Evan Help Us?
June 8th, 2007
Behold the cover of the latest Christianity Today. This was the first of a four-page spread (front and back covers, inside and out) shamelessly plugging the less-than-reverent sequel to Bruce Almighty. Under the guise of a “ministry initiative” called ArkAlmighty, the film’s producers are targeting evangelical churches in a big way.
But to have this film flaunted on the cover of Christianity Today? What were the editors thinking?
Yes, we know it was just an advertisment (and that the real cover was underneath).
No, we still don’t think it was appropriate.
Yes, we would have hoped for better from the folks at CT.
No, we’re not really surprised.
Yes, we agree the whole thing is a reflection of the current state of evangelicalism.
No, we don’t think Carl Henry would be happy about it.
Yes, we do have a good sense of humor.
No, we don’t think this is funny.
And no, we are not overreacting.
Jesus prayed, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (John 17:15). Why is it we are so afraid of pop culture? This is why we aren’t reaching Americans, because we get so easily offended at everything that does not fit perfectly with evangelicalism. This reaction against something as silly as a movie plug is the reason why so many non-Christians “like Jesus, but not the church.”
They were thinking the same thing hundreds of other churches have been thinking…The pyromarketing of Hollywood to target audiences for profit, with pastors’ permission:
Willow Creek Lights The Fire for Bruce Almighty Sequel-
Willow Creek Church Association is putting up $50,000 to encourage “random acts of kindness” within member churches as promotion for the upcoming “Bruce Almighty” sequel,”Evan Almighty”. According to WCA website, “The churches will be charged with creatively distributing the funds and going out into the community doing acts of kindness. Maybe it’s buying everyone’s coffee at Starbucks for an hour. ( Ed.note: Starbucks has publicly expressed support for the homosexual lifestyle.) The campaign ties into the theme of the upcoming movie “Evan Almighty,” which comes out in June and focuses on obedience to God and doing acts of random kindness to others.”
Harlots of Hollywood-
The Emergent church movement is following the Willow Creek Association, aka seeker sensitive movement, as the latest Hollywood marketing agency for the movie “Evan Almighty”. The Emergent Village website announced “Get $1,000 to Impact Your Community…Our friends at Youth Specialties have teamed up with Grace Hill Media and Universal Studios on a project called Ark ALMIGHTY, which is a good deeds initiative inspired by the upcoming movie, Evan Almighty.”
From the New York Times: Makers of Comedy Film Aim for Religious Audience. The article reveals the true motive behind the “good deeds”marketing of “Evan Almighty”…
“One result of the effort is ArkAlmighty.com, a Web site that promotes good deeds. It suggests acts of random kindness and helps participating congregations create online bulletin boards to post requests for help and offers of service among members.”
“More important than the lesson Mel Gibson taught Hollywood about drunken anti-Semitic tirades (that they’re bad for publicity) is the one gleaned from his 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ.” The movie demonstrated just how many evangelical moviegoers there are and how much money can be made from them. “
Seems to be a loss of seriousness when it comes to the Gospel in our times.
Jesus was very serious. As were the Apostles.
I love to have fun loving times, and I do. But the Body of Christ has removed the heaviness, and the graveness of the truth of God’s salvation by making light of His truth a little too much I think. I know this is true, because I have been guilty of this very thing.
“To everything there is a season”.
You are so right about Carl Henry. Years ago I went to a library and read through many of the early issues of CT. There is no relation between those and the CT of today.
I just looked up the bio of Carl Henry. It says that Christianity Today was launched as a challenge to the liberal “Christian” magazine of the day. So now that his leadership is gone, it appears that Christianity Today is looking more like the magazine it used to challenge. That is sad, isn’t it? If we don’t stand on God’s absolute truth as revealed in His Word, we are not really standing on anything at all.
Amen!
What else would you expect in a free market economy?
CT is a business – they made a rational business decision.
It’s just business.
Mr. Robinson,
I must beg the question – how does God protect us from the evil one and what are His schemes? It is through the truth (John 17:17; 2 Cor 10:3-5; Eph 6:14-17). How does Evan Almighty – a movie that takes the Word of God and mocks it – promote the truth? How can anyone take the historicity of the flood and it’s typology of the coming judgment seriously?
