The following was submitted by a former Cornerstone employee:
My question is - do you think that Christian Television should be for evangelization or for "already Christian" viewers?
For that matter, do you think Christian media at large: tv, music, games, videos, movies, etc. should be directed at evangelism or to entertain Christians?
My opinion is that Christian MEDIA should have the same charge as Christian PEOPLE - to shine forth the light of Christ to everyone it encounters. That means, whether you're the Pope, Ron Hembree, Amy Grant or Michael W. Smith, you have the same calling: be who God has called you to be - a Christian: follower of Christ, which means your faith should be lived through your LIFE - regardless of who you're speaking to, that shouldn't change.
So the real question here is: what has God called Christian media to be? To me, Christian media should do what CTV had in it's mission: "the 3 e's" - entertain in order to encourage and evangelize...or something like that. But the point is that the world wants to be entertained first - then they are encouraged and then if their heart is opened by the first two, they are evangelized.
That's how NASCAR has "forced" NBC & FOX to share time covering their sport and have them air the "convocation" prayer at the beginning of each race. That's how Amy Grant can get to sing about her faith on NBC in primetime through a show that blesses people and has nothing to do with Christianity or Christian media. And finally, that's how Mel Gibson can evangelize people through the strongest story of faith on the planet by putting out something EXTREMELY entertaining.
Bottom line - if Christians are fine with their media being mediocre, then they should shut up and just support it, but if they intend on evangelizing people, they better start making media that is entertaining to the world by spending what it takes to make media that's entertaining or just shut up and give up before they make more ignorant idiots of Christians than they already have.
1 comment:
entertain in order to encourage and evangelize
People will not come to Christ because they are entertained. They will come to Christ because they are convicted of the sin they carry and the hopelessness of their situation apart from Him.
Entertainment lulls them into thinking they are ok. Entertainment gets them to come in to see a show.
Christ never put on a show to win the heart of people - he showed Who He really was/is by what he did. He spoke with such conviction that they wondered at His words - never a man spake like He did. He spoke words that went past the ears and brain and sunk deep into the heart.
Do I think we need 100% fire and brimstone, pulpit pounding preaching? No. But men will not be convicted of sin by being entertained.
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