This is a dated topic, but I write it now because yesterday someone gave me the poster you see here from the Rocky Balboa media push for churches. I’m grateful to the person who put it on my desk, and I plan to put it up. But the campaign itself, to promote Rocky Balboa to churches, seems odd.

I saw the movie, and commented on it here. It was good. Of course, I felt like I had seen it before, since it was the same movie as as the previous ones. But there wasn’t anything especially Christian about it, and the “good fight” Paul speaks of (quoted on the poster) certainly wasn’t a sixty-year-old man vs. the heavyweight champ.

Sylvester Stallone learned from Mel Gibson the value of connecting with pastors, although Stallone’s marketing push wasn’t nearly as far-reaching as Gibson’s, nor was it as successful. (BTW, when is some Hollywood director going to invite ME to a pre-screening?)

NPR covered the church marketing strategy here, and Christianity Today Movies abetted the project to some degree too.

I have no problem with Bible-based discussions on movies. I just see this as another warning to be careful. It IS flattering to be noticed by Hollywood. But it would be easy to be used.

P. S. - Just today, Christianity Today posted an article about movies and church marketing citing the dangers.