The Emmy-nominated actor, who is best known for his roles in the Indiana Jones and Lord of the Rings franchises, says he is indebted to Christianity and believes it has brought more positive change to the world than any other religion. Actor John Rhys-Davies portrayed Sallah in the Indiana Jones films and Gimli in the Lord of the Rings series but has found a niche in recent years within faith-based projects, such as I Am Patrick, The Apostle Paul: Redemption, and Beyond the Mask. His latest project is Scrooge: A Christmas Carol, in which Rhys-Davies lends his voice as the narrator of a faith-focused podcast series presented by Hope Media Group and Compassion International. It also features the voices of Sean Astin, Bethany Joy Lenz, and Ben Barnes.
"I am absolutely in love with Western European Christian civilization, which has given us and the world these glorious things like the right of the individual conscience, the right of free speech, the right of free assembly, democracy, the abolition of slavery, the concept of a just war," Rhys-Davies told Crosswalk Headlines. "... We are the heirs and custodians of the greatest attempt at living morally and justly that there has ever been on earth."
Although Rhys-Davies grew up Protestant, he said he does not consider himself a person of faith. Still, he said, he believes Christianity has had a profound impact on the world.
"The Christian faith has given the world more positive things than any other faith or belief has given," he said.
Among Christianity's contributions to the world, he said, is music. Early Christians, he said, wrote music to "praise the Lord," which led to "the mass, and from the mass, we get the great classical musical tradition."
"That is just one of the great glories of mankind in itself," he said.
Another contribution of Christianity, he said, is its rich tradition of art. Throughout church history, he added, Christians have painted iconic scenes, crafted intricate murals, and sculpted inspiring statues. Rhys-Davies cited 15th-century Jan van Eyck, a Christian who revolutionized the field of painting. Thanks to van Eyck's advances, people could "draw with more precision than we've ever seen -- those saints, that birth, the Annunciation, the Madonna and Child."
"The whole tradition of Western art comes from there," he said. "Good Lord, do we know what abundance we have? We should be celebrating it, and we do celebrate it."
WATCH: Scrooge, A Christmas Carol Podcast Official Trailer
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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.