On this edition of The Exchange, Alex and Stephen Kendrick discuss faith, film, and the call to prayer.
Brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick are the producers of , , and their latest film War Room in theaters August 28, 2015.
How it all began
Growing up, the Kendrick brothers were passionate about story-telling and they began making movies in their neighborhood. In high school the Kendrick’s developed a love for ministry because their Dad was a minister.
Naturally, they began to combine their love for ministry with their love of story-telling making, ministry videos for their church that were low-budget and story-centric.
Soon the scale of their film projects escalated and in 2006 they released their first theatrical film Facing the Giants, earning them a partnership Sony Pictures.
“The canvas of Hollywood is what’s up on the screen. For us the canvas is the heart of the viewer who is sitting out there in the seat.”
While Hollywood is focused on what’s being seen on screen, the Kendrick brothers are focused on the heart of the viewer. The ultimate goal of the films is for God to work in the heart of the viewer as they are being entertained.
“Hopefully God is glorified, lives are changed, and there is more feet in heaven as a result of what we’ve been doing.”
What is War Room?
The main theme behind the movie is prayer. For the Christian, prayer is one of the strongest and most direct links to God. However, many Christians spend very little time in prayer.
This film is a call to prayer that hopes to encourage viewers to “ramp up” their prayer life.
“Prayer needs to be first base and not third base.”
Instead of waiting for the train to derail before they go to God in prayer, Christians should engage with the Lord in prayer in every aspect of their lives.
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14
Throughout the book of acts and the rest of the New Testament, the Holy Spirit gets involved when followers of Jesus bow their heads in fervent prayer, the same is true today.
