There are few things, if any, that upset me more than someone twisting or demeaning the context, the intent, the totality of the Word of God. ABC’s Of Kings and Prophets does just that. Billed as “an epic Biblical saga,” I couldn’t make it through the first episode for the very reason of how the beautiful Word of God was conveyed in such a non-Biblical way. ABC made out the prophet Samuel to be a crazy-eyed control freak, David a shady, unclean person who was trying to avoid paying his taxes, and the cast turns the Bible into a sordid soap opera replete with sex scenes and debauchery. Warning, Warning, Warning–take heed that no Hollywood depiction of the Holy Scriptures deceive you.
The Easter season is when Hollywood does its annual rewrite of the Bible. There are a handful of movies coming out of the Hollywoodwork to dramatize Christ. I would wager that most of them do not follow the scriptures, and if they do, they take extraordinary license. This is the world’s answer to what it is–use a little bit of truth to tell a better lie. These folks write screenplays based on the content of their own heart, not on the historic and spiritual aspect of the true Word. They are the ones who ridicule Christians for their beliefs, yet they themselves, believe all sorts of cultic rituals, behaviors and oddities. That’s OK, though. They are so far superior to God that they can change His truth. Or so they think.
Yes, I am on a rant. The Hollywood movies made about the Bible have impact. They alter the way people view the Bible, God and his people. These movies often have more reach to evangelize a false truth than does the church evangelizing the real truth. They portray God’s people as dirty, disheveled and mentally ill. ABC’s website gives five reasons why people should watch Of Kings and Prophets: Ray Winstone (Saul) is a good actor; there are strong female characters; Olly Rix (David) is easy on the eyes; beautiful talent, locations and costumes; and more to the story (sexy and gritty saga). This is the ABC hook–“more to the story” is all the sex and debauchery added in to keep the world watching.
I have heard all the arguments about artistic license and how it’s great that people want to promote the Bible with these films and plays. I have found that in many instances even Christians who produce these Biblical presentations change the scriptures to make them fit their artistic interpretation. It does more damage than good to those who might be seeking. Revelation 22:18-19 expresses how I view altering any of the scriptures: “For I testify unto every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
