The Kingdom of Heaven is Like…a Movie
I read a recent posting by author Miralee Ferrell, who writes Christian novels. Her agent recently received a call from a major motion picture studio rep who really liked the story in her book. Recently, several Christian novels have had good success in being adapted for the big screen. (One Night with the King, The Ultimate Gift, The Last Sin Eater)
They haven’t been quite the blockbusters the producers hoped they might be because they failed to reach a broad audience. We’ve talked frequently about the challenge of making a Christian movie that will reach an audience beyond the walls of the church. It’s what Miralee is experiencing right now. How do you take a story that was developed for a Christian audience and tell it so it appeals to a larger group of people?
Maybe we need to take a cue from Jesus’ parables. When he taught, he told of ordinary events that could have spiritual applications. A man visited a far kingdom and left his property in the care of his servants. A farmer sowed seed and it fell on rocky soil. The wise man built his house upon a rock. Jesus didn’t work Old Testament references into those stories, nor did he end those parables with an altar call. Instead, he said “The kingdom of heaven is like…”
What if our stories are like Jesus’ parables and invite people to wonder about the Kingdom of Heaven?
If her book is made into a film, Miralee hopes it makes viewers want to buy the book, read it, and receive the full faith message. I hope she succeeds.
The problem with Christian films is that they are not very good.By that, I mean I often have difficulty relating to the
characters, often find the film makers try to say too much for one film or find that they may use heavy-handed emotion. Since the enormous success of “The Passion of the Christ”, mainstream Hollywood has been looking for that next blockbuster…but no one is willing to pony up the cash (Mel Gibson financed his own film)for a quality production. “Facing the Giants” had some success thanks to the publicity surrounding the PG rating.
Audiences are more sophisticated. They are asking questions that we must answer, not accepting our faith based on faith alone. “The Perfect Stranger” comes very close to, what I believe, people are seeking: if God is real, EXPLAIN it to me–without maudlin emotional geared to making me feel good.
Thanks!
June 15th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
I think that the most amazing thing I have discovered about God is that He is profoundly not religious in the least bit! It has been we the believers that do not know how to allow the Lord to flow through the world that we live in. It is quite simple: do unbelievers and believers sell cars? Yes they both do; what is the difference between the two - the relationship with Jesus and how it influences what one does and how they do it. When dealing with the world we should sort of do it takes to reach them as baits are used to catch fish; use what they are familiar with in a such way that it makes them once again question their existence. Our production company just had an amazing experience with some crew and cast that we just never thought about. We made a music video for a secular artist and just interpreted it differently. The artist was just intrigued about the way we did things that a few months later after the video was released he committed his life to Christ and just went to Church on 17 June 2007! We made his video and it wasn’t a Christian song in the least bit but the way we did things was just different and many of the crew just kept saying how they felt this family atmosphere throughout the production and not one of them was a Christian. We are in the world to make a difference not just serve in Church - and even the way we do church is not the way New Testament exemplifies it. But that is for another time.
June 18th, 2007 at 6:58 am
Leslie - you’re very right! In an earlier interview with Kevin Downes, he talks about being a filmmaker who is a Christian, as opposed to being known as a “Christian filmmaker.” Who we are in Christ defines how we do our work, not necessarily what work we do.
That’s powerful how you were able to reach others with your lives lived for Christ in front of them. It’s then to the glory of Christ, not us!
June 18th, 2007 at 9:25 am