It's just hard for me to get really exercised over the whole deal because I'm so thankful that they are doing the story in the first place. If you look at movie history, The Ten Commandments were a long time ago. Moses went on to the great NRA meeting in the sky and Mel Gibson, the Jew hater, wrote, directed and financed "the Passion", a story about a Jew and His Jewish family, and the home of the Jews. Everybody loved both movies and of course, they are a facsimile of the story depicted in the Bible.
People,.... we need to stop griping! When we get a movie about Jesus or God, or some other Biblical story, please stop nitpicking. If the story doesn't stray so far that it is just heretical, then take it and move on. If a story says Jesus is the same as Mohamed or Buddha, we should gripe and let it be know what the problem is. But I can go to one denomination and then go to another and you quickly see why their are multiple denominations. Billy Graham knew this and for 50 years never strayed from a salvation message. There was no meat from BG, but there was truckloads of milk. The average movie goer has no clue what is actually in the Bible so why not just give them a taste of Jesus and they will want more and find out for themselves. I will take a Hollywood simile of Jesus over "Wolf on Wall Street" any day. I think we are expecting non trained, well intentioned people to write movies that pass muster in seminary. It's just not going to happen. Anytime I wanted to, I could come to FR and start a war between Catholics and Baptists, Jews and Evangelicals, Muslims and Christians. Just look at posts about Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons here. We can fight it out daily and try to convert FR members and quote Bible verses all day long, but we know what we are getting here. A 17 year old with a single mother, that has never gone to church and has no Bible other than an app on their phone needs to be exposed to SOMETHING positive. Each blog I read is FULL of posts talking of people looking to the "Sky Wizard that grants wishes for a special few" and even worse when speaking of our Lord. They have NO CLUE and no way of EVER being exposed to anything of God.
As I said, I haven't seen it yet, but anything reverential about Jesus and His life, death, and resurrection, for me anyway, is welcome. If someone is moved in the theater, maybe they will seek out the rest of it from a place of real worship where they can be taught the more meatier things of Scripture. If we disparage people trying to bring Scripture the the big screen, then be ready for the old standby of movies made with handheld video cams with local actors paid for from a 250 member church.
You make some good points.
I agree. I wonder if the nitpickers would prefer that Biblical stories not be told at all?
[ The average movie goer has no clue what is actually in the Bible so why not just give them a taste of Jesus and they will want more and find out for themselves. I will take a Hollywood simile of Jesus over “Wolf on Wall Street” any day. ]
NAILED IT!
No, no no! Neither the Lord nor His chief theologian Paul did not need testimony from demons. (Mk. 3:11,12; Acts 16:16-18)
A 60/40 truth/error arraignment will not do. The liberties as well as the pseudo spirituality Hollywood typically takes works to distort the message to a all-too-ignorant public more than covey it.
It is not impossible to make a movie that if faithful to the text, and which should be at the bottom of the screen to differentiate btwn it and the reasonable conjecture, without needing to add the things Hollywood feels it must do.
And usually it has men trying to be spiritual by acting and walking as if they were walking on eggshells. At least "The Apostle" to genuinely portray the subjects, and even included real Pentecostals, although it overemphasized the emotion vs the cause of it.
And the men playing Christ in the passion and other movies all utterly fail to covey the majesty and holy magnetism of Christ, and would be better off not trying.
I have to agree with you in principle.
“If you look at movie history, The Ten Commandments were a long time ago”
This one was not too long ago and got no publicity. Check it out. It’s great and 100% taken from scripture.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Gospel-John-Henry-Cusick/dp/B0006Q93ZG
Don’t accept mediocrity. It’s how we got to where we are in the first place. The denial of truth.
Thank you chuckles. I joined one of the largest Pentecostal Churches in the U.S. back in the early '80s. As a long-haired rock and rolling 20-something, I hardly fit the mold of the Pentecostals.
The Pastor, Bro. James Kilgore, told me that they were going to tell me I had to cut my hair, I couldn't watch TV and on and on. He said DO NOT listen to any of them. He said study your Bible, fast and pray, seek the Lord and let Him lead you, not any man.
If this movie, or any other vehicle, causes people to do that then it is a Gift from God and I thank the Lord Jesus for it. I don't care who or where it came from.
-houeto.