Posted on 02/02/2006 7:52:20 AM PST by Mr. Brightside
Evangelical Filmmakers Criticized for Hiring Gay Actor
By NEELA BANERJEE
Published: February 2, 2006
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 — Christian ministers were enthusiastic at the early private screenings of "End of the Spear," made by Every Tribe Entertainment, an evangelical film company. But days before the film's premiere, a controversy erupted over the casting of a gay actor that has all but eclipsed the movie and revealed fault lines among evangelicals.
/snip
Many evangelicals are concerned that young people inspired by the movie will look up Mr. Allen on the Web and "get exposed to his views on homosexuality, and that would cause some of them to question Biblical views of homosexuality and every other sin," said Will Hall, executive director of BPNews.net, the news service of the Southern Baptist Convention, which has published articles critical of Every Tribe's decisions.
/snip
One Web log, nossobrii.blogspot .com, written by Kevin T. Bauder, president of Central Baptist Seminary in Minneapolis, stated in a Jan. 13 entry: "Granted, we must not overreact. And it would probably be an overreaction to firebomb these men's houses. But what they have done is no mistake. It is a calculated strategy."
/snip
"Has Focus on the Family made a strong statement against homosexuality? Absolutely," he said. "But what is the message of the product? And do we at Focus feel compelled to check on the sexual history of everyone in a movie? Did they have a D.U.I.? Did they pay their taxes?"
Mr. Hanon echoed: "If we start measuring the sin of everyone in a movie, we would never be able to make a picture because none of us would be left."
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Every Tribe Entertainment is a new company that was allegedly formed to produce wholesome Christian entertainment, but its choice of Chad Allen, one of the most prominent homosexual activists in Hollywood, to play the duel role of missionary Nate Saint and his son Steve is unconscionable.
Chad Allen founded a company called Mythgarden, which has the objective of creating television programs that show the homosexual lifestyle in “a positive light.” Allen has called for the legalization of homosexual marriages and is at the forefront of pushing the homosexual agenda across America. Allen has starred in the blasphemous play Corpus Christi, in which the Christ-figure is homosexual and has a sexual relationship with the disciples.
Mart Green, founder of Every Tribe Entertainment (as well as of the Mardel Christian Supply chain), was asked about this issue by Christian Retailing Magazine. He replied that he doesn’t think it is a problem. “Our position is we’re making quality films that tell faith-based stories, so we hire the best.”
According to a recent post by Christianity Today, the filmmakers didn’t know about Allen’s homosexuality until after they had offered him the part and when they learned about it they didn’t want to go back on their word even though nothing had been signed. Executive producer Mart Green “said that learning of Allen’s homosexuality presented the Every Tribe team with ‘an obvious dilemma,’ but that after discussing it with director Jim Hanon, writer/producer Bill Ewing, and Steve Saint, who served as a consultant for the film that tells his father’s story, all agreed they should keep their word and honor the contract that had been offered” (“Christian Studio Explains Hiring of Gay Actor,” Christianity Today, Jan. 26, 2006).
It is far better to go back on one’s word, when such a word was given improperly, than to go against God’s Word. Proverbs 6:1-5 says that if a person has made a foolish agreement, he should waste no time in extracting himself from that situation.
Allen even offered to back out of the agreement.
By the way, it is truly astonishing, almost to the point of disbelief, that experienced movie men would be so ignorant of Allen’s very public homosexual image. Bill Ewing, the producer of “End of the Spear,” is the former senior vice-president of production at Sony and has overseen 125 films, including Men in Black II and Spider-Man. Even Steve Saint said, “I could not imagine how something like this could slip through a professional screening process.” Indeed.
But even when Chad Allen graciously offered to walk away from the contract because of his respect for the Saint family, Steve Saint refused. Amazingly, he said that God spoke to him in a dream and warned him that having a homosexual play the part was the divine plan and that Saint should not worry about the “angry” Christians who would oppose it. In his dream, Saint was chased by a mob of Christians who were angry with him for desecrating their story. Saint said he then heard God say, “Steve, you of all people should know that I love all of my children. With regard to Chad Allen, I went to great lengths to orchestrate an opportunity for him to see what it would be like for him to walk the trail that I marked for him. Why did you mess with my plans for him?” Saint concluded, “I knew one thing for sure: I would rather face the anger and even hatred of people who feel I have let them down, than to take any chance of having to stand before my Savior and have to answer for messing up his plans for Chad.”
What are we to think of Steve Saint’s dream? It is simple. God would never act contrary to His own Scriptures. That would be the penultimate confusion. If God does not act strictly in accordance with His own revelation, it would be impossible to know anything for certain. This is not to “put God in a box.” It is rather to honor God by taking Him at His Word.
What does the Scripture say on this issue? It forbids Christians to yoke together with unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14) and it requires Christians to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Eph. 5:11), to turn away from those who have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof (2 Tim. 3:5), and not to keep company with “any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner” (1 Cor. 5:11).
That is clear enough. God does love men and has provided salvation in such a manner that “whosoever will” can repent and trust Jesus Christ and be saved. But God’s love for sinners and His desire that all be saved is an entirely different issue than the one at hand, which is whether or not Christians should yoke together with a homosexual activist who has blasphemed the name of Jesus Christ in wicked movies and whether they should promote him in the role of a martyred missionary that did not believe in the homosexual agenda.
