Ministry Leader Believes Influencing Hollywood Will Bring Healing to Young Christians
by Michael Ireland
March 5, 2007
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA (ANS) -- Canon Mark Pearson, an Anglican minister involved in a healing ministry, recently attended the 15th Annual Faith & Values Awards Gala, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, to bring healing between Christians and Hollywood.
Pearson leads two ministries, one of which is the Institute for Christian Renewal, which takes him to churches of a whole variety of denominations to teach about various aspects of the faith, especially Christian healing ministry. The second ministry, which Pearson leads with his wife is called New Creation Healing Center which brings together medicine, Christian counseling and prayer to minister wholeness to people in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.International journalist and author Dan Wooding caught up with Pearson at the Movieguide event. He asked Pearson why he was there and why he supports Movieguide?
Pearson responded: "I support Movieguide because as I go around the country I see that many people, especially young people are influenced by what they see on the screen. What they see on the screen seems to be normative -- it presents people that they might idolize as heroes and the better we teach our young obviously the better they'll grow up to be, and that means influencing movies and television."
Pearson has been attending the Beverly Hills event for four years. He told Wooding he was both encouraged and discouraged: "I think those people in Hollywood who really have an agenda -- whether it's a sexual agenda or a drug agenda or a political agenda -- are going to need a lot more prayer. But I think (for) people who are somewhat indifferent to these things (and) for whom money is the bottom line Movieguide has been convincing them that wholesome family value movies do better; and we're seeing different movie houses now come out with wonderful movies, including specifically Christian movies."
Pearson said his current favorite movie is Cars.
"It's redemptive, it's silly, (and) it's entertaining. There's a movie that's coming out right now called Amazing Grace. I love it, of course, because it shows that Christians historically have been vitally concerned with justice issues.
"Sometimes people on the left point a finger at Christians and say we're just in our holy huddles -- we're no earthly good we're so heavenly minded. Of course that's not true; and the movie Amazing Grace demonstrates how Christians utterly sold out to Jesus can be used of Jesus to make the world a better place. What this says is that Christ makes a difference for individuals and society."
© 2007 ASSIST News Service, used with permission.