“Blessed is the man…who does not sit in the seat of mockers…but His delight is in the law of the LORD.”
Respectfully,
Quincy
correction – when I say “His schemes” I mean – what are the Devil’s schemes. It is to cause us to doubt, deny, and disobey the truth and be unfaithful to our Lord (2 Cor 11:3-4).
“How a movie-and a movement-are partnering with the church to change the world.”
Hmmmm. I wonder to which movement they are referring….communism, atheism, humanism…guess those are the same thing. And which church is partnering with this harlot?
What an incredible insult to Christianity! A.W.Tozer said, in the 50’s, “If Christianity were a medicine it wouldn’t cure anything and if it were a poison it wouldn’t kill anything”! This is even more evident today and Christians are allowing it to happenn without taking a stand! The postmodern view today is a very subtle yet powerful movement, Christians need to stand against it!
My deep frustration is why the “church” goes to so much effort to avoid the Biblical gospel. They will jump onto the latest bandwagon, with programs, movies etc, with so much zeal and confidence, except when it comes to “Repent and believe…”
Why is it we are so afraid of pop culture?… This reaction against something as silly as a movie plug is the reason why so many non-Christians “like Jesus, but not the church.”
There is a difference between taking a principled position that the church should be more interested in preaching the only saving Gospel than in padding the pockets of Universal Studios. When men and women are nonchalantly sliding towards eternal destruction, it’s a pity that the church seems to be more interested in entertaining them than saving them.
I fear that a better question than why we’re “afraid of pop culture” is, “If He drove the moneychangers out of His Father’s house, how do you think He’ll feel about finding them in bed with His Bride?”
Glenn, our fear for God (reverence and awe of his person and holiness) is responsible for this fear we have for the certain blasphemous elements of pop culture.
Why does the church need to go to Hollywood to do anything? Just out of curiosity, I went to the arkalmighty.com site and put in my town – my former church was right there. I am pale. I am still stunned at this revelation.
Praise God for leading my wife and me to a reform-minded church two years ago.
Donsands,
I would have to agree with your post and agree with the premise of this article.
We have lost of seriousness of the Gospel throughout many evangelical churches in America. Instead the gospel has been converted into a venti coffee frapacinno with whipped cream. A message which has lost its true flavor and instead has been presented as something refreshing, to fill your desires for the moment without addressing the ultimate truth.
We need to regain our seriousness about the message that Christ shared when He was here in human form and continues to share in the Word.
“We need to regain our seriousness”
Amen Mark.
The Corithian church made light of the Lord’s Supper, and some of them became ill and died. And actually that was a blessing from our Lord. he does chastize His own.
I pray He would send some chastisement to America. Amen.
“If He drove the moneychangers out of His Father’s house, how do you think He’ll feel about finding them in bed with His Bride?”
Staggering thought Matt… it just scares me. I thought it warranted a repeat.
Glen said “This is why we aren’t reaching Americans, because we get so easily offended at everything that does not fit perfectly with evangelicalism.”
The reason we are not reaching is the fact that most Christians do not
evangelize. I have more Jehova witnesses, morman’s, and other cults come to my house. Although that gave me opportunity to witness. I have had only one group of Christians come to my house in over 4 years and that was because I visited that their church, while getting away from a pdl church. I seem to recall that Jesus said we would not be liked by the world but yet we keep wanting to make the world like us. Also don’t forget the roll of the Holy Spirit in evangelism. I don’t think the Holy Spirit needs the help of pop culture.
Yes, we do have a good sense of humor.
No, we don’t think this is funny.
Can’t be that good.
I agree with the more conservative views expressed. There is nothing new under the sun. The more naïve always seem to seek a connection with pop culture. I saw this with music a lot in college. If a song on the radio slightly mentioned God or something related to a Christian theme, it was a Christian song.
Ridiculous!
Those so starving to bring both worlds together were the first to make this false connection. Of course, these people never looked beyond the surface, listening to the lyrics of the other songs on the album (CD). How many artists made a profession of faith and then just a few years later were off in the same lifestyle they embraced before “conversion?”
