The Media Missionary Movement

For some time now, I’ve been trying to start a movement. In fact, that is the mission of Media Missionary School and Flannelgraph Ministries. But movements are a funny thing. Whether they are politically, socially or religiously based, they take on a life of their own. Often they start and develop their own rules. What I have discovered, is there is no predicable path or guidebook to follow.

So what is our movement? It is based on awareness and education and primarily aimed at people of faith. It involves following 5 core principles that allows Christians to re-engage culture by using mass media and entertainment as a means to interject Christian and Biblical principles into our society. I’m convinced that our culture is controlled and manipulated by the media. In reality, the world we live in is a reflection of what the mass media culture wants us to believe. Just look at the TV commercials…as in “it says I am”

…. Media has changed our culture and has influenced and infiltrated the Body of Christ. Obviously, this has enormous implications for all of us.

Some have suggested that this explanation or theory that the media is the source of what ails our culture is simplistic and not an adequate explanation. Ockham’s Razor suggests that when you have competing hypotheses then the simplest explanation is usually the correct one and adding anything to that would not be needed. My hypothesis is that the media is the issue and represents the so-called 800 pound guerilla in the room which no one seems to notice.

My theory starts with the fall of man. What is the issue at the heart of Adam and Eve’s disobedience? The desire to place yourself before all things. This condition defines all human beings.  It is a direct result of original sin, including the desire to put ourselves on a level with God, which results in man’s desire to be the center of his own universe. In other words, what we want is more important than anything else, and we must have it at any cost. This condition defines who we are. it is at the core of our existence. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we will continue to struggle with this issue.

The media understands this concept Oh so well! They didn’t create the human condition, but they certainly know how to exploit it. So it makes sense logically that if the media wants to control the culture and, by doing so, maximize its power and profits, it would tap into the one theme that defines who we are. The media would make it a priority to learn how to manipulate us and play on our emotions and would make it their goal to understand how we are wired in order to get the responses they desire.

Yes, self-centeredness and the desire for instant gratification of wealth, power and prestige has existed since the beginning of mankind. All the media has done is picked up on this weakness. Because of the power and scope of today’s media, the media now amplifies this message a thousand times over and tells us we deserve it. This is the heart of our problem. The message of the Church cuts against the grain. It’s why people of faith are having a difficult time impacting our culture. Our message is being drummed out and made irrelevant because the media proclaims a popular message that does not cut across the grain. The Christian message puts God first and calls us to put our “brother” above ourselves. That’s not the message you want to send if you want to sell a $50,000 car.

Our challenge and the movement that I am trying to initiate is to reverse the current trend. Christians can use the media to influence the culture for good just as well as those who have used it to capitalize on our weaknesses. We start reversing the trend by first taking the red pill. Read the article on our website called “The Red Pill”. You can click on The Red Pill image on the blue column at the right side of the screen. Then read the following five core principles. I don’t know how a movement starts, but what I can do is share with you what I believe God has revealed to me. I encourage you to seek God and discover the truth for yourself.

The Five Principles

Principle 1. Christianity is rapidly loosing its impact on culture. Today the media controls the culture and, by doing so, controls the hearts and minds of the people. That includes young and old, Christians and nonbelievers. It is no longer possible to determine where culture starts and where media ends. They have merged to create a media culture which, in turn, has created a media culture crisis. When we recognize how media is influencing and changing us, we will understand that our perception of media and entertainment needs to change. Then we can utilize the opportunity this crisis presents for positive change by promoting and producing media and entertainment that reflects Biblical truth.

Principle 2. Christians must become media literate so that we are knowledgeable in the language of media and its influence. By doing so, we can unlock the meaning of the message which media communicates and take control of how we respond to the message.

Principle 3. In order to engage our culture, we must recognize Hollywood and the entertainment industry as a legitimate mission field. In fact, Hollywood represents a unique people group or tribe that for the most part has not been reached. They have their own language, customs, and culture. In order to redeem Hollywood and the broader entertainment industry, we must stop blaming them for all of society’s problems and begin a dialogue of reconciliation.

Principle 4. Prayer is the foundation of the Christian faith. Without prayer, nothing is possible. Christianity currently faces a media crisis. Therefore, we must pray for both Christians and nonbelievers working in Hollywood and the broader entertainment industry as well as all other media fields. We must pray for God’s Kingdom to become a reality in the entertainment industry.

Principle 5. The Body of Christ must raise up, equip, train, and support media missionaries to the mission fields of Hollywood and the broader entertainment and media industry. Our purpose is to reseed the culture with mainstream entertainment and media that reflects Christian and Biblical values. We do this by partnering with the mainstream, entertainment and media industry.