"End of the Spear" & Re-Imagining Christians in the Arts

Friday night, Kristy and I finally had chance to go see “End of the Spear,” with the testimonies of Steve and Matthew McCully still fresh in our hearts and minds. Keeping the “independent” nature of the film in mind, it was brilliantly done. There aren’t any big name cast members, but the lead characters are obviously played by seasoned, professional actors.

The story focuses on Nate Saint, his son Steve, and Mincayani, the tribesman who took part in the murder of Nate, Jim Elliot, and three other missionaries in the early 1950’s. Little background is given about Elliot and the other missionaries, which gets a little confusing at one point in the film, if you aren’t already familiar with the whole story.

Something I appreciate about the film is that it struck a decent balance in portraying the violence that was such a pervasive part of Waodani society without going too far in typical Quentin Tarantino (or even Mel Gibson “Passion of the Christ”) fashion. Some might argue that the violence could’ve gone even further in order to be truer to reality, but my guess is that it would’ve bumped the film up to an “R” rating, and therefore given it less exposure.

Another highlight of the film as a whole is that the spiritual context of the story is pretty subtle. What’s obvious about the five missionary families is that they are there in the jungles of Ecuador to help the Waodani people, but the truth of their mission to “convert the Waodani to Christianity” is not blatantly obvious. This makes the subversive impact of the film all the more powerful. Whereas Hollywood tends to promote violence and portray meekness as weak, this film tells the story of five armed men who refuse to use their weapons against those to whom they are bringing a message of peace.

Not only is this film (as well as the story) worthy of wide recognition in and of itself, but my hope is that it will help to set a new precedent for people of the Christian faith who wish to use mediums such as music, film and literature to persuasively communicate spiritual truth. Whereas the Church has often only given value to such forms of art if it has an overtly Gospel message to it, what is needed is a recapturing of a holistic approach to the arts that is characteristic of Rembrandt and Daniel Defoe. After explaining how Protestantism historically claimed the nonreligious aspects of life for God, Steve Turner says this in his book “Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts,”:

This liberated the art made by Christians because it allowed art that wasn’t explicitly religious yet was soaked in biblical values. One of the most frequently cited examples of this is the work of Rembrandt. We don’t have a record of Rembrandt’s personal beliefs but know that he was raised in the Reformed Church in Holland, and it is assumed that he would have been taught the Bible from a Calvinist viewpoint when at school.

When we look carefully at the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, we see an example of a brilliant teacher who used subversive methods of communication (such as story) in powerfully persuasive ways. Those who claim to follow in his footsteps would do well to imitate Him accordingly. “The End of the Spear” is a great step in that direction.

Maybe another good step would be to recognize spiritual truth wherever it is found, including Hollywood. After all, if it’s true, it finds its source in the Maker of All Things.

Other helpful quotes from Steve Turner's “Imagine”:
“I believe that Christians should be writing poetry infused with godly perception rather than poetry about religion.” (p. 20)

“[Philippians 4:8], probably more than any other, has been used to deter Christians from the arts. It has been interpreted as meaning only look at, listen to or read things which are noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy. Yet this would preclude us from passing our eyes over much of the descriptions of impurity and awfulness in the Bible. David’s life would have to be read in an abridged version. Could we dwell on Job or Revelation? How could we deal with the negativity in Ecclesiastes?” (p. 40)

“A corollary of this has been that Christians have thought that they should only create art with a Pollyanna quality to it: paintings of birds and kittens, movies that extol family life and end happily, songs that are positive and uplifting – in short, works of art that show a world that is almost unfallen where no one experiences conflict and where sin is naughty rather than wicked.” (p. 41)

“In fact wrestling with worldly ideas is one way in which our minds are renewed. It challenges our assumptions and threatens our complacency. It sends us back to the Bible and forces us to kneel in prayer.” (p. 44)


Categories: film, culture