From Christian Retailing, Aug. 9...
Big Idea relaunches "3-2-1 Penguins!" on DVD
Popular children's series returns with three new episodes
Big Idea’s popular children’s animated series “3-2-1 Penguins!” is returning to DVD after a five-year hiatus with the release of Save the Planets! (8-20413-20119-7, $14.99), Aug. 30. The DVD features the first three, 22-minute episodes from the show’s recent re-launch on NBC.
Save the Planets! follows the adventures of brother and sister Jason and Michelle as they visit different planets with space-faring penguins Zidgel, Midgel, Fidgel and Kevin. Each planet offers a different life lesson, such as Planet Gutt, where the children learn about the dangers of overindulging.
While the lessons aren’t overtly Christian, they are biblically based. Sol, one of the characters new to the TV version of the show, dishes out pearls of wisdom based on Proverbs, and Jason and Michelle’s “Grandmum” reads from the “good book” and prays.
Big Idea has also created a DVD sampler exclusively for Christian retailers called Meet the Penguins!, which includes an original episode, sneak peeks at future installments of the series and a Save the Planets! coupon. The sampler released last month and retails for $3.97.
The first “3-2-1 Penguins!” DVD originally launched in the Christian market in 2002 and landed the top spot on the children’s video chart for about 40 weeks, eventually selling more than 1.5 million units. However, Big Idea cancelled the DVD series after six episodes around the time the company was bought by Classic Media, according to Greg Fritz, senior vice president of marketing for Big Idea.
In 2007, the series found new life alongside the “VeggieTales” TV show as part of NBC’s Qubo programming block Saturday mornings and became a hit with audiences. The penguins now occupy the No. 1 spot in the block, Fritz said.
The show is in its second season and plays in more than 60 markets across the world. NBC has ordered two more years of episodes.
“This property is special because it’s a bit aged up from VeggieTales,” Fritz said, noting that it targets children aged 7 to 8. “The storylines themselves are fun and are loaded with things kids like, but they also have a lot of meat to them.”
The Save the Planets! DVD includes a variety of bonus features, including video trivia, commentary and several special featurettes like “Pearls of Wisdom,” “Make Your Own Planet” and “How to Draw Kevin and Chancellor Gutt.”
The product will receive a major marketing push from Big Idea, including partnerships with Applebee’s and Chuck E. Cheese.
To order either Save the Planets! or Meet the Penguins!, call Word Distribution at 800-876-WORD (9673), or visit www.WordDistribution.com.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
"Water Colors," from Excel Magazine
Excel Magazine, Spring 2008...
For a digital edition of this issue, click here.
"Water Colors"
How one student and a bunch of paintings are providing clean water for Africans
One-sixth of the world’s population does not have access to safe water—that’s 1.1 billion people. A child dies every 15 seconds from a water-related disease. Millions of people spend several hours each day walking just to get access to water, often from polluted sources.
Though many college students hear statistics like this, Ryan Groves actually decided to try to do something about them. As a freshman at Oklahoma Christian University, Groves, along with his brother, Brendan, started a ministry to help with the water crisis in Africa by building wells. They named the project Wishing Wells.
“There was just this incredible amount of apathy even though we went to a Christian school,” says Groves, who is now a junior majoring in Bible.
After a fairly slow first year, Groves and his classmate Whitney Parker had a vision to use student artwork to support the ministry. Wishing Wells started hosting art shows selling donated student artwork and using the money to build wells in Africa. Once they started the art shows, “God just took it,” Groves said. To date it has raised thousands of dollars and built two wells, with more on the way.
Groves and Parker emphasize that the art is not just a means to raise money, it is a way of changing peoples’ attitudes and hearts in America as well. “I think art is such a powerful medium to convey ideas and messages and emotions,” says Parker, a senior majoring in graphic design. “Our goal is to use art to get people to connect with what’s going on around the world.”
Parker is one of a cadre of 40 or 50 student artists ready and willing to donate paintings for Wishing Wells’ shows.
“My favorite part is that I have an outlet for the things I love to do to really make a difference,” says Parker. “It’s not just going to school or making a pretty picture, it’s more than that.”
Why Wells?
Wishing Wells uses the money it earns from the art shows and other fundraisers to support missionaries who are already building wells in places like Africa.
“When we’re picking out who we build the wells with, we really put a scope on them,” Groves says, emphasizing the need to find people who do things the right way.
According to Groves, just building the wells and leaving doesn’t do the job. Villagers have to learn how to use the well properly and the basics of hygiene, which many of them have never been taught. Without having learned about sanitation, many will use the same bucket for their drinking water and waste.
In addition, ministries have to maintain the wells they’ve already built. Typically when a well breaks it’s only a matter of a few dollars to fix it, but often it never gets done.
That’s why Wishing Wells chooses people like John Ed Clark, a “pretty righteous old dude,” in Groves’ words. Clark has been building wells in Africa for 40 years. He works with locals to build the them because there’s often a negative stigma if something is built by foreigners.
To date, Wishing Wells has funded wells in Kenya and Gambia with two more on the way to villages in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.
These simple projects can have a huge effect on their villages, as more than 80% of illnesses are connected to unclean water. Clean water is also a key in developing the local agriculture and economy as well.
Campus Atmosphere
Groves says the response from the student body at Oklahoma Christian has been tremendous, and he’s hoping to spread Wishing Wells to even more campuses. Students at six other schools have expressed serious interest in starting another chapter of the ministry.
With all this time spent working on Wishing Wells, sometimes Groves says it’s really hard to keep up with the other aspects of his life—like his grades. But he says his professors are a very understanding bunch.
“It’s been cool to see that your professors and other people around you in the school get excited about the same thing,” he says. “This is kind of why they’re doing what they’re doing.”
That’s the way Curt Niccum views it. Niccum teaches New Testament studies at Oklahoma Christian and has helped Groves and his team with Wishing Wells. He says students are uniquely equipped to do things like this.
“One of the things I love about students is that they haven’t learned the appropriate boundaries,” says. “These kids don’t have any concept of proper hierarchies, which can be good, because they’re willing to talk to anybody.”
All of it started because one freshmen looked at the state of the world and decided to do something.
“Never be discouraged by thinking that you are just one person in a huge college. Yes, you’re in college, but your life doesn’t start after college, it starts now,” says Groves. “Always take that step forward in faith and go and do something, there’s nobody stopping you but yourself.”
For a digital edition of this issue, click here.
"Water Colors"
How one student and a bunch of paintings are providing clean water for Africans
One-sixth of the world’s population does not have access to safe water—that’s 1.1 billion people. A child dies every 15 seconds from a water-related disease. Millions of people spend several hours each day walking just to get access to water, often from polluted sources.
Though many college students hear statistics like this, Ryan Groves actually decided to try to do something about them. As a freshman at Oklahoma Christian University, Groves, along with his brother, Brendan, started a ministry to help with the water crisis in Africa by building wells. They named the project Wishing Wells.
“There was just this incredible amount of apathy even though we went to a Christian school,” says Groves, who is now a junior majoring in Bible.
After a fairly slow first year, Groves and his classmate Whitney Parker had a vision to use student artwork to support the ministry. Wishing Wells started hosting art shows selling donated student artwork and using the money to build wells in Africa. Once they started the art shows, “God just took it,” Groves said. To date it has raised thousands of dollars and built two wells, with more on the way.
