5 Reasons Why Hollywood is a Mission Field
I came to Hollywood in 2010 to do the Act One Producing and Entertainment Executive Program. One of the first speakers I heard from was the founder of Hollywood Prayer Network, Karen Covell. She started that ministry 20 years ago, and it just celebrated its “birthday” this past August. She and her composer husband, Jim Covell, have been in Hollywood for decades, working and living amongst industry folks, finding and cultivating relationships with the Christians who were here. I was so impacted by their presentation on why Hollywood is a Mission Field that I have never not thought about it as such. In my last post, I talked about how Hollywood is a foreign land. As such, we can look at Hollywood as an opportunity to spread the gospel and make disciples like Jesus commissioned us throughout “all nations.” Inspired by the Covells, here are 5 reasons Hollywood is a mission field:
“Hollywood has its own idols, from the pantheon of celebrities to the graven statues whose demands people are happy to meet for the praise of men.“
Hollywood has its own religion, a worldview that is irreverent of objective truth. At the forefront of culture, Hollywood has perpetuated a religion of postmodernism and post-truth. We live in an era of post-Christianity, and a general rebellion against any absolutes is the religion of the day. With this attitude of moral ambiguity, Hollywood has its own idols, from the pantheon of celebrities to the graven statues whose demands people are happy to meet for the praise of men.
Hollywood has its own culture. This culture stems from its religion. There is a certain vibe about Los Angeles that is in line with its post-truth religion, an attitude that is generally wary of any moral authority. Sure, maybe we can say there is a certain walk and talk about the Angeleno (please don’t say “hipster”), but the externality is not really what I mean by culture. Yes, we are a bunch of transplants coming from all corners of the world with all sorts of fascinating perspectives and experiences that make up a rich culture of diversity, but “diversity” is another word that has been a casualty of the battle of definitions–a whole other post for later! Amongst industry folks, there is a lot of emphasis on what you do in our business (are you an intern or an exec?) and who you know (can you get me a meeting with some decision-makers?), and frankly an obsession with youth (don’t ask me my age). The culture of Hollywood is dangerous for the Christian because there is so much emphasis on the self, and it’s easy to get caught up in the “me” of it all (what enneagram number are you?). This kind of self-focus is a culture so opposite of what historic Christianity is about. Scripture has a whole host of “one anothers,” emphasizing the deference to others in service to them in love, as Christ loved, even to the giving of His life.
Hollywood has influence like no other, with the ability to impact souls across the globe by way of distribution machines like streaming services and social media. There is no evangelizing tool like Twitter. Hollywood is a culture creator as it is a content creator, distributing worldwide with the power of handheld machines more equipped than the collective machines that sent men to the moon. The culture spreads and pervades as quickly as a click of a button, with no borders or filters or censors to stop it (not yet anyway). If we are to be salt and light in the world, I believe this is the most important place to do that, with the biggest reach at the speed of entertainment.
Hollywood needs Jesus like any people or tribe in the world. If you are to consider yourself a participant in the co-mission with the Holy Spirit, and a disciple of Christ, we cannot lose sight of the actual people we interact with on a daily basis. We love people where they are just as Jesus loved us. We lovingly point to truth as opportunity arises--and sometimes, with clear conviction from the Holy Spirit, at times that don’t seem too opportune. People are not projects, they are just people--sinners like me in need of a Savior. Like all people of every tongue and tribe, including ourselves, we need friendship, companionship, and authenticity. May we pray for opportunities to share the gospel as we form relationships with those we work with and live near, for the gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16).
We are called to the great commission to make disciples, even in Hollywood. I ran into Karen at a party not too long ago, bursting from my recent exposure to the CrossExamined Instructors Academy, and she pointed me to the passage in Jeremiah 29 (see previous blog post 004 | Hollywood is a Foreign Land). The great commission as read in Matthew 28 says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” I was reminded recently with a sermon at church that the great commission isn’t firstly about us saving people–it is about making disciples. More than evangelizing, my husband and I feel very strongly to equip the saints right where we are, in Hollywood. For us that also includes the foster children in our home, their families, along with helping one another grow within our church communities in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus. Let us not neglect this most widespread mission field, that is, Hollywood. It is a land exporting all its influence to the ends of the earth, to all nations. As Christians, we must not let those messages go unaccompanied by truth. And the truth is, none of this should be about me.
“I was reminded recently with a sermon at church that the great commission isn’t firstly about us saving people–it is about making disciples. More than evangelizing, my husband and I feel very strongly to equip the saints, and for us that includes the foster children in our home, their families, along with helping one another grow within our church communities in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus.”
So let me end on the words of Paul: “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the wordI preached to you–unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.