A Forgotten Lesson

As they say, those who forget history are bound to repeat it. Over the years, if we’ve learned one thing, it is that social reengineering through the political process does not work. Case in point—the issue of prohibition, the latest subject of Ken Burns’ newest documentary.

Ken Burns may be the most recognizable, historical documentarian of our time. He has dived into such topics as the Civil War, World War II, Baseball, History of Jazz, the Story of Lewis and Clark and the National Parks. His newest documentary will air on October 2-4, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. on PBS. What Ken Burns does best is tell a good story. But more than that, he takes complex issues and dry history and makes them accessible and understandable to the average viewer. He knows how to personalize a story that touches the human heart.

The history and the effects of prohibition is ia the kind of material that Ken Burns excels in. In our current political environment, it’s hard to believe that it was possible to pass a Constitutional Amendment in 1920 that banned the sale and consumption of alcohol. It was social reengineering gone amuck. Propelled by the temperance movement and Protestant Christianity, alcohol was seen as a form of sin that needed to be eradicated from America. Although it might have been based in good intentions, the consequences can still be felt to this day.

The issues that Ken Burns explores in his documentary, Prohibition, are just as relevant today. What is the proper role of government? What are individual rights and responsibilities? Nothing has really changed over the years. We are still debating these issues.

Prohibition was the ultimate example of government intervention in the lives of its citizens. When the law went into affect banning alcohol, it turned law abiding citizens into criminals. It also glamorized drinking as fun and exciting. It turned criminals into celebrities and mocked authority.

The question is have we learned from our past mistakes? As we all know, we are in the political season again. And many of the same issues are now front and center. Is it possible to legislate morality? Do I have the right to force my views of how I live my life on the general public? I’m sure that Ken Burns’ latest work, Prohibition, is going to be utterly fascinating. Perhaps this will spark a discussion and dialogue about the future and the direction that America must take in the political, cultural, and social arenas in order to guarantee our individual rights and freedoms.

 

Watch the full episode. See more Ken Burns.

Is the World Evil ?

Is it possible that God is speaking to us through media and entertainment? Can you have an encounter with God at the movies? To answer those questions depends on your view of theology. I believe in keeping things simple. Theology doesn’t have to be a big mystery. Your theology is really about who God is. What is God’s nature? What is God saying? What is God about? What does God want me to do? Does God have a plan or vision for my life? Your theology is based on your answers to these questions. And based on your answers, this is how you are going to view the media. How are you going to interpret films? Will you see God at work or not at work in the media? Also your philosophical approach to life will have an impact on your theology, as well as your generational and cultural viewpoint.

Much of the church has embraced a conservative approach to theology. It is one that is very popular throughout the Body of Christ. It recognizes sin is everywhere. The Bible is reduced to a singular story. We live in a world full of sin in need of salvation. Many Christians see the world as bad or evil; therefore, all entertainment and media must also be evil. If we adopt this viewpoint, we are missing a golden opportunity to engage our culture through media and entertainment. 

I John 2:15-16 says, “Do not love the world or the things of the world. If someone loves the world, then love for the Father is not in him because all things of the world—the desires of the old nature, the desires of the eyes and the pretensions of life—are not from the Father but from the world.” THE JEWISH BIBLE

Most people read this scripture and conclude that the world is evil. But is it? Are you telling me when you love a beautiful sunrise that’s evil? Is that not the reflection of the glory of God in His creation? It’s impossible for me to believe that God would not want us to love His creation. This is where I think we get it wrong, It’s not about the love of the physical world or what it offers, but it’s about our attitude. It concerns a proper order of what God has created for us. When we love the things of the world more than we love God, we are putting them above Him. The scripture is really about the old nature. When we embrace God, we will have a proper order of how we view everything in life. This allows us to enjoy His creation and see His glory reflected.

Unfortunately, some Christians have concluded that the world is evil; therefore, Hollywood is evil. So we have fought back with our protests and our boycotts. But nothing is simple in this relationship between the Church and entertainment and media. We have a love/hate relationship. While we are condemning Hollywood, we are embracing some of the things they offer. We want their positive value and family-friendly programming. But I think we fail to see the overall picture of how and where God is at work in entertainment and media.