Groves and Parker emphasize that the art is not just a means to raise money, it is a way of changing peoples’ attitudes and hearts in America as well. “I think art is such a powerful medium to convey ideas and messages and emotions,” says Parker, a senior majoring in graphic design. “Our goal is to use art to get people to connect with what’s going on around the world.”
Parker is one of a cadre of 40 or 50 student artists ready and willing to donate paintings for Wishing Wells’ shows.
“My favorite part is that I have an outlet for the things I love to do to really make a difference,” says Parker. “It’s not just going to school or making a pretty picture, it’s more than that.”
Why Wells?
Wishing Wells uses the money it earns from the art shows and other fundraisers to support missionaries who are already building wells in places like Africa.
“When we’re picking out who we build the wells with, we really put a scope on them,” Groves says, emphasizing the need to find people who do things the right way.
According to Groves, just building the wells and leaving doesn’t do the job. Villagers have to learn how to use the well properly and the basics of hygiene, which many of them have never been taught. Without having learned about sanitation, many will use the same bucket for their drinking water and waste.
In addition, ministries have to maintain the wells they’ve already built. Typically when a well breaks it’s only a matter of a few dollars to fix it, but often it never gets done.
That’s why Wishing Wells chooses people like John Ed Clark, a “pretty righteous old dude,” in Groves’ words. Clark has been building wells in Africa for 40 years. He works with locals to build the them because there’s often a negative stigma if something is built by foreigners.
To date, Wishing Wells has funded wells in Kenya and Gambia with two more on the way to villages in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.
These simple projects can have a huge effect on their villages, as more than 80% of illnesses are connected to unclean water. Clean water is also a key in developing the local agriculture and economy as well.
Campus Atmosphere
Groves says the response from the student body at Oklahoma Christian has been tremendous, and he’s hoping to spread Wishing Wells to even more campuses. Students at six other schools have expressed serious interest in starting another chapter of the ministry.
With all this time spent working on Wishing Wells, sometimes Groves says it’s really hard to keep up with the other aspects of his life—like his grades. But he says his professors are a very understanding bunch.
“It’s been cool to see that your professors and other people around you in the school get excited about the same thing,” he says. “This is kind of why they’re doing what they’re doing.”
That’s the way Curt Niccum views it. Niccum teaches New Testament studies at Oklahoma Christian and has helped Groves and his team with Wishing Wells. He says students are uniquely equipped to do things like this.
“One of the things I love about students is that they haven’t learned the appropriate boundaries,” says. “These kids don’t have any concept of proper hierarchies, which can be good, because they’re willing to talk to anybody.”
All of it started because one freshmen looked at the state of the world and decided to do something.
“Never be discouraged by thinking that you are just one person in a huge college. Yes, you’re in college, but your life doesn’t start after college, it starts now,” says Groves. “Always take that step forward in faith and go and do something, there’s nobody stopping you but yourself.”
"The Classics Club" from Christian Book Reader
From Christian Book Reader, March/April 2008...
The Classics Club
Famous works remain as fresh as ever
When St. Augustine sat down in A.D. 397 to write his now-classic work The Confessions, the world was still flat, the Roman Empire was still reigning, Islam didn’t exist, and Goth was a group of people instead of a dress code.
Yet The Confessions of St. Augustine is still read by many today, a staple of every major bookstore, published by both Christian and secular companies. It is one of many Christian classics still popular and relevant today, long after their original publication.
“Classic” generally refers to books published before the 20th century that are available in the public domain, which means anyone can publish them.
Moreover, a classic has “stood the test of time,” said Holly Kisley, marketing manager for the spiritual growth category of Moody Publishers. “They just have enough of a draw that people throughout generations lean on them for their Christian walk.”
Timeless Truths
Books like The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678) by John Bunyan, The Imitation of Christ (1418) by Thomas à Kempis and The Practice of the Presence of God (1600s) by Brother Lawrence all have that draw that touches each new generation.
It’s a testament to the universal truths found in Christianity that modern-day readers can still relate to these ancient writers. Not only are they relatable, but they usually offer fresh insights as well.
“In the Christian market we have more books (than) you can imagine on the same thing,” said David Lewis, director of sales and marketing at Baker Publishing Group. “Since a lot of modern authors are building on the classics anyway, sometimes people just want to cut through the clutter of today and go (back) to the original.”
The topics these books discuss run the gamut of the Christian faith, covering everything from repentance to theology to prayer to money. Kisley said although they may not cover the same topics, they are “foundationally true” and “Christ-focused.”
If there is one theme common to many Christian classics, it is the suffering and hardships endured by their authors. Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress in a jail cell while being persecuted for his beliefs, Answers to Prayer (1895) documents how author George Mueller learned to rely totally on God for provision for his many orphanages, and Andrew Murray, many of whose works are considered classics, was a missionary and pastor in Africa.
A classic is “something we can look to by someone who had a long journey and found that these are the spiritual things that work best,” Kisley said.
Classic Style
Since classic books can be published by anyone, there’s usually a few versions of each book available. Publishers do a variety of things to make their versions distinct and enhance its appeal.
First is the price. Classic editions cover the spectrum of quality and price, ranging from high-class leather volumes with nice covers and lots of features to bare-bones paperbacks that cost next to nothing.
Readers trying to decide which editions to buy should consider whether they like to read introductions, author biographies and footnotes. Some people really enjoy these extra sections that help their understanding of older books, but many will never read them and just want the original text.
Lots of readers also like to collect classic titles in a series from a certain publisher, because the books match and look nice together on the bookshelf.
The “Moody Classics” line, for example, offers tasteful paperback versions of a number of Christian classics, each with an introduction by Rosalie de Rosset, a professor of literature at the Moody Bible Institute.
New versions are always popping up. Publishers such as Moody, Baker, Penguin and Random House always have a line of classics available that they update occasionally. Others will publish a line of classics for a period of time.
Lewis, who used to work at Thomas Nelson, said the company launched a repackaged line for a few years during his time there.
“They’re always there, ready to be published,” he said.
Interest in classics typically remains pretty steady most of the time. Sometimes a prominent speaker or a best-selling book will reference a classic and cause its popularity to shoot up for a while, Lewis said.
Kisley said she has seen an increase in Christian classics across the board in recent years. “I just believe there are more people searching,” she commented.
Many of those searching continue to find renewal and inspiration in the same books that have captured readers for hundreds or thousands of years—books that offer timeless truth from a fresh perspective.
Sidebar:
The Old School
If you’re looking to get into the world of Christian classics, these books are a great place to start:
The Confessions of St. Augustine
St. Augustine’s story of his early life is not only one of the most influential works in the history of Christianity, but it’s also one of the most influential works of Western literature because it was the first Western autobiography ever written. In it, the great church father from North Africa takes readers from his rebellious and sinful youth through his conversion to Christianity, in the process revealing his reasons for coming to faith in Jesus. Written in A.D. 397, The Confessions can be a bit of a tough read because of its age, so editions with more updated language or footnotes might be a good idea.
The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
Bunyan’s allegory of the Christian life is the most-widely read book in the world other than the Bible. It has been translated into more than 100 languages since its 1678 publication and is regarded as one of the most significant works of English literature. Pilgrim’s Progress follows the character Christian, an everyman, on his journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. Along the way the various trials and joys of the Christian life are shown as physical representations in the allegorical world, such as the “burden” Christian carries on his back representing his sin, or the “River of Death” he must pass through to reach heaven.
