Activists and organizations that have long pressed for greater Christian presence in the entertainment industry are starting to see some tangible results to their efforts, reports Charisma magazine (December).
Most of the impact has not come from conservative Christian protest against entertainment deemed immoral or blasphemous as much as through the influence of organizations seeking positive involvement in the medium. significant leaders in the drive for Christian influence in entertainment include Ted Baehr, whose Christian Film and Television Commission publishes Movieguide, which reviews movies according to evangelical Christian standards.
Baehr also produces the increasingly influential Movieguide Annual Faith & Values Awards Gala, which honors sympathetic secular actors and productions. The growth in movies aimed toward families (only six produced in 1985, while in 2003 such films represented 40 percent of the total) are attributed by studio executives largely to the “economic benchmarking of the industry” by Christians, according to Baehr.
Larry Poland’s Mastermedia International seeks to directly evangelize and pray for entertainment and media professionals, holding a National Media Prayer Breakfast. There has also been an attempt to mentor, train and place Christians in mainstream film and television through such ministries as Act One.
(Charisma, 600 Rhinehart Rd., Lake Mary, FL 32746)
