Quote of the Weak -- Material Needs

"If we grant the baptized brother the right to the gifts of salvation, but refuse him the gifts necessary to earthly life or knowingly leave him in material need and distress, we are holding up the gifts of salvation to ridicule and behaving as liars."
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship


"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distress, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:21)

Now Showing -- Amazing Grace

The Bishop's Rating: aaaaa (Five out of five marks)

Very much worth the $5.50 price!

The recommendations came from a wide range of people. In fact, so many people recommended this movie to me that I was intrigued. I was afraid that it would be another heavy handed "Christian movie" that basically only Christians would want to see.

I enjoyed this movie on so many levels that it is hard to know where to start. Basically it is the story of William Wilberforce, the British Member of Parliament that sponsored the bill to abolish the slave trade in all English colonies. This may not sound like much of a story to you, but you could not be more wrong. This movie is a story of love, penance, redemption and grace.
The title Amazing Grace comes from the song of the same title which was written by a former Slave Ship captain. Wilberforce was a student of this captain who had become a "protestant monk" after his conversion.
The movie shows the important role that Wilberforce's wife played in her encouragement to continue to fight the fight, although he had lost the effort 39 times over 18 years (a fact that is not in the movie).
I also appreciated the depiction of Colitis, which afflicted Wilberforce and now affects my wife. The physical and emotional suffering that he endured served to make him even more aware of a life lived well.
Far from Christian Cheese this movie should appeal to a wide audience, and encourage many to be who they have been created to be.

The sad fact is that I believe that most people will not see this movie. One point in the movie was that "great men" most often become great through actions that haunt them, yet Wilberforce proved to be a great man through actions that blessed others. It is a beautiful story; sadly a story that most likely will not sell.