I do agree that we as Christians need not stick our heads in the sand and be aware of cultural trends. We do need to intelligently discuss what is happening in our world. Imo, all cultural challenges like this movie only test the strength of the church.
What will it take for those in the church to gather and discuss, to bond together as one to be ready to give an answer of the hope within without acting like emotional fools? I can’t stand when someone representing the “church” loses confidence in God as though the world has some sort of power over Christ’s bride! Nonsense.
I agree with the above post that the church will do most anything than share a clear gospel presentation. How true! If one attends a church where this isn’t the case, they are fortunate. So many churches have capitulated to the lies of post modern thought and that man somehow has changed anthropologically over time.
Ridiculous!!
Man’s heart is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow…always in need of spiritual transformation. Like all movements that have lost their center, the formula is always the same:
…a shallow view of sin always gives rise to nonsense and naivety towards how man changes and what method is acceptable for that change. jmo
Glen,
“…..everything that does not fit perfectly into evangelicalism.”
It’s not about what fits into evangelicalism, but it is about what the Word of God says. Jesus said I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” A movie can’t save, only through the hearing of the word are men saved and it is the work of our Lord. We walk a narrow road and our mindset should be that of what God’s Word says. Christians should be offended by this mockery of God and we should not bend a knee to the evil one.
You also said,
This reaction against something as silly as a movie plug is the reason why so many non-Christians “like Jesus, but not the church.”
We do not seek God he has sought us and saved us. Non-christians do not love our lord for if they did they would obey His commands (John 14:21 & John 14:23) and they would not be non-christians.
As an man who was dead in his sins for 28 years, yet who did not agree with the ways of the world, for example evolution vs. creation I never once loved Jesus until He saved me and showed Me what He did for me and that I was His before the foundations of the world were layed.
Be offended by the evils of this world but love your enemies and do good to those who persecute and use you. We are called to go and make disciples of all the nations, through the use of God’s living and powerful Word, not by the likes of Evan Almighty which makes a mockery of our Lord.
In Christ
Jeremy
Those who have seen the decline of CT over the years are not be surprised. What this ‘front cover’promotion really does is underscore the degree to which this magazine has imbraced a culture occupied in “intertaining itself to death”.
Having seen the promotions for this movie of TV, I am greatly offended. This movie makes light of who God is. It is my personal Savior and Lord who is being degraded by such Hollywood ventures.
When the one I love is reduced to’laughing fodder’ for this world. I should not only be offended but outragged at anyone willing to pay money to see such trash, while at the same time calling themself a Christian.
I love comedies and my last post was a tongue in cheek joke. But I also agree on your post 100%.
Being an Aussie, I am appalled at what I see happening in the US Church these days. It sickens me that naive pastors endorse such crap and are taken captive by Hollywood advertising executives clever enough, but transparent as, to dupe the so called leaders of the Christian faith.
[...] What this has proven is that we Christians will bite hook, line, and sinker when someone trying to make a buck comes calling. Note Christianity Today, a popular evangelical magazine, which chose to sell the cover of their magazine as advertising for the movie. Sure, they used small letters in the upper right corner to label it “advertising” [noble move] but how many people will be duped into thinking it’s a ringing endorsement of the movie? [...]
i don’t think its right to mock what people will spend eternity on it should not be taken lightly yet i find myself about to contradict myself by saying that if you are strong in your faith that this movie should not bother you!this is very close to the controversy of the davinci code what did you all think about that?!
Is it sinful for me to watch this movie?
JohnMark,
I ask you, why would you want to see this movie? What would be your motivation for watching it? In Phil.4:8, we are told; “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of GOOD REPUTE, if there is ANYTHING WORTHY OF PRAISE, let your mind dwell on these things.” Is there anything in this movie that falls into the above verse? The “star” of the movie was also in the “40 Year Old Virgin.” Would that be a good witness? I’ll be the first one to admit, I have gone to see movies I shouldn’t have, and have been disciplined for it. There is much harm in watching movies like this one, or entertaining any medium that mocks God. Yes, it’s sin.