Each year, hundreds of ambitious actors, singers and entertainers look
for a sign – the Hollywood sign, to be more specific.
They leave their homes and familiar surroundings to venture
into the murky waters of the Los Angeles film industry. Many eventually fail
in their attempts to fulfill dreams of fame and fortune.
Each year, hundreds of ambitious actors, singers and entertainers look
for a sign – the Hollywood sign, to be more specific.
They leave their homes and familiar surroundings to venture
into the murky waters of the Los Angeles film industry. Many eventually fail
in their attempts to fulfill dreams of fame and fortune.
But while many Christians avoid Tinsletown altogether, there
is a growing number who have moved out west not to be discovered but to answer
a call bigger than any casting director could make. These include Jimmy Duke,
assistant director at Inter-Mission, a Christian film organization.
A 1998 graduate of Union University in Jackson, Tenn., Duke
said the entertainment industry is a mission field that has been neglected by
Christians for far too long.
“Christians are always complaining about the content of
television and film, how horrible it is, the sex and violence, and all the propaganda,”
he said. “But what they dont understand is that if it werent
for the Christians in the industry right now, it would be a whole lot worse.”
Duke said that for whatever does get out to the movies and
to television, there is much more that does not make it out because of Christian
executives who say no.
These people need prayer and support, Duke said. “It disturbs
me that so many people dont understand that. Its so easy to complain.
Its a lot harder to do something good.”
Reared in a Southern Baptist home in Tennessee, Duke said he
received a “distinct yet generic” call from God to go into the entertainment
industry while attending a summer camp. “This was really shocking to me
at first because I had really thought I wanted to be a teacher,” says Duke.
Duke went on to attend Union after high school, where he struggled
with the decision to major in theatre instead of education and where professors
instilled in him the the need to drive for excellence and get away from mediocrity.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the entertainment industry,
the church has settled for second best and has been playing catch-up for far
too long, Duke said.
“God is a God of excellence. He wants us to do the best
we can do, to the best of our abilities. As Christians, we need to be the ones
on the forefront, we need to be the groundbreakers and leading the way, instead
of following.”
Duke found his calling to the entertainment industry encouraged
when he was accepted at the Los Angeles Film Study Center. There, Duke took
classes designed to help refine his craft in filmmaking and production and worked
as an intern at Tolin-Robbins, the largest producer of kids programming for
the cable network Nickelodeon.
In addition, Duke said he continually felt Gods confirmation
that Los Angeles was where he needed to be.
For awhile, Duke worked for Warner Brothers and as a production
assistant for several projects. He soon was hired by Inter-Mission, a non-profit
group that combines Dukes passion for the entertainment industry and ministry.
Founded in 1987, Inter-Mission is a non-profit organization
that seeks to encourage Christians who work within the entertainment industry.
It focuses on promoting excellence and effecting a moral change on popular culture.
It is comprised of more than 3,200 entertainment professionals. The agency sponsors
four major quarterly events each year as well as a monthly industry café
and various workshops.
From Dukes perspective, the ministry is seeking to make
up for lost ground. “I really believe if the church had not abandoned this
medium, we would not be where we are today,” he said. “Thats
a sad testimony, but its the truth.”
Most Christians around the country do not comprehend the spiritual
battle that is taking place in Hollywood.
“The only way were going to reach popular culture
is that we live with it, eat it and drink it, so we can understand and meet
the needs of the lost right where they are.”
Duke makes one thing very clear. “I am not interested
– and many Christians out here are not interested – in being known
as Christian filmmakers or Christian entertainers,”
he said. “Im a filmmaker who wants to make films and incorporate
my Christian world view.”
To the student who is thinking about working in the industry,
Duke has some advice. “Pray, pray, pray. … Pray as hard as you can that
if this is not what God wants you to do, that he will slam the door shut and
take the desire away.”
Duke also suggests that students get as much experience as
possible before making the trek out West.
“Take acting classes. Take creative writing courses. Take
screen-writing courses. Above all, youve got to learn your craft. Nothing
preaches the gospel more effectively than excellence and people will sit up
and listen to the message if youre good at what you do.”
To adults and parents who hesitate to let their children pursue
their creative ambitions, Duke has a warning.
“If you are a parent or youth worker who are discouraging
kids, shame on you. You are to blame for the immoral slide that is taking place,”
Duke said. “We have to get Christians out here who are eager and excited
about making a difference, and we have to get them out here to be good.”
Duke said he sees positive signs, including a rise in the number
of churches that are doing more to engage culture.
Duke is doing his part, working on an independent film about
grace and developing a television project to pitch to the networks. He also
serves as a drama director at Mosaic Baptist Church in Los Angeles, where he
is a member.
In all he does, Duke seeks to follow two statements –
“relevance to culture is not optional” and “creativity is a natural
result of spirituality.”
Churches must follow suit, he said.
“Our churches have to learn how to embrace the creativity
of our people,” Duke noted. We have to learn to embrace the creativity
of our kids. Give them the freedom to express creativity, and encourage them
to do it. If we dont, we will never reach the culture at large.”
(ABP)