The Future of Faith, Media and Culture:

By Dr. Ted Baehr [bio for event]

In answer to prayer and God’s Grace manifest, more and more redemptive, Christian content is appearing in movies. We have come a long way from the mid-1980s when there were only a handful of movies with positive Christian content. Now, every week's crop of movies seems to bring another movie with redemptive content.

Part of the reason for this is the Annual MOVIEGUIDE® Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry. This annual event encourages top Hollywood decision makers to put more Christian content in their movies, videos and television programs.

And, guess what? That's exactly what Hollywood has started to do!

Clearly, we're making a difference, but at the same time, our culture seems to be moving away from faith and values and toward the most wicked forms of behavior known to God and Man. As the New York Times noted recently, over 60 percent of the World War II generation had faith in the Bible, but only 35 percent of the Baby Boomers and perhaps as low as 4 percent of the next generation. Thus, the young generation sees nothing wrong with moral decadence in their culture, including torture movies like SAW III, sexually perverted movies like BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, and overtly anti-Christian movies like THE DA VINCI CODE.

So, what is the future of faith and culture? The future of faith is triumphant because it comes from God. God wins in the end, and those who are His and regularly read His Word know the end of the story. In fact, they already live in His kingdom of righteousness.

But, many adults have abandoned their children and grandchildren to the secular humanist, paganized world. And, that evil world is leading them straight to Hell! That's why the future of the Christian faith depends upon evangelizing and discipling this neglected generation, as well as the future generations to come.

We can do this through movies and entertainment, but only if we humble ourselves and care about God and other people in a revived, passionate, faithful way that focuses on Jesus Christ. Revival is occurring in the mass media of movies. It can easily occur in the culture – if we turn away from our selfish sins and move forward to God's grace through Christ Jesus, the Savior of the world.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Baehr is the publisher and host of MOVIEGUIDE®, a family guide to movies and entertainment, and founder and chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission™. For more information on MOVIEGUIDE® or the Commission, call 1-800-577-6684, or visit their website at www.movieguide.org.