"Fireproof," "God's Not Dead," and "October Baby" are just a few popular films within the Christian community. Did you notice which community I said these are popular in? Yes, the Christian one. Non-believers don't care to see the films, listen to the songs, or read the books created by Christians that are tailored to other evangelicals.
Why? Christian-produced entertainment created as disguised sermons are wholly irrelevant to all communities beside the Christian one. I'm a Christian writer, and I've been to several conferences about Christians working in the media. I have heard the advice from Christian filmmakers, been urged to donate to their causes, and I've seen the way the market responds to Christian entertainment. While these creations are joyfully received by the Christian community, those who aren't saved, the people that God called us to minister to, remain uninterested in Christian media, and I cannot blame them.
It can be argued that films popular among Christians such as "Fireproof" and "God's Not Dead" have not been seen by the secular populations because the title and synopsis of these movies immediately imply that they are Christian-based and Christian-driven. How are these movies relevant to non-Believers? Unless Christians start approaching the arts with the goal to make something God-glorifying rather than an explicit gospel message, their movies and music will continue to be ignored by secularists.
The number of Christians working within the entertainment industry is slim, and the number of Christians who are reaching wide audiences and finding success is even slimmer. How then, can Christian creators make more appealing and accessible content? They must create out of love for the craft rather than making mini-sermons out of everything. Additionally, the movies, music, and books produced by Believers, must be of the same artistic value and finesse as that which the mass market is accustomed to.
In order to defeat the slump Christians creators seem to be in, a couple of steps ought to be taken: for one, Christians need to work with and among non-Believers. Limiting one’s resources and allies does not make for a stronger force.
Secondly, the Christian community who desires to impact all secular viewers for good, must know how to communicate a message that they will consider. Placing the name of Jesus in a title of a work, is unlikely to attract an audience suspicious or even abhorrent towards Christianity and the gospel message.
Finally, to optimize success in the entertainment industry, Christians ought to be knowledgeable and skilled in modern technology, just like their fellow co-creators are. Because research demonstrates that all of the above steps will generate a wider audience, if these tips are executed by Christian producers, godly values communicated through media will wildly increase. The objective to provide wholesome entertainment rather than sermon-driven entertainment will do good. This approach will do good because secular consumers, either consciously or unconsciously, will be exposed to Christ-like characteristics and truths delivered through a medium which is highly accessible.
One cannot help but wonder where the biblical merit lies in creating entertainment that is tailored to “Evangelical Christians.” Jesus told his disciples, “it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners.” It seems as though Believers working in the media are creating methods of entertainment that appease the healthy rather than the sick.
God did not tell his people to go out into all the Christian community sharing the gospel; He told them to “go out into all the world” sharing the gospel. The implications of this verse are that Christians are called to share the gospel with sinners, not just the saved. To create entertainment that will be willfully consumed by the mass-market, Christians working in media need to create content that is state of the art, relevant, and religiously ambiguous.
