Reclaiming A Biblical Worldview

Media, Arts & Entertainment

Session 5

Role of Media in Culture

Whoever controls the media controls the culture.Francis Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live?

Art and media are the means and the bridge over which the current philosophy of the philosophers reaches the general culture.

Francis Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live?

MediaHow beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news. - Isa 52:7

A Visit to the Headquarters of National Media

New York CityJune 2008

Os, you would be shocked. The entire media is controlled by less than 100 people.- Executive News Producer, Top 3 Network

Gods Purpose and Calling on those in the MediaProphetic voice of the nation

Proclaimers of truth (expose unrighteousness)

Accountability for leaders in culture

Unbiased information source

2008 ElectionWe admit we were biased.

Bernard Goldberg 28 year CBS journalist11

Center For Media and Public Affairs, George Mason University, VirginiaSurvey 585 Network News Stories, Aug 23-Sept 30Favorable to Obama 65%

CBS 73%

NBC 56%

ABC 57%

Fox 60%

Favorable to McCain 36%

CBS 31%

NBC 16%

ABC 42%

Fox 60%

Fox StUdy by Project for Excellence in Journalism12

Michael Malone, 4th generation journalist for ABC News websiteThe traditional media is playing a very, very dangerous game. With its readers, with the Constitution, and with its own fate. The sheer bias in the print and television coverage of this election is not just bewildering, but appalling. And over the past few months Ive found myself slowly moving from shaking my head at the obvious one-sided reporting, to actually shouting at the screen of my television and laptop computer.

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Principal ManifestationsPower controls peoples views

Addictive intoxicating environment, personalities, people of influence

Seductive encourages you to make choices w/out a moral consideration

National Media Journalist ProfileLiberal worldview. Educated at an Ivy League school which largely promotes a liberal worldview.

Insiders only profession.

90% will hold a Democratic political view with exception being the Fox Network

Media also has the power to do great good and cause tipping points for good

Harvard

Harvard, March 2012

God and MediaBilly Graham and Wm Randolph Hearst

1950s Randolph Hearst promoted LA crusade after observing his charisma, celebrity, and ability to sell papers. He was an unknown until the media began promoting him.

Unredeemed MediaWoe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isa 5:29).

Weve been lied to so thoroughly and consistently that we no longer perceive the meaning of what we see nor understand what we hear, says David Kupelian, author, The Marketing of Evil

Media is changing the way we think about key culture issues Issue

Americas Christian heritage

Christian absolutes

What is a family?

Evolution

Israel Satans Ploy

Separation of church and state. Revisionism.

Relativism. You are too rigid, uncooperative

Gay rights. Redefine marriage.

God had nothing to do with your creation. Darwin.

Troublemakers, Anti-semitism

Media is changing the way we think about key cultural issues Issue

Sex/Morality

Big business is evil

Freedom of speech

Abortion

Redefine marriageSatans Ploy

Anything should be acceptable to individual

Government should take care of us

Keep Christians quiet in public arenas. Double standard.

Its my right to kill

Any two people

Vanity Fair said, Oprah Winfrey arguably has more influence on the culture than any university president, politician or religious leader except the Pope.

Christianity Today on Oprah: To her audience of more than 22 million mostly female viewers, Oprah has become a post-modern priestessan icon of church-free spirituality.

Read excerpt Ted Haggard interview. Alice interview Tell us how Oprah has changed your life.26

Arts & Entertainment

I wish Id met you 25 years ago.Feb 2011

6 Major Studios Mostly operated by secular Jews

Corruption among the StudiosThe reason you never see one story in print about profits made from a motion picture is because there isn't any. (Not to be confused with a film's highly publicized box office gross). The entire system is designed to seize creative control from the producer and steal every cent of profit. To the major Hollywood Distributor, it's a game. To the film maker, it's their life. -- Industry Insider

Source: Insiderhttp://whiteowlfilms.com/minefield.html

Mokoto

Church Abandoned HollywwoodDr. William Dyrness, professor of theology and culture at Fuller Seminary, tells of a producer at Twentieth- Century Fox in the 1930s. The producer wrote letters to several evangelical colleges, asking them to send their graduates to become screenwriters, to help make good, wholesome movies. The response was alarming. One college president wrote back saying hed rather send their young people to hell itself than send them to Hollywood.

Not in workbook

Battle for Hollywood, Ronald Reagan and Communism

Of all the arts, the cinema is the most important for us, communists, to keep the people under control. (from Lenin's instruction to Dzerzhinsky, the founder of KGB)- Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

The prize will be the complete control of the greatest medium of communication in history. -Herb Sorrell, Communist Party Activist, 1946

Communist Party in HollywoodActive since 1935Believed if they could capture Hollywood labor unions, they could influence the type of pictures being produced.Take leadership in intellectual groups - directors, writers, and performers.

