Christians Drive Box Office
Christian consumers must insist upon morally sound, family-friendly movies and stop paying Hollywood for garbage.
Articles within this series
When Christian consumers find slim pickings in the morally healthy, family-friendly section of Friday's "movie menu," they skip right out to see whatever movie is playing on the movie dessert tray, regardless of the rating. Viewing all that Hollywood has to offer, Christians display the worldly misconception that a son or daughter of God can have his or her media cake and eat it too.
Whether this is caused by an unrealistic sense of immunity to the ill effects of just a smattering of sinful behavior on the big screen, or the adoption of a defeatist's attitude against a seemingly more formidable foe (Pop Culture), a Barna Group study shows that professing people of faith contributed to over 79% of the $8.8 billion dollars made on movies in 2005. Yikes! While this statistic unveils an embarrassing fact, Christian consumers should embrace this finding as a challenge to recognize the powerful effects that sexually-infused and violent movies have upon their families and also recognize the power they have as a consumer, paying money for a product.
One doesn't have to look very far into Scripture to discover evidence of the compulsive and corruptive nature of wicked influences. We see this in Genesis through the lifestyle adopted by the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis provides truths about the subtle, degenerating effects of a constant exposure to corrupt images. Immoral images, no matter how few or how brief, leave impressions in the mind. Lasting impressions. Because of man's sinful nature, his tendency is to gravitate towards that which is sinful. The allurements of sexual imagery and violent action on the movie screen feed man's sinful compulsions.
While recognizing the propensity to sin, Christians must not forfeit their rights as consumers, but instead, demand a product worthy of its cost. In August 2007, newspapers reported on the government of Malaysia demanding that rock star Gwen Stefani wear body-covering clothing during her highly anticipated concert in that small, mostly Muslim country. The ruling body promised to shut down the event if the modest dress code was not followed. Stefani adhered to the request, managing to find numerous decent ensembles. Why did she go to the trouble? Because she would not have made money if she had refused to dress modestly. Gwen Stefani, a rocker known for her scanty costumes, demonstrated how the performer must cater to his or her audience.
A higher moral standard of performance must be demanded by Christian consumers, and they must stop paying actors for filth; Christian consumers must understand that every movie ticket generates income for the performers.
In the past, the movie industry may have seemed deaf to the cries demanding a return to decency and family-friendly films. A change has come, however, and production companies are beginning to see the lucrative light, the gleam of money generated by G-rated movies. Dr. Ted Baehr Chairman of The Christian Film and Television Commission and Publisher of MoveGuide® noted in his "2007 Report to the Entertainment Industry" that many major movie production companies have made plans to make more "family oriented, faith-based" films. Dr. Baehr stated, "The Chairman of Walt Disney Studios told me that they decided to produce 10 all-Disney movies with no sex or foul language because our Report to the Entertainment industry showed that doing so ‘was the right thing to do, not only because it is morally responsible, but also because you have shown that it is financially lucrative.'"
In 2006, about 50 movies depicted morally sound themes and positive Christian content. While Hollywood is listening, the strong demand for these types of films must continue as The Barna Group's study sited entertainment as the most popular pastime for youth. "The well-being of future generations depends on this," commented Dr. Baehr.
Christian consumers wield a lot of power when it comes to determining what Hollywood is going to "cook up" and "serve" its movie audiences. Knowing the damaging effects of contaminated film-entrees, the children of God might want to have a family night where they "dine in" and play games, at least until movie makers can provide something worth feasting upon.
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