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis
À Kempis’ work is the classic standard for devotional writing, a book that has inspired Christians since its release and greatly influenced many leaders, including John Wesley. Written between 1420 and 1427, this meditation on the spiritual life consistently puts the emphasis on Christ and assists readers in their pursuit of holiness and intimacy with God. A Roman Catholic monk who lived in present-day Germany during the Renaissance, à Kempis’ gentle, simple spirit and focus on eternal values are a breath of fresh air in today’s consumer culture.
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Brother Lawrence spent the majority of his life in a kitchen as a lowly French monk, never rising to any positions or searching for any kind of fame. Yet today this humble man is one of the most well-known Christian authors thanks to his incredible insights into finding joy in everyday life. Lawrence disciplined himself to see every task, however menial, as a gift to God, and to constantly make an effort to live “in the presence of God.” The book was compiled from his letters, conversations and writings after Lawrence died in 1691 by one of the men whom he inspired, Father Joseph de Beaufort.
Humility by Andrew Murray
Among the more than 200 books that Murray wrote, many are numbered among the Christian classics and are still praised and read today, perhaps none more than Humility. Sometimes called the greatest work on the topic of humility, Murray sees this trait as “the distinguishing feature of our discipleship,” and calls Christians to turn from pride and study the character of Jesus and His grace. Educated in Scotland and Europe, in 1848 Murray moved back to the country of his birth, South Africa, to become an influential missionary and pastor. Often publishers will package several of his books together in one volume.
Answers to Prayer by George Mueller
The famous evangelist and coordinator of orphanages in Bristol, England, sat down to write Answers to Prayer just a few years before he died in 1898. During his more than 60 years of running orphanages, Mueller depended solely on prayer and faith to care for the children, and he kept notes on the details of God’s provision. The resulting work is an overwhelming story of what happens when people have true faith as Mueller shares miracle after miracle that God provided to keep the orphanages up and running and to care for the more than 10,000 children that Mueller ministered to.
The Classics Club
Famous works remain as fresh as ever
When St. Augustine sat down in A.D. 397 to write his now-classic work The Confessions, the world was still flat, the Roman Empire was still reigning, Islam didn’t exist, and Goth was a group of people instead of a dress code.
Yet The Confessions of St. Augustine is still read by many today, a staple of every major bookstore, published by both Christian and secular companies. It is one of many Christian classics still popular and relevant today, long after their original publication.
“Classic” generally refers to books published before the 20th century that are available in the public domain, which means anyone can publish them.
Moreover, a classic has “stood the test of time,” said Holly Kisley, marketing manager for the spiritual growth category of Moody Publishers. “They just have enough of a draw that people throughout generations lean on them for their Christian walk.”
Timeless Truths
Books like The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678) by John Bunyan, The Imitation of Christ (1418) by Thomas à Kempis and The Practice of the Presence of God (1600s) by Brother Lawrence all have that draw that touches each new generation.
It’s a testament to the universal truths found in Christianity that modern-day readers can still relate to these ancient writers. Not only are they relatable, but they usually offer fresh insights as well.
“In the Christian market we have more books (than) you can imagine on the same thing,” said David Lewis, director of sales and marketing at Baker Publishing Group. “Since a lot of modern authors are building on the classics anyway, sometimes people just want to cut through the clutter of today and go (back) to the original.”
The topics these books discuss run the gamut of the Christian faith, covering everything from repentance to theology to prayer to money. Kisley said although they may not cover the same topics, they are “foundationally true” and “Christ-focused.”
If there is one theme common to many Christian classics, it is the suffering and hardships endured by their authors. Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress in a jail cell while being persecuted for his beliefs, Answers to Prayer (1895) documents how author George Mueller learned to rely totally on God for provision for his many orphanages, and Andrew Murray, many of whose works are considered classics, was a missionary and pastor in Africa.
A classic is “something we can look to by someone who had a long journey and found that these are the spiritual things that work best,” Kisley said.
Classic Style
Since classic books can be published by anyone, there’s usually a few versions of each book available. Publishers do a variety of things to make their versions distinct and enhance its appeal.
First is the price. Classic editions cover the spectrum of quality and price, ranging from high-class leather volumes with nice covers and lots of features to bare-bones paperbacks that cost next to nothing.
Readers trying to decide which editions to buy should consider whether they like to read introductions, author biographies and footnotes. Some people really enjoy these extra sections that help their understanding of older books, but many will never read them and just want the original text.
Lots of readers also like to collect classic titles in a series from a certain publisher, because the books match and look nice together on the bookshelf.
The “Moody Classics” line, for example, offers tasteful paperback versions of a number of Christian classics, each with an introduction by Rosalie de Rosset, a professor of literature at the Moody Bible Institute.
New versions are always popping up. Publishers such as Moody, Baker, Penguin and Random House always have a line of classics available that they update occasionally. Others will publish a line of classics for a period of time.
Lewis, who used to work at Thomas Nelson, said the company launched a repackaged line for a few years during his time there.
“They’re always there, ready to be published,” he said.
Interest in classics typically remains pretty steady most of the time. Sometimes a prominent speaker or a best-selling book will reference a classic and cause its popularity to shoot up for a while, Lewis said.
Kisley said she has seen an increase in Christian classics across the board in recent years. “I just believe there are more people searching,” she commented.
Many of those searching continue to find renewal and inspiration in the same books that have captured readers for hundreds or thousands of years—books that offer timeless truth from a fresh perspective.
Sidebar:
The Old School
If you’re looking to get into the world of Christian classics, these books are a great place to start:
The Confessions of St. Augustine
St. Augustine’s story of his early life is not only one of the most influential works in the history of Christianity, but it’s also one of the most influential works of Western literature because it was the first Western autobiography ever written. In it, the great church father from North Africa takes readers from his rebellious and sinful youth through his conversion to Christianity, in the process revealing his reasons for coming to faith in Jesus. Written in A.D. 397, The Confessions can be a bit of a tough read because of its age, so editions with more updated language or footnotes might be a good idea.
The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
Bunyan’s allegory of the Christian life is the most-widely read book in the world other than the Bible. It has been translated into more than 100 languages since its 1678 publication and is regarded as one of the most significant works of English literature. Pilgrim’s Progress follows the character Christian, an everyman, on his journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. Along the way the various trials and joys of the Christian life are shown as physical representations in the allegorical world, such as the “burden” Christian carries on his back representing his sin, or the “River of Death” he must pass through to reach heaven.
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis
À Kempis’ work is the classic standard for devotional writing, a book that has inspired Christians since its release and greatly influenced many leaders, including John Wesley. Written between 1420 and 1427, this meditation on the spiritual life consistently puts the emphasis on Christ and assists readers in their pursuit of holiness and intimacy with God. A Roman Catholic monk who lived in present-day Germany during the Renaissance, à Kempis’ gentle, simple spirit and focus on eternal values are a breath of fresh air in today’s consumer culture.
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Brother Lawrence spent the majority of his life in a kitchen as a lowly French monk, never rising to any positions or searching for any kind of fame. Yet today this humble man is one of the most well-known Christian authors thanks to his incredible insights into finding joy in everyday life. Lawrence disciplined himself to see every task, however menial, as a gift to God, and to constantly make an effort to live “in the presence of God.” The book was compiled from his letters, conversations and writings after Lawrence died in 1691 by one of the men whom he inspired, Father Joseph de Beaufort.
