The Golden Compass
Once again Hollywood has given birth to a controversial movie…and once again many Christians have jumped on the boycott bandwagon because of what the movie allegedly represents. I say allegedly here, because the movie is not explicit in its agenda, nor have the people clamoring for a boycott actually seen the movie. The movie is The Golden Compass, an adaptation of the first book of the His Dark Materials trilogy written by Philip Pullman. Pullman, an outspoken atheist, has written these books about the adventures of a boy and a girl who seek to find and kill God so that they may do what they please. That plot line is not fully revealed in the movie, but if you read all three books you will see it becomes clearer as the story progresses.
It is this underlying plot that has many Christians up in arms over the movie. Numerous blogs, talk shows, and Facebook groups have emerged to bash the movie with concerned Christians urging a boycott of this movie. The Bible actually has a great deal to say about the concept of people wanting to kill God so that they can do as they please. This movie contains more truth about the depravity of fallen sinners than most because it gets right to the heart of matter. (I think it is pure Providence that an outspoken atheist has written a popular series that exposes the true and basic depravity of man.)
As a Christian, I welcome these kinds of films and I wish that Hollywood would make more of them. Movies and books with religious themes inevitably force a conversation to happen. Non-Christians who watch these movies and read these books want to talk about them and they want to talk about them with their Christian friends. This gives Christians the opportunity to talk about what the Bible says and to proclaim the Gospel to unbelievers. According to the Bible, proclaiming the Gospel is the primary function of believers and it is the last command that Christ gave us before he left the Earth. It is through the proclamation of the Gospel that people are saved to eternal life (Romans 10:17).
I don’t think that the people who oppose this movie are really against it because of its God-hating agenda. The same people who will boycott this movie will easily and without much thought watch a TV show or movie that glorifies adultery, violence, revenge, greed, or many other things that God hates. The same people will readily lie, gossip, dishonor their parents, or neglect their neighbor on a daily basis. God hates that stuff too.
I think that the people who oppose this movie are really against it because they are afraid. They claim to be Christians and know what they are supposed to believe but they really have no idea why. They don’t study their Bibles so they really don’t know what Christianity has to say about the issues that the movies and books are bringing up. They usually go to church, probably some form of cotton-candy-check-your-brain-at-the-door evangelicalism with lots of music and clapping and a fifteen minute sermon on how good they are and how everything is going to be just fine. None of that prepares them to respond when the culture produces something that is counter-Christian.
When these movies come out, their non-Christians friends have questions that they just can’t answer. They can’t answer them because they have no idea why they believe what they claim to believe. They don’t study God’s Word, yet they claim to be a disciple. They claim to love Jesus but they know almost nothing about Him. And when the paper walls of their religion are threatened by a movie, they get scared because it threatens to expose their own lack of knowledge about what they claim to believe. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “…always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” This movie will call on Christians to make that defense, either by engaging in an informed discussion about what the Bible says about how the world works, or by getting frustrated and joining the picket line where there is no discourse beyond shouts and signs and anger.
Christianity is a reasonable faith. It is rooted in actual historical events and provides a logical explanation for itself. It is not a blind faith. It is not a fundamental assent to illogical principles. But very few people who call themselves Christians can talk about who Jesus is and what he did. Very few of them take the time to get to know this Christ they claim to love. This kind of ignorant love is ridiculous at best. Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are being destroyed for lack of knowledge.” This is as true now as it was then.
In the movie, the golden compass supposedly points a person to the truth. This movie is indeed an opportunity for Christians to point to truth, but not if they don’t see the movie….and not if they don’t know why they believe what they claim to believe. Dear Christians, don’t boycott the movie or call it a tool of Satan. Embrace the movie for the opportunity it gives you to proclaim the Gospel. It may be that since we are not witnessing as Christ commanded us to, God has ordained this movie to happen so that people would talk about Him and so we would have the chance to participate in that discussion and point them to the real truth.
It is this underlying plot that has many Christians up in arms over the movie. Numerous blogs, talk shows, and Facebook groups have emerged to bash the movie with concerned Christians urging a boycott of this movie. The Bible actually has a great deal to say about the concept of people wanting to kill God so that they can do as they please. This movie contains more truth about the depravity of fallen sinners than most because it gets right to the heart of matter. (I think it is pure Providence that an outspoken atheist has written a popular series that exposes the true and basic depravity of man.)
As a Christian, I welcome these kinds of films and I wish that Hollywood would make more of them. Movies and books with religious themes inevitably force a conversation to happen. Non-Christians who watch these movies and read these books want to talk about them and they want to talk about them with their Christian friends. This gives Christians the opportunity to talk about what the Bible says and to proclaim the Gospel to unbelievers. According to the Bible, proclaiming the Gospel is the primary function of believers and it is the last command that Christ gave us before he left the Earth. It is through the proclamation of the Gospel that people are saved to eternal life (Romans 10:17).
I don’t think that the people who oppose this movie are really against it because of its God-hating agenda. The same people who will boycott this movie will easily and without much thought watch a TV show or movie that glorifies adultery, violence, revenge, greed, or many other things that God hates. The same people will readily lie, gossip, dishonor their parents, or neglect their neighbor on a daily basis. God hates that stuff too.
I think that the people who oppose this movie are really against it because they are afraid. They claim to be Christians and know what they are supposed to believe but they really have no idea why. They don’t study their Bibles so they really don’t know what Christianity has to say about the issues that the movies and books are bringing up. They usually go to church, probably some form of cotton-candy-check-your-brain-at-the-door evangelicalism with lots of music and clapping and a fifteen minute sermon on how good they are and how everything is going to be just fine. None of that prepares them to respond when the culture produces something that is counter-Christian.
When these movies come out, their non-Christians friends have questions that they just can’t answer. They can’t answer them because they have no idea why they believe what they claim to believe. They don’t study God’s Word, yet they claim to be a disciple. They claim to love Jesus but they know almost nothing about Him. And when the paper walls of their religion are threatened by a movie, they get scared because it threatens to expose their own lack of knowledge about what they claim to believe. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “…always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” This movie will call on Christians to make that defense, either by engaging in an informed discussion about what the Bible says about how the world works, or by getting frustrated and joining the picket line where there is no discourse beyond shouts and signs and anger.
Christianity is a reasonable faith. It is rooted in actual historical events and provides a logical explanation for itself. It is not a blind faith. It is not a fundamental assent to illogical principles. But very few people who call themselves Christians can talk about who Jesus is and what he did. Very few of them take the time to get to know this Christ they claim to love. This kind of ignorant love is ridiculous at best. Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are being destroyed for lack of knowledge.” This is as true now as it was then.
In the movie, the golden compass supposedly points a person to the truth. This movie is indeed an opportunity for Christians to point to truth, but not if they don’t see the movie….and not if they don’t know why they believe what they claim to believe. Dear Christians, don’t boycott the movie or call it a tool of Satan. Embrace the movie for the opportunity it gives you to proclaim the Gospel. It may be that since we are not witnessing as Christ commanded us to, God has ordained this movie to happen so that people would talk about Him and so we would have the chance to participate in that discussion and point them to the real truth.
posted by The Lazarus Commission | 8:36 AM
1 Comments:
Wow. What a great post.
I'm adding your blog to my Google Reader.
Cheers!
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