Why is Morgan Freeman's 'The Story of God' So Popular?
Morgan Freeman is one of my favorite actors. Clearly I'm not alone—the Academy-Award winning actor has made at least forty-five movies. However, his faith is not the reason I admire his work. When asked if he would consider himself an atheist or agnostic, he replied, "I think we invented God. So if I believe in God, and I do, it's because I think I'm God."
Now Freeman is making headlines with "The Story of God," one of the highest-rated programs in the history of National Geographic Channel. His goal is to unite people of different religions, showing that "we're all seeking the same thing . . . and basically coming up with the same ideas about who we are, what we are, and where we are going."
Welcome to the age of relativism, where "all roads lead up the same mountain" and truth is whatever we say it is. Except when our "truth" is biblical. Then we're intolerant if not dangerous.
Consider the furor that erupted recently when Hillary Clinton told a television interviewer that "the unborn person doesn't have constitutional rights." Pro-life supporters obviously disagreed. But the surprise was that pro-abortion forces criticized her statement as well. That's because Planned Parenthood refers to the "unborn person" as a "fetus" or even "uterine contents."
However, as Jonah Goldberg observes, "No father speaks to a belly full of 'uterine contents.'" Under federal law and many state laws, a person who murders a pregnant woman can be charged with two homicides. White House press secretary Josh Earnest recently explained why the president is asking for money to fight the Zika virus: "I think Democrats and Republicans in Congress are interested in making sure that pregnant women and unborn children in this country can be properly protected." So the president wants to protect "unborn children" from Zika but not from abortion.
When we have no objective values, tolerance for all values is the only value left. That's why the rights of transgender people to the bathrooms, showers, and sports teams of their choosing are so important. (Less important are the rights of the 99.97 percent of Americans who are not transgender.)
How should Christians respond?
One: Expect our society's rejection of biblical truth to escalate. Polygamy advocates are marshalling resources to legalize "plural marriage." Canada's prime minister is pushing for nation-wide euthanasia, an initiative that will continue to grow in popularity across America. Once a culture decides that tolerance is its cardinal virtue, it becomes intolerant of anyone it considers intolerant. And never notices the irony.
Two: Keep "speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15). I know I quote this text often, but biblical witness with compassion has never been more vital than it is today. The sicker the patient, the more needed the physician. Or in our case, the Great Physician.
God's word to Joshua upon entering the pagan land of Canaan is his word to us today: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).
Do you see any exceptions to his promise?
Publication date: April 18, 2016
For more from the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, please visit www.denisonforum.org.
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