Work Locally but Think Globally

When I started writing my new book The Red Pill, I was convinced that raising up media missionaries to Hollywood was the answer to changing the media culture. But God showed me this is only part of the answer. You are the other part because you can be a media missionary to your friends, family and local church. We all are part of the answer in solving the media culture crisis. Without media missionaries at the local church level, nothing will change. Yes, it may be possible to send a few media missionaries to Hollywood, or a few more people may pray for Christians and non-Christians working in the industry. But that will result in no significant change without your participation at the local level. The local media missionary is just as important as the media missionary working in Hollywood.

You probably think there’s nothing you can do or offer. But think again. You don’t need a film degree or any experience in helping to make a difference. There are things you can do today that require little or no resources that can make a big difference in the lives of young people in your church or community. It’s just a matter of getting started and taking a few small steps toward a greater goal. If we want to change the entertainment and media industry and our culture, our best strategy is to work locally but think globally. 

What can you do ?

Read my book The Red Pill. This is not about selling books but about real answers. Each day read the five core principles and commit to 5 to 30 minutes of prayer. Ask God for wisdom and discernment concerning the five core principles. Ask God to reveal his plan for Hollywood and the entertainment industry. Pray that God will give you a vision for media. Keep a log of all the ideas God gives you.

Commit to praying for Hollywood and the entertainment industry every day. Remember you can keep it simple by praying any where at any time. Just a few minutes is a start.

Start a prayer group that prays for Hollywood and the entertainment industry. This can be done in your home without getting your home church involved. Just invite a few friends over. Also HollywoodPrayerNetwork.com can be a great resource for current prayer requests

Start a film night. You can do it at home or in your church. We have a list of film recommendations on our website. Most people love movies. It’s a great way to start a discussion. We will provide the study guides. Just screen the film, ask a few questions and see what happens. It is a great way to have a dialogue with friends and family who don’t go to church. It can be a lot of fun and a great social outreach with spiritual benefits.

Start a dialogue with your church about the five core principles Does your church have a vision for media? You have influence and can be “boots on the ground”. Does your church see Hollywood as a mission field? Is anybody praying for Hollywood? Has your church ever raised up media missionaries? Is your church providing financial support to any media ministry or media missionaries? These are questions that you can put on the table. The discussion starts with you.

Seek out Christians in your church who work in the media in your hometown. They could work for the local TV station or production companies. See if they would be interested in coming to your film night to speak to your group. Perhaps, they may be interested in joining your prayer group. Take initiative and get them involved.

Take it upon yourself to find young people who have a passion for Christ as well as for film and media making in your church. Talk to your youth pastor about how they are helping and supporting these young people. Are they encouraging or guiding them in the pursuit of their passion? If you have a media ministry at your church, are they involved? You would be surprised that most churches that have an extensive media program do not have high school students involved. Encourage them to mentor the youth.

Start a mentor program in your church. Connect Christian media professionals with students who have a passion for film, media and Christ. This may take work and involve some red tape, but will be well worth the effort. If we are going to change anything, we have to take ownership. You can be the first.

Personally provide financial support to a media missionary or a media ministry.

Work with your church to develop a media literacy program. It’s not as hard as you think. We can provide training, resources and materials.

Offer a summer film camp for high school students. You will need to work with some media professionals in your hometown. By now you should have a contact base. Mediamissionaryschool.com will help with training, resources and materials.

By now, your church may be ready to financially support media missionaries or media ministries. But get the people on the missions board involved in the media program and encourage them to take the course on media literacy. Make them aware of the need. If you have a potential media missionary in your church, the missions board needs to know this. Make sure they get all the information and resources first before you ask for finances.

Pan Am Takes Flight

Pan American Worldwide Airlines commonly known as Pan Am may have gone out of business in 1991, but thanks to ABC television it now has a new life. You can find it on Sunday nights at 10:00 p.m. EST. ABC is investing a great deal in the very ambitious project by giving this new program a sweet time slot.

I usually don’t write about new TV shows, but this time I couldn’t resist. Let’s face it. We have an abundance of crime dramas, cop shows, lawyer shows, and DA and forensic shows. I have to commend ABC for at least trying something new, innovative and fresh. Recreating the golden era of air travel will be a challenging feat. After watching the debut episode, only one word comes to mind—impressive. It is as if I wasn’t watching television but a movie from the 1960s.

I think Pan Am catches the essence by creating a somewhat “dreamy state” of what life must have been as a stewardess working on international flights in the 1960s. Pan Am definitely has a unique tone and style that you normally don’t find in television programs.

The producer and writer, Jack Orman, said, “The goal was to create a sweeping epic and wish fulfilling program.” I’m sure some critics will undoubtedly make a comparison of Pan Am to Mad Men. Both are period pieces reflecting the social issues and changes that were occurring in the 1960s. The major difference in Pan Am is the focus on female empowerment.

