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Changing mediocrity in Christian entertainment first requiresrecognizing the problem and finding a solution. Please consider thefollowing:
We have more means to spread the Gospel in the 21st Century than everbefore, be it through TV, books, the Internet, yet the Church is moreineffective now than ever, with reportedly 80-90% of people makingdecisions for Christ falling away. That statistic is another topicaltogether, but it's related in that the Church is killing itself by 1)Preaching a man-centered Gospel and 2) Preaching to the choir. We'vecreated our own little niche sub-culture away from the rest of theworld where we don't have to be ridiculed yet where we also reach noone. And the message, as Tozer put it, "were it poison, it wouldharm no one, and were it medicine, it would heal no one".
That being said, any Christian entertainment with the intention ofministry should first, not compromise Biblical Truth, and second notrestrict itself to Christian media.
Next, should one consider Christian entertainment, especially with theintent of having a message, he should take the Bible as an example. TheBible covers a few thousand years of human history and yet it effectslives to this day. Other than it being the Word of God, why is this?Because it's written and accounted for in a manner that makes ittimelessly relevant to its readers. Though the culture may be vastlydifferent than our own, the human elemant is universal, as is man'srelation to God's principles.
So in summation so far Christian entertainment should:
1. Not compromise Biblical Truth
2. Boldly minister in the secular marketplace
3. Take example from the Bible's timeless human relevance
Point 4 is the toughest, in that, any good entertainment requires goodwriting. Playing off the third point I made, one's story should showpeople in their element, both good and bad. Biblical characters grewand fell, learned and were lost, etc etc- any good character in aclassic novel does the same. If the story's intent is ministry, itrequires the writer to be able to see and write multiple points of viewfrom all kinds of people, to be all things to all men, yet remainedanchored in and properly apply Biblical Truth.
As sincere and admirable the intentions of most Christian artists andstorytellers can be, unfortunately we find that it's typically verycheesy, and I often believe it's because of a very one-sidedperspective. One can't have believable dialogue if the perspective isonly one-sided. Showing multiple points of view all falling under theuniversal answer that is God's Word will give strength to the writing,the argument, and the characters themselves.
Additionally though, every word of dialogue doesn't have to be anApologetic argument. Again, show people in their element. Circumstanceshave a way of working toward those discussions. This again requiresgood writing assisted by observing real life.
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Seraph
"Seraph is an ambitious modern comic project based on a hypothesis. Itis primarily an action-adventure series focused on characterdevelopment and inter-personal relationships.
Much of the comic industry produces titles helmed by authors that pushtheir own world view and general philosophies in varying degrees ofsubtlety. The stories flow, the plot develops, yet their philosophiesalways interlude or carry the materiel. Being a Christian and a writer,it's only natural my world view and perception influences my writing attimes, as one can only write what they know.
The title character for Seraph is a bible-believing Christian seeminglyin far over his head. Faith considered, Seraph is not a Christiantitle-- that would be too limiting a scope and market. It is my beliefthat this character, handled and written properly, can fit right ontothe shelves of a secular comic market next to Batman and Spawn, yethave an unadulterated scriptural foundation woven within, just as othersecular titles do with their world views. In essence, it is my goal towrite a real christian character with a comic angle-- one who liveslife with problems and concerns in front of a lost world; a characterwho grows (and falls) in faith and experience and is used by Godwhether he realizes it or not.
This project is intended for ministry, make no mistake. The best way todo so is to minister in the secular market and not to the Christianone, in a down-to-earth message paired with a fantastic adventure. Thebottom line: Work from the Natural to the Spiritual, like Jesus did."
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