Hollywood and the entertainment industry are in the midst of a “revival moment” of faith-based projects that are unifying the body of Christ and amplifying light across a dark world, says the actor best known for his roles in The Chosen and Jesus Revolution.
Actor Jonathan Roumie made the comments in a Thursday Instagram post alongside the latest cover of Newsweek which portrays a depiction of Christ holding a movie set clapperboard. The cover story -- under the headline “Jesus Takes Hollywood” -- spotlights Sound of Freedom and other faith-centric projects. Days earlier, TV Guide profiled The Chosen in a cover story.
“Our collective projects, @thechosentvseries and @jesusrevolutionmovie are at the heart of this revival moment in culture and entertainment,” Roumie wrote. “It's a pivotal moment in time on so many levels; for culture, politics, faith, ideology, and entertainment, among others.”
Roumie portrays Jesus in The Chosen and evangelist Lonnie Frisbee in Jesus Revolution. Both are major hits.
Meanwhile, Angel Studios’ film Sound of Freedom surprised Hollywood by opening at No. 1 at the box office and grossing more than $125 million. Earlier this year, another Angel film, His Only Son, opened at No. 3 at the box office.
“I can see the pendulum swinging upwards; the praise- skyward bound, the naysayers losing ground, and the willingness to build bridges and unify the fractured body of Christ in simply celebrating together,” Roumie wrote. “The thrust of my mission continues to be to amplify and shape how and where the light falls on earth through the gifts I've been blessed with, the realms of influence in which I've been given authority, and the specific capacity to shoulder what I can (though I struggle quite often).
“That said, submission on the most spiritually fundamental level reigns supreme … and I cannot wait to see how the Divine continues to permeate the earthly, armed with His regiment of rugged, culture-catalysts.”
Roumie, who is Catholic, said he will be attending next week’s World Youth Day, an annual observance that was launched by Pope John Paul II. The event is an “extension of this collaboration,” he wrote.
“Maranatha … Come Holy Spirit,” he wrote.
Photo Courtesy: The Chosen
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.