In 1987 he had a vision
Some of Ted Baehr's writings I enjoy; others I find overly zealous and unhelpful to an understanding of the facts. But I do admire him for filling the role he fills in the entertainment industry.ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA
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Thursday, March 9, 2006
IN 1987 HE HAD A VISION
By David Outten
Special to ASSIST News Service
ATLANTA, GA (ANS) -- I would like to tell you a story about my friend Ted Baehr, not because I want to bring glory to Ted, but because I'd like you to see what God can do when someone diligently pursues a calling.
When I met Ted Baehr back in 1987 he had a vision for impacting the motion picture industry by encouraging Christians to support good movies and avoid bad ones. He presented movie reviews on a local radio station here in Atlanta. His reviews ran in a small Christian newspaper and he had recently begun to produce a newsletter called MOVIEGUIDE®. He would type up reviews on a typewriter, take all his pages to a copy shop, reduce them, copy them on two sides and mail them to a small list of subscribers.
As editor of the little Christian newspaper, I had a Macintosh computer and a laser printer and began typesetting MOVIEGUIDE®. I did so for 12 years. Over the years the size of the publication grew, the radio program was picked up by more and more stations and Ted began giving annual awards for the best Family and Mature Audience movies. He eventually moved to California where he started the Christian Film and Television Commission (based on the concept of the Protestant Film Office that was once a powerful force for good in Hollywood).
Today, Ted meets with some of the most prominent people in Hollywood, and he is regularly interviewed on shows like Oprah and Hannity & Colmes. Each year he publishes his annual Report To The Entertainment Industry, in which he provides detailed, statistical proof that movies with moral, Christian and biblical content do better at the box office than the many awful immoral movies Hollywood typically pours out every year.
And that's not the end of the story. Greater opportunities keep coming. Ted was recently given an invitation to produce a weekly, half-hour, nationally televised program reviewing movies and encouraging biblical morality in entertainment.
Again, this is not to simply glorify Ted. My point is that if YOU will radically pursue the vision God has for you by being faithful and persistent then God can receive greater and greater glory through you. God is the one who slays the Goliaths, but He uses people with vision and perseverance in the process.
>From the beginning of time to this very day, pursuing His vision requires faith and hard work. The enemy is constantly out to discourage and destroy. The more you grow, the more support you need – both in prayer and finances. Fortunately, Ted does not do his work alone. As ministries grow, God brings coworkers who share the vision and He uses people like you and churches like Landmark to make growth possible.
Since the 1960s Hollywood has been like a tool of the devil which pours out moral filth that encourages you and your children to abandon belief in God and live for fleshly desires. Like a dark cloud enveloping the earth, the Hollywood lifestyle has spread from California to the smallest towns in rural America and far beyond our shores. When you support MOVIEGUIDE® and Christian Film & Television Commission™ you attack this darkness. You are lighting a beacon right in the heart of darkness, and the light of God's truth is having an impact.
Studio executives are getting the message. More good movies are being made. Contact us, and we can show you the proof.
The growth from the old MOVIEGUIDE® to the new MOVIEGUIDE® is not just Ted's doing – it’s yours, it’s mine and most of all, it’s God's. I would personally like to thank you for having the vision and commitment to faithfully support Dr. Ted Baehr, MOVIEGUIDE® and the Christian Film & Television Commission™.
I look for the day when Hollywood movies are more likely to lead people to salvation than to perdition. I look for the day when you can be glad your teenager has chosen to go to the movies. I look for the day when American movies sent overseas lead millions to Jesus Christ instead of away from Him. Thank you for sharing the vision and being a vital part of bringing it to pass.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Please feel free to duplicate this article and make it available to parents and others, or even to run it in your publication, with the appropriate credits. For more information from a Christian perspective about redeeming the values of the mass media, order the latest MOVIEGUIDE® magazine by calling 1-800-899-6684(MOVIE) or visit its website at www.movieguide.org. MOVIEGUIDE® is dedicated to redeeming the values of Hollywood by informing parents about today’s movies and entertainment and by showing media executives and artists that family-friendly and even Christian-friendly movies do best at the box office year in and year out. MOVIEGUIDE® now offers an online subscription to its magazine version, at www.movieguide.org. The magazine, which comes out 25 times a year, contains many informative articles and reviews that help parents train their children to be media-wise consumers. MOVIEGUIDE® also regularly broadcasts several international TV and radio programs hosted by Dr. Ted Baehr. If you want to train your family to be media-wise, call 1-800-899-6684 in North America to order the book, video or audio version of THE MEDIA-WISE FAMILY, SO YOU WANT TO BE IN PICTURES, FRODO & HARRY, and/or NARNIA BECKONS – some of Dr. Ted Baehr’s recent books.
| David Outten is an art director, artist and computer programmer in Atlanta, Georgia. This talk was prepared for the Landmark Church Missions Fair in Norcross, Georgia. Landmark Church has faithfully supported MOVIEGUIDE® for years. |  |
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