Drama as a Tool for Spiritual and Social Transformation: A Biblical and Practical Vision for the Use of Drama in Africa-America Churches in North America

This project is based on the assumption that there need to be alternatives to ungodly Hollywood drama/film productions and their debilitating impact on humanity and communities. Based on evidence cited in this study, the project also assumes that drama/movies produced outside the church by unbelievers have greatly contributed to issues such as the breakdown of families and the increase of crime around the world.
This project provides information about drama and its biblical relevance to the church and community. The proposed hypothesis of this project is that Christian or evangelical drama/movies could be used by the Church to more actively engage and transform communities. The assumption underlying this hypothesis is that if churches utilize dramatized messages in addition to sermon messages, churches will experience a social and spiritual transformation within their own life together and new opportunities for effective ministry within their communities. In order to test this hypothesis, this study used qualitative surveys and interviews among selected church pastors, ministry leaders, and lay people in Dallas, Texas, to determine their views on the effectiveness of drama in their churches and communities. Teachings on the use of drama in the Church was presented to Christian leaders to encourage them to evaluate the use of drama as a tool for transformation.
Convincingly, the result of this project has facilitated an understanding of the use of drama and its needs for social and spiritual transformation; however, the project outcome does not place the dramatized message over or above the sermon message or vice versa. The project only supports the theological implications of using Christian drama/movies for transformational practices. The result supports the thesis that biblically-based drama/movies within the local churches and communities are needed. The main finding of this study supports the hypothesis that drama/movies influence both biblical and cultural transformational worldview of Americans.