In further justification of his support for the homosexual activist in the role of his father, Steve Saint said, “God works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform.” This is Hollywood’s favorite Bible verse and has been quoted in countless movies, but of course it is nowhere in the Bible!
Thus, Steve Saint is following a dream and an extra-scriptural religious saying in plain contradiction to the Bible.
This is a very serious matter, but Christianity Today has no warning about it, which is not surprising. Steve Saint and the producers of the movie talk about “angry Christians” and pretend like they are being persecuted. They need to understand that to be reproved for sin is not persecution and that zeal for truth and holiness is not hatred.
The Christianity Today reports and interviews (there are several of them at their web site) focus on the do-good objectives of the movie’s producers, how that they want to influence society with “Chariot of Fire” type of films, how part of the profit for this movie is going to help indigenous people, and such. But it is never, never, never, never right to disobey God’s Word for a “sincere” goal of “doing good.”
No matter what else this movie accomplishes as it is shown in churches and theaters, one thing it will surely accomplish is to further break down the resistance among Christians to the homosexual agenda.
http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/homo-playing-natesaint.html
"I think I will NOT take your advice.
And if by some weird chance my kids ask, "I wonder what the Southern Baptist Convention thinks about this movie?" I am not going to tell them."
Bury your head in the sand, your children may well already know who and what this guy is in real life. Sounds like you have them well protected from the Southern Baptists.
Okay. My thoughts were only to share what I have come to understand from much study about what scripture has to say about homosexuality. I have three friends from years gone by that are homosexual. I study to show myself as one approved as Timothy admonishes us to do. My concern is that compromise can be so subtle and cause us to stumble.
I hope the movie does help someone find Christ--maybe even the actor in question? I am only sharing what I think, I look not to divide.
The movie is called "End of the Spear"? Hmmmm....interesting bit of irony here."
LOL. In the good ole days, he would have been at the end of the spear. Now, he is the end of the spear. HAHA
"However, He did not leave us without a way to escape temptation."
Sorry, but no normal person can think homosexuality is "temptation", unless the person himself has latent homosexuality.
Temptation to adultery is real. Temptation to gluttony is real. But temptation to homosexuality for a normal person? Never!
So what's your solution?
Avoid the movie or remind my three kids all through the movie that the actor is a homo?
"So what's your solution?
Avoid the movie or remind my three kids all through the movie that the actor is a homo?"
You just told me you were not taking my advice.
You are in charge of your children and I would not have even commented on this thread had you not pointed an accusing finger to Southern Baptist for their 'evil' deeds.
Second Corinthians 6:14 talks about being unequally yoked. Most people would agree that this would (at least) include a believer being married to an unbeliever. Others would go further and say it involves any intimate relationship, which could include a business partnership. I guess any Christian employed by or who employs non-Christians is in sin by the strictest interpretation of this passage, but I don't believe that matches the way that Jesus or his apostles ministered to the world. I believe God is teaching us the important principle that the people with the most influence over us need to be Godly people so that our walk with Him is not hindered. If your job is making it difficult to obey God, quit the job. No question. But although it is something to consider prayerfully, I wouldn't say this verse is a slam-dunk for your thesis.
Ephesians 5 is directed toward the Church. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. The church needs to be accountable to one another and to Christ for our actions. We must be a holy people. But Chad Allen didn't join any church when he signed on to perform in this film, not is the film or its producers an arm of the Church. In fact, there are other passages that talk about how we cannot expect the unbeliever to be holy, because he is dead in his sin.
The 2nd Timothy verse is tough. Taken literally, we should have nothing to do with any sinner. Yet we are commanded to go into world to help seek and save the lost. If you back up to 2nd Timothy 2, you will read this: Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. I haven't sensed this spirit in the ones opposing this film, but I have sensed it in those who made the film.
Again, 1 Cor. 5:11 is directed toward believers: But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
If this film were produced by the Church for the Church, by Focus on the Family or Campus Crusade, I'd be having fits, too! But this is a film on topics of interest to Christians, about Christians, and in most cases by Christians for the wider world. It's not claiming any teaching authority or trying to make any statement on homosexuality. It's telling a story, a true, wonderful story.
I respect your right to choose not to see the film. You must act as your conscience leads you. In this choice, my brother (or sister), we must respectfully disagree.
May God bless your efforts to be one approved. In this, we are in total agreement.
I know Christians who smoke and drink...a lot! (Gasp!) I don't agree with it, I pray God will bring them to a place where they feel compelled to let Him change that area of their lives...but I still love them. Jesus did not reject Chad Allen. I think there are a good number of people out there who are sporting logs in their eyes. We should be praying for Chad instead of rejecting and condemning him.
I should have been more specific. It is the Southern Baptist CONVENTION who I have a beef with here, not the many good people who attend their churches.
You are correct.
And I think a lot of these people are insecure in their beliefs when they think that this homosexual actor can have more influence over Christians in America than all of us can have over him.
Some people are always playing defense.
bump
I heard the chief electrician on the film was divorced and remarried. Boycott the film!
Thank you for that post. I agree with you wholeheartedly.
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