Ben-Hur
opened in theaters last Friday. You probably know that the plot
involves a chariot race and may wonder why you need to know more. You
likely have not heard of any of the actors apart from Morgan Freeman.
The film has generally not received positive reviews from critics.
So, why do you need to see the movie?
Let's begin with some cultural snapshots. Only 35 percent of Americans
believe
that absolute moral truth even exists. As a result, we're told that we
should tolerate all behaviors that do not harm us personally. Of course,
such tolerance does not extend to those who do believe in moral truth.
For instance, this morning's
Wall Street Journal reports
that the Zika virus is renewing the debate over late-term abortions.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said earlier this month that he opposed
abortion for pregnant women infected with the virus. Pro-abortion
advocates rebuked and ridiculed him, calling his position "outrageous."
Maj. Steve Lewis is an officer at Colorado's Peterson Air Force Base. He
was recently forced to remove an open Bible on his desk after the
Military Religious Freedom Foundation
protested against his "around-the-clock Christian Bible Shrine."
In a culture that rejects objective morality, we should not be surprised that our culture is becoming less moral all the time.
CNN reports that Huntington, West Virginia has seen twenty-seven heroin overdoses in four hours this morning. Today's
New York Times has a
review
of Frank Ocean's latest musical album and recent photography, noting
that "sexual fluidity and ambiguity play key parts in the new projects"
and that his magazine is filled with nudity.
In a culture which rejects moral truth, we can choose to be silent and
let society reap what it sows. We can choose to be belligerent with our
witness. Or we can find creative and persuasive ways to share God's
love.
My wife and I saw
Ben-Hur Friday and were very impressed with
the script, acting, and production. We were not surprised that Roma
Downey and Mark Burnett helped produce the film. Having visited the Holy
Land more than twenty times, I can tell you that
Ben-Hur captures well the topography and culture of the New Testament era.
Here's why I think critics have generally not been positive, and why
it's important that Christians see the movie: its underlying theme is
reconciliation with God and with each other. And our conflicted and
deceived culture needs that message more than it knows.
Critics who are callous to the gospel are not likely to welcome another
film that presents the good news, even though the movie's message is
both subtle and realistic. As Paul observed, "The natural person does
not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him,
and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually
discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14).
That's why it's so important that believers find every way we can to
share the good news effectively with our hopeless world. If they will
not come to us, we must go to them. Mark Burnett and Roma Downey used
their platform to show how God's love can heal shattered lives and
relationships. Their work is a clarion call for Christians to use our
influence to do the same.
Lost people deserve to know the good news of God's transforming love.
"How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?" (Romans
10:14).
How, indeed?
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