I recently discovered some surprising information.

It’s true we live in a media-saturated culture—but I’m not sure I realized just how saturated until I read some startling statistics.  Would you believe that 447 new movie theaters have opened in the last two years?  And, according to Neilsen Media, 167 of these theaters have at least 16 screens.

Many movies, of course, are released as DVDs.  Video Business Magazine observes that over 77 million DVDs and videos are rented every week.

And, while 80 million people attend church every weekend, 120 million people will go to the movie theater.  With regard to cultural priorities, the figures seem to speak for themselves.  And movie attendance has further spiked with the recent record-breaking opening of the latest film in the “Twilight” vampire series.

What about the content of what people are watching?  Sobering research by the Kaiser Family Foundation reveals that 89% of all movies contain sexual activity.  Not surprisingly, this is also true of 80% of daytime television soap operas.  But it is also true of 84% of television sitcoms. And Focus on the Family has discovered that 65% of all U.S. children have a television in their bedroom.

I enjoy watching movies and television.  But I won’t watch just anything and I hope you won’t either.  It’s easy to forget that our media mania is not just the intake of mere entertainment.  When we watch what’s on the screen, we’re absorbing specific points of view.  And, let’s face it, some of these worldviews are pretty toxic.

Francis Schaeffer reminds us, “all art has a message.”

In effect, when we attend movies, we’re paying ten dollars or more to have someone’s point of view pumped through our eyes and ears and into our minds.  We’re also voting approval of these points of view with our wallets.  Likewise, when we pay our bill for TV service, we’re helping to subsidize our own personal bombardment of media messages—whether it’s the latest ad campaigns or the themes depicted in “Desperate Doctors” or some such program.

I would never presume to tell anyone what they should or should not watch.  I’m not a fan of heavy handed censorship.  I cherish personal freedom.  But I’m also an advocate of personal responsibility.  And if I agree with Schaeffer that all art has a message—and I do—there’s a silver lining in what C.S.  Lewis adds: “Art in service to nobility is sublime.”

Charles Colson’s engaging book “Against the Night” makes the point that we live in a new Dark Age.  In Colson’s view, spheres of influence—especially media—have been taken over by secular barbarians. This has largely been made possible by the many people of faith who have essentially “rolled over” and “played dead” while the barbarians have taken over spheres of influence in government, education, journalism, film, television, the arts and other cultural categories.

Colson makes the case that people of faith with a commitment to God’s eternal kingdom need to spend less time complaining and more time competing in the marketplace of ideas with the goal of recapturing important spheres of influence.   Jesus literally walked in the marketplace interacting with people from all segments of society.  As R. C. Sproul has observed, we too need to “get in the game, get engaged and make a difference.”

Obviously, Colson’s clarion call for action has profoundly influenced me.  The founding, mission and ongoing work of LifeHouse Theater is an act of answering the call to make an eternal difference in lives on both sides of the theatrical stage—actors and audiences alike.  We seek to tell inspirational stories with redemptive themes that offer uplifting life perspectives.

I am so grateful to all who have joined us in outreach.  And I deeply appreciate the many others helping us behind the scenes and through financial support. We have seen countless lives changed for the better.  Working together with God’s help, we can continue to be salt and light in our corner of the world as we seek to redeem the arts for the Author of all creativity.

Utilizing the theatrical arts in service to nobility is a terrific antidote to our culture’s media mania.  If you haven’t already, will you consider joining with us?

©Copyright MMX Wayne Scott-LifeHouse Productions, Inc.