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Thursday, May 11, 2006
The Church is responsible for the moral vacuity in secular media
Professional media consultant, Phil Cooke, feels the Church is largely responsible the lack of Christian influence in today’s culture and comes up with some controversial answers
By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries
Phil Cooke
SANTA MONICA, CA (ANS) -- Phil Cooke is the president and creative director for Cooke Pictures, a production company in Santa Monica, California, primarily working with Christian organizations, faith-based organizations, to help them increase the quality and effectiveness of what they do in the media.
But recently he has come to believe that the Church is responsible for the moral vacuity in the secular media.
He told ANS, “Historically, Christians were on the cutting edge of media. When the printing press was invented, the Bible was the first mass-produced book. And when the motion picture was first invented, the famous Passion play of Oberammergau became one of the first commercial motion pictures. Christians were among the first to embrace and sponsor music, art, and drama, and at the turn of this century, churches were some of the biggest producers of movies. But by the 1940’s and 50’s, we saw a disturbing withdrawal of Christians from the media. We simply turned the culture over to the side of darkness and walked away.
“Growing up, I'll never forget the genuine and sincere preachers who roared mightily against theater, movies, music and all the other ‘things of the devil.’ I'm not surprised that today’s television networks, movie studios, record companies and others are rampant with moral vacuity - it's the price we must pay for vacating the property in years past. Now, the battle to reclaim our inheritance will be twice as bloody and vicious.”
Cooke, never one to pull his punches, says that the Church shouldn’t just criticize secular media and culture -- it must engage it.
He feels the Church has spent far more time criticizing the secular film and television industry than developing a positive relationship with it.
“Total withdrawal from the culture is not the best response”
“We can’t just criticize the culture -- we have to engage it,” says Cooke. “Total withdrawal is not the best response. After all, Jesus engaged the culture. He didn’t withdraw from it.”
Cooke points out that boycotts and public condemnation have been the typical Christian responses, but those approaches have had little impact. “During the last national Baptist boycott of the Walt Disney Studios, for example, Disney’s sales actually increased,” he says.
He believes that criticism, boycotts, demonstrations, and even civil disobedience has its place, but there comes a point where if all we do is criticize, the world will just stop listening.
“Sooner or later, we need to set an example of what we believe,” he said. “Perhaps instead of spending great sums of money just to criticize, boycott and destroy, we should also be spending great sums of money to create, write, and produce. It's important that we actively seek out those who are producing quality television programs, movies, books, art, and support them in every way we can. The debate on whether or not to be involved in the media is over. Now it’s time to engage the world of media with a message of hope.
“While the major stories of boycotts, controversy, and condemnation sometimes make the headlines, few stories of hope ever do. Yet everyday in Hollywood, Christians experience situations that are a great encouragement to the Body of Christ.
Poor quality
Cooke said that he is sorry to say that, in his opinion, many Christian films and television are often of very poor quality.
“Christian media has come a long way in the last 50 years, but in terms of quality, we've only begun,” he said. “We need studios, transmitters, and equipment of all kinds to make the dream of Christian media a reality. But more than anything, we need quality -- the desire to be excellent. Let's make a commitment together that we're going to start creating Christian TV and radio programs and movies with quality; quality that will pierce the heart of the culture, and draw them closer to the ultimate Creator.”
The power of movies is significant and pervasive in this society, but Phil Cooke feels the Christian community has done remarkably little to harness that power for the work of the Gospel. “If God chose to speak through a donkey, and if stones are capable of crying out in praise, then He certainly can work through the movie and TV industry,” observes Cooke. “Christians need to understand and use media more effectively.”
In his opinion, the majority of the films that make of the subculture of Christian movies feature poor production values, bad acting, and sacrifice compelling storytelling for an explicit Gospel presentation.
“While many Christian have supported films such as The Omega Code and Left Behind, most would agree these films fell far short of their potential and will never be considered examples of excellent filmmaking,” says Cooke.
Little spent on quality production
In terms of television, one of the greatest mistakes media organizations and ministries make is to spend a great deal of money purchasing airtime, but spending very little on the production of the program. But what’s the point of being seen everywhere, if the quality of your program is poor? In order to compete for the hearts and minds of this culture, we have to compete on the playing field of quality that shows both in the content and production value of a program.