Humility by Andrew Murray
Among the more than 200 books that Murray wrote, many are numbered among the Christian classics and are still praised and read today, perhaps none more than Humility. Sometimes called the greatest work on the topic of humility, Murray sees this trait as “the distinguishing feature of our discipleship,” and calls Christians to turn from pride and study the character of Jesus and His grace. Educated in Scotland and Europe, in 1848 Murray moved back to the country of his birth, South Africa, to become an influential missionary and pastor. Often publishers will package several of his books together in one volume.
Answers to Prayer by George Mueller
The famous evangelist and coordinator of orphanages in Bristol, England, sat down to write Answers to Prayer just a few years before he died in 1898. During his more than 60 years of running orphanages, Mueller depended solely on prayer and faith to care for the children, and he kept notes on the details of God’s provision. The resulting work is an overwhelming story of what happens when people have true faith as Mueller shares miracle after miracle that God provided to keep the orphanages up and running and to care for the more than 10,000 children that Mueller ministered to.
Monday, June 30, 2008
"A Walk on the Wild Side with John Eldredge," from Christian Book Reader
From Christian Book Reader magazine, March/April 2008...
A Walk on the Wild Side with John Eldredge
The Wild at Heart author gets personal about his walk with God
To many Christian men today, John Eldredge is a modern-day Joshua: a godly man with a warrior’s heart who inspires them to action. Ever since his 2001 book Wild at Heart, Eldredge’s writing has resounded with the hearts of men around the world by making it OK for them to be a Christian and still be a “guy.”
In a time of increasing gender confusion, Eldredge’s books proclaim that masculinity is not only acceptable but essential. God places in the heart of young boys the desire to become heroes and live life as an adventure, he said, encouraging them to continue that dream as men.
Since its release, Wild at Heart has had a huge effect on the American church, selling 2.9 million copies and inspiring men’s groups forming to study the book in congregations across the country.
Eldredge’s subsequent books, including Epic and Waking the Dead, deal with similar topics and have sold very well, making him one of the top Christian authors of today. In 2005, he co-wrote the book Captivating with his wife, Stasi, as the female counterpart to Wild at Heart, looking at the deepest desires of women. It has sold 1.5 million copies.
The Eldredges both work with John’s ministry, Ransomed Heart, and live in Colorado with their three sons, Sam, 18, Blaine, 16, and Luke, 14.
Eldredge recently talked to Christian Book Reader about his ministry and his latest book, Walking With God, which releases in April.
How did Walking With God come about?
John Eldredge: Well, I found myself enjoying the incredible gift of learning to hear God’s voice. At the same time, I’d share these stories with my friends about how God was speaking to me, and they’d sort of look on with a sadness that made me realize a lot of really good people haven’t been taught how to walk with God in an intimate, daily, real way—in a way that lets us hear Him speaking to us.
So what I decided to do was open up my journals from an entire year, tell a bunch of stories of what it looks like (to walk with God on a daily basis), and in those stories teach folks how to hear God’s voice and follow Him.
Was it hard to write from such a personal perspective?
Yeah, in a way. It’s pretty vulnerable, opening your life up for other people to look in on. But I think the best way to learn is by listening to someone else’s story.
When Stasi and I were first married, we used to love to hang out with couples who had been married for 20 years or more. We learned so much from hearing their stories, the good and the bad. You probably learn as much from their mistakes as you do their successes.
That’s what I wanted to do with Walking With God, just invite people into what it looks like to walk intimately with God and to find the life He really offers. I figured it was worth the risk.
Does this book give a more detailed look at your views on the spiritual life?
Exactly. It’s probably the most practical book that I’ve written, yet in some ways, if books like Epic and Sacred Romance were sort of the big picture, then this is down in the details. This is in all the ins and outs of life.
It has stories about stuff like having an argument with your kids. What do you do? How do you walk with God in that? What do you do when you’re praying and you don’t hear anything from God? What do you do when you lose the family dog? It’s a book that is down in where we all live life.
How did you come to Christ?
It’s a wild story; I’d better tell the short version. I was not raised in a Christian home. When I became a teenager I tried just about everything that was available to American teenagers in the ’70s—the drug culture and New Age and Eastern mysticism. I was really hungry and searching spiritually.
When I was 19, I came to Christ pretty directly in the sense that I didn’t have anybody share Christ with me. I saw one of my buddies become a Christian, and I was real intrigued by that.
I was also reading a New Age book that had Jesus in it, but they were trying to equate Jesus with all these other religious teachers. You know, He’s just like Buddha, and so on. It was amazing because in that moment something in me said: “No, that’s not true. He’s different. Jesus is different.”
One night in my bedroom I just prayed something like, “Jesus, I really need help, and I think You are the one to help me.” That was my salvation prayer. And it took, because six months later I was a completely different person.
How did you meet your wife?
We actually met in high school. We were both in the same drama class. She was in charge of taking attendance, and I was always cutting class. So, I needed to charm her to get her on my side, and she actually did think I was charming.
We didn’t actually date in high school, though. Part of the sweet story of that is neither of us were Christians in high school. Then at 19, when I became a Christian, I led Stasi to Christ. It was after she accepted Christ that we kind of hit this romantic interest in each other and started dating then.
What was it like to write Captivating with her?
I was a little nervous about how that was going to go. There’s enough to navigate in any marriage without throwing a book in there. But it ended up being an incredible experience. To encourage one another, to share what we were learning and to teach Stasi what I’ve learned about writing was a joy. I hope we get to do it again.
Why do you place so much emphasis on stories?
Story is the language of the heart. If you want to talk to somebody, one of the first things you start telling one another are stories. Facts just don’t do it. “How was your weekend?” “It was fine.” It’s not enough. You want them to tell you a story.
Then you look at the scriptures and you see, well, that’s how God speaks. He gives us a whole book of stories and Jesus teaches in stories. The reason for that is not entertainment. It’s actually the way human beings understand things.
Seriously, isn’t that the most memorable part of the sermon? Wouldn’t you rather go see a movie than read the phone book? It’s all story.
The problem is modern Christianity reads like a tax form. That’s why people are so disconnected from it, because it’s just rules, tips, doctrine and principles, and we’ve lost the whole story of it.
You’ve said before that it’s important to know what stories we like because it tells us a lot about ourselves. What are your favorite stories?
For movies, I love A River Runs Through It. I also love the novel it was taken from. Obviously I love Braveheart—I talked about that a lot in Wild at Heart. I also love World War II movies like Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers.
For books, I like to read a whole variety of things. I love military history. I love reading some of the older Christian saints, back to Thomas à Kempis and St. John of the Cross. C.S. Lewis said reading classics is like “opening ourselves to the clean breezes of the centuries.” I also love Lewis and George McDonald.
Because I love the outdoors, I love outdoor narratives like Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer’s book about climbing Everest.
How have your books been received outside of the U.S.?
Phenomenal, unbelievable, it’s just exploding. It’s the coolest thing to see.
We just got a letter at our ministry from an 80-year-old nun who lives in Poland. Captivating had just come out in Polish, and she was writing to tell us that for the first time in her life she understands the love of God. That’s just incredible. That’s what we’re in this business for, isn’t it?
You know what’s really fun is that they’re using Wild at Heart in the Amazon. I mean, if you think there’s a group of men who kind of get that, who don’t really need it, they would be it. But what’s amazing is the universal nature of the human heart.
