to those called to write, direct or produce in the cinematic arts:
God has moved you at a very critical time for cinematic ministry. CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) which had struggled for acceptance in the 70's, has by the turn of the Century become the fastest growing segment of the music industry, making those of us who love Jesus and who find enjoyment in fresh and creative music very happy. Cinematic equipment has progressed technologically to a consumer digital product line, and has enjoyed the lower costs of that advancement. As a result, it is likely that CCC (Contemporary Christian Cinema) will be the next Christian media to explode.
There is a great need for solid Christian Writers, Directors, Producers and Actors. The state of CCC around the turn of the 21st Century (as of January 2002) is, in all honesty, troubling, in two different ways.
The first is that most Christian movies produced with the intention of reaching the general public have failed, due mostly to artistic immaturity or excessive use of traditional phrases and conventions of speech that are common in the Christian community. Some of these films are poor enough to be considered a "bad witness". It is no wonder that Christian movies do not see much circulation within the secular box office, video store or Internet community. At the risk of appearing negative, understanding shortcomings is the key to achieving excellence for God.
A Christian reading this list, wanting to convict the heart of the unsaved friends and family members might ask the question "How can a Christian writer avoid the trite, inauthentic and daunting without compromising the message of Jesus Christ?" The Christian writer must learn to rely on the Holy Spirit and a creative passion inspired by Him.
One sign of the insensitivity of the Christian writer is the overuse of eschatology (end time theology). It is inaccessible to the unsaved. People who have not experienced a conversion consider certain topics irrelevant. They don't care about the ultimate future of the universe when they just got home from a hard day at school or work.
The second troubling aspect of the Christian cinema scene is that some work that reached the mass market are what could be called "crossover cinema", patterned after the term "crossover music". Crossover music is the term sometimes used for music written by Christians, but with the biblical message obscured by secular ideas within the lyrics. Many movies with Christian writing or producing are so watered down with elements from Humanism, New Age, Hollywood action movies and Science Fiction that they don't clearly communicate a biblical message at all. This is the same problem that the early church had in Rome and throughout the Hellenistic world in which it began. It was a pluralistic world, a world filled with many competing ideas about how people were meant to live. Some of the world views that have crept into Christian art are listed here.
Some find that satisfactory. Others do not. There is much wisdom to the argument that crossover music is one more thing that allows people to remain lukewarm in their walk. In Christian cinema, the argument is stronger because the power of a story to change thought is greater than just imagery, which is the main composition of lyrics. On the other hand, there are many people who have been introduced to Jesus Christ through artists like "Kings-X", "Jars of Clay", "Plumb" and "Amy Grant", who have all produced what some would call "crossover music". Most Christians draw a line of acceptance somewhere between a "pure" depiction of Bible stories and sex and violence ridden movies with a few Christian ideas thrown in.
There are a handful of Christian movies that don't suffer from one or both of these potential problems.
If today's writing fails to communicate anything with scriptural depth to the unsaved, it certainly fails to challenge those who are already Christian. It is common to stay on the surface. The bubble-christian mentality cannot tolerate anything more controversial. Movies about 21st Century people witnessing like Paul or Peter did in the Book of Acts is rare or nonexistent. Few works touch topics that are truly needed within the Christian community.
If the goal is to produce artistically powerful, scripturally consistent work, an artist must, wear the "full armor of God". Whether working through a local church or a parachurch organization formed for the purpose of movie making, one thing is clear. A prayerful life, interaction with a wide variety of people, as did Jesus, and the practice of frequent Bible study leads to the creative vitality that is exhibited by a church that follows and relies on Christ.