I Knew Rocky Was Spiritual!

The following article, written by Charles Colson, for his radio program Breakpoint, is spiritual justification for being a fan of Rocky Balboa, the Italian Stallion.

Lessons from a Fighter
Christians and Rocky BalboaJanuary 30, 2007 

Here at BreakPoint, we get our fair share of e-mails and letters from this or that filmmaker promoting this or that so-called “Christian” film. But one thing we did not expect was to hear from the marketers of the recent release Rocky Balboa.

Yes, that Rocky Balboa, the final entry in the series about the boxer with a heart of gold. Suddenly, we were hearing about how Rocky is “a spiritual journey” and how Sylvester Stallone was telling pastors about his personal Christian faith.

The statement we received from Motive Entertainment read, in part, “This isn’t a ‘Christian’ film, but there’s some pretty cool stuff that you can relate to faith and values.”Many of us here were taken by surprise. The Rocky movies had their virtues, but faith is not the first word they bring to mind. And the whole issue of faith in film is more complicated than it appears.

Remember, ever since The Passion of the Christ cleaned up at the box office, many film companies have had dollar signs in their eyes whenever they looked at Christians. We are now considered a group to be marketed to—but that status can have its price. It can tempt us to go along with and endorse things we shouldn’t, simply because it might help us keep our power. As John Fischer wrote on our website, BreakPoint.org, we must be careful, for the sake of our message, not to let ourselves be “used.”

So we have some tricky questions to answer: Are the film companies calling pastors and e-mailing ministries because they genuinely think they have something good to share with us? Or because they’re hoping that they can put enough of a Christian “spin” on their latest product, whatever it is, to earn the Christian dollar?

That brings us back to Rocky Balboa. Now, in this case I was pleased to discover that the marketers were not just making things up. Rocky Balboa is no more an overtly Christian film than its predecessors, but Motive Entertainment had a point in calling it “spiritual.” The story concerns Rocky’s controversial return to the ring when he’s well past his prime.

But the images that linger are those of a strong man helping and protecting the weak (in this case, a single mother and her teenage son), and being a wise and encouraging father to his own troubled son. “The world,” Rocky tells his son, “is a very mean and nasty place, and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.”

But Rocky consistently demonstrates compassion, selflessness, and loyalty, showing the best way to respond to a “nasty” world. That sounds like a pretty good reflection of the Christian worldview to me.

So I’m glad to be able to recommend Rocky Balboa as a good film, one that Christians can enjoy watching. It demonstrates that a film, while not using overtly Christian themes or employing Christian jargon, can still teach Christian values. It is rated PG for violence and mild profanity.

A note of caution: We can’t jump on the bandwagon to call something “Christian” just because the world tells us it is. If we needed discernment when the film industry was largely hostile to our faith, we need it all the more now that
Hollywood is seeking to draw more and more Christians into the nation’s movie houses. 

Another Divine Appointment

The following email went out from our church office this afternoon.

“Chris Johns (youth pastor, First Evangelical Church, Tupelo,MS) just called us and gave us an update on their trip.

The first day they arrived they walked down to the pier to look at the water in the early morning(around 4:30 a.m.) and led a 72 year old man to Christ.

Yesterday they spoke in a school and several other places. Approximately 360 people prayed to receive Christ as their Savior.

What an awesome God we serve!!!! Thank you for your continued prayers for the team as they are being “Jesus” to the people that God puts in their path there in the Philippines.”

Further conversations with Chris reveals how God orchestrated events for jet-lagged and sleepless Americans who went out on a dock in the early morning to see the water and encountered a sleepless and elderly Filipino man who “happened” to be there at the same time.

Imagine what came together in that early morning meeting. I see four realities coming together in a divine appointment:

1. The love of God for that elderly man – love so great that He motivated a small group of men to travel half-way around the world, at their expense, to share what they had experienced.

2. The death of Jesus for that man – and for those men – and the fact that they have never “gotten over it!”

3. The work of the Holy Spirit to prepare that man – all of his life – for that conversation. Just as the Lord opened Lydia’s heart (Acts 16) to pay attention to Paul and Silas, the Lord opened this man’s heart (and many others who are responding). And it was just like the Spirit to work through jet lag to stir the travelers’ curiosity about what the ocean must look like in the Philippians early in the morning, and prompt them to engaged the elderly man in a conversation that led to a gospel witness and resulted in a conversion.

4. The power of the Gospel to transcend and bridge cultural, language and religious divides.

I wonder if one of the joys of heaven will be recounting the many, many “coincidences” that led to gospel triumphs.

Common Ground – the Gospel

I recently received an email asking if I thought Calvinists and Arminians really could cooperate together in the common cause of evangelism and missions. The inquirer appeared serious, and related that he was intent on being God-centered and Bible-based.

As I thought about his question, two stories and one text came to mind. Here is my response to this brother:

 Do you remember when the disciples came to Jesus with a concern?

“Master,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

Jesus’ answer must have surprised them:

“Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

Does that little story cast any light on your question?

How about the following story?

Charles Simeon – a great Reformed Christian leader of another generation and continent, was once interviewed by John Wesley (the founder of Methodism) regarding his theology.

Sir, I understand that you are called an Arminian; and I have been sometimes called a Calvinist; and therefore I suppose we are to draw daggers. But before I consent to begin the combat, with your permission I will ask you a few questions. Pray, Sir, do you feel yourself a depraved creature, so depraved that you would never have thought of turning to God, if God had not first put it into your heart?

Yes, I do indeed.

And do you utterly despair of recommending yourself to God by anything you can do; and look for salvation solely through the blood and righteousness of Christ?

Yes, solely through Christ.

But, Sir, supposing you were at first saved by Christ, are you not somehow or other to save yourself afterwards by your own works?

No, I must be saved by Christ from first to last.

Allowing, then, that you were first turned by the grace of God, are you not in some way or other to keep yourself by your own power?

No.

What then, are you to be upheld every hour and every moment by God, as much as an infant in its mother’s arms?

Yes, altogether.

And is all your hope in the grace and mercy of God to preserve you unto His heavenly kingdom?

Yes, I have no hope but in Him.

Then, Sir, with your leave I will put up my dagger again; for this is all my Calvinism; this is my election, my justification by faith, my final perseverance: it is in substance all that I hold, and as I hold it; and therefore, if you please, instead of searching out terms and phrases to be a ground of contention between us, we will cordially unite in those things wherein we agree.”

One final thought. Paul once appealed to the believers of his day to…

“live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Paul’s encouragement to work at unity raises the question – what is the basis of unity and harmony, cooperation and fellowship? He answers with these words

“There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:1-6)

For myself, I’ve concluded that if someone is confessing the Jesus of the Bible (virgin-born, miracle-working, atonement-purchasing, risen and reigning and returning God-man), I should call him my brother and work together to advance His cause.