Culture & Christianity: The Allen Jackson Podcast - Should We Support Christian Movies? [Featuring Michael Scott]

Episode Date: July 5, 2024

Are you tired of obscene images and themes taking over our movies and entertainment? We’ve been desensitized. What would once incite feelings of shock and shame are considered commonplace in our culture. “It's crept in, in every way, and it's just this bombardment that's coming against us. But I think you're seeing things start to change. People are saying, ‘Wait a second. We've gone too far. The pendulum has swung way too far,’” Pure Flix CEO Michael Scott told me in this podcast. Biblical principles must take their place in government, entertainment, education, and beyond. It’s time to bring Jesus back to Hollywood, be a light in the entertainment industry, and support films that promote biblical values—voting with our dollars and our presence will bring more Christian content to our theaters and TVs.More Information:Pure Flix: https://www.pureflix.com/God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust Movie: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32356994/__ It’s up to us to bring God’s truth back into our culture. It may feel like an impossible assignment, but there’s much we can do. Join Pastor Allen Jackson as he discusses today’s issues from a biblical perspective. Find thought-provoking insight from Pastor Allen and his guests, equipping you to lead with your faith in your home, your school, your community, and wherever God takes you. Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3JsyO6ysUVGOIV70xAjtcm?si=6805fe488cf64a6d Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/culture-christianity-the-allen-jackson-podcast/id1729435597

For too long did that, the church stepped away from arts and media and thought, ah, that's, you know, that's for the devil and everything like that. I always said this is a thing, you know, the church got confused about it. You know, if I was to cuss and swear into this microphone, it doesn't make the microphone evil, right? And I think that's what the church did. They assume the whole thing. It's what comes out, what you put over it. This is just a megaphone to put out the message.

And so we have one of the greatest tools God has given us ever in the history to be able to send out through it through this megaphone, incredible things that glorify the Lord. Today we face an overwhelming amount of negativity. From hostile politics to dysfunctional rants on social media, we need something to cut through the noise and remind us that there's still good in the world. There's still hope. Pastor and author Alan Jackson is that voice of truth and courage. Through his inspirational new show, we can learn how to reset our focus, flourish in a time of fear, and be a source of light and hope in today's climate.

It's time for a new perspective. Watch Alan Jackson now. I'm in Nashville this week. We're at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention, N.R.B. for short, you know, a few years ago, I came over and just walked through this place and saw all the different people. To be candid, I really wasn't sure how I felt about it or if I even wanted to get engaged. Well, you can scroll forward four or five years, and we're engaged. We're involved in television and radio. And it's real simple.

It's too powerful of a medium to communicate with people for the Christian community to step outside of that. And that's really, I want to take just a minute and talk to you about it. You know, for more than a thousand years, the church in the West was the primary sponsor of the arts. Most of our classic music and classic art has Christian themes in it. There's a reason for that. The church was the sponsor. That means people with a biblical worldview or at least that identified as Christian. funded it so that the best artists, the best musicians, the most talented people,

picked up stories and presentations that had a Christian theme. And then we stepped out of it. And so now we see the entertainment business industry, and we typically don't think of that as being a place of a really strong biblical worldview. Well, it's too powerful of a medium to step away from it. And I believe we have to have the courage now to step back into those places of creativity and let our faith be made known. It's important.

We're not going to change the world with our sermons on a Sunday in a church building. And I'm a pastor, and I've spent a lot of Sundays in church buildings doing sermons. But the reality is the majority of the people aren't going to come hear me preach. I know.

I don't understand either, but that's the reality. So we've got to communicate with the tools and the medium and the technology and the creativity that's available to us. The most creative influence that will ever

touch the life of a human being is Almighty God. The devil's not more creative than God. We should repent for even thinking that. We've just lacked the courage or the determination or even the willingness to develop the discipline to be good at a craft. My guest today is Michael Scott. He is the founder of Pure Flix

and he is the producer behind a whole series of films you know God's not dead. Well, the latest edition of that's coming out in September. It's God's not dead in God we trust. I'm excited to get to talk to him, and I think you will learn a bit about what's happening in Hollywood with faith-based productions. Well, my guest today is Michael Scott. It is good to have you in Nashville today. I'm so happy to be here.

