The Bully Pulpit Insider article by John Nolte nailed it, told it like it is and I pray that Christians are paying attention.
Noting the arrogance of atheists in Hollywood movie making and the poor knowledge that far too many in Hollywood have about the Bible Nolte states:
"It certainly didn’t help matters that in the run up to the release of “Exodus,” Scott bragged about his own atheism and the actor portraying Moses, the ironically-named Christian Bale, told The Hollywood Reporter that Moses was, “[L]ikely schizophrenic and was one of the most barbaric individuals that I ever read about in my life.”"
That’s because they get their interpretations from the spiritually blind, who delight is twisting God’s truths to fit their egos. And that is why we have to tell our own stories and why our brothers and sisters who take on such projects had better be accurate in their presentations of God’s word. (come to think of it, perhaps TD Jakes and Tyler Perry would not be the right people to do this kind of work, since they have clearly been known to compromise in the worst ways).
John went on to say:
"Americans were hungry for a biblical epic and still trusted Hollywood to deliver one in a respectful way. But once the word got out that Aronofsky turned Noah and God Himself into an anti-human, tree-hugging environmental terrorist, the box office collapsed -61% the following weekend."
Picture that, an atheists telling the world about Noah. What did we expect? Noah would not have made as much money as it did if Christian pastors and churches around the nation were doing their jobs. It’s not like the atheists doing he movie were hiding the fact that they were atheists. Just a little homework before endorsing the movie would have yielded sufficient red flags to save the Christians some hard earned money, but instead, laziness ruled the day and the Name Noah was all they needed to run to the movies. Sad indeed.
Eventually the word got out, “eventually” and when it finally did, things changed. John continued:
"The word-of-mouth damage to “Noah” was so severe that even though it opened to $44 million, boasted a Big Star, and enjoyed enormous publicity, it barely limped over $100 million domestically. Worldwide, “Noah” hit $362 million, and with a total budget of $175 million that means it might have barely broke even."
And even their “breaking even” is a tragic testimony to our diligence. John continues:
"Once burnt, twice shy, indeed. CGI spectacle, a much-beloved story, a big-name director, a ton of publicity, and the star of “The Dark Knight” couldn’t open “Exodus” to even $25 million. The trust among the Faithful was gone even before “Exodus” opened, and there’s no question disappointment with “Noah” was a primary contributor."
True, but my concern is that we have had plenty of experiences with atheist Hollywood to know better than to just jump at their material without careful pre-examination. That laziness has become a part of the Christian church and it has resulted in the production of many professing Christians who have no real convictions about God, the Bible or the Christian faith. They are in fact false brethren who simply claim to be Christians without having a clue about what true Christianity is. And as a result, the God haters have plenty of people willing to publically claim Christianity and at the same time defend and support all kinds of perversions that the God of the Bible condemns. (Have you seen the latest “Survival” episode?)
John continued:
"Now “Exodus” is in real trouble for reasons of its own: Scott’s heart just isn’t in it. One of the most inspiring and moving stories ever told is both boring and disrespectful to God (until the end, He’s portrayed as a psychotic child)."
I disagree, (no offence John), I think his heart was fully in it, and his goal was to make money while applying his Godless influence on the Bible story. Their goal is to free us foolish Christians from our interpretation and trust of the Bible.
John concludes by saying:
"Just like that, arrogant, anti-Christian, provincial Hollywood lost the trust of the tens of millions of Americans who made “The Passion” a cultural and financial phenomenon, and were hungry for more.
And with the Faithfull’s trust went hundreds of millions of dollars.
Nothing personal, Hollywood. We’re just hating you back.
“While, I would not say it is “hate” that we feel, it certainly is not trust.
It’s time that we true Christians woke up and stopped allowing the fake Christians represent us to the world.
See the full article here:
http://us3.campaign-archive1.com/?u=09bb5495c78d1f1728bf60994&id=fe2b2f6c8c&e=52fc7bc9c4