Posted on 07/20/2015 1:27:10 PM PDT by xzins
Despite the message of love that permeates Living Waters Publications' newest film, Audacity, LGBT activists are warning others away from watching it, giving it poor online reviews with comments such as "avoid at all costs."
For the film's executive producer Ray Comfort, however, this is music to his ears. "This is the best thing that could have happened. It's not even out yet and they are telling people not to watch it. That's going to make them want to watch it to see how any movie could possibly be that bad; and they are going to get a shock when they see it."
A scripted film, Audacity follows the struggle of Peter (Travis Owens) as he is confronted with the tension between the cultural acceptance of homosexuality and what the Bible says is true. While trying to live out his Christian beliefs, he finds that there are a lot of uncomfortable questions he has to answer. But acting out of love for his friends and even strangers, Peter is able to live out the values of the Bible and show others the courage it takes to follow the Bible when its teachings are not popular. Viewers will find Audacity to be culturally relevant but still boldly sticking to its biblical principles.
Since its special pre-release online for $19.99, thousands have flooded to audacitymovie.com to purchase the film, wanting to see for themselves how a Christian can be both biblical and loving toward gay friends and family members. The timing of its release—June 24—didn't hurt, with the Supreme Court's gay marriage ruling coming out two days later.
"This is the best response we've had to any of our movies, and I'm sure it's because of its timing," Comfort said. "Many church leaders such as John Piper and Ken Ham are commending it and posting the trailer on their Facebook pages.
"After watching it, Kevin Sorbo, star of God's not Dead said, 'I give it second-best Christian movie—God's Not Dead is No. 1! Ha!'" Comfort continued. "This was no doubt in response to one reviewer who said, 'Hands down the best Christian film I have ever watched.'"
Hundreds of LGBT activists have flooded imdb.com to register their negative comments in advance of the film's Aug. 19 scheduled YouTube debut. But Comfort doubts many of them have actually watched it. "They would rather have a quadruple root-canal by a blind dentist than pay $19.99 to watch a Christian movie on this subject," he said, adding that "The Friendly Atheist" ripped into the movie with a 70-minute review with more than 7,000 downloads in just three days, pointing to the popularity of the controversial topic.
While nearly a thousand individuals have given the film the lowest rating, hundreds more have given it the highest, leaving comments such as "The storytelling was masterful and the twist at the end was Hitchcockian. I am impressed with the sheer excellence of the production. Ingenious!"
The filmmaker is reaching out to Christian leaders who aren't afraid to speak out on this issue, hoping to communicate that "Audacity" is more than just another documentary showing gay parades, and ex-homosexuals testifying that they are now happily married as Christians. We are asking Christians to help us reach leaders by sharing the trailer with them, as it quickly dispels any of those presuppositions," Comfort stated.
The trailer can be viewed on audacitymovie.com.
Starring Travis Owens (Friday Night Lights), Molly Ritter (Atrophy, Madison), and Ben Price (Australia's Got Talent), Audacity explores the conflict between Christians and homosexuality using both a thought-provoking plot and real and unscripted street interviews conducted by Ray Comfort.
Audacity is the fifth film produced by Living Waters Publications, a biblical evangelism media company led by Founder and CEO Ray Comfort. For more information, visit livingwaters.com.
????????
I agree. I have nothing against such films, I just don't find them interesting. They are often heavy handed propaganda. Propaganda for the best of causes, but I don't watch films to be propagandized. I dislike when Hollywood films lecture me, too, try to teach me a better way, how to be tolerant, etc.
I think it would be far more culturally persuasive to produce good movies with sympathetic Christian characters. One such movie I saw recently was 12 Mile Road. There were secondary characters -- neighbors -- who were born again Christians, and they were portrayed as good, normal people. It was refreshing.
what’s the opposite of eu-angelism? :>)
What great free advertising for the movie!
I lost my links, but a great ministry for someone struggling to overcome homosexuality is Courage and Encourage. I’ll get the link to their website for all.
So, good news and not good news? Makes sense.
Also, check these out if you haven’t already:
Notice: The daily sport of posting Catholic bashing threads on FR stops today. Thanks.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3313905/posts
+1
You know, Chaplain, before this thread, I had no idea who Ray Comfort is (was?)? Before this thread I didn’t know he made movies and I didn’t know he made a movie on homosexuality, much less whether this so-called movie was pro or anti homosexuality.
But since LGBT groups are advising me to not watch this movie, I’ll just have to look into it.
Thanks for the post. I hadn’t heard of the movie but I’ll purchase it now.
Ray is an evangelist. All evangelization is, by definition, propaganda.
Hawking Hopelessness. I like that. It is a good description of of the agenda of today's post-modern deconstructionist.
I don’t believe that this reply will be welcomed, but I have to say that Christian movies are by and large following God’s Word, while secular movies, and entertainment, are not. And that is one of the chief reasons why things are happening like “gay marriage,” and why as a people we are more and more telling God to get out and stay out, and turning to idols. The Bible says that all we do should be done for the glory of God, in Jesus’ name, and for our Lord. Those are commands for everyone, too, as Jesus is the Lord of all, and all should acknowledge that He is, and one day will. Any entertainment then should honor God, and acknowledge Jesus Christ before men.
