Hello, my lovelies!
I realize it's been a while since I've posted--again. Don't know about you, but summer always seems to get away from me. But there's always one thing for certain, as I warned a friend recently...with absence of words comes a multitude of thoughts. So much so that I never know how to even begin to sort them out. But as I was re-writing my 'about' page a few weeks ago, especially the part about the importance of storytelling, I kept thinking so much about the entertainment industry, and how... all consuming it's become.
I often wonder about American Christians in general, and myself in particular, when it comes to our entertainment diet. Everyone draws the line in a different place when it comes to our standards, and what we deem as okay in movies or books, or what we are willing to put up with for the sake of a good story. How much filth is ok? Or is it all just a matter of what you've worked out with your conscience? Is entertainment so important that we're willing to watch or listen to people who hate Christ and everything that Christianity stands for trample on our beliefs and the name of our God? How does that fit in with our calling to be holy? Should we really be partaking of any secular entertainment at all? Yet on the other hand, stories ARE important. There are many times that I've been more touched by a spiritual truth from watching a secular movie than I have from reading a Christian book. Even if they did cuss a lot. There are several rabbit trails that my brain wants to latch onto just with that statement, but I'll maybe come back to them a different day. The point is, Christians are being influenced by media and entertainment just as much as the rest of the world, and I certainly don't have all the answers to all the questions I've been asking.
Lately, it seems like, I keep hearing so much in Christian circles about praying for America, praying for our politicians, praying for revival, praying for this coming generation, praying for our missionaries. All good things. Go ahead and pray about politics-- that's a good thing. But it isn't politicians that are leading this country around by the nose. It's Hollywood. Is anyone praying for them? And I don't mean the independent Christian movie makers that are finding their niche in the Christian community. I mean mainstream Hollywood. Is anyone bothering to pray for them? Or what about the Christians who are working there? It can't be easy trying to follow Jesus in an industry that delights in scorning Him, and anyone who believes in Him. Sure, there are a few top stars that claim to be Christians... but they didn't get where they are by starring in low-budget, indie, faith-based films. Sometimes I wonder how much of a Christian you can be when half your movies are rated R. But it's not my industry. I don't know what may or may not go on behind the scenes, or how much influence they could have, if they tried, or how much influence they try to have. I can't judge, because I'm not there. It's not my spiritual journey, it's there's. And they get judged for it, from both sides. Is anyone bothering to pray for them? Just asking.
A friend and I were discussing this the other day, and how she was feeling called to pray for one celebrity in particular, and it just sort of stoked the firestorm of thought I'd already been mulling over. This is important. I need to pray for our entertainment industry. Whether its a specific person, or the body of Christ there, or just a general turning of the tide. I'm praying for them. Think about it.
