Are Studios Finally "Seeing the Light?"

While on my mini Spring Break vacation, I didn't have access to a computer for news so I read the U.S.A. Today newspaper that was left at the door of our hotel room. In the Fri/Sat/Sun, April 14-16, 2006 issue, the cover story was titled, "Hollywood turns to divine inspiration." The sub-headline said, "Religion-based movies, once spurned, now have studios seeing the light."

Interestingly, Biola University is holding a conference on this very subject . It will be held next Saturday, April 29th, and is entitled, Out of the Closet: Can Christians Save Hollywood?"

The first page lists the conference mission and objectives:

The Mission

The Biola Media Conference seeks to educate, inspire and network people of faith involved or interested in the media.

The Vision

The Biola Media Conference instructs and inspires individuals to integrate their faith with their art. It provides Christian media professionals with a forum to impart the valuable knowledge and wisdom gained in their field of expertise.

The Objectives

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from and interact with acclaimed professionals currently involved in the entertainment industry.

• Participants will discover the profound creative and spiritual nature of their involvement in the media industries.

• Conference programming will cover a variety of topics in order to provide teaching and training in numerous media related careers.

• Participants will leave the conference with a clearer vision of their gifted place in the media and the growing opportunities for involvement.

• Attendees will be given the opportunity to leave better equipped for success in their area of media interest.

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The USA Today article stated:

Joe Bubar, a minister at the Scottsdale (Ariz.) Bible Church, welcomes being Hollywood's hot new demographic. His church rented five theaters during the opening week of Narnia and urged its 5,500 member to turn out in force.

He says churches welcome faith-based films as much as Hollywood welcomes faith-based money.

"We're looking for things that help us deliver our message," he says. "And, particularly with younger people, movies do that. We welcome movies with a positive message.

Some filmmakers, in turn, are responding with biblically based stories such as Passion or Nativity and other films that take an earnest look at religion.

"There's another way to look at faith in movies, " says James Marsh, director of The King, a William Hurt drama about a minister father who reunites with his troubled son that's due May 19. "Instead of mocking religious people or portraying them a hypocrites, you're seeing a more straight-up examination of how hard it is to be righteous. And I don't think we're losing anything in terms of dramatic storylines."

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It's about time!

Amen!