Mercy Rule (2014)

I’ve been pretty excited to watch Darren Doane’s Free Speech Apocalypse for a few months now, especially after noting that he directed Collision, which is my favorite C

hristian movie that I haven’t actually seen.  Not that I don’t want to.  And I’ve seen enough clips to make me feel like I actually have seen it.  Even though I haven’t.  And I really like it.  Despite having not seen it.

Nevertheless, to tide me over, I looked up a few of his other works to tide me over.  Unstoppable was good – seen that one.  Saving Christmas?  Er, word around the block (and I mean by that people who would actually appreciate the theology of this movie – not the general assessment of the world) is that it was pretty bad.  Mercy Rule?  Haven’t heard of that one, but why not?  Let’s give it a try.

What was interesting about it is that it wasn’t what we would call a “Christian” film.  It is a self-described “family” film, but we would not immediately say it is “Christian” except that Doane directed and Kirk Cameron stars in it.

Does that mean it’s not Christian?  Well, the whole point of this blog is to point out that just because we label something as “Christian” doesn’t mean that it is good theology, or even really that it is at all Christian.  At the same time, here we have a film that stands thoroughly on a Christian worldview as its foundation.  It is about things – truth, honestly, community, family, righteousness, a good work ethic – that God loves.  The antagonists in this movie are not only the bad guys trying to take what isn’t theirs.  It’s also the pride of life and the desire for wealth or recognition that is part of the main characters themselves. 

Children of Men (2006)

Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.

-Psalm 90:3, KJV

The most astonishing things about the recent Planned Parenthood videos are not the videos themselves.  We always knew they were killing people, so it shouldn’t be a surprise when we find out that they are selling the bodies of the people they slaughter.  No, that revelation is interesting to watch, but it shouldn’t surprise it.

Make us ashamed, angry, and sick to the stomach?  Yes.  Surprised?  No.

But the surprising part is watching people defend it.  We’ve had defenders of death for some time, of course.  We’ve had the same arguments for decades now, and some people seem really sincere in presenting them.  The only thing that has really changed is the level of self-denial inherent in these arguments as medical science continues to make it more and more obvious that which the Bible taught us from the beginning – that a fetus (Latin for “baby”) is a living human.  And the Bible goes further still with the statement that not only is the baby a living human, but is also made in the image of God, and therefore worthy of dignity and respect.

The arguments become more desperate as that fact is becoming more obvious.  For many of us, who genuinely thought that the world would come around once it was proven that the baby is alive, it is a bit of a shock when we watch people still cling to death because they love it.

We love death.