Back in the 30s and 40s when the movie industry was
one of the hottest new technologies that was becoming available to people,
Christians were heavily involved in what made it into the theaters and what
didn’t. Not only were Americans in that generation, and especially small
business owners, more concerned about living a moral life, but they were also
deeply concerned with running their business in accordance with Christian
principles. And much of the movie
industry was no exception.
In his book How to Succeed in Hollywood Without Losing Your Soul, Ted Baehr notes that Christian groups had gotten together and created a motion picture code that Hollywood applied to their movies so that those movies would not negatively affect the culture. Then in 1966, the Christian groups pulled out, and today we have instances of the moral values of individual actors and actresses being violated to the point that some have chosen to refuse a role or lose their job rather than compromise.
Actor Neal McDonough is one case in point. According to Movie Guide, he boldly refused to do a sex scene in the ABC series “Scoundrels”. So they fired him.
Boldly taking a stand for what one believes is not necessarily an easy thing to do. Especially when a person doesn’t have a great deal of experience yet and credits are needed to build a resume for future opportunities. While these types of decisions are personal ones for each artist, it also seems appropriate to point out that God does reward those who take a stand for what’s right. And sometimes that even manifests in this life.
What He is doing through the cast of Courageous would be a case in point. Not only has it had a positive influence on individual lives and families, but it has done well at the box office.
Another positive influence in the arts is Leonardo Defilippis, founder of St Luke’s Productions. According to the website, God placed a vision in his heart to present the Gospel of Luke, “in a new dramatic form.” That was three decades ago. Since that time, the production company has grown to produce several inspirational films and original music soundtracks. Not only does Defilippis have a desire to be used of the Lord for evangelism, but also to restore the dignity of film, drama and television.
Rich Christiano, founder of ChristianMovies.com is another influence in the industry that God is moving through in mighty ways. According to his website, He has been creating Christian movies with his brother Dave since 1982, and distributing them since 1985.
The above are just a few examples of some of God’s people in the industry. Since today’s Christian influences in the arts are often either ignored by mainstream media or made to look extremist when we do take a stand, living what we believe can sometimes be a challenge when those values are confronted. Knowing that others have been through what we may encounter and that God has chosen us for His purposes in the arts can sometimes make all the difference.
In his book How to Succeed in Hollywood Without Losing Your Soul, Ted Baehr notes that Christian groups had gotten together and created a motion picture code that Hollywood applied to their movies so that those movies would not negatively affect the culture. Then in 1966, the Christian groups pulled out, and today we have instances of the moral values of individual actors and actresses being violated to the point that some have chosen to refuse a role or lose their job rather than compromise.
Actor Neal McDonough is one case in point. According to Movie Guide, he boldly refused to do a sex scene in the ABC series “Scoundrels”. So they fired him.
Boldly taking a stand for what one believes is not necessarily an easy thing to do. Especially when a person doesn’t have a great deal of experience yet and credits are needed to build a resume for future opportunities. While these types of decisions are personal ones for each artist, it also seems appropriate to point out that God does reward those who take a stand for what’s right. And sometimes that even manifests in this life.
What He is doing through the cast of Courageous would be a case in point. Not only has it had a positive influence on individual lives and families, but it has done well at the box office.
Another positive influence in the arts is Leonardo Defilippis, founder of St Luke’s Productions. According to the website, God placed a vision in his heart to present the Gospel of Luke, “in a new dramatic form.” That was three decades ago. Since that time, the production company has grown to produce several inspirational films and original music soundtracks. Not only does Defilippis have a desire to be used of the Lord for evangelism, but also to restore the dignity of film, drama and television.
Rich Christiano, founder of ChristianMovies.com is another influence in the industry that God is moving through in mighty ways. According to his website, He has been creating Christian movies with his brother Dave since 1982, and distributing them since 1985.
The above are just a few examples of some of God’s people in the industry. Since today’s Christian influences in the arts are often either ignored by mainstream media or made to look extremist when we do take a stand, living what we believe can sometimes be a challenge when those values are confronted. Knowing that others have been through what we may encounter and that God has chosen us for His purposes in the arts can sometimes make all the difference.
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