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So far, studio execs have paid Bock to promote about 35 movies. Bock would not comment on how much he is paid for his services. He buys ads on Christian radio and invites Christian reviewers to press junkets. He also commissions Bible studies, some produced by Fuller Theological Seminary, that go to thousands of churches before opening weekend. The studies, usually underwritten by the studios, encourage pastors to become part of the PR effort by hanging promo posters and arranging outings to attend films such as A Walk to Remember or Radio.

Bock says churches appreciate the Bible studies, but some observers say the church is becoming a marketing outpost for Hollywood. David Gushee, a pastor and philosophy professor at Union University in Tennessee, says the church shouldn't be promoting anything—movies, politics, or business. "The church does not exist to buy or promote products," Gushee says. "The church exists to fulfill the Great Commission and be a part of advancing the kingdom of God. Anything that distracts us from the heart of that message poses a danger to our focus and the clarity of our message."

Bock defends the Bible studies: "We have a biblically based response to culture immediately. And if the studios want to pay for that, so much the better."

Craig Detweiler, a Biola University professor and cofounder of Fuller's Reel Spirituality think tank, says the Bible studies help Christians who have lost their biblical frame of reference. "Our understanding of the essential tenets of the faith, the basics of biblical teaching, are so far gone that in order to start the conversation, you've got to start with pop culture," Detweiler says. "That's the starting line for people inside and outside the church."

Whatever his critics say, it's clear that Bock is working in a new church environment. In the mid-1980s, with the advent of the VCR, films became more accessible, and some evangelical churches began using them cautiously in ministry and usually drawing the line at R-rated movies. A generation later, 70 percent of those who read Focus on the Family's Plugged In say they watch R-rated movies, according to a poll by the magazine. Movie nights are common in churches. Some pastors base sermon series on films such as Bruce Almighty. Promotional trailers for Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ are being shown in some worship services, with pastors encouraging the congregation to see the movie, which is brutally violent in its depiction of Christ's last hours.

Today there are approximately 50 Christian film reviewers who have growing audiences. Christianity Today International is also getting into the act with the launch of a new movie review website.

Rob Johnston, author of Reel Spirituality and codirector of the Reel Spirituality think tank, says Christians now recognize that film is the culture's dominant storytelling medium. "It is where people are finding their root metaphors, myths, and orientations toward life."

But Christians have sharply divergent views on how they should engage pop culture—which often comes packaged with illicit sex, foul language, and all manner of moral depravity.

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March 2004, Vol. 48, No. 3