THE INF L U E N C E O F

CHRIS T I A N I T Y
IT CHA NGE D OVE R T IME
HOW HAS
INTRODUCTION

• Christianity has been at the core of western society formation.

• The church has been historically involved in social services, such as medical care and school.
• Christianity has served as a major source of inspiration for culture, philosophy, and art
• Politics have also been shaped by the church for a very long time
• Currently, the church is still a major pillar of western society although the influence is changing
OVERALL CLAIM AND ARGUMENT
• Claim:
“Although the church has significantly contributed to the history and formation of the western
world, its influence has been weakened over time by the constitutional freedoms.”

• Western world is recognized as global leader when it comes to matters concerning democratic
governance.

• In such governance, individuals are at liberty to worship what they want, express themselves
according to the constitution.
PURPOSE OF THE FILM
• The purpose of the documentary will be to show the dwindling influence of the Christianity on
the society and its outcomes

• To achieve this purpose, it was necessary for the film to show

 The debates surrounding sex education and gay and lesbian rights
The opinions of different individuals concerning these contentious issues affecting the society
The influence of Christianity when it is declining in the modern democratic society
INTENDED AUDIENCE
• The following are the intended audience of the documentary:
Religious scholars
Documentary enthusiasts
Church leaders
Christians interested in knowing the influential role of the church
Political leaders
FILM CREDIBILITY
• To make the film credible, the following measures were taken:
The creator of the documentary, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, has authority on
issues concerning Christianity and governance

The creators are identifiable and respectable individuals with a portfolio for other works that
they have produced
(“How to Evaluate a Movie, Video or Film Clip”)
LOGIC IN THE FILM

• Logic has two important branches:

Inductive – used for developing a theory
Deductive – used for testing a theory
• The film uses inductive logic as dictated by the framing of its purpose: “to show the dwindling
influence of the Christianity on the society and its outcomes.”
EMOTIONAL APPEAL
• Emotional appeal aim at swaying the audience’s emotions
• As a logical fallacy, emotional appeals are typified by the use of loaded language and concepts
• The film will use emotional appeals alongside logical appeals
• For instance, the documentary shows images of protesting individuals. Additionally, in the film,
Doug Ford uses various emotional cues
(“The Art of Rhetoric”)
RHETORICAL CHOICES
• The documentary will also rely on rhetorical choices, such as:
Figurative language - the use of words in a manner that deviates from the normal order and
meaning to convey a sophisticated meaning. The narrator at some point uses metaphors, such
as taking root

Structure – a narrative structure, instead of a plot, will be used to convey the argument to the
audience. Such a structure will present the documentary as story and make it easy to
comprehend.
CONCLUSION
• The documentary aims to show the weakening effect of christianity on the church
• Christianity has significantly influenced western societies, however its impact is slowly being
weakened.

• The audience of film will range from religious scholarly to documentary enthusiast, seeking
entertainment

• To maintain credibility, the production process will depend on professional individuals, who can
eliminate facts from rumors.
REFERENCES
• “How to Evaluate a Movie, Video or Film Clip.” n.d., Colorado State University ,
libguides.colostate.edu/howtodo/evaluatemovie. Accessed 24 February 2021

• “The Art of Rhetoric:* How to Use Aristotle’s Three Main Rhetorical Styles.” n.d. Mesa Community
College, http://www.mesacc.edu/~bruwn09481/Syllabi/documents/htm/ArtRetoric/index.htm.
Accessed 24 February 2021

• Mesley, Wendy. “The Christian Right’s Influence On Canadian Politics.” YouTube, uploaded by
CBC, 28 January 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRLsuPU2vig&ab_channel=CBCNews