All over the world, all across time and history the human heart is the same. The things we long for, the things we fear, the things that wound us, it’s all the same. Which is beautiful because that’s the way God made us.
What does Ransomed Heart Ministries do?
We’re a message ministry. What we do is we hold conferences and retreats here in the U.S. and around the world. We put out a lot of teaching resources.
People who read my books might want more or might want to go deeper on some particular subject, like the masculine heart or prayer, so we have a lot of audio resources. We’re doing what we can to help people go deeper.
How often do you get to go camping?
Not enough. The thing we’re all fighting right now is the crazy pace of life and busyness, and you have to be deliberate about that.
I have three boys, and that’s what gives me the impetus and the encouragement to get out. Just to go out and do special things together. Luke and I went mountain climbing this summer, and Blaine and I went bow hunting for elk this fall.
What’s your favorite place to go?
Oh, the Tetons. We go there every summer as a family. It’s a deep tradition now in the Eldredge household. We go there, we camp for a week or two, we canoe the Snake River, swim in the lakes, do some hiking. It’s incredible
A Walk on the Wild Side with John Eldredge
The Wild at Heart author gets personal about his walk with God
To many Christian men today, John Eldredge is a modern-day Joshua: a godly man with a warrior’s heart who inspires them to action. Ever since his 2001 book Wild at Heart, Eldredge’s writing has resounded with the hearts of men around the world by making it OK for them to be a Christian and still be a “guy.”
In a time of increasing gender confusion, Eldredge’s books proclaim that masculinity is not only acceptable but essential. God places in the heart of young boys the desire to become heroes and live life as an adventure, he said, encouraging them to continue that dream as men.
Since its release, Wild at Heart has had a huge effect on the American church, selling 2.9 million copies and inspiring men’s groups forming to study the book in congregations across the country.
Eldredge’s subsequent books, including Epic and Waking the Dead, deal with similar topics and have sold very well, making him one of the top Christian authors of today. In 2005, he co-wrote the book Captivating with his wife, Stasi, as the female counterpart to Wild at Heart, looking at the deepest desires of women. It has sold 1.5 million copies.
The Eldredges both work with John’s ministry, Ransomed Heart, and live in Colorado with their three sons, Sam, 18, Blaine, 16, and Luke, 14.
Eldredge recently talked to Christian Book Reader about his ministry and his latest book, Walking With God, which releases in April.
How did Walking With God come about?
John Eldredge: Well, I found myself enjoying the incredible gift of learning to hear God’s voice. At the same time, I’d share these stories with my friends about how God was speaking to me, and they’d sort of look on with a sadness that made me realize a lot of really good people haven’t been taught how to walk with God in an intimate, daily, real way—in a way that lets us hear Him speaking to us.
So what I decided to do was open up my journals from an entire year, tell a bunch of stories of what it looks like (to walk with God on a daily basis), and in those stories teach folks how to hear God’s voice and follow Him.
Was it hard to write from such a personal perspective?
Yeah, in a way. It’s pretty vulnerable, opening your life up for other people to look in on. But I think the best way to learn is by listening to someone else’s story.
When Stasi and I were first married, we used to love to hang out with couples who had been married for 20 years or more. We learned so much from hearing their stories, the good and the bad. You probably learn as much from their mistakes as you do their successes.
That’s what I wanted to do with Walking With God, just invite people into what it looks like to walk intimately with God and to find the life He really offers. I figured it was worth the risk.
Does this book give a more detailed look at your views on the spiritual life?
Exactly. It’s probably the most practical book that I’ve written, yet in some ways, if books like Epic and Sacred Romance were sort of the big picture, then this is down in the details. This is in all the ins and outs of life.
It has stories about stuff like having an argument with your kids. What do you do? How do you walk with God in that? What do you do when you’re praying and you don’t hear anything from God? What do you do when you lose the family dog? It’s a book that is down in where we all live life.
How did you come to Christ?
It’s a wild story; I’d better tell the short version. I was not raised in a Christian home. When I became a teenager I tried just about everything that was available to American teenagers in the ’70s—the drug culture and New Age and Eastern mysticism. I was really hungry and searching spiritually.
When I was 19, I came to Christ pretty directly in the sense that I didn’t have anybody share Christ with me. I saw one of my buddies become a Christian, and I was real intrigued by that.
I was also reading a New Age book that had Jesus in it, but they were trying to equate Jesus with all these other religious teachers. You know, He’s just like Buddha, and so on. It was amazing because in that moment something in me said: “No, that’s not true. He’s different. Jesus is different.”
One night in my bedroom I just prayed something like, “Jesus, I really need help, and I think You are the one to help me.” That was my salvation prayer. And it took, because six months later I was a completely different person.
How did you meet your wife?
We actually met in high school. We were both in the same drama class. She was in charge of taking attendance, and I was always cutting class. So, I needed to charm her to get her on my side, and she actually did think I was charming.
We didn’t actually date in high school, though. Part of the sweet story of that is neither of us were Christians in high school. Then at 19, when I became a Christian, I led Stasi to Christ. It was after she accepted Christ that we kind of hit this romantic interest in each other and started dating then.
What was it like to write Captivating with her?
I was a little nervous about how that was going to go. There’s enough to navigate in any marriage without throwing a book in there. But it ended up being an incredible experience. To encourage one another, to share what we were learning and to teach Stasi what I’ve learned about writing was a joy. I hope we get to do it again.
Why do you place so much emphasis on stories?
Story is the language of the heart. If you want to talk to somebody, one of the first things you start telling one another are stories. Facts just don’t do it. “How was your weekend?” “It was fine.” It’s not enough. You want them to tell you a story.
Then you look at the scriptures and you see, well, that’s how God speaks. He gives us a whole book of stories and Jesus teaches in stories. The reason for that is not entertainment. It’s actually the way human beings understand things.
Seriously, isn’t that the most memorable part of the sermon? Wouldn’t you rather go see a movie than read the phone book? It’s all story.
The problem is modern Christianity reads like a tax form. That’s why people are so disconnected from it, because it’s just rules, tips, doctrine and principles, and we’ve lost the whole story of it.
You’ve said before that it’s important to know what stories we like because it tells us a lot about ourselves. What are your favorite stories?
For movies, I love A River Runs Through It. I also love the novel it was taken from. Obviously I love Braveheart—I talked about that a lot in Wild at Heart. I also love World War II movies like Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers.
For books, I like to read a whole variety of things. I love military history. I love reading some of the older Christian saints, back to Thomas à Kempis and St. John of the Cross. C.S. Lewis said reading classics is like “opening ourselves to the clean breezes of the centuries.” I also love Lewis and George McDonald.
Because I love the outdoors, I love outdoor narratives like Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer’s book about climbing Everest.
How have your books been received outside of the U.S.?
Phenomenal, unbelievable, it’s just exploding. It’s the coolest thing to see.
We just got a letter at our ministry from an 80-year-old nun who lives in Poland. Captivating had just come out in Polish, and she was writing to tell us that for the first time in her life she understands the love of God. That’s just incredible. That’s what we’re in this business for, isn’t it?
You know what’s really fun is that they’re using Wild at Heart in the Amazon. I mean, if you think there’s a group of men who kind of get that, who don’t really need it, they would be it. But what’s amazing is the universal nature of the human heart.
