Not Sidelined

When we face opposition to our faith, we can either choose to advance or retreat, to be confident in the Lord or to cower - He has given us resources in order that we might walk in His victory, and 1st Peter chapter 5 reminds us:
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

We have to see conflict through spiritual eyes - even interpersonal conflict can have a spiritual element, as the enemy would want to drive a wedge between people who love God.  And, we recognize that he has created a hostility in this world toward the message of the gospel. But, our response is not to be despair, but a renewed dedication to walking in the truth of God, obeying His will, and radiating the love of Christ to a world that is looking for answers.

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Culturally speaking, there is a battle that is taking place for hearts and minds, and because God has loved us and we possess His love in our hearts, we can't afford to sit it out. 2nd Corinthians 10 reminds us we have been equipped:
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ...

Yesterday, I revisited the subject of how the pandemic has negatively impacted church attendance. Today, continuing to think about the negative impact of COVID, I turn to the entertainment industry.  An analysis of 2022 on the Movieguide website included some comments from a secular publication, the Hollywood Reporter: "Families and older adults have come out of the pandemic more discerning in terms of how they spend their leisure time — and money. Kid-friendly animated films, once a bankable staple for Hollywood, continued to face headwinds in 2022.” The article noted that the "underlying issue was an overall lack of product.”

Movieguide states: "While analysts blame the 2022 failures on a lack of quantity and variety from studios, many of the top media outlets refuse to recognize that content matters to audiences." It goes on to say:

If anything is clear from the 2022 slate of releases, should movies contain moral values and not fall back on immoral content, like excessive violence and sex, they soar.

One example is Paramount’s TOP GUN: MAVERICK, which became the highest grossest [sic] movie ever released by the studio in a year that many considered a throw-away in terms of box office revenue.

As Movieguide®’s review of MAVERICK notes, the movie championed moral themes such as sacrifice and patriotism, and kept immorality to a minimum.

It noted: "In contrast, Paramount’s grossly immoral BABYLON, which boasted a cast of A-list actors, bombed."

In that area of movies that attempted to attract a family audience, it noted two films by Disney that are destined to lose $100 million each, stating: "Both LIGHTYEAR and STRANGE WORLD contained LGBTQ+ characters that the studio hoped would hold up weak stories, but ultimately ostracized their largest audience." But, another movie geared toward a similar audience, "MINIONS: RISE OF GRU, which was the only animated feature to break into the top ten highest grossing movies in 2022, proves that families were willing show up to theaters, so long as they strayed away from adult topics like sexuality."

Movieguide also pointed to another article it has published, which said: 

If Disney wants to retain their audience, they must reject their false assumption that inclusivity can substitute morality, or that sex can substitute for story.

As Disney continues its downward trend in animated features—TURNING RED, LIGHTYEAR, and now STRANGE WORLD—the company should listen to audiences around the country who agree with Movieguide®: the content that our children and families watch together, matters.

Of course, this is the year in which the Walt Disney Company bungled its handling of a parental rights bill in Florida, opposing a bill that would ban the teaching of sexual material, including homosexuality and transgenderism, to young children in the state.  Then-CEO Bob Chapek said very little as the bill made its way through the Florida Legislature, only to capitulate to LGBTQ activists and vocally oppose the bill.  Chapek is now out, replaced by former CEO Bob Iger.  A recent Newsmax piece stated:

Iger now finds himself facing an extremely tough task — how to stop the deconstruction of the Disney brand before its too late, and how to then lift the company back up out of the rubble.

Signs of Disney’s decline recently became manifest by the Axios Harris Poll and the 2022 Corporate Reputation Rankings.

Disney's score on the poll was 73.4, which resulted in the company’s ranking being 65th on the list. The entertainment giant had fallen 28 places since the previous year, experiencing its worst results in the history of the Harris Poll.

The Trafalgar Group conducted its own poll in Spring 2022, which showed that 68% of Americans consider themselves less likely to do business with Disney, due to the company’s activism.

As yet another example of Disney's decline, the article reported on a recent event at the Epcot theme park.  It related:

WDW Pro, a Twitter account that specializes in all things Disney, reported that the company has engaged in something that Christians of all persuasions consider an abomination, blasphemy.

The Epcot Candlelight Processional has been a tradition at Florida’s Epcot Center for the past 64 years. The event takes place at Christmas time and is part of a larger devotional service in which narrators provide inspirational messages that contain heartfelt Christian content.

In the most recent candlelight processional, the Christian content of the messaging was somehow modified. It turns out that within the content of the revised messaging, the actual divinity of Jesus Christ was denied, not once, but five times.

The article quotes from Dr. Gregory Seltz, Executive Director of the Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty, who said: “Any Christian parent who allows the glitter and glitz of Disney movies and Disneyland theme parks to take hold of our children’s imagination now delivers one’s children into the hands of people who actively seek to steal our children’s childhoods, and now, even their faith..."

When you look at the top entertainment news of 2022, you see a couple of notable trends: as Movieguide has stated for years, by and large, what it refers to as "moral values" are important to moviegoers.  You also see the real-time decline in the Disney brand, refusing to produce content that reflects the values of its founder.  There's no indication that Bob Iger, who was at the helm of the company for 15 years, will do any better than Chapek in reversing the decline in family-friendly content - I would contend that he has been a contributor.

And, in a town hall meeting with Disney employees shortly after his return to the position, according to National Review, he said: 

“Do I like the company being embroiled in ‘controversy’? Of course not. It can be distracting, and it can have a negative impact on the company. And the extent that I can work to quiet things down, I’m going to do that,” Iger said at his first town hall with employees since taking the helm again, according to a video of the event obtained by Christopher Rufo.

However, Iger did not commit to keeping progressive elements out of children’s movies and shows, KOMO News reported. Instead, he doubled down that “inclusion” and “tolerance” of the LGBT community will continue to be incorporated into Disney products.

“One of the core values of our storytelling is inclusion and acceptance and tolerance,” Iger said. “And we can’t lose that.”

So, a great word for us in entertainment continues to be: buyer beware.  We have to check our sources, such as Movieguide, Focus on the Family's Plugged In, and the Dove Foundation site. Our children are being bombarded with messages that undermine the faith principles that Christian parents are teaching them, and an informed parent is an empowered parent.

Bob Iger says he wants to "quiet things down" regarding what is called the "culture war." It's interesting, you have those in the Christian community who want to do the same thing - they don't want to be "controversial" or "confrontational." But, when you consider that hearts and minds are being corrupted, that lives are being negatively impacted, the love of Christ can motivate us to make sure that we are involved in proclaiming the truth.  Like it or not, we are involved in spiritual warfare every single day - the question is, are we going to be obedient to Christ and wield the spiritual weapons God has given to us or try to sit it out?  If we sit it out, we automatically lose.