Although Pan Am can be described as a romanticized version of the 1960s, there is also a number of serious subplots, such as a flashback to the Bay of Pigs and an espionage angle involving the CIA, the KGB, and MI6. Producer Jack Oman says, “This isn’t as farfetched as it sounds. They did a lot of research on the issue and found “Pan Am had a very cozy relationship with the State Department.”

It’s hard to imagine a time when people actually got dressed up to fly. I mean the whole nine yards—suit and tie and fancy dresses. Flying was all about class and style. And nowhere was that more important than at Pan Am. Their flight attendants especially reflected that view. They were selling an image. Pan Am was an American icon and represented everything good that America had to offer.

Pan Am has tremendous potential to be the type of flagship program that ABC is hoping to create for its Sunday night lineup. The first show got off to a nice start, especially with the opening sequence where they recreated Pan Am’s iconic air terminal in New York City with its maiden flight of their new clipper called Majestic, which flew from New York to London. As I said, this isn’t your ordinary TV show.

Nowadays, we are all tired of flying. Getting on a plane is anything but glamorous and exciting. But perhaps we can close our eyes and imagine what it must have been like at the dawn of the jet age. The good news is we now have a new television program that will help us relive and dream of the glory days of passenger flight.

A Brave New World

I think most of us would agree, we live in an ever changing world. Nothing stays the same. Buy a smart phone on Monday and on Friday it’s obsolete. Technology and culture are constantly redefining themselves. The question I want to ask is in this new bold world, which has moved from a word based to an image based society, how do we share the timeless message of Christ’s love and forgiveness?

Most of us understand the power of today’s media and its ability to influence and shape public opinions and perspectives. But how has the Christian church dealt with the issue of media in a ever changing world?

Traditionally, we have seen a number of churches, especially megachurches, embracing media ministries or television ministries. Since the dawn of the cable age in the 1980s, churches have been broadcasting their services on local television stations, cable, or public access. Some bought high-end video equipment and built their own media departments. Over time that concept has evolved by bringing on a creative director to develop content to be used primarily within the church service to reinforce the message or theme that was being communicated by the pastor.

As the Internet became more popular, content was repositioned to be used online for other purposes. Today we’ve seen a major shift thanks to Sherwood Baptist in Albany, Georgia, more churches are moving into feature film production. We all know about the success of Facing the Giants and Fireproof. It seems like now everyone wants a little Hollywood. But is this a good model for outreach? Alex Kendrick, the producer of both films, would probably tell you that his films are aimed primary at a Christian audience. In other words, he’s preaching to the choir.

Recently, another church has modified Sherwood Baptist’s strategy. The Vineyard Church in Springfield, Ohio, also decided to venture into the world of film production. But instead of aiming at Christians, they are looking to impact a larger mainstream audience. A Strange Brand of Happy recently wrapped up production and will be released theatrically later in 2012. If this movie is successful by crossing over with its Christian themes, it has the potential to make a significant impact on the culture. It wouldn’t surprise me if more churches will eventually adopt this strategy. There’s a lot riding on A Strange Brand of Happy, as previous crossover films have mostly failed. So all eyes will be on this upcoming release.

However, there is another strategy that most churches are probably unaware of. As I have said countless times on my blog, we live in a visual society. Images now define our reality and drive our behaviors and worldview. As a result, I believe in empowering every member of the church in the new brave world that we face. It’s not enough that a few key media professionals who work in the Church create and distribute all of the content. Today, we all must become visual storytellers. We now have the technology that everyone can become a content provider. Think about it. What if the majority of the church congregation were using social media, Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, YouTube and Vimeo to communicate Biblical principles to their friends and family? Is that possible? Absolutely. In fact, it’s the future.

It’s already happening. For example, the recent hit show, Lost, used its audience base for content and ideas which in part helped make the show an international success. Lost fans created an extension of the show by using social media, internet and other resources to create a world and a story that went beyond the television show. Without the fans, this would not have been possible. The producers of Lost saw this as an asset, not a distraction.

What if the Church embraced the same strategy and saw the congregation as a creator and distributor of media content that help to reinforce the message of the Church? Where would you start? First you would have to make this a priority by communicating the importance of visual storytelling to every member of the church. You would need someone to direct the program, probably someone already on your media team. Second, you would need to create content as well as video elements, templates, graphics, and web pages the congregation would have access to as a resource. And finally and perhaps more important you would have to provide training. I can see a course on Social Media and Facebook 101. Churches that embrace this new strategy will be well positioned for growth in the future. It’s cutting edge. It’s the direction our culture is headed.

