Chasing the Wind

News. Faith. Nonsense.

"Amazing Grace," Hollywood Style

“Too preachy?” That’s a new one to me. Hollywood is taking out all the factual, religious elements of the movie Amazing Grace and replacing them with secular, humanistic socio-political motives. From the Wall Stree Journal (subscription required):

Hollywood’s ‘Amazing’ Glaze
By CHARLOTTE ALLEN
Wall Street Journal, February 23, 2007; Page W11

…Alas, a lot of people watching “Amazing Grace,” Michael Apted’s just-released film, may get the impression — perhaps deliberately fostered by Mr. Apted — that Wilberforce was a mostly secular humanitarian whose main passion was not Christian faith but politics and social justice. …

… it is impossible to understand Wilberforce’s long antislavery campaign without seeing it as part of a larger Christian impulse….

Nowadays it is all too common — and not only in Hollywood — to assume that conservative Christian belief and a commitment to social justice are incompatible. …

Unfortunately director Apted, as he recently told Christianity Today magazine, decided to play down Wilberforce’s religious convictions — that would be too “preachy,” he said — and instead turned his story into a yarn of political triumph. …

What in the heck does Hollywood think “Amazing Grace” is, anyway? A triumph of secular humanism over slavery?

I was looking forward to seeing this movie precisely because I thought it was a pro-Christian movie, and I’m flabbergasted they would downplay the part that was most interesting to me, yet still leave the title as “Amazing Grace.”

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Michael's avatar

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Michael

Follower of Jesus, conservative, freedom-loving patriot.

2 responses to “"Amazing Grace," Hollywood Style”

  1. Sean Avatar
    Sean

    Well I heard the working title was “Stupefying Wondrous Thinking for the Progressive Glory of The Proletariat”, but the focus groups responded better to “Amazing Grace”.

    Stupid Christians, how can Hollywood trick you today?

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  2. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    Absolutely bizarre. Leave the Christian influence in the title of the movie, take out the Christian influence from the body of the movie. Remove factual pro-Christian influences in favor of secular humanistic motives because otherwise would be “too preachy.” And all because the director has pre-conceived notions that Christianity and anti-slavery are incompatible.

    Sheesh.

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About Me

Michael, a sinner saved by grace, sharing what the good Lord has shared with me.

Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes, said, “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

If you’re not living for the glory of God, then what you’re doing is meaningless, no matter what it is. Living for God gives life meaning, and enjoying a “chasing after the wind” is a gift from God. I’m doing what I can to enjoy this gift daily.

Got questions? I’m not surprised. If you have any questions about Chasing the Wind, you can email me at chasingthewind@outlook.com.

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