Christ on Screen: The Benefits and Drawbacks of Christian-Based Visual Media in Evangelism and Entertainment

Abstract

Christian-based media has tended to be a one-or-the-other kind of situation or scenario. Either a production will be doctrinally sound but have distractingly poor production values, or it will have a large budget but suffer from sacrificing sound Biblical interpretation for showy displays. This thesis seeks to analyze four WELS productions (here referred to as the Outreach Series), particularly in comparison to a contemporary Biblical adaptation, The Chosen series. In doing so, the thesis will examine what kind of work gets put into media productions. It will look into what is necessary to keep them Biblically sound, and ultimately determine whether or not it is worth the time, effort, and resources for the WELS as a whole or for individual groups to continue producing more films, be they for education or entertainment.