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Here's a good movie to look forward to.
~Ptr. Jesse
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Lessons from a Fighter
Christians and Rocky Balboa
January 30, 2007
Here at BreakPoint, we get our fair share of e-mails and letters from this or
that filmmaker promoting this or that so-called "Christian" film. But one thing
we did not expect was to hear from the marketers of the recent release Rocky
Balboa.
Yes, that Rocky Balboa, the final entry in the series about the boxer with a
heart of gold. Suddenly, we were hearing about how Rocky is "a spiritual
journey" and how Sylvester Stallone was telling pastors about his personal
Christian faith. The statement we received from Motive Entertainment read, in
part, "This isn't a 'Christian' film, but there's some pretty cool stuff that
you can relate to faith and values."
Many of us here were taken by surprise. The Rocky movies had their virtues, but
faith is not the first word they bring to mind. And the whole issue of faith in
film is more complicated than it appears. Remember, ever since The Passion of
the Christ cleaned up at the box office, many film companies have had dollar
signs in their eyes whenever they looked at Christians. We are now considered a
group to be marketed tobut that status can have its price. It can tempt us to
go along with and endorse things we shouldn't, simply because it might help us
keep our power. As John Fischer wrote on our website, BreakPoint.org, we must
be careful, for the sake of our message, not to let ourselves be "used."
So we have some tricky questions to answer: Are the film companies calling
pastors and e-mailing ministries because they genuinely think they have
something good to share with us? Or because they're hoping that they can put
enough of a Christian "spin" on their latest product, whatever it is, to earn
the Christian dollar?
That brings us back to Rocky Balboa. Now, in this case I was pleased to
discover that the marketers were not just making things up. Rocky Balboa is no
more an overtly Christian film than its predecessors, but Motive Entertainment
had a point in calling it "spiritual." The story concerns Rocky's controversial
return to the ring when he's well past his prime.
But the images that linger are those of a strong man helping and protecting the
weak (in this case, a single mother and her teenage son), and being a wise and
encouraging father to his own troubled son. "The world," Rocky tells his son,
"is a very mean and nasty place, and it will beat you to your knees and keep
you there permanently if you let it."
But Rocky consistently demonstrates compassion, selflessness, and loyalty,
showing the best way to respond to a "nasty" world. That sounds like a pretty
good reflection of the Christian worldview to me.
So I'm glad to be able to recommend Rocky Balboa as a good film, one that
Christians can enjoy watching. It demonstrates that a film, while not using
overtly Christian themes or employing Christian jargon, can still teach
Christian values. It is rated PG for violence and mild profanity.
A note of caution: We can't jump on the bandwagon to call something "Christian"
just because the world tells us it is. If we needed discernment when the film
industry was largely hostile to our faith, we need it all the more now that
Hollywood is seeking to draw more and more Christians into the nation's movie
houses.
Get links to further information on today's topic
For printer-friendly version, simply visit www.breakpoint.org and click on
Today's Commentary. The printer-friendly link is on the left-hand column.
Copyright (c) 2007 Prison Fellowship
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN FINAL FORM AND MAY BE
UPDATED.
Featured Resource
Hollywood Worldviews: Watching Films with Wisdom and Discernment by Brian
Godawa
Recommended Resources
Finding God in the Movies by Catherine Barsotti and Robert K. Johnston
Subscribe today to BreakPoint WorldView magazine! Call 1-877-322-5527.
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