“If you've worked with me, taken one of my workshops, or read my articles, you're well aquatinted with the statement: ‘We have to produce programming in a language and style this culture understands.’ Most of that statement has to do with quality – knowing how to tell a story, and using the writing, acting, producing, and directing techniques to make it come alive on the screen. A film doesn't have to have an altar call to make it ‘Christian.’”
So Cooke believes that Christian media needs to be more relevant to today’s culture.
“Today’s challenge is reaching the post-moderns -- people who, by and large, aren’t interested in moral issues at all,” he says. “Today’s audiences don’t wake up wondering how they’ll deal with salvation. They wake up wondering how life will ‘work’ for them today – how they will enjoy the moment and get through the day. They see everything in practical or utilitarian terms. But the Gospel couldn’t be more relevant to the postmodern mind – after all, Jesus came that we might have life to the full! But in most cases, we need to realize that they are won to Christ through a process of evangelism, not a one-time sermon. It’s a relationship. So our 21st-century approach to media evangelism needs to be both creative, relevant, and develop a relationship with the audience.”
Christians need to lose the lingo in order to reach people
Phil Cooke says that he is dismayed by what the trend he’s seen where people of faith have created a “holy language” that no one else understands.
“Recently, I received a letter from an American student studying at The Hillsong Media Institute in Australia,” he said. “Living for the last six months outside the United States, she began to notice how many American preachers and teachers have developed their own lingo that few outside the Christian world understand. She described words such as: prayer breakthrough, dominions, bless God, thank you Jesus, hallelujah, a word in due season, praying through, and many, many more. She wrote me, after asking her Australian friends about it. They indicated that it was such a common problem, that they assumed all American preachers did it and just didn't pay attention anymore.
“Didn't pay attention anymore? Have we lost touch so much with the culture that they've just turned us off? Dump the lingo. Learn to speak the language of the culture. When Jesus spoke to people, they understood clearly -- even those who had no knowledge whatsoever of spiritual things. As professional communicators, it's our job to make sure the message we're sending is the message that's received.
“Jesus' favorite speech form, the parable, was subversive. Parables sound absolutely ordinary; casual stories about soil and seeds, meals and coins and sheep, bandits and victims, farmers and merchants. And they are wholly secular; of his forty or so parables recorded in the Gospels, only one has its setting in church, and only a couple mentions the name ‘God.’ So there was nothing in them threatening their own sovereignty. People relaxed their defenses. They walked away perplexed, wondering what they meant, the stories lodged in their imagination. And then, like a time bomb, they would explode in their unprotected hearts. An abyss opened up at their very feet. He was talking about God -- they had been invaded!
“Perhaps this new vocabulary of expressing our faith is the key. We live in a Post-Christian Age when most of the normal symbols, words, and sacraments of the Christian faith have lost their meaning. It is time we either re-invigorated those symbols with renewed meaning, or learned to express our faith in terms this post-modern society can understand – while always vigilant to never compromise their meaning or power.
“Only then, will the message of redemption and hope get to the mainstream audience - the same audience that sits zombie-like through endless movies filled with violence, profanity, and moral stupidity - simply because they've become conditioned, and have lost all hope of finding anything better. I'm reminded of Isaiah's words about a people who were: ‘Ever hearing, but never understanding;...ever seeing, but never perceiving...’”
In view of all of this, Cooke believes that Christians could lose the next generation if Christian media isn’t used effectively.
“The battleground where these issues will ultimately be fought is in the cultural arena, because that's where the hearts and minds of America are won,” he said. “It's at this stage where changes are most linked to our deepest ways of thinking, and it's at this stage where real, dramatic turnabout will occur. One of the most important realizations that we as people of faith can make is that we are ultimately fighting a cultural battle and not a political battle.
“This is a war of television programs, movies, novels, art, and other forms of cultural expression. This is a war where each and every Christian artist, writer, actor, musician, television & film producer and all the rest will have to work every day, to answer his or her calling to produce creative projects that point in the direction of the sacred and transcendent.
“Television has become the communications pivot point of our society. Statistics show that most people now get their news from television, children are watching television at alarming levels, and television has become the key decision-making factor in determining cultural status for everyone from celebrities, sports heroes, presidential candidates, and even religious leaders. And research indicates the average person spends between four and seven hours per day watching TV and surfing the Internet. I read recently by the time a teenager is 18 years old, they’ve seen more than 100,000 beer commercials alone on television.
