Sermo-mercials… in the Land of Narnia, Anything is Possible
Walt Disney Pictures in marketing to churches with the hopes of turning out sustained comers for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, that it's offering a free trip to London - and $1,000 cash - to the winner of its big promotional sermon contest. I’m not joking—.
The only catch is that the sermons must mention Narnia, based on the hugely popular children's books about four British children who walk through an uncle's magic armoire into an enchanted kingdom. (Don't emphasize God’s Word, but you must mention Narnia. Maybe someone from the "Boars Head Tavern" will enter?).
"Sermo-mercials" is what the promoters hired by Disney and its production partner, Walden Media, are using to peddle LWW . (I saw the movie; I liked it; but please…) Disney knows they have an blockbuster on their hands that works both as religious fairy-tale/analogy and secular fantasy. Can Narnia appeal to both groups? Disney hopes that the box-office receipts will be the winning combination of The Lord of the Rings with The Passion of the Christ.
“Tacky or not” as one journalist noted, “this is Disney's goal to create that kind of buzz among Christians - especially evangelicals - that made Mel Gibson's Passion such a box-office smash in 2004, with more than $600 million in worldwide ticket sales.” "Invite your community to explore the inspirational truths found in Narnia" reads a promotional magazine sent recently to tens of thousands of Christian congregations.
It gets worse: Disney is also encouraging churches “to paint lion faces on their preschoolers; show preview trailers to their congregations; discuss Narnia in Sunday school, and develop Narnia-themed Christmas pageants.”
If Lewis were alive today, even he would acknowledge that this is not "Mere Christianity."
Walt Disney Pictures in marketing to churches with the hopes of turning out sustained comers for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, that it's offering a free trip to London - and $1,000 cash - to the winner of its big promotional sermon contest. I’m not joking—.
The only catch is that the sermons must mention Narnia, based on the hugely popular children's books about four British children who walk through an uncle's magic armoire into an enchanted kingdom. (Don't emphasize God’s Word, but you must mention Narnia. Maybe someone from the "Boars Head Tavern" will enter?).
"Sermo-mercials" is what the promoters hired by Disney and its production partner, Walden Media, are using to peddle LWW . (I saw the movie; I liked it; but please…) Disney knows they have an blockbuster on their hands that works both as religious fairy-tale/analogy and secular fantasy. Can Narnia appeal to both groups? Disney hopes that the box-office receipts will be the winning combination of The Lord of the Rings with The Passion of the Christ.
“Tacky or not” as one journalist noted, “this is Disney's goal to create that kind of buzz among Christians - especially evangelicals - that made Mel Gibson's Passion such a box-office smash in 2004, with more than $600 million in worldwide ticket sales.” "Invite your community to explore the inspirational truths found in Narnia" reads a promotional magazine sent recently to tens of thousands of Christian congregations.
It gets worse: Disney is also encouraging churches “to paint lion faces on their preschoolers; show preview trailers to their congregations; discuss Narnia in Sunday school, and develop Narnia-themed Christmas pageants.”
If Lewis were alive today, even he would acknowledge that this is not "Mere Christianity."
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