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Are Sharks Circling Christian Films?

A few weeks ago, my grown daughter Kelsey called from her home in Hawaii to tell us about an encounter with a 15-foot whale shark. She works on a whale-watching-snorkel-swim-with-the-wild-dolphins boat on the Big Island, so it’s not a total surprise she and the crew would have this chance meeting. But sightings like this are extremely rare. In fact, this is a first for Kelsey in her more than three-year history on the boat. Here’s a video, if you’re interested in watching.

[View:http://youtu.be/vl-BdNR5dcg:550:0]

While on Facebook looking for this shark video, I came across something else that significantly grabbed my attention: A friend posted this:

So…I was pitched a faith-based film and warned that while it was “dark and gritty,” it has an inspiring and redeeming message. Screened it. The F-bombs didn’t do me in as much as the two scenes of full frontal nudity and a lap dance. Gritty indeed.

Although I live and breathe entertainment here at Plugged In, I’m totally in the dark about this film. I don’t know who’s behind it, who’s in it or when it releases. In fact, this is the first I’ve heard about such a project. Which is probably for the best right now. Because I don’t think that this is the sort of “dark and gritty” atmosphere Christian movies need.

Now, some of you reading this think I’m overreacting. After all, you’re saying to yourself, There are people who won’t go to church but will go to a theater to catch a hard R-rated Christian film. And you’re thinking this might possibly be a good thing.

But let me ask you, if Penthouse printed John 3:16 on every page, would it redeem the publication? Hopefully, you can see where I’m going with this. “Of course not,” you’d answer. Then how is it any different than using nudity and f-bombs to lure someone into the theater with the hopes of presenting the gospel?

Sometimes I think of content like this as a shark in the water—not a whale shark (which, while big, are harmless), but a great white. Yes, you can appreciate the power and beauty. But when you swim in the same waters as one, you risk getting bit.