The truth of the matter is, too, that the salvation that God purchased through the sacrifice of His Son is a story that should ever be most exciting to us as it’s the one of us delivered out of Hell, though we don’t deserve it, at God’s expense. That is like being rescued by God from being trapped eternally in the upper floors of the burning World Trade Center. Jesus Himself said of Hell that it was where the fire was never quenched and the worm never died, and there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth, with the implication that there weeping could do no good, ever. And as Paul wrote in one of his letters to one of the churches, they had not yet resisted to bloodshed. As I recall reading from one Christian, many early Christians held on to their faith at the cost of passing through the digestive systems of lions, as they believed life here was not what mattered.
I’ll also add that before I read the Bible in my thirties, about ten years ago, I loved literature and films with a spiritual, devotional love, for the higher experiences they gave. I have a bachelor’s degree in English from a good university program. A former professor of mine that I was close to has gone on to write some very successful books and now is on Harvard’s faculty. While in school I took a whole course on Hitchcock’s films, which I loved, and I ended up with several thousand books, because I wanted to read all the “great literature.” But I no longer wanted to, after reading the Bible, and I haven’t, and I feel freed. I would never have expected it, but it would really be torturous to have to. While secular literature and film seem appealing, I believe they are like drugs that give a false high and then plunge people, including many Christians, into despair and heaviness, and they don’t know why. Without Him in truth, such works are desolate, and it looks to me, previews of Hell. They deny God and His truth as if He and they don’t exist, and create a false understanding of reality, in opposition to God. That cannot satisfy, and fail to comply with God’s will.
Acts 17:22-31 teaches us that God has put enough of Himself in his creation that man throughout the ages might “grope for Him and find Him” and that “in Him we live and move and exist”. His creation is all around us and in us, we are foolish not to look for Him there too.
I’m on the bottom end of what you have already experienced, though at a State college which might be persuaded to send me to a very fine school for a few courses if I play my cards right. Never had the chance to go to college before, and I do plan to do a dual major in English (writing) and Philosophy starting in a month just about to the day. Pretty rough in the writing end now but there is so much I want to do, so motivation is there. One thing is a book series that’s been bumping around in my head. It is a Christian series aimed well out of the salt shaker. It is my greatest fear that I will fail to right size God in what I write. I do have a pen name in mind which has two meanings to try to keep me focused. Road to the Son of David is one, Regret is the other.
I love literature, even as I mourn from Pratchett to Poe.
Or should I say never had the chance beyond taking various courses in a hodgepodge after work.
Well, on what you wrote about Paul’s words to the people of Athens, in Acts, you’ve taken the two phrases out of context of both his address, and even moreso, the whole Bible. By doing that, their meaning becomes very vague and ambiguous. And too, though you are doing that to come up with your interpretation, you are saying that it is foolish not to agree with your interpretation. Yet again, the only wise way to interpret Scripture is with total surrender to the Lord, relinquishing any rebellion or claim to self-interpretation, asking that His will be done if it conflicts with ours, and that He might correct us when we are at odds with Him. We have no right to depart from His will for us. No, we are never in this world perfectly in His will, but we have to completely yield ourselves and all we are, do, and have, to Him. And yes Christians may be at different points, but again we must yield to wherever the Lord wants to take us next.
Ok, would you agree that there have been people who have been saved who did not have access to the Bible, for example, before Jesus Christ walked the earth?
The passage is pretty straightforward, we aren’t supposed to worship handmade items but God’s handiwork points to it’s Creator. Paul even quotes from Pagan literature while making clear that the time for ambiguity and the “unknown god” is over. Here it is in the Amplified Version:
Acts 17:22-34Amplified Bible (AMP)
22 So Paul, standing in the center of the Areopagus [Mars Hill meeting place], said: Men of Athens, I perceive in every way [on every hand and with every turn I make] that you are most religious or very reverent to demons.
23 For as I passed along and carefully observed your objects of worship, I came also upon an altar with this inscription, To the unknown god. Now what you are already worshiping as unknown, this I set forth to you.
24 The God Who produced and formed the world and all things in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in handmade shrines.
25 Neither is He served by human hands, as though He lacked anything, for it is He Himself Who gives life and breath and all things to all [people].
26 And He made from one [common origin, one source, one blood] all nations of men to settle on the face of the earth, having definitely determined [their] allotted periods of time and the fixed boundaries of their habitation (their settlements, lands, and abodes),
27 So that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after Him and find Him, although He is not far from each one of us.
28 For in Him we live and move and have our being; as even some of your [own] poets have said, For we are also His offspring.
29 Since then we are God’s offspring, we ought not to suppose that Deity (the Godhead) is like gold or silver or stone, [of the nature of] a representation by human art and imagination, or anything constructed or invented.
30 Such [former] ages of ignorance God, it is true, ignored and allowed to pass unnoticed; but now He charges all people everywhere to repent ([a]to change their minds for the better and heartily to amend their ways, with abhorrence of their past sins),
31 Because He has fixed a day when He will judge the world righteously (justly) by a Man Whom He has destined and appointed for that task, and He has made this credible and given conviction and assurance and evidence to everyone by raising Him from the dead.
I’m going to include the rest of the verses in this passage, people sitting there that day became Christians.
32 Now when they had heard [that there had been] a resurrection from the dead, some scoffed; but others said, We will hear you again about this matter.
33 So Paul went out from among them.
34 But some men were on his side and joined him and believed (became Christians); among them were Dionysius, a judge of the Areopagus, and a woman named Damaris, and some others with them.
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