It's awesome to be here back in Nashville. I love Nashville. It's such a great city. So you're a movie producer media, I mean, PureFlix. Yeah, I started and founded Pure Flicks, you know, back in the day. And now we're doing our production company, Pennacle Peak, pictures, which got a new exciting movie coming up, God's Not Dead, a new, new chapter in that. When does that get released? It's going to be released in probably September. We're entitled

God's Not Dead in God we trust. And I think it has some really timely messages for what's going on in today's world. So what is the theme? What's the takeaway? I think today, you know, we've explored so many themes through the God's Not Dead series. You know, does God exist? Was Jesus man, man-myth or Messiah, you know? And this one really does, does God belong in the public square? And I think that discussion right now is so important with what's going on in America. It's that time. It's that season again. It's election time. And we're really discussing whether or not he has a place in our society or in our government. I hope you decide that he does have a place. I think that's what, you know, we talk about. You have two posing sides kind of coming

against, you know, one wants it, the other doesn't. And those forces coming together. And I think it's so important that we've gotten away for so long from what this country was founded on. God was a cornerstone in the government and everything that they did. And now we've gone so far to the other side. And I think it's time that we have a voice and we don't forget what this country was founded on and how we got to this place. I think it's a bigger deviation than that. I think we've gotten away from a biblical worldview.

That's exactly right. Because our Bible speaks to the culture in which God's people live, the Hebrew prophets. were speaking into their culture. It wasn't some private Bible study talking about mosaic laws in theory. They were talking about the practices of the day. That's exactly right. And we've slowly, over the last 50 years, just taking little pieces out, little pieces, and when they're trying to accelerate to take everything out, in an ideal world, they'd want to see God stamped out of everything in that government place and the church relegated to a corner that has no say. That's not an ideal world. That's God.

That's right. It's a godless world. And I don't believe God will allow that to happen. I think, you know, we're a nation for what we are founded on. And I believe the church, the people, and everything rise up to say, hey, we're here. This is not what we came from. And we're going to get back to those roots. We can see massive change that can happen. Well, that's what I think what you're doing is so important with both Pure Flicks and the movies you're produced, the series you're producing, because so much of the messaging that cascades over us is in the opposite direction. then I feel like you're giving people spiritual strength. No, I agree. I think, you know, there's so often this arts and media mountain, as I kind of call it, it really influences all the things, education, government, family, all these different pieces. And it's kind of at the top. And what comes out of there trickles down into these other things.

And so if we're not active in that side of the piece and really influencing and say, God does have a place here, he has a place in our government, which this movie talks, talks about, I think it's important. He's in a place in our family and our businesses and all the different places in our lives. We want to invite God into it. Well, for a thousand years, the church was the sponsor of the arts. I mean, all of our classic music and so much of our classic art has Christian themes. Yep. And somewhere along the line, the last hundred years or so, we really stepped away from that. It's got polluted. And we've got to come back with courage and boldness. I'm not willing to relinquish the arch to darkness and evil.

I think you've seen what happened as the church and others have relinquished that side. It's crept in in every way. And it's just this bombardment that's coming against us. But I think you're seeing that thing start to change. People saying, wait a second, we've gone too far. The pendulum has swung way too far. I pray. And you know what I see when a pendulum swings really far when you let it go?

It swings back the other way. And I believe that that pendulum is going to swing back the other way. And this movie, you know, it's God's Not Dead English. God we trust. Do we really trust in God? What does that mean? What does that look like? How should that play out in our election in the years to come? And I think those are important questions we as Christians need to answer. We have to answer them. We've been passive for too long. But I think it's unfair to imagine that an election is going to fix us, that we're going to put somebody in the White House that's a knight in shining armor and they're going to go slay the dragon. We've got to have the courage to do that around our kitchen tables. And

in our own spheres of influence. And that's why I think what you're doing is so powerful. It's a conversation starter. You can take friends. You can use it as a tool. It's not just entertainment. It's a culture shift. I totally agree.

People are sometimes, especially, they're scared to go to church, right? I don't like that environment. I don't know about that. I'm a pastor. Sometimes I'm afraid to go to church. But you know what? Anybody will go to a movie theater.

You know what I'm saying? And so that is something that's powerful. Come along with you. let's see a movie, let's see this. And you know, you may not agree with everything it's in this where we're at, but it's a great conversation to start. It's a place where you can start to have conversation about these important topics that we have left aside for so long. And it's wrapped. Movies are really important because they take pertinent issues, things that are timely, and they wrap them in an incredible story to kind of give you all the sides, the different

pieces of it and those stories move you in different ways. I mean, Jesus told stories and parables, right? And guess what today? Our modern day parables are movies and television? And so I think it's an incredible way to touch thousands, millions of people around the globe, not only here in the US and around the globe, through this form of media. And I think that's what God's not dead in God we trust really does. I think it's awesome. And I respect your courage for stepping into the medium because if we abandon that, we're just handing something over to darkness. And that's just crazy. We can't do that. That's right. And I think it's, we've, for too long did that. The church stepped away from arts and media and thought, ah, that's, you know, that's for the devil and everything