All over the world, all across time and history the human heart is the same. The things we long for, the things we fear, the things that wound us, it’s all the same. Which is beautiful because that’s the way God made us.
What does Ransomed Heart Ministries do?
We’re a message ministry. What we do is we hold conferences and retreats here in the U.S. and around the world. We put out a lot of teaching resources.
People who read my books might want more or might want to go deeper on some particular subject, like the masculine heart or prayer, so we have a lot of audio resources. We’re doing what we can to help people go deeper.
How often do you get to go camping?
Not enough. The thing we’re all fighting right now is the crazy pace of life and busyness, and you have to be deliberate about that.
I have three boys, and that’s what gives me the impetus and the encouragement to get out. Just to go out and do special things together. Luke and I went mountain climbing this summer, and Blaine and I went bow hunting for elk this fall.
What’s your favorite place to go?
Oh, the Tetons. We go there every summer as a family. It’s a deep tradition now in the Eldredge household. We go there, we camp for a week or two, we canoe the Snake River, swim in the lakes, do some hiking. It’s incredible
"Confessions of a Former Member of Bedside Baptist," from Excel Magazine
From Excel Magazine, Spring 2008...
"Confessions of a Former Member of Bedside Baptist"
During my first semester of college I found the most comfortable place to attend on Sunday mornings. It was a warm, cozy spot where nobody gave you a nasty look if you showed up late or took off early for lunch. Unfortunately, after several months I discovered that my bed wasn’t doing much for my spiritual life.
It’s not that I didn’t want to go to church, it’s just that I liked staying up with my buddies on Saturday nights. And I liked to sleep. And let’s be honest, if you miss a week here or there, it’s not that big of a deal.
Actually, I was even good my first few weeks and tried out some churches. But I didn’t really like them. They weren’t as good as my home church, and I didn’t have anyone to go with. When facing the buzzing alarm at 8:30 on a Sunday morning, the choice between listening to a sub-par sermon in a lonely pew or a few more hours with my head on a pillow felt like choosing between a health shake and a milk shake. I rarely turn down milk shakes.
After a while, however, I looked at my life and realized that my lack of a church home was really affecting me—and not in a good way. No matter how many “Christian” activities you do, nothing realigns your heart to and lifts your eyes from the dullness of life like a worship service with a body of believers.
Eventually, after a long and somewhat painful process, I found a congregation that, by the end of college, felt more like home than my church from high school. So, to spare you the same long and painful process, here are five tips to finding the right church at college.
Wake Up!
It may seem obvious, but just waking up on Sunday mornings overcomes the main hurdle to finding a good church home in college. Mom’s not banging on your door, and God doesn’t have attendance sheets or tests like your professors do to motivate you. Plus, you’ll never have more opportunities for things to do on a Saturday night for the rest of your life.
Finding a church is a numbers game in many ways—you’ve got to keep going until you get a hit. If you’re only going to church every few weeks, you’re not giving yourself many chances.
Different people have different methods for waking up. Some will actually go to bed at a decent hour on Saturdays. I could never get that to work, so I discovered the joy of Sunday afternoon naps. Whatever your method, getting out of bed is half the battle.
No Excuses
The two most common justifications for Christians not going to church in college are: (1) “there are no good churches around here” and (2) “I don’t need church for my Christian faith.”
Typically the only people that say “there are no good churches around here” are the people who have only visited two or three. This is a fantastic excuse because it gets you out of church while making you seem spiritually superior.
The truth is that there are almost always a few decent churches around, and even if there aren’t, you’ll still get more out of a less-than-stellar service than not going at all.
The second excuse —that Christians don’t need church—is trendy right now. There’s even a small bit of truth in it, because your faith isn’t measured by your church attendance, and you can surround yourself with a great community of believers outside of a church—friends, Christian college groups, Bible studies. It’s easy to think this way, because when I was in college my friends had a bigger impact on helping me grow spiritually than my church.
But here’s the thing: the only people I’ve ever known who say they don’t have to go to church are the people who really need to.
Shop Around
College is the time when we shake off our parents’ Christianity and make our faith our own. It’s a time to explore what you truly believe and why you believe it.
Learning about different churches is part of this. At first you’ll hate it, especially if you loved your church back home. Everything is different and you don’t know anybody.
But for me, after a while I found that I loved trying out different forms of worship. I grew up in an Episcopal church with readings, liturgy and communion every week. So to sit through a breezy Baptist service where you’re in and out in an hour and 15 minutes was liberating. I went to a charismatic Vineyard church, a hardcore Calvinist Presbyterian church, and—for one week—a Church of God in Christ with an almost entirely black congregation. Good times.
The more variety you experience, the more you’ll realize what you like.
Bring Your Friends
This is so crucial, because if you don’t you’re just going to feel alone at every church you visit. You need to have a familiar face with you when you step in the door.
Some people get together and try out a bunch of churches together. This is great for keeping each other accountable, but it’s usually hard to keep the same schedule.
I just visited all the different churches my friends would go to. If someone was attending a church I hadn’t been to yet, I’d tag along. It makes all the difference in the world if you have someone to sit next to.
Stay in Town
Many freshmen make the mistake of going home every weekend and it ruins their whole year. Going home on the weekends not only gives you no chance to find a new church home, but it also makes you miss out on the primary time to build relationships.
You can always tell who went home a lot by sophomore year, because they’re the ones without any good friends.
During my first semester, I didn’t go home for 3 months even though I only lived two hours away. My mom almost killed me, but during those weekends I met my best friends—the guys who are going to be the groomsmen in my wedding.
"Confessions of a Former Member of Bedside Baptist"
During my first semester of college I found the most comfortable place to attend on Sunday mornings. It was a warm, cozy spot where nobody gave you a nasty look if you showed up late or took off early for lunch. Unfortunately, after several months I discovered that my bed wasn’t doing much for my spiritual life.
It’s not that I didn’t want to go to church, it’s just that I liked staying up with my buddies on Saturday nights. And I liked to sleep. And let’s be honest, if you miss a week here or there, it’s not that big of a deal.
Actually, I was even good my first few weeks and tried out some churches. But I didn’t really like them. They weren’t as good as my home church, and I didn’t have anyone to go with. When facing the buzzing alarm at 8:30 on a Sunday morning, the choice between listening to a sub-par sermon in a lonely pew or a few more hours with my head on a pillow felt like choosing between a health shake and a milk shake. I rarely turn down milk shakes.
After a while, however, I looked at my life and realized that my lack of a church home was really affecting me—and not in a good way. No matter how many “Christian” activities you do, nothing realigns your heart to and lifts your eyes from the dullness of life like a worship service with a body of believers.
Eventually, after a long and somewhat painful process, I found a congregation that, by the end of college, felt more like home than my church from high school. So, to spare you the same long and painful process, here are five tips to finding the right church at college.
Wake Up!
It may seem obvious, but just waking up on Sunday mornings overcomes the main hurdle to finding a good church home in college. Mom’s not banging on your door, and God doesn’t have attendance sheets or tests like your professors do to motivate you. Plus, you’ll never have more opportunities for things to do on a Saturday night for the rest of your life.
Finding a church is a numbers game in many ways—you’ve got to keep going until you get a hit. If you’re only going to church every few weeks, you’re not giving yourself many chances.
Different people have different methods for waking up. Some will actually go to bed at a decent hour on Saturdays. I could never get that to work, so I discovered the joy of Sunday afternoon naps. Whatever your method, getting out of bed is half the battle.
