Avatars and Mad Hatters are already performing before American audiences in 3-D, and Shrek is coming soon. Now, a national Catholic television network is throwing priests into the mix.
CatholicTV debuted 3-D programs Tuesday in an effort to reach younger people and to make the faith message more vivid. The network posted several 3-D shows on the Internet, released its monthly magazine in 3-D – complete with glasses – and said it will eventually broadcast some programs in 3-D.
CatholicTV’s director, the Rev. Robert Reed, said he’d been planning to introduce 3-D well before the success of James Cameron’s movie “Avatar” or the 3-D “Alice in Wonderland.”
“It’s a way for us to show that we believe the message we have is relevant, and we’re going to use every possible avenue to bring that message to people,” said Reed, whose network reaches 5 million to 6 million homes nationwide through various cable providers.
And EWTN, the very conservative RC TV still gets way more viewers.
Well, I’m glad to see any such serious attempt to reach a younger generation and form it in the Christian faith. But the problem isn’t really the communication medium. There are more basic, underlying problems that have to be faced. That is, all the slick advertising in the world can’t make up for a flawed product.
That’s not an anti-Catholic statement. I’m not bashing Catholicism versus Protestantism. Rather, I’m suggesting that ALL the so-called “mainline” deonominations (if you’ll agree to lump the RC’s in that group) face big problems, since they are still designed as Christendom style Churches in a post-Christendom social world, at least in the secularized, de-Christianized Global North.
But hey, I wish this 3-D TV effort well. I’d LOVE to see the Catholic Church flourishing in America, and elsewhere.
And of course, as an advocate of “3-D Christianity” (evangelical catholic, and charismatic), I’m prone to favor anything 3-D.
David Handy+
Think they will attrack youth when the youth have confidence that they are safe.
bl
[i]Think they will attrack [sic] youth when the youth have confidence that they are safe.[/i]
Nice cheap shot, Bob. Why don’t you throw in a reference or two to the Whore of Babylon to complete the effect? Of course, despite the heavy sins of some clergy, we’re actually still Christian…