Oct. 31 1517, an Augustinian Monk nailed a set of theses for debate on the Wittenberg Church door, little suspecting that the world would never again be the same. The Monk's name was Martin Luther and his theses were the beginning of the recovery of the Gospel for the Christian world.
We moderns tend to think of this day as costumes and candy, but we as Christians have shamefully forgotten our heritage. We have forgotten that the Gospel, though never entirely lost, had been pushed into the shadows and God then used Luther to bring His Gospel back into the center. Let us never forget what God did through Luther and the reformers, let us never forget the courage they showed against the Holy Roman Empire. We should be thankful for the sacrifices the made.
I am deeply thankful for what Luther did (and consistently amused by him), and I was wondering how you celebrate this day if you do. And if you haven't in the past do you have any idea's. To give an example my family watches the Luther movie every year on this day. How about you feel free to share, I would like to hear some idea's.
Showing posts with label Church History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Church History. Show all posts
Friday, October 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Movie Review - Amazing Grace
I know I'm late to the party on this one but I feel the need to express some appreciation and some frustration with this movie.
This movie is a depiction of William Wilberforce's fight to end the slave trade in England. His fight was eventually successful. I am not a Wilberforce expert but it appears to be accurate in most respects, with some exceptions for dramatic effect.
I appreciate the movie's portrayal of Wilberforce, from my understanding of his character the portrayal was accurate and honored the man. It also showed that Wilberforce's passion for abolition flowed from his Christian faith, I feared that this would not be the case. I found the movie to be quite compelling in this regard, but I do have some issues on this area that I will mention shortly.
I was also intrigued by his relationship with William Pitt, it is amazing to me how complicated friendship can sometimes be, I think this reflects as much on me as this movie, but Pitt and Wilberforce were close but issues drove them apart and then reunited them.
My one big objection was the portrayal of John Newton, Newton's role was downplayed and Newton himself was, without clarity, portrayed as a Catholic priest. They never identified him as such, but they never identified him as anything. But they referred to him as hearing confession and once as a monk. Newton was a Baptist I am proud to say and I am really confused as to this change in character. I don't understand why they made this change, I don't see that it adds any drama to the movie.
That last gripe aside, I recommend this movie highly. I think it would be an enjoyable movie for all. It could lead to some meaningful conversation with a lost friend or a young Christian being discipled. Like everything else in our fallen world it is a flawed movie, but worth the watch.
This movie is a depiction of William Wilberforce's fight to end the slave trade in England. His fight was eventually successful. I am not a Wilberforce expert but it appears to be accurate in most respects, with some exceptions for dramatic effect.
I appreciate the movie's portrayal of Wilberforce, from my understanding of his character the portrayal was accurate and honored the man. It also showed that Wilberforce's passion for abolition flowed from his Christian faith, I feared that this would not be the case. I found the movie to be quite compelling in this regard, but I do have some issues on this area that I will mention shortly.
I was also intrigued by his relationship with William Pitt, it is amazing to me how complicated friendship can sometimes be, I think this reflects as much on me as this movie, but Pitt and Wilberforce were close but issues drove them apart and then reunited them.
My one big objection was the portrayal of John Newton, Newton's role was downplayed and Newton himself was, without clarity, portrayed as a Catholic priest. They never identified him as such, but they never identified him as anything. But they referred to him as hearing confession and once as a monk. Newton was a Baptist I am proud to say and I am really confused as to this change in character. I don't understand why they made this change, I don't see that it adds any drama to the movie.
That last gripe aside, I recommend this movie highly. I think it would be an enjoyable movie for all. It could lead to some meaningful conversation with a lost friend or a young Christian being discipled. Like everything else in our fallen world it is a flawed movie, but worth the watch.
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