No Excuses
The two most common justifications for Christians not going to church in college are: (1) “there are no good churches around here” and (2) “I don’t need church for my Christian faith.”
Typically the only people that say “there are no good churches around here” are the people who have only visited two or three. This is a fantastic excuse because it gets you out of church while making you seem spiritually superior.
The truth is that there are almost always a few decent churches around, and even if there aren’t, you’ll still get more out of a less-than-stellar service than not going at all.
The second excuse —that Christians don’t need church—is trendy right now. There’s even a small bit of truth in it, because your faith isn’t measured by your church attendance, and you can surround yourself with a great community of believers outside of a church—friends, Christian college groups, Bible studies. It’s easy to think this way, because when I was in college my friends had a bigger impact on helping me grow spiritually than my church.
But here’s the thing: the only people I’ve ever known who say they don’t have to go to church are the people who really need to.
Shop Around
College is the time when we shake off our parents’ Christianity and make our faith our own. It’s a time to explore what you truly believe and why you believe it.
Learning about different churches is part of this. At first you’ll hate it, especially if you loved your church back home. Everything is different and you don’t know anybody.
But for me, after a while I found that I loved trying out different forms of worship. I grew up in an Episcopal church with readings, liturgy and communion every week. So to sit through a breezy Baptist service where you’re in and out in an hour and 15 minutes was liberating. I went to a charismatic Vineyard church, a hardcore Calvinist Presbyterian church, and—for one week—a Church of God in Christ with an almost entirely black congregation. Good times.
The more variety you experience, the more you’ll realize what you like.
Bring Your Friends
This is so crucial, because if you don’t you’re just going to feel alone at every church you visit. You need to have a familiar face with you when you step in the door.
Some people get together and try out a bunch of churches together. This is great for keeping each other accountable, but it’s usually hard to keep the same schedule.
I just visited all the different churches my friends would go to. If someone was attending a church I hadn’t been to yet, I’d tag along. It makes all the difference in the world if you have someone to sit next to.
Stay in Town
Many freshmen make the mistake of going home every weekend and it ruins their whole year. Going home on the weekends not only gives you no chance to find a new church home, but it also makes you miss out on the primary time to build relationships.
You can always tell who went home a lot by sophomore year, because they’re the ones without any good friends.
During my first semester, I didn’t go home for 3 months even though I only lived two hours away. My mom almost killed me, but during those weekends I met my best friends—the guys who are going to be the groomsmen in my wedding.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
"Lights, Camera, Fiction!" from Christian Book Reader
From Christian Book Reader magazine, Jan/Feb 2008...
Lights, Camera, Fiction!
Christian storytellers fill the big screen
Right now in Hollywood, the world of Narnia is more appealing than a tin of Turkish delight.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was the second highest grossing movie of the year in 2005. The sequel, Prince Caspian, is one of the most hotly anticipated movies of 2008, and now a film version of one of C.S. Lewis’ other books, The Screwtape Letters, is underway.
Films based on Lewis’ beloved fantasy series are leading the way into the world of movies for books from the Christian market, and many others are following.
In addition to Lewis’ books, top Christian authors such Ted Dekker, Frank Peretti and Karen Kingsbury all have multiple projects in development, classics such as Milton’s Paradise Lost are being produced, and many more authors are finding a place for their novels in the DVD market.
Revealing a Market
This surge of interest in Christian literature has a number of factors. Probably the most important is the bigger trend in the entertainment industry to cater to the Christian market, which was kick-started by the success of The Passion of The Christ. The smash hit movie that grossed more than $1 billion worldwide revealed an underappreciated market and opened all kinds of doors.
“I think that Hollywood and New York have recognized that we didn’t create a market, we revealed a market,” said Jerry Jenkins, best-selling author of the apocalyptic “Left Behind” series, who has had several of his books turned into films.
Karen Kingsbury, a best-selling women’s author, has two movies releasing next year, Like Dandelion Dust and Gideon’s Gift. She agrees with Jenkins.
“There’s a lot of us out there saying that we don’t want a more and more twisted view of entertainment,” Kingsbury said. “We’re out there, middle America, we’re raising families, we’re going to church on Sundays, we’re trying to live a life that’s honoring to God, and we’re trying to have fun while we’re doing it. We need something to watch, and we have money.”
Another element is the continuing success of Christian fiction in the general marketplace. While sales of many book genres have been down in recent years, Christian novels continue to do well and, with their increased visibility, continue to get into more hands.
“As a practical fact, Christian books are becoming more and more widely available,” said Chip Flaherty, executive vice president of Walden Media, which makes the Narnia movies. “That availability and that exposure has people interested.”
Many would argue that not only has the availability improved, so has the quality.
“I think Christian publishers and writers are writing more mainstream. They’ve really stepped away from the ‘having to preach’ mentality,” said Christian author Robert Liparulo. “There are better writers, and there are more of them writing for Christian publishing houses now than there were just 10 years ago.”
Liparulo is a fairly new author on the scene who has had a decent amount of success in the Christian thrillers market with books like Comes a Horseman and Germ. He has several books in the early stages of development to become major motion pictures.
A Critical Time
Of course, for this trend to continue, movies made from Christian books not only have to make it into theaters, but they also have to sell tickets.
While some films have hit it big with audiences—such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Amazing Grace—others have not fared as well on the big screen.
Producer and industry insider Phil Cooke believes the discrepancy lies in the fact that the Christian audience is too big for one particular brand of movie.
“The reason The Passion of The Christ was so successful is because it was the central core story of our faith that everybody can pretty much agree on,” said Cooke, the president of Cooke Pictures. “But, once you veer off that central, core story and you start doing a suspense thriller or a family drama or a comedy, then all bets are off. You’re not going to get that huge, giant audience.”
Figuring out how to reach this powerful but elusive audience is crucial to Christian filmmakers now that they have their foot in the door. Jenkins said that right now Christians have an open window, but that it’s a “dangerous spot” to be in.
“If people start doing schlacky stuff and it fails, all of a sudden Hollywood’s on to something else, and we’ve missed it,” he said.
Ralph Winter, a Christian and the producer of the “X-Men” and “Fantastic Four” films, has also helmed a number of Christian movies, such as Thr3e and Frank Peretti’s The Visitation, and will be working on The Screwtape Letters next. He agrees that this is a critical time.
“The stakes are very high as we tackle books that have a high profile in Christian circles, like the Screwtape book,” he said. “We think we have one shot to get it right, and there will be lots of critics waiting for us.”
Ted Baehr, publisher of Movieguide, is worried that the move toward adapting Christian books will actually hurt Christian films because, in his words, “books make lousy movies.”
“The fact is that all novels are difficult to make into movies, whether it’s secular, Christian or whatever else,” he said.
He’s worried that if these movies don’t turn out well, the studios will blame the Christianity of the movies, rather than the difficulty of turning a book into a film.
However, others disagree with Baehr’s opinion that adapting films from Christian books will create bad movies.
Winter said that adapted movies have a built-in audience from the book that will be interested in the movie as soon as they hear about it. Liparulo, who has worked on both novels and screenplays, agreed that it’s difficult to do a good adaptation—particularly if the book is complex—but said that just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
Most experts believe the key is simple, and that is to make sure they’re producing quality products.
Books and DVDS
For the original books themselves—the stories these movies are coming from—the impact of movies can be huge.