like that. I always said this is a thing, you know, the church got confused about it. You know, if I was to cuss and swear into this microphone, it doesn't make the microphone evil, right? And I think that's what the church did. They assume the whole thing. It's what comes out, what you put over it. This is just a megaphone to put out the message. And so we have one of the greatest tools God has given us ever in the history to be able to send out through this megaphone. Incredible things that glorify the Lord and put God back in our society. And movies like God's not dead. In God, we trust coming up are things that I think people can get behind and say, wait, this is something that I want to see. This is something that we can talk about. This is something we can discuss, and we do

need God in our society. I read so much in here that Hollywood has a pretty strong bias against kind of a Christian worldview or the Christian faith. How does that impact what you're doing? I think there is a bias. I mean, there's always a little bit of a bias. You know, I always say this. You surround yourself with people that typically think like you, right? And Hollywood doesn't always think like us. So they're surrounding ourselves, and they're like, wait, there's a whole other side. and it's that big, I don't believe it. So they want to push it out right. But there's always an opening because Hollywood is driven by the money, right?

And so if there's dollars to be found, Hollywood will try. They'll still get in line. And so it's an opportunity for us to do it. And people say, is this all about the money? I say no. But the money, if a film does really well, that means it reached a lot of people and did really well, and it means more can be made. So the success that it has at the box office and in TV and other forms,

really show you the influence that that movie has. Absolutely. No, nobody's opposed to making money. That's why we do business. That's right. God created it. Absolutely. It all belongs to him.

That's right. Christians need to wake up with a product that is more profitable. What about participation from the people in the industry? Do you get the actors and actresses, the people, are they willing to be aligned with you? I think more and more you're starting to see more people that are saying, wait, hey, I grew up in a Christian faith. a lot of people did in America, even if they've gone to Hollywood or not

and maybe changed or whatever, but you're getting, you're seeing more people get back to their roots, you know? And I think as these films become more successful, more people will come out and say, wait, I want to do something like this. I want to, I want to talk to some of the things

that I've never been able to talk to, or I'm scared to talk about, you know, these things, or be in movies like this that actors, I think, would like to do. I think that's a real deal. People are afraid to talk about. Right. They're afraid of being branded.

Yes. I don't want to get labeled. Right. I don't want to get labeled. I want to get this thing. But I think as the wave begins to take momentum and we've seen that over the years, I think that changes. And I think, you know, there's always going to be the resistance, right?

We're in a war. No matter what we say, we're in a war. But even if it doesn't change, we have to have the courage you'll be labeled with Jesus. That's right. That's right. I mean, Peter James and John. Rather be labeled than I. All of our friends in the Bible got labeled.

That's right. some of them in some pretty painful ways, but we've got to have the courage to go stand up. We've been hiding for too long. That's right. That's why I love what you're doing. And this is finite. You know, we're here for 80, 90, 100 years. And in the end, we'd be so much better to say, when Jesus asks us that question, why did you deny me? Why did you do this? No, I'd rather be the one that said, no, we didn't want to deny you. We wanted to put you first because we know you're the king of the universe. I think as much as the content you create, I think the path you've chosen is a really important message, a business person, an entrepreneur, creative, engaged in the arts,

and you're doing all of that wrapped around a commitment to faith and a biblical worldview, that story needs to be told as much as the particular stories you're telling in your films. Right. Because we need that to be multiplied hundreds of thousands of times. We need, and we need, I always say this, we need an army of creatives, filmmakers, directors, writers, producers, you know what I'm saying, to come out and say, I want to tell these stories. I have great things that God's put on my heart that I feel like I need to share. And the more we do that, we're going to see the arts and media turned around.

And it's not going to be a place where the devils thrive, but where God thrives. Absolutely. You know, one time the best employees were imagined to be Christians because of their work ethic and their values and their character. I could imagine a day where the best pool of creative talent is recognized to be within the Christian community. I mean, God is the most creative force in all of existence. So with his spirit within us, I think we should be the most creative, innovative. That's right. So I'm looking forward to that.

I think it's slowly coming. I think what we're seeing is the church reengaging, saying, wait a second, we lost a fight here, and now it's time to take it back. And I think we're starting to rise up. And I think that's a good thing. And so I think it is time to have a voice. Rise up. Let's talk about these issues. Let's bring them forward.

