The Blog by Jerry Benge - Missions Pastor:

A Word About The Movie Night.....

By now many of you are aware that on April 12, a week from this Friday evening, our Missions Team is showing the movie, The Insanity of God, based on a book by that name written by Nik Ripken (which is his pseudonym to protect his identity and that of his colleagues). The 90 minute movie has been described as an amazing true story of faith and persecution—which indeed it is. Accordingly, with such an intense subject some have raised a good and relevant question: “Is it family friendly?” The short answer is “No.” But before you stop reading, please hear me out. Persecution by definition is intense. Yet, the violence that is depicted is neither gratuitous nor needlessly exaggerated. It is simply real. Not only for millions of believers in other parts of the world today, but for most of human history, persecution has been the norm.

American believers have been relatively shielded from the kind of hostility that is depicted in this movie, though lately we are beginning to sense the cultural tide turning sharply against the Christian worldview and especially against the Gospel itself. The challenge of suffering for the Gospel (an issue with which Ripken himself transparently struggles), is met and modeled by the persecuted churches in hard places like Somalia, where the Ripken’s spent a considerable part of their missionary lives. What he learned from the suffering and steadfast faithfulness of his Somali brothers and sisters launched him and his wife on a journey to hard places such as China and the former Soviet Union. In several countries, he interviewed pastors and their family members who had suffered for their faith and devotion to the Scriptures.

Spoiler alert: I am going to give you just a taste of the message of this movie from a review of the book that captures well the essence of what Ripken discovered though his interviews: “It is unlike anything we in the West can imagine, but for them it is simply normal Christianity. In the former Soviet Union, Ripken asked believers why they did not share their stories of faith under fire with the rest of the world. One of them took him to an eastward-facing window and asked him, "'Do you tell stories of how the sun comes up every morning?"'

Getting back to the question about the movie, I do not put this movie in the category of a fun family night. It would be most profitable for young adults (including our high school and college ministries) as well as all adults. For my part, I would like to see my older grandchildren watch a movie like this one followed by a thoughtful discussion from the Scriptures with their Dad and Mom (and Grandpa and Grandma too if we happen to be in Louisville!) In the end, parents, you know your children best and what they are ready or not ready to process.

If there is anything that I might consider over the top, it’s the title. God is not insane. But I also understand that phrases like that are thrown around for some shock and awe, something that book publishers and movie producers like to use to sell tickets and books. Honestly, they didn’t need it. God’s persecuted people in hard places have learned to know and lean on Christ in ways that will challenge you in this movie. Next to that, shock and awe is more like a sneeze.

On behalf of the Mission Team, we hope to see many of you at the movie on April 12 at 7:00 pm.

For the Gospel to the nations, Jerry.