About thirteen years ago, my wife and I decided to cut the cord. We were expecting our oldest daughter, Lucy, and were exploring ways to reduce expenses so Lauren could stay home with her. Eliminating the exorbitant cable bill was an easy decision. Since then, entertainment has definitely changed—and not necessarily for the better. Similar to how distant family members who only see a child on occasion can more easily observe the child’s growth and development than those who see the child daily, my perspective on the changes within the entertainment industry has been aided by the self-imposed distance from it. On occasion, I will dip my toes back into the waters of entertainment to watch my beloved Chicago Bears lose—I mean, play—and I have been taken aback by how graphic and provocative even the commercials have become.
Last fall, as I watched a game with my family, a trailer for a horror movie timed to release on Halloween deeply disturbed one of my children. It left me wondering: Is there nothing redeeming left in entertainment? Maybe you have felt the same way. You have access to hundreds of channels, but there is little inspiring or uplifting content to watch. Thanks be to God that, after a long, dark night, a new dawn is breaking in entertainment. Some of its first rays of light began to peek over the horizon as far back as a couple of decades ago. While serving as a Baptist minister in Georgia, Bonita Christian Forum speaker Alex Kendrick was captivated by the power of movies to influence and impact lives, so he and his brother Stephen sought to leverage film for the Gospel. After their initial low-budget projects Flywheel, Facing the Giants, Fireproof, and Courageous garnered critical acclaim, the Kendrick brothers’ reputation as strong, faith-based storytellers was solidified.
Their fifth production, War Room, sent shockwaves across the movie industry when it climbed to number one at the box office in its second week. “Was this just a fluke,” Hollywood must have wondered, “or could there really be a market for faith-based movies and television today?” Of course, it was not a fluke, I thought. Years of movies and television saturated with empty, irreverent, and subversive titles had created pent-up demand for programming the whole family could enjoy.
In 2019, another shock to the system was about to prove it. Another one of our Bonita Christian Forum speakers, Dallas Jenkins—son of Left Behind novels author Jerry Jenkins—created the largest crowd-funded media project of all time, The Chosen. Since then, the miniseries about the life and ministry of Jesus and his disciples has taken the world by storm. After four seasons, The Chosen has been viewed by half a billion people and generated over a $11 million dollars in independent support. The success of the show, both in viewership and funding, has confirmed that strong, independent, Christian storytelling can break into the mainstream market and compete alongside programs developed by major studios.
The new dawn for redemptive entertainment became apparent to major publications like Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal in the summer of 2023 when they reported on the box-office success of Jesus Revolution, starring Kelsey Grammer, and Sound of Freedom, starring Jim Caviezel. Just as innovators like Netflix entered the video rental market (remember when Netflix was a rental company?) and disrupted brick-and-mortar movie rental businesses like Blockbuster video, independently produced Christian films and television series are disrupting the entertainment industry.
Today, Hollywood has undeniably taken notice of the underrepresentation of faith-based, family-friendly movies and television. As a result, major studios are partnering with private investors to bring about industry change, this time for the better! For instance, Amazon MGM Studios joined forces with Christian investor John Coleman to bring new faith-based productions to Christian and non-Christian audiences alike. Their upcoming flagship production, House of David, is set to portray the story of King David, the Biblical hero, and rival mainstream epics with its high production value and expansive storytelling. This effort is part of a broader trend where faith-based filmmakers are leveraging their successes to challenge the industry and bridge the gap between faith-based content and mainstream audiences.
Film and television, as with all of the arts, have the ability not only to reflect culture but to influence and shape it. With Hollywood’s recognition of profitability in the faith-based arena, it is an exciting time for Christian filmmakers and families who hunger for entertainment that deepens their relationship with our Savior. It is also an exciting time to consider how the gospel might be spread to larger audiences. Could we see a resurgence of faith in a nation that has sought to push Christianity to the margins? Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers!
In August, the Kendrick Brothers released their ninth feature-length film set in the same cinematic universe as War Room, entitled The Forge. In my humble opinion, it was their best movie yet! On opening weekend, it was fifth in the box office, generating approximately $6.6 million, while competing alongside major blockbuster films such as Deadpool & Wolverine and Alien: Romulus. It was another resounding success for faith-based films, but the best review I have heard came from my twelve-year-old daughter, Lucy, who said, “That was the deepest movie I have ever seen!” Substance, redemption, the hope of the gospel—this is what has been missing from entertainment.
At long last, great Christian films are breaking into the industry. For it to continue, Christians will need to keep providing support. By attending Christian films in the theater and watching Christian programming on television, we are sending a strong message to Hollywood that, for too long, the Christian community has been sorely underrepresented in the industry. Typically, a pastor’s charge is, “Don’t just sit and watch; go!” However, when it comes to Christian television and movies, my charge to you is, “Go, sit, and watch!”
by Pastor Brad Rogers
