I see a lot of movies. Not as many as some, but probably more than most. I saw my first movie in a movie theater with my 4th or 5th grade class. "The Sound of Music" was most likely responsible for my love of entertainment. This movie "had it all"--beauty, song, adventure, the heights of the Human spirit, and the evil of the Human heart, and the confused and timid Human souls caught between. A few years later, I saw my first movie alone... "Captain Nemo and the Underwater City" which was playing as a double feature with another movie I can't remember. The marriage of science and fiction also helped to expand my imagination and broaden my experience to include this new genre.
Now, please understand that I don't just go to see ANY movie, I do have SOME standards. The "Halloween", "Friday the 13th", and "Saw" franchises are right off my list and I wish some of that genre had never been made. But I have seen SOME monster/horror films. The second "Aliens" film (which I saw over at the youth pastor's house) remains one of my favorite films as does the 2nd in the "Terminator" series. My first "horror" film was "Jaws" which I saw back when I was in Bible College. My girlfriend's sister took us to go see it. It was scary and a little gory, but came with a message: the indomitable nature of the Human spirit. That movie opened my eyes to the possibility that "horror" wasn't in and of itself a bad movie genre.
And of course I also love comedies! I took my girlfriend to see "Blazing Saddles" also when we were in Bible College. It was the first R-rated movie she had ever seen. She was appalled. Not too appalled, however, 'cause a few years later she married me anyway. Now that I was married, I realized that I had to nurture a taste for romantic comedies as well. The Princess Bride, Music & Lyrics, and Hitch have also found their way onto my movie shelf. And let's not forget about the animated films that have meant so much to my family. Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Cars, Wall-E have all touched our lives & to some extent shaped the people we have become.
Anyone who has been around long enough to have seen movies released over the last 30 or more years ago will probably agree on a couple of things. The special effects for the King Kong released in 1933 doesn't hold a candle to the realism of the one released in 2005. And yet back in '33, people were fainting in the theater from fright watching the stop-action claymation Kong battle claymation dinosaurs. Another thing most will agree on is that we've lost (or at least are losing) something in movies today. The King Kong of 1933 was a story of Humanity and the depths to which it will sink in the name of exploitation for profit. It was a story of the heights to which Humanity will go-what horrors it will face-to protect the ones we love. The one from 2005 pretty much just shows how much damage a big, PO'd 50-foot ape could cause in a populated area.
I know some will debate the issue, but one can't deny the trend away from Story and towards Distraction. A story draws you in, makes you care, makes you think & consider, makes you vicariously decide what you would do in the same situation. Distraction just holds your attention to the exclusion of all else.
I saw the movie "Avatar" recently. Visually the most impressive movie I have ever seen. The realism of that alien world was amazing. The similarity of the alien culture to our own "primitive" tribal cultures is undeniable. Story? It was there. Simple, classic "Advanced-culture greed vs. primitive-culture naturalism" conflict one can find in many other movies such as "Dances With Wolves" and even "Star Wars: Episode VI-Return of the Jedi." And I must say, it was not badly told. Emotions played by the actors (translated by the animators) were believable and moving, and pretty obviously there just to give animators an excuse to create an unbelievably real, alien world.
I also saw "A Christmas Carol" put out by Disney a month earlier and starring the voice of Jim Carrey as Scrooge (as well as all three Christmas ghosts). Astounding graphics. Realism beyond anything to date, even considering the cartoonish shapes real actors faces were slapped on it had a feeling of real life. But here, we have a slightly different situation... an amazing story. A story written more than a hundred years ago by a master of story-telling: Charles Dickens.
Unfortunately, for the most part story seems to be disposable today. If your movie is visually impressive enough, a simple story will do to give the animators an excuse to blow our minds with scene after scene of realistic yet impossible vistas. Helicopter-like lizards, floating mountains, flying dragons, six-legged horses. Distractions.
It's not just movies either. "Online Environments" such as Second Life, and MMORPGs (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game) routinely allow 10's of 1000's of people from anywhere around the world to interact with one another in virtual environments "safely" exploring any and every aspect of the human condition.
So, here we are as Christians. Faced with multitudes of very effective distractions in this world, we must find a way to compete. Some churches have attempted to adopt the same strategies to get their message out. They maintain rigid time-schedules cutting back on worship songs and sermon content in favor of short videos depicting Sacred Truths in commercial-like time frames.
Others have rigidly "stuck to their guns" and pushed the effectiveness of story-telling eschewing advances in technology. And there are those that just ignore the entire issue and just keep preaching. But, which of these positions is "right" ? Which will prove most effective in doing what we are called to do: Tell EVERYONE the Good News that God has bridged the gap between us and Him? The answer is "All of the above"
The church has always been a repository and sactuary of the arts. The first plays were religious in nature, the art & culture of the Renaissance were infused with the religious imagery of the time. And so it should be. Not only should we support the arts, but as Christians we cannot afford to ignore the "tools of the trade" that are made available to us.
Websites such as SermonSpice.com and even Mastersimage.com are selling short, 2-5 minute videos and presentations that are direct and to the point. Use them, but don't neglect live storytelling. A live performance with a talented actor draws people in in ways short videos can't. A person not just reading the Bible out loud, but someone speaking the Word is sharing it the way it was meant to be shared: verbally.
Don't neglect what has worked in the past, but embrace new opportunities as well. And don't neglect the hidden gems in you own congregations! Find those you worship with that are the storytellers, find those that are technologically literate, find those that are artistically endowed. Find them... and put them to work.