Alicia Mey, vice president of marketing for Zonderkidz, said that sales of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe took off as soon as the movie’s trailer released. Many people wanted to read the book before they saw the film. Once the movie hit theaters, sales of the book were usually 10 times higher than normal—sometimes 20.
“One of the things we’ve found is that there’s a huge correlation between the two,” Mey said. “People who read a book will go see the movie, and people who see a movie will read the book.”
That’s the kind of inclusive audience filmmakers look for when they consider movies that release straight to DVD or television, increasingly the route for Christian films.
“For a lower budget project—a niche kind of thing—sometimes going straight to DVD is the most effective way to do it,” Cooke said. “You’re able to target your audience a little bit more effectively.”
Christian fiction writer Beverly Lewis’ novel The Redemption of Sarah Cain was originally planned as a theatrical release, but ended up going to television and then DVD. A number of Janette Oke’s novels, such as Love’s Unending Legacy, have been smash hits on the Hallmark Channel.
Jerry Jenkins now has his own studio, Jenkins Entertainment, which produces movies for DVD release. His son, Dallas, directs and produces the films, such as Midnight Clear starring Stephen Baldwin.
Even the movies that haven’t done very well at the box office, such as Ted Dekker’s Thr3e and The Nativity Story, have had strong DVD sales.
Lights, Camera, Fiction!
Christian storytellers fill the big screen
Right now in Hollywood, the world of Narnia is more appealing than a tin of Turkish delight.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was the second highest grossing movie of the year in 2005. The sequel, Prince Caspian, is one of the most hotly anticipated movies of 2008, and now a film version of one of C.S. Lewis’ other books, The Screwtape Letters, is underway.
Films based on Lewis’ beloved fantasy series are leading the way into the world of movies for books from the Christian market, and many others are following.
In addition to Lewis’ books, top Christian authors such Ted Dekker, Frank Peretti and Karen Kingsbury all have multiple projects in development, classics such as Milton’s Paradise Lost are being produced, and many more authors are finding a place for their novels in the DVD market.
Revealing a Market
This surge of interest in Christian literature has a number of factors. Probably the most important is the bigger trend in the entertainment industry to cater to the Christian market, which was kick-started by the success of The Passion of The Christ. The smash hit movie that grossed more than $1 billion worldwide revealed an underappreciated market and opened all kinds of doors.
“I think that Hollywood and New York have recognized that we didn’t create a market, we revealed a market,” said Jerry Jenkins, best-selling author of the apocalyptic “Left Behind” series, who has had several of his books turned into films.
Karen Kingsbury, a best-selling women’s author, has two movies releasing next year, Like Dandelion Dust and Gideon’s Gift. She agrees with Jenkins.
“There’s a lot of us out there saying that we don’t want a more and more twisted view of entertainment,” Kingsbury said. “We’re out there, middle America, we’re raising families, we’re going to church on Sundays, we’re trying to live a life that’s honoring to God, and we’re trying to have fun while we’re doing it. We need something to watch, and we have money.”
Another element is the continuing success of Christian fiction in the general marketplace. While sales of many book genres have been down in recent years, Christian novels continue to do well and, with their increased visibility, continue to get into more hands.
“As a practical fact, Christian books are becoming more and more widely available,” said Chip Flaherty, executive vice president of Walden Media, which makes the Narnia movies. “That availability and that exposure has people interested.”
Many would argue that not only has the availability improved, so has the quality.
“I think Christian publishers and writers are writing more mainstream. They’ve really stepped away from the ‘having to preach’ mentality,” said Christian author Robert Liparulo. “There are better writers, and there are more of them writing for Christian publishing houses now than there were just 10 years ago.”
Liparulo is a fairly new author on the scene who has had a decent amount of success in the Christian thrillers market with books like Comes a Horseman and Germ. He has several books in the early stages of development to become major motion pictures.
A Critical Time
Of course, for this trend to continue, movies made from Christian books not only have to make it into theaters, but they also have to sell tickets.
While some films have hit it big with audiences—such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Amazing Grace—others have not fared as well on the big screen.
Producer and industry insider Phil Cooke believes the discrepancy lies in the fact that the Christian audience is too big for one particular brand of movie.
“The reason The Passion of The Christ was so successful is because it was the central core story of our faith that everybody can pretty much agree on,” said Cooke, the president of Cooke Pictures. “But, once you veer off that central, core story and you start doing a suspense thriller or a family drama or a comedy, then all bets are off. You’re not going to get that huge, giant audience.”
Figuring out how to reach this powerful but elusive audience is crucial to Christian filmmakers now that they have their foot in the door. Jenkins said that right now Christians have an open window, but that it’s a “dangerous spot” to be in.
“If people start doing schlacky stuff and it fails, all of a sudden Hollywood’s on to something else, and we’ve missed it,” he said.
Ralph Winter, a Christian and the producer of the “X-Men” and “Fantastic Four” films, has also helmed a number of Christian movies, such as Thr3e and Frank Peretti’s The Visitation, and will be working on The Screwtape Letters next. He agrees that this is a critical time.
“The stakes are very high as we tackle books that have a high profile in Christian circles, like the Screwtape book,” he said. “We think we have one shot to get it right, and there will be lots of critics waiting for us.”
Ted Baehr, publisher of Movieguide, is worried that the move toward adapting Christian books will actually hurt Christian films because, in his words, “books make lousy movies.”
“The fact is that all novels are difficult to make into movies, whether it’s secular, Christian or whatever else,” he said.
He’s worried that if these movies don’t turn out well, the studios will blame the Christianity of the movies, rather than the difficulty of turning a book into a film.
However, others disagree with Baehr’s opinion that adapting films from Christian books will create bad movies.
Winter said that adapted movies have a built-in audience from the book that will be interested in the movie as soon as they hear about it. Liparulo, who has worked on both novels and screenplays, agreed that it’s difficult to do a good adaptation—particularly if the book is complex—but said that just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
Most experts believe the key is simple, and that is to make sure they’re producing quality products.
Books and DVDS
For the original books themselves—the stories these movies are coming from—the impact of movies can be huge.
Alicia Mey, vice president of marketing for Zonderkidz, said that sales of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe took off as soon as the movie’s trailer released. Many people wanted to read the book before they saw the film. Once the movie hit theaters, sales of the book were usually 10 times higher than normal—sometimes 20.
“One of the things we’ve found is that there’s a huge correlation between the two,” Mey said. “People who read a book will go see the movie, and people who see a movie will read the book.”
That’s the kind of inclusive audience filmmakers look for when they consider movies that release straight to DVD or television, increasingly the route for Christian films.
“For a lower budget project—a niche kind of thing—sometimes going straight to DVD is the most effective way to do it,” Cooke said. “You’re able to target your audience a little bit more effectively.”
Christian fiction writer Beverly Lewis’ novel The Redemption of Sarah Cain was originally planned as a theatrical release, but ended up going to television and then DVD. A number of Janette Oke’s novels, such as Love’s Unending Legacy, have been smash hits on the Hallmark Channel.
Jerry Jenkins now has his own studio, Jenkins Entertainment, which produces movies for DVD release. His son, Dallas, directs and produces the films, such as Midnight Clear starring Stephen Baldwin.
Even the movies that haven’t done very well at the box office, such as Ted Dekker’s Thr3e and The Nativity Story, have had strong DVD sales.
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