jerry jenkins « Daniel Darling, Author, Pastor, Speaker

Jul

2011

Friday Five Interview: Jerry Jenkins

Our family is taking some needed time off for a couple of weeks. So between June 24th – July 8th, I’m reposting some classic Friday Five interviews. This interview with my friend, Jerry Jenksin originally posted on June 4th, 2010:

Does Jerry Jenkins really need an introduction? Jerry is one of the most successful, celebrated Christian writers of all time. He is the author of over 175 books, including the 70 million selling Left Behind series. He is the former editor of Moody Magazine and is now the Chairman of the Board of Moody Bible Institute. He has been interviewed on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, and other news outlets. Along with Dr. Tim LaHaye, he was featured on the cover of Newsweek. He is the owner of Jenkins Entertainment, which produces Hollywood-quality movies with a Christian worldview. His latest project is a new series with Dr. LaHaye, The Jesus Chronicles, which explore life during the time of Christ.

From a personal perspective, I’ve always admired Jerry Jenkins. Back before he reached Left Behind fame, I was reading Dallas O’Neil and the Baker Street Sports Club and the Gil Thorpe comic strip in The Chicago Tribune. I had the opportunity to meet Jerry several years ago at a book signing and was impressed by his humility and grace. Recently I read his novel, Riven, and was powerfully moved by the story. Its a privilege to interview him here on Friday Five.

Oct

2010

Friday Five Interview: Dallas Jenkins

I’m delighted to invite Dallas Jenkins to the blog today for The Friday Five. Dallas is a producer and director with Jenkins Entertainment. He is the son of bestselling author, Jerry Jenkins.

Dallas Jenkins produced the $2 million independent “Hometown Legend” at the age of 25, ultimately guiding it to Warner Brothers for distribution. Dallas made his directing debut with the short film “Cliché,” which “FilmThreat.com” called “Fast and funny…ingenious,” and his next short film, “Midnight Clear“, starring Stephen Baldwin, won a Crystal Heart Award from the Heartland Film Festival and was the opening night selection of the San Diego Film Festival.

In 2006, he was the Co-Executive Producer of “Though None Go With Me,” a movie based on his father’s book that aired on The Hallmark Channel. His feature directing debut, also called “Midnight Clear,” was based on his short film and was featured in over a dozen film festivals, including winning the Cinequest Film Festival award for “Best First Feature” and the “Audience Choice” award at the Kansas Int’l Film Festival. It’s currently available on DVD from Lionsgate.

In 2009, Dallas directed his 2nd feature film, entitled “What If…,” starring Kevin Sorbo, Kristy Swanson, John Ratzenberger, and Debby Ryan. The film is available. Dallas recently accepted a position as Director of Visual Media at Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago, where he’ll produce and direct multiple films starting in 2011.

1) Dallas has film making always been a passion of yours? How and when did you get involved and sense God’s call to do this work?

There’s an old Chinese proverb that says, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” As I got into junior high and high school, I noticed that the church was cursing the darkness of Hollywood a lot and not lighting too many candles. I felt like if Christians could make movies that inspired the kind of emotion I felt when watching films, but with our message, we could really make an impact.

2) Christians have been involved in movie-making for a long time, but do you think this is the golden era of Christian movie-making? And why is that?

There’s never been a time where Hollywood had this much interest in faith-based films; they’re not only open to them, they’re actively seeking them out. I don’t know if it’s the golden era in terms of content and quality, but it’s certainly a great era of interest and availability.

3) We’ve all grown up with what we could call well-meaning, but maybe poorly produced Christian films. But companies like yours and others are really stressing Hollywood-quality production. Why is it so important to do this art well? >

Well, I believe God calls us to do our best. Additionally, we serve the Creator, so certainly we can access the creative spirit from the One we serve and worship. Centuries ago, the greatest artists in the world–Michelangelo, Handel, etc., were doing their art as an act of worship. We seem to have lost that.

4) I’m sure you’re inundated with scripts, so you have to carefully weigh which films you make. How do you choose your stories?

We unfortunately can’t read scripts, we’d just get too many. We have to think about it on a project by project basis; what kind of film am I looking for, what story am I wanting to tell? Sometimes it’s a book or true story or simply an idea. And then we usually bring someone on to execute that vision.

5) You’re a second-generation Christian, growing up with a pretty famous father, bestselling author, Jerry Jenkins. Many Christians fall away from their parent’s faith, but you didn’t. Why didn’t you and what message would you give to 2nd Generation believers to keep their faith fresh?

I just never felt the need to rebel. If I ever disagree with my parents or believe something different than they do, it’s for legitimate reasons, not just that I want to disagree or push back or rebel for the sake of it. I’d just advise 2nd Generation believers not to base their belief and faith, or lack thereof, on some sort of external desire to prove something, either right or wrong. The notion that there’s a God who created us and has a plan for us isn’t a crazy notion; stick with that until proven otherwise, not the other way around!

Jul

2010

Friday Five Interview – Chris Fabry

Today I’m privileged to interview author and radio host, Chris Fabry. Chris is a familiar voice if you’ve been a long-time listener of WMBI in Chicago or Focus on the Family or Love Worth Finding, the radio ministry of the late Dr. Adrian Rogers. Chris is also a prolific author. He partnered with Jerry Jenkins to write the Left Behind Series for Kids and The Red Rock Mystery Series. He has also written biographies with sports figures such as Drew Brees and Coach Jim Tressel of Ohio State University.

Chris is the host of Chris Fabry Live and a cohost with his wife, Andrea of Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman. Both are broadcast on the Moody Broadcasting Network.

In 2009, Chris won the Christy Award for his novel, Dogwood. His latest novel, Junebug, was nominated for a 2010 Christy Award.

What I have admired about Chris, whether through his radio show or his writing, is his sincerity and authenticity. Recently, Chris and his family endured a grueling series of trials that forced them to move from their home and depend on God financially, spiritually, and medically. You can follow their journey through Chris’ website: Chrisfabry.com.