A Spearited Debate

As some of you may be aware, Every Tribe Entertainment is putting out a movie entitled End of the Spear which relates Nate Saint's interaction with the Waorani tribe and the subsequent murder by the tribe of those missionaries (including Saint) and the later transformation of the tribe. And you may be aware of Chad Allen playing Nate and Steve Saint in the movie.

The swirl of controversy, which has arose at various blogs in the blogosphere, surrounds the hiring of Allen, who is a homosexual and an activist for the gay movement. Some have said that for a Christian company to hire someone knowing this is irresponsible, while others see such criticism as a double standard that we elevate homosexuality to a higher level of criticism than other sins (as if it is "worse" than the others). The latter seem to indicate that the Gospel is presented in the movie, and state that the criticism is that it is watered down is not warranted; those criticizing the hiring of Allen states that being in the movie gives him a platform to promote his lifestyle. On the Larry King Show, Allen seems to indicate that he has a relationship with God, though some would say that he stops short of indicating that he is a professing Christian.

There is obviously a tension to be debated: a Christian movie, about a great story of what Christ did through a group of missionaries to affect change in the hearts of this tribe. However, one of the actors personally holds to a lifestyle that is blatantly sinful. Some who have criticized the criticism state that it is no different than the fact that someone such as Liam Neeson would play in a movie such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (voice of Aslan), but had before played in the lead role in the movie Kinsey.

Now, there are some differences to the case at hand with the example just given above--the movie company shooting Kinsey was hardly a Christian company, and certainly the content of the movie could not be said to be putting forth a Christian message. However, on the other hand, other movies that are put forth have used actors who are certainly not Christians--some have mentioned Joseph Fiennes playing the role of Luther (though it must be pointed out that they were not a Christian company, which those who criticize the action highlight).

Dan Phillips and the folks over at Pyromaniacs have said much on this whole topic, and so have others.

We must be careful that we do not hold to a double standard, taking outrage at one thing, and dismissing another. I'm sure that no Christian would admit to going to a movie that glorifies adultery or lying or any other sin that God would abhor, but it may in some ways be easier to justify in our own minds because these have come to be somewhat "accepted" as "normal."

I don't know if I'll go see the movie or not, though I think that my wallet (and the absence of required dollars therein) may determine that more than anything. :)