I received an e-mail last week which (horrors) isn't covered on www.snopes.com yet. I did a little thinking about it and think I have a handle on it.

The e-mail was sent out (or purports to have been sent out) by Rev. Donald Wildmon, head of the American Family Association. I can't say for certain that this is something Rev. Wildmon wrote, though it sounds to me like something he would at least be sympathetic to.

The e-mail warns that the MPAA, which rates motion pictures has taken the step of placing "Christian content" in the same category of offensive material as sex, violence and profanity. The letter goes on to say that, "The MPAA is controlled by Hollywood moguls known for their bitter opposition to Christianity."

The controversy began when the MPAA took the unusual step of giving the low budget film "Facing the Giants" a PG rating despite the fact that the film is aimed at a family audience and contains none of the elements that would traditionally have earned it anything other than a G rating.

I haven't seen the film but the reports I've seen say that it is the inspiring story of a high school basketball team beating the odds. The story features answered prayers, a miracle, and a discussion between a coach and a young player on accepting Jesus as Savior.

As nearly as I can tell, the MPAA's objection is that the flm doesn't just present Christianity in a positive light but actively encourage viewers to become Christians themselves. Without actually seeing the film, this is impossible to assess. I can only offer a few stray thoughts.

1) A PG rating doesn't mean that a movie is obscene, only that it is inappropriate for children under the age of 13. A decision of faith is a mature choice that few children under the age of 13 are developmentally prepared to make.

2) If the MPAA is specifically screening Christian content (as the title line on the e-mail suggests) that is a real concern. If (as I suspect) they are screening religious content that changes things a bit. I wouldn't begrudge parents from a non-Christian faith for wanting to know about strong evengelical Christian content up front.

(Think about it, how would Christian parents feel finding our that a film they had allowed their kids to see had told them that they needed to convert to Islam, become an Atheist, or leave home to follow Rev. Moon?)

3) The critics say that similar warnings should be attached to films that have what they consider anti-Christian (or non-Christian) points of view. It's an interesting point but you then have to discern whether the message is coming from the film as a whole, or from an isolated character. Iago has a malicious way of looking of life but that doesn't mean that OTHELLO is trying to influence people to become cynical manipulators.

Some stories are written with a straightforward rhetorical purpose. Everything is black and white and they want the audience to make a decision. Other stories are told with no clear religious, ethical or philosophical axe to grind. Most are somewhere in-between. Sorting out which is which is highly subjective, and would be a difficult job to do consistently and well.

So...

Did the MPAA go overboard? I honestly don't know, and I'll reserve judgment until I see the film. It's easy to imagine this turning into a real mess whatever the ultinmate outcome.

Is Christianity under attack? Probably not. I suspect this was a well-intentioned decision to keep parents informed. It's the sort of thing that can easily be 'spun' so that it looks like an attack. (It's certainly happened before.)

In any case, it's always better to wait for all the facts to come in than to rush to judgment.