion, a major blow to the work Christians have done in the television industry because it clearly showed we weren't changing lives nor were we particularly relevant. Should Hollywood begin to embark on a new outlook of "Faith films" they will eventually be forced to grapple with the Truth. What is it? Why are people drawn to it? How do we present it? What does it look like? I only hope that Believers are in position to answer. Comments |
 "...playful philosophizing" Dan Leroy, National Review Online
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