Salvation is a gift that everyone should want to receive. It is a gift beside which all others pale. And yet, it is a gift that most people reject.
Many excellent films have been made that tell the story of the life of Christ. Some of these films succeed in capturing the obvious dramatic possibilities of the coming of the Messiah by marshaling the industry's most acclaimed talents in writing, directing, acting, and cinematography; others, though technically inferior, candidly concentrate on evangelism and in that way prove more provocative.
Falling into that latter category is the latest contribution to Christologic cinema, a recently released film called The Revolutionary, produced by Gateway Films/Vision Video. That title may seem ill-advised in light of the havoc wrought in recent decades by liberation theologians, but, as the film's producers explain, Jesus Christ is "history's true revolutionary. He changed the world as none other before or since, and his message is more compelling today than ever." They emphasize that the revolution Jesus seeks to foment is "in the hearts and lives of people."
The 48-minute film provides a brisk survey of the pivotal moments in the life of Christ -- his birth in a manger, his baptism by John the Baptist, his first public miracle at the wedding feast at Cana, his attack on the moneychangers in the temple, his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, his betrayal by Judas, the agonizing crucifixion that followed, and his glorious resurrection and ascension into Heaven. Aimed at a young adult audience, and accompanied by a discussion guide, the film earnestly seeks to introduce -- or reintroduce -- Jesus to an age group acutely vulnerable to apostasy.
That effort is a vitally important one in an age when more and more parents seem to be neglecting their primary responsibility of teaching their children about God's gift of salvation. The numbers of the ignorant are on the rise. The numbers of the forgetful seem to be increasing too, as technological advances allow ever more manmade marvels to compete for our attention with the made-man marvel of Christ. The missionary zeal of atheists and antitheists ensures that thousands upon thousands will remain ignorant, or forgetful, of the true identity of their Benefactor and the true nature of His gift. Taught to sneer at every sign of the supernatural, they will believe in the divinity of nature, the divinity of man, the divinity of science, the divinity of any abstraction at hand, before they will believe in the divinity of God. They will take salvation for granted, they will proclaim it as a right, or they will reject it as an insufferable burden.
What will we do? Will we show gratitude for the promise of salvation? Or will we fancy ourselves grateful and stand idly by while millions reject the gift that we have accepted for ourselves? Will we allow our parents, our spouses, our children, our friends, and our enemies -- knowingly or unknowingly -- to reject the gift of God to man? What kind of gratitude would that be?
NOTE: For more information about Gateway Films/Vision Video, call: 1-800-523-0226.
