Power in Bad Christian Movies

Dean Batala, who spent six years as executive producer of That 70s Show, is a Christian, and he's mad at God. "I'm angry that he has blessed bad art—even certain Christian films that have been seen by a lot of people. It makes me angry as an artist, because they're bad. Just because people go see it, that doesn't make it good."

He continued, "This is my frustration: The gospel written on toilet paper still saves lives. There's power in the gospel."

Interesting. I remember watching a children's worker stumble badly through presenting the plan of salvation to a group of children. It was horrible. The guy was clearly nervous and lacking in confidence. And yet, someone important to me responded and became a Christian.

That just shouldn't happen. If we can't do something well, God shouldn't bless it...right?

But God does bless what sometimes seems unworthy. Ministers carrying on secret affairs are still instrumental in changing lives. Missionaries of earlier years have gone overseas with attitudes we would now consider highly unenlightened--colonial, the West-is-Best approach--and still end up transforming thousands of lives. Even I, a scumbag, occasionally influence someone in a positive way.

Large churches look at small churches, with their seeker-insensitivity, lesser programs, uninspiring worship, etc., and wonder how God can bless them. And small churches look at large churches, with what they view as big-show, materialistic, consumer-driven, pop-culture approaches, and wonder how God can bless them.

We all know that God uses imperfect vessels. But is there, as Batali said, "power in the gospel"? The Bible says God's Word won't return void, and we've applied that in a certain way. Does the same thing hold true for proclaiming the Gospel? Is there truly power, some spiritual magic, in simply declaring the plan of salvation, whether the source is a bad movie, a lousy sermon, or a deficient church?

(The quote I started with comes from a fascinating online article called "Christians as a Niche Market," which talks about the movie industry and the recent spate of Christian-themed movies.)

Posted on May 3, 2007 03:41 PM|

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