Seventh-day Adventists in the South Pacific have launched an innovative A$1 million, 12-part video and DVD series to enable secular audiences to consider deeper issues.

Chasing Utopia is “daring and different,” said the secretary of the church, Barry Oliver, at the launch in Sydney on May 22.

The series is unscripted, with people telling their story as they talk through issues. Each 23-minute program covers a topic of interest to contemporary society, including: relationships; addiction; the role of celebrity in society; work and money; self-esteem; racism; the environment; and “the beauty myth.”

Oliver spoke of the “significant research” the church commissioned. “[This showed us] we would have to find modes of communication that went beyond anything we’d ever attempted.” Not everyone will like the series, he warned.

Executive producer Wayne Krause said Chasing Utopia appeals to young professionals “who feel they don’t need truth.” Krause, a pastor, has been testing the series at his church in Wyong on the Central Coast of New South Wales.

Church president Laurie Evans called Chasing Utopia a milestone for the church in the South Pacific. “It shows we’re serious about completing our mission,” he said.

The church has dedicated Chasing Utopia to David Foster, one of the executive producers, and to Gabe Reynaud, the producer and cinematographer, who died before completing the series. It has also dedicated it to their wives—Heather Foster and Andrea Reynaud—who both received a set of DVDs at the launch.

The series was originally conceived in 1995 by then South Pacific church president Bryan Ball, and was produced for people in the 25 to 39-year-old age group. Each program in the series includes an examination of the issue, a discussion, and a Christian critique of the issue. Study guides are also available.