Reagan was primary tipping point to defeat communists

People who believe they know the truth need to realize that cultural influence requires more than knowing the story; it requires telling the story thoughtfully and artistically. Never has there been a greater need for wise, gifted storytellers who understand the story we are in and can communicate a better way gracefully and truthfully.

Dick Staub, The Culturally Savvy Christianz

November 2008God says I am going to open up Hollywood to you. I am going to open up even a meeting of over 1,000 in Hollywood. You will stand there as my change agent. As you release the principles I have given to you God says it is going to cause a transformation to begin to occur for surely I have sounded my word into the media. I am actively moving you into the media area. You will begin to see that I will begin to release you in increasing measures through relationships in these places now. It will cause you to change.

Stealth Dinner Parties Party Party Party!!

Youve been considering suicide

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 1 Corinthians 1:26-28

Sherwood PicturesSherwood Baptist Church, Albany, GA

Initial investment of $20,000Facing the Giants 2006$100k budget, grossed $10,000,000

Fireproof - highest-grossing independent film of 2008 $500k budget, grossed $33,000,000

Courageous (2011)$2 million budget, grossed $34,000,000

Quality vs the Message?

Under $5 mil budgets

The Change in Hollywood Filmmaking - 2008Franchise movies Die Hard, Star Trek, Spiderman, Superman, Mission Impossible

Standalone projects, funding changes

2008 Prophecy

God will raise up His sons and take them to the top almost overnight as he would put His it factor on them and that will begin immediately with a few and then be exponential beginning in 2012. Johnny Enlow

Pregnancy: the child in your womb will effect an entire generation.

I pray before I go on stage with my whole band and everybody.

Justin Bieber, February 2011 US magazine

Sun Ho, a musician and the worship leader moved into the marketplace by entering the pop-music field.

Most popular singer in China

Topped the charts twice in the US and twice in the UK, the first Asian to do either.

Using her wealth and influence to build a modern school buildings in each of Chinas 13 largest cities;

The Chinese government admires Sun Ho so much that it has issued a commemorative postage stamp honoring her.Kong Hee and his wife, Sun Ho, founding leaders of City Harvest Church, the largest church in Singapore

Larry Poland, Master MediaKaren Covell, Hollywood Prayer Network

What I have learned about Hollywood

Starving artists isnt a perception, it is reality for many in Hollywood Very small % make it big

Difficult to trust. Takes time to build.

Difficult spiritual culture to live in. Need relationships to survive spiritually - must be called

A la carte Christianity

The higher you go up a mountain the more demons assigned to youspiritual warfare For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. 1 Cor 16:9

Whitney HoustonBritney SpearsKaty Perry

52Prayer must be a part of or strategy to win a mountain.

Tracy, a change agent worship leader

Hey PopsYes i did. How is South Africa? Thinking of u everyday. The testimonies keep pouring in. A radical, radical shift occurred and a new level of friendships and family is rapidly growing. For the first time in my life as a Christian I am experiencing the "as one" factor because people are realizing we will not make it on our own. Wow. I can't tell you how much you and Ron impacted this beautiful Hollywood of ours. The biggest testimony for me is how everyone experienced the Fathers love through you guys. In a city of so many orphans both your deep love and compassion really is ALL the difference because people are so used to being misused and abused and taken advantage of and you guys just love love love. I'm so privileged to have such amazing spiritual fathers. Thank you Pops for loving my friends so much.

Sunu March 2012Hollywood

Eric Liddell was the winner of the men's 400 metres at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. However, Liddell's Olympic story gained international attention when he refused to run on Sunday for his faith convictions. His story was depicted in the Oscar-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire.

Tim TebowWhen the NFL would not let Tim Tebow write John 3:16 on his eye black, the Lord broadcast it in a way that no mere human could have pulled off. Not only did Tebow throw for 316 yards in their playoff win against Pittsburg (2011), but he averaged 31.6 yards a pass, and the rating for the last part of the game was even 31.6. Because of this, over the next few days more than 110 million people searched the Internet to find out what John 3:16 said.

Think about that. No Christian would need to Google John 3:16 to see what it says, so these were not likely believers. This may have been the single greatest witness in history, and there will be a harvest from all of those seeds that were planted.

Christian stuntman Nik Wallenda crossed a large gorge in the Grand Canyon, June 2013 praising Jesus with every step he took.

SummaryArts & Entertainment & media are the cultural mountains that most define values and beliefs in culture.

God is moving in Hollywood. He is raising up change agents in this industry.

Difficult spiritual climate. Few really make it.

Some have used their notoriety to bring glory to Jesus Christ

We must pray for those in all forms of media and entertainment. .

The SingerShell really know how to sing that song when someone breaks her heart.60

Story of SongwriterSometimes our heart must be broken to identify with the things that break the heart of God and others. TGIF. Adele. Rolling in the Deep60

Presenting Christ on Entertainment MountainSteve Harvey

Small Group DiscussionWhy do you think arts and entertainment and media have such a powerful ability to define values?

What are ways you can influence these cultural mountains?