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Friday, June 09, 2006

Hate Crime Against Christianity: MPAA Rates Film ''PG'' Based Solely On Its ''Christian'' Theme & Content


ENTERTAINMENT / HATE CRIME AGAINST CHRISTIANITY: MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA RATES FILM ''PG'' BASED SOLELY ON ITS "CHRISTIAN" THEME & CONTENT






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"The MPAA gives a warning to parents about content that may be found offensive," Sharp told CitizenLink. "Usually, a PG rating would include violence or sexual content or profanity. There is none of that during this movie, so the MPAA has basically said, 'We're going to warn parents that it has a Christian theme -- and it may be offensive.' "







Why should parents be forewarned about a Christian film with no sex, violence or raw language?


The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has placed a PG rating on forthcoming film because it has a Christian message.

Randy Sharp, director of special projects at the American Family Association, said the rating that reviewers gave Facing the Giants was for "thematic elements."

Not only was the rating unwarranted, Sharp said the reasoning behind the rating was just as offensive.

"The MPAA gives a warning to parents about content that may be found offensive," Sharp told CitizenLink. "Usually, a PG rating would include violence or sexual content or profanity. There is none of that during this movie, so the MPAA has basically said, 'We're going to warn parents that it has a Christian theme -- and it may be offensive.' "

"The MPAA gives a warning to parents about content that may be found offensive," Sharp told CitizenLink. "Usually, a PG rating would include violence or sexual content or profanity. There is none of that during this movie, so the MPAA has basically said, 'We're going to warn parents that it has a Christian theme -- and it may be offensive.' "

Sharp said the MPAA has equated Christianity and the Christian message with sex, violence and profanity.

Bob Waliszewski, Focus on the Family's top media reviewer, said the sticking point for the MPAA does appear to have been the film's mention of the Gospel.

"There really isn't anything in this movie that would warrant a PG rating the way we're used to seeing it," he said. "There's nothing. Apparently, it's just because of the conversations about Christ that the coach has."

On a practical level, Waliszewski said he is "kind of glad" the PG rating was placed on this movie -- it is one that deserves to be seen and might not get the audience it deserves with a G rating.

"That's because a G rating, for a lot of teenagers, is the kiss of death --- 'Oh, I can't go see that!' " he said. "Having a PG rating, although unfair, may actually be a blessing in disguise."

Facing the Giants is described as "an action-packed drama about a Christian high school football coach who uses his undying faith to battle the giants of fear and failure."

The dialogue can be inspiring: "For the rest of your life, you will remember today. I want you to remember that you held nothing back. You did not lose heart. You did not stop fighting. You did not quit."

Waliszewski said the movie essentially is about overcoming the feeling of failure.

"The high school football coach of a Christian school feels like a failure," the youth culture expert said. "He and his wife aren't able to have children, so he feels like a failure. His team isn't a winning team, and some of the best players are transferring to other schools -- he just feels like a failure all the way around. But there's a certain point in the movie where he starts thinking rightly about what success really means and what it takes to be successful."

He said it's cinema well worth seeing when it debuts nationwide this fall.

"This is an incredible movie that I highly recommend," Waliszewski said. "I don't do that very often."

Facing the Giants is also an unusual film, he added. For one thing, the movie was not a Hollywood creation -- but was produced by a Baptist church near Atlanta.

"They filmed it for $100,000 -- that's typically the catering bill for most Hollywood films," Waliszewski said. "People volunteered their time or worked for less. But the interesting thing is -- this is not a cheesy movie. This is a movie that, after they see it, people are going to say -- 'It’s good.' "




To learn more about the film, visit its Web site.

Copyright © 2006 Focus on the Family
All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
(800) A-FAMILY (232-6459)





R7 Independent

Evangelistic Movie Earns PG Rating


Facing the Giants is a faith-filled football film, which "resembles a fusion of the Book of Job and a homemade Hoosiers," reports Terry Mattingly. The film is scheduled to open in 380 theaters in September. Alex and Stephen Kendrick, brothers and associate pastors of media at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, wrote and produced the film, and naturally, they gave it an overt Christian message.

Mattingly writes, "The movie includes waves of answered prayers, a medical miracle, a mysterious silver-haired mystic who delivers a message from God, and a bench-warmer who kicks a 51-yard field goal to win the big game when his handicapped father pulls himself out of a wheelchair and stands under the goal post to inspire his son's faith." It also includes a scene in which the football team's coach tells a player to follow Jesus.

That scene, according to the Motion Picture Association of America, seems to be on par with brief nudity -- either of which is enough to turn a G film into a PG one. Facing the Giants, which has no nudity, is too evangelistic for parents to think it is safe for children to watch without parental guidance, says the MPAA. Kris Fuhr, vice president for marketing at Provident Films, said the MPAA told her that "the movie was heavily laden with messages from one religion and that this might offend people from other religions. It's important that they used the word 'proselytizing' when they talked about giving this movie a PG. … It is kind of interesting that faith has joined that list of deadly sins that the MPAA board wants to warn parents to worry about."

Compiled by Rob Moll | posted 06/08/2006 04:15 p.m.


Movie trailer:

http://www.sherwoodpictures.com/templates/cusftg/default.asp?id=32007

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/123/42.0.html


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