The Ledge, a drama/thriller coming out this fall, tells the story of a happy Christian couple. As the story plays out, the wife starts a new job and eventually has an affair with a coworker. Her husband finds out and is enraged. He threatens his wife’s lover that if he does not commit suicide by the same time the next day, he would kill his wife. Towards the end of the trailer, there is an intense barrage of scenes in which the husband menacingly recites Psalm 23 as his wife’s lover prepares to jump off a building.
This is just one example of how Christians are portrayed as negative, oppressive, and sometimes even evil in mainstream Hollywood films. Christians are often seen as the hateful, unforgiving, intolerant, prideful, hypocrites. But why? Why are Christians seen in this way by Hollywood? If we are supposed to be the salt and light of the world, then where does this picture of Christians come from? What does Hollywood have against Christianity?
Perhaps a better question would be “What does Hollywood not have against Christians?” Biblical Christianity stands for practically everything Hollywood does not and stands in the way of everything Hollywood is for. Here are just a few example:
- Rampant sexual immorality: The amount of sexual material and references in films today is appalling. The film industry today encourages sex before marriage, sexual expression, and homosexuality as aspects in a “fulfilling” life. The vast majority of film and TV characters impulsively throw themselves at whoever they happen to like at the moment without any moral restraints. Biblical Christianity, on the other hand, stands against all of these sins. The Bible condemns sexual immorality and stresses the importance of sexual purity. The Church strongly supports sexual fidelity and faithfulness to one spouse.
- Obscenity and Profanity: Most of the film that coming out of Hollywood are filled with obscenities or profanities. Even G- or PG-rated movies contain light profanities and often take the Lord’s name in vain. The Bible clearly states the importance of keeping a clean mouth and taming the tongue. Proverbs expresses the importance of oral restraint and self control. Most Christians stand against profanity and speak out for purity of the tongue.
- Violence: Violence is a common element in the entertainment industry today. In fact, TV characters are 50x more likely to be in violent situations than the average person. Recent studies have shown that the average high school graduate has witnessed 15,000 murders and 200,000 acts of violence in media. In the film world, violence is often the answer to the problems characters encounter, the Bible firmly expresses that vengeance is the Lord’s. In fact, the Sixth Commandments states that “Thou shalt not murder.” Christians are instructed to be slow to anger, quick to love, and keep wisdom and discerning in our hearts. We are instructed not to judge others, unless we too should be judged.
These are just a few of the dozens of issues that Hollywood and the Church disagree on. Others include environmentalism, family values, and even politics. Hollywood often regards Christians as its enemies, sometimes writing them off as selfish bigots who hate everyone.
Well, now that we have found out why Christians are despised in Hollywood, what does this mean for us? Hollywood has incredible power into the masses but lacks the right messages. The Church, on the other hand, has been preaching the right message for over 2000 years, but does not have as much power as Hollywood. The problem with most Christian films coming out today is the quality. Most are cheap, independent films with weak story lines and actors who need lessons. Add to that an strong Christian message and the general secular public won’t touch it with a 30 foot pole. It is my personal theory that if the Church is to take its message to the silver screen, the first step is to start creating quality films that display biblical themes without calling them “biblical”. Once these films have gained an audience, more Biblical content can be added to future films.
In Scripture, the apostle Paul instructs us to do everything to the glory of God. Why should entertainment be the exception? I have seen over the past couple of years a large movement in Christian film making. Even though it is still learning to walk on its own, a few years down the road I believe it will be a powerful influence in our country as well as in the world. I have felt God moving me to create this blog for a couple of years now, and now that I have, I want it to be a blog that is filled with discussion of recent movie releases and issues in Christian movies and how we can improve them. To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