“This means that if people of faith don’t counteract that by using the media effectively, I believe we could lose the next generation.”
Christian media needs to move from the era of preachers to that of producers
Cooke went onto say, “Personally, I've always felt that if there is only one reason I'm here on the earth; it's to help take us from the era of preachers to the era of producers. I love good preaching, and it will always have a place in Christian broadcasting, but I believe the next generation of Christian media will be driven not by preachers, but by creative producers working behind the camera - producers who understand how to use the media more effectively, and create a wide range of anointed and powerful programming.
“Preachers were the pioneers of Christian radio and television. Even today, ‘talking head’ type programs with a preacher in the pulpit are the mainstay of Christian radio and TV. But that style of media ministry seems to be getting irrelevant to a quickly growing segment of society.
“I will always be grateful for those visionaries who felt such a passion to take their message to the airwaves. But you’re also correct that it’s time to grow and change. There will always be a place on radio and TV for good preaching and teaching, but if we’re going to make an impact in the next decade, we also need to explore other possibilities, like drama, movies, documentaries, and comedy.
“In a world where we have 500 channels on cable TV, people take an average of 2-3 seconds to decide if they're going to watch your program. So no matter how anointed your message is, or how great a preacher you happen to be, if people aren’t going to watch long enough to hear that message, then you've failed.
“That's why the program ‘packaging’ is so important. We have to create a compelling program ‘package’ that people want to watch. We've got a life-changing message (the Church has had the message for 2,000 years), and we have the passion. Our great challenge is how to ‘package’ it so this generation will be receptive.
“To do that, we need to know the culture. What makes people tick. What they like, what interests them, and -- most importantly -- what are their needs? Is it selling out? Absolutely not! ‘Be as shrewd as serpents,’ Jesus said, ‘and as innocent as doves.’ Understanding, engaging, and communicating with our culture is crucial to the Gospel.
“Have you ever wondered why most Christian television programs look alike? Why are so many Sunday morning programs simple pulpit sermons? Why are so many other programs mundane interview shows? Talk awhile, sing awhile, and ask for money awhile...
“Where is the invigorating power of documentaries, dramatic motion pictures, live special events, concerts, and other innovative forms of programming? There's no question that there's an important place for preaching and interview programs, but most would agree we've taken that to the extreme at the expense of some of the most effective and exciting television formats.
“After all, I love a good sermon, but if teaching and preaching was so effective on television, then the secular networks would toss out sitcoms in favor of teachers speaking on a multitude of subjects. And although interview shows are certainly popular, why don't the networks put them in prime time? Those same secular networks spend millions of dollars on audience research to find out what people want to see, and they rarely insert preachers and/or interview shows into the best programming slots. Can't we learn something from that?
“And why are these other formats so important? Take for instance the drama - the ancient art of storytelling. When I look at the scriptures, especially at Jesus' life, I don't see a theologian, or a television talk show host, I see a God who told stories. The ability to experience the power and the majesty of storytelling is a central aspect of our nature that goes back to the beginning of time.
“I’m simply a Christian who happens to be a producer, and I’m not creating exclusively “Christian” programs. But I hope that because of the Holy Spirit working through me, everything I create reflects the light of God.”
Note: Phil Cooke is President & Creative Director of Cooke Pictures, based in Santa Monica, California, and founding partner in commercial production company “Thomas Winter Cooke.” As a producer, media coach, and consultant, Phil works with many of the largest and most effective faith based organizations, and speaks at workshops, seminars, and conferences on a global basis. He’s considered an international expert on the subject of “change” and a regular contributor to major magazines. He’s most likely the only working producer in Hollywood with a Ph.D. in Theology, and his blog at www.philcooke.com is considered one of the most insightful resources on the web on issues of faith, culture, media, and the power of change. If you would like to interview Phil Cooke, you can contact him at (818) 321-8574 or by e-mail at: info@cookepictures.com. His website can be found at www.cookepictures.com.
Dan Wooding is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. Wooding is the author of some 42 books, the latest of which is his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to www.fromtabloidtotruth.com. danjuma1@aol.com. (Photo of Dan Wooding: Raul Gonzalez)
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