Everybody will become a content provider. The truth is the Church can no longer afford to be behind the times. In this new brave world, that’s no longer an option. We must embrace change, not to change the message, but how we deliver it.

Today’s Rant

Where did our time go? I talked to so many people today that seem to have little or no time. Why are we so busy? What’s occupying our time? We have 168 hours in a week. That would seem to be more than enough time to do the things the we need to do with time left over. But, for most of us, every single moment is filled with something. I remember back in the 1970s people were writing about how technology would set us free. We would have all of the leisure time that we needed. We would be able to pursue the important things in life. But has that really happened?

Hey, I love technology. But it seems as if technology has had the opposite effect. So many of us are just trying to figure out how to use it while others use it so much they have no time for anything else. We really don’t have the time to think about the important things in life. When is the last time that you contemplated, defined or gave thought or direction to what your purpose or vision is for your life? Those type of thoughts take time. It requires us to slow down and be attentive to the moment. That’s something that’s not occurring in today’s media culture.

I’m not telling you shouldn’t watch a television program or movie. The media culture is much more complex. Our mass media has now reached a point where it creates and defines culture. And by doing so, it has the capability of distracting and filling our time with the things that often are not important in life.

The media culture also has the ability to make us feel guilty. If we are not filling every moment of our lives with something, then we are not being productive. If the media culture is capable of one thing, it is to convince us that we need and should have everything we want. So in order to have all of these wonderful electronic toys, we need to work every moment of the day. Funny thing is we don’t have time to enjoy them because we are always working. Sometimes I think the life we live today is like running on a treadmill. No matter how fast you turn up the machine, you never get anywhere. You are always in the same place.

Maybe it’s time we get off the treadmill. Slow down and start thinking about our lives and what’s really important. Cut some hours. Learn to live with less and enjoy life. It’s just a thought.

The Wilderness Experience

It goes without saying being a Christian is very much a journey. There are plenty of mountaintops as well as valleys you must encounter. One part of the journey that we will all experience sometime during our lifetime is the wilderness experience. Whether we physically go to the wilderness or symbolically, we will all go there. It’s a very biblical concept. Jesus faced his wilderness—his 40 days alone where he had to overcome temptation and sin. Also, during Jesus ministry, he had to withdraw from the people and get away.

Recently, I went to the physical wilderness. I’m talking about totally off the map. No cell phone service or hi-fi spots. Yes, I’m talking about getting back to the basics. There are three things I learned from my wilderness experience that helps me to better understand my relationship with God.

First, the wilderness experience helps us listen to the voice of God. Out in the middle of nowhere, there are no distractions. It’s just you and God—a simple life. I often ask myself this question, “Is it possible in our advanced society with all of its distractions to really hear what God is saying to us? Even with our best intentions, practically every moment of our lives are filled with some activity. There’s something about getting away from it all that allows us to be in a place where we can hear from God.

Second, the wilderness experience allows us to connect to God and to be in his presence. If you think about it, the society the Bible reflects is connected to nature, specifically the land. God can be found in creation. And part of his creation is the world we live in. But in our modern society we become disconnected with nature and the land.

When I’m in wilderness, I marvel at his creativity. I see God in the mountains, in the lakes and in the streams. I feel his presence. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we don’t feel his presence in the modern world; but there’s something special about being in his creation (the outside world)—his handiwork.

Third, the wilderness experience teaches us to depend on God. When you’re in the back country, you might have your compass and backpack, but you certainly need God. You’re miles from any help. You never know what’s going to happen or what challenges you might face. There is no 911 to call. There are storms, weather, bears, etc., who knows what you might face. You are keenly aware that you need God and his protection. I think in the modern world we’ve forgotten this. Our provider is our employer. At the supermarket, we have an abundance of food and supplies. We have no idea where our food comes from. It just magically appears. So the question is, “Do we ever enter into a state where we depend on God.”

Final Thoughts

Maybe it’s time for you to get back to the basics. A trip to the wilderness could be a good thing even if it’s just a couple of days. It can get you back to a state where you can listen to God, connect to him, and become dependent on his provision. As I said, at some point, we will all face the wilderness experience. Perhaps going there will give you some practice in learning to cope and deal with whatever your wilderness experience will be.