Coming in this Friday's paper

I get to write for the local paper, the illustrious Spartanburg Herald-Journal, a few times a year. I am grateful for the opportunity. Here's my article that will come out in this Friday's paper. It probably won't win me a Pulitzer, but I wanted to share it anyway.

They say confession is good for the soul, so let me confess: I don’t like most Christian movies or even most Christian music. I realize that just typing those words can get me labeled as a heretic in some circles, but let’s be honest: Most of it is just cheesy.
 Frankly, I think those of us who call ourselves Christians can do a better job. We serve the ultimate artist. Our work should be worthy of the God we serve. And as C.S. Lewis is reported to have said: “The world does not need more Christian literature. What it needs is more Christians writing good literature.”
 This past weekend, a movie debuted that is worthy of the God we serve. Producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey brought Jesus to the big screen in Son of God.
 The Hub City Church family had the privilege of viewing this film as a part of our Sunday worship gathering, and it was life-shaping.
 I’d even go so far as to say this is one of those “must see” movies; even if you aren’t a Christian or a church person. Regardless of what one believes about Jesus one has to agree that he is one of the most, if not the most influential figure in all of human history. Which means, no matter what your religious background or belief system, you owe it to yourself to see the movie.
 I love what Roma Downey, who co-produces and stars as Jesus’ mom says about this, “If you came to the movie and you didn’t know anything about Jesus you would really get a sense of the journey of his life. It was our job to make sure that the journey emotionally connected with you. So we told the story on the one hand as a political thriller and at the same time, it is a beautiful love story. There is intimacy to it, and we hope that you’re drawn in, that you are emotionally engaged and that you get a sense that you really know who Jesus is.” That is what I want for you. More than anything, I want for you to know Jesus, and Son of God is a great place to start. But don’t stop there. After watching the movie, crack open a Bible or download the youversion.com Bible app, and read the accounts of Jesus’ life found in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. There are a lot of great movies, but only a few are life-changing. Son of God is one of the few. Thank goodness it passed my “not cheesy” test. I am confident it will pass yours as well.