Recently I have been involved in some discussion as to the appropriateness of what I do for Hollywood Jesus. Is there value in all movies? Can you find spiritual truth in any movie? And the list goes on and on. As is often the case, some people don’t seem to understand, want to question worthiness, and even make confrontation as to the things I and others at Hollywood Jesus do.I can’t speak for every person at Hollywood Jesus that reviews film. I can speak for the integrity and effectiveness of the web site. I can also speak of my own intent, my own reasoning, and my perspectives.
I am going to make a challenging comment, truth is truth, no matter what the source. God is also God and can use anything he chooses to get his point across. Thankfully, and fortunately, God hasn’t given up on making effort to find ways to reach others with his love, even if that means finding a point of spiritual truth that one can relate to in a movie, song, book, television show, or what ever method God chooses to use.
I review movies with this intent; I understand that millions of people see movies on weekends, whether Christians like it, support it or not. I also realize that millions of people, don’t believe the Bible, and have virtually no respect for Christians. In many cases this is for nothing more than the hypocrisy and lack of love shown from those who call themselves followers of Jesus. While a true follower of Jesus can be the best testimony there is to the existence of God, a weak or judgmental Christian can also be the greatest hindrance there is to the reality of Jesus Christ. I challenge, it begins and ends with love. While judgment is certainly involved, that judgment is offered after the offer and desire for the acceptance of love. It is also offered and given by God.
In my reviews of movies I have two specific purposes, to show Christians who may or may not see the movie to help recognize any spiritual truth that may be in the movie, no matter how small. Why do I do this? I do it because of the need to find ways to share Jesus love with the world. Unfortunately, many make excuses to not do this, I am grateful to be a part of a ministry that makes the sacrifice to find ways to share this. I also review movies so that those who are not followers of Jesus can be pointed to spiritual nuggets of truth in the reviews. I have been blessed and frankly surprised at the number of people who have responded in a positive way here. Whether a son of a Baptist preacher brought back to faith, an abused daughter who had given up on God, or a Wiccan discovering the real Jesus, I have been blessed on many occasions to be a part of a life changing ministry that makes a difference. The Bible is rather clear, we can judge who is and who is not a follower of Jesus on several concepts, including their fruit, their love, and their response as to who Jesus Christ is. On these points, I again challenge, I have been blessed to be a part of this ministry.
Today I had a friend and fellow reviewer from Hollywood Jesus send me and the other reviewers at Hollywood Jesus a video he had put together. I am asking you to watch that video today. See how spiritual truths are addressed in movies, television shows and so forth. I ask you to watch, I ask you to respond with your thoughts.
The friend sending the video was Ken Priebe. I am posting his message and then posting he video. Just click on the video to watch, if the video don’t appear, just click on the link,
Greetings to All at HollywoodJesus!Recently I was inspired by seeing various movie images in my head while listening to my iPod at the bus-stop and just had to take advantage of my time off over Easter Weekend to get this creative impulse out of my system.
I present to you a music video I edited together, inspired by lyrics which I realized reflect the experience of the Hero's Journey and the spiritual thread that runs through so many epic movies. Soak in how the stories weave with the words and your own journey!
This is dedicated to all of you who "dare to move" for Hollywood Jesus!
Blessings,
Ken Priebe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oavhdsGu4Hg
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