Let's not be scared to because if we are. scared, it will be too late. Yeah, it's not a time for fear, but I don't think it's slowly coming. Nothing's coming slowly these days. That is true. It is. It's like light speed. I'm looking for the good things to come at the same light speed. So that the younger, they're going to think, oh, it's always been there. Why not? God's capable of doing that. He sent the Assyrians home in one night. He can do that for what you're doing. So what's the success? If you could draw up what you want to happen for this project, if we sat down a year from now and you said it exceeded every expectation I had. What's that look like? I want people to understand the importance of God

and our government and where it was founded, right? Because I think if we can get back to that, that's important. And so I'd like this to be a tipping point when this movie comes out where people ask that question, when they're thinking about who they're voting for, what they're doing, not just the presidential, but all the way down into the other things. You know, who are they voting for people that are going to put God first or something else. And I think that's where I'd like to see that tipping point. So the more success this has at the box office, the better. If we get people out opening weekend to the thing, that's how Hollywood judges this, how the theaters judge this. So that first weekend is crucial. If we can drive people out to the theater, they come see it.

That creates a wave and a momentum that carries down. And then that creates influence down the way that can actually get people talking about these issues. where it sits. Do you know what weekend it releases? We are in the process of figuring that out right now. More than likely, it's going to be sometime in September of this year. And in the months to come, look for the poster and the trailer coming out. New God's Not Dead movie, it's called In God We Trust. And I think people are going to be touched by it.

The story is wonderful. It's got characters that came back from the first one, from Dean Cain to David White. We have Isaiah Washington from the last one, who's an incredible thing. So I think it's a really powerful, impactful story. I think people will cry, they will laugh. And most importantly, too, they're going to learn something. They're going to take away from the message that they have some really interesting things to talk about. Well, we're looking forward to it.

And it's a strength of the body of Christ and a message into our culture. So I thank you for what you're doing. The hard work you're putting into it, the risks you take to do it. Now, I want to come back. Just one minute. You talked about God in government. I don't think you're suggesting that the government mandate we all have to be Christians. No, not at all.

Baptist Church. Not at all. But that we want the government not to be in opposition to a biblical worldview, that we have the freedom to worship as we choose. Correct. So that the government doesn't create their own worldview and their own ideology to the exclusion of the Christian worldview. Correct. You know, this idea of church and state and all that, if you really look at where it came from or whatever, it's a whole. Like the pit of hell? Yes, exactly. And I think that, you know, as whether politicians and people in government, let your faith. guide you. That's what God's out there. And so we need to vote for the people that are going to put their faith first and it's going to guide in because then we're going to be a nation led by God.

Amen, from your lips to everybody else's ears. But my guest is Michael Scott, founder of Purefix, has a new project coming out. God's not dead. And God we trust. Everybody not, don't just everybody go see it. Fill your car and take your friends. That's right. This is a thing. This is a point where you can get people talking, talk about it on social media, promote it out there. We need to get these types of movies out there so that we can make indifference. And I think you will be truly touched by it as if you go see this movie. Thank you for what you're doing. Don't grow weary. You're making a difference. Thank you so much, Alan. Appreciate it. Thank you, Mike. Talk to you soon. You know, one of the reasons we're doing these podcasts is not just to meet some new people and

gain some new information, but to try to distill what we can do as people of faith, people with a biblical worldview in the place where God has planted us. You know, one, we can support those projects when they come out. Sometimes I think we avoid Christian movies because we think they're not done well or they're going to be cheesy or they're not going to be professional. And I think that trend is changing dramatically. We want to support PureFix. We want to support the God's Not Dead series. It's important. And when you find people in your workplace that are Christian, maybe they don't go to the same church that you do, maybe they take communion on a different day than you do, you still want to find the places you can stand together. If we can disagree on a point and we can both

go to heaven, I will extend to you a hand of fellowship. It doesn't mean we all read the same translation of the Bible or like the same worship songs, but we stand under the authority of Jesus' name. Folks, we've been divided for too long. What we can do is get over ourselves and start standing with our brothers and sisters in the faith. That's not about compromising. That's about recognizing we need to stand together or we're going to hang separately. Hope you enjoyed the interview today. Hey, thanks for joining me today. Before you go, please like the podcast. and leave a comment so more people can hear about this topic too. If you haven't yet, be sure to subscribe to Alan Jackson Ministries YouTube channel

and follow the Culture and Christianity podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Together, let's learn how to lead with our faith and change our culture. I'll see you next time.