Acknowledging that a popular song, movie or TV show contains an element of “big-T” Truth is not the same as endorsing the entire product. Makes sense, right? Even so, I have to be careful how I talk about those little pop-culture epiphanies, and with whom.
For example, the last thing I want is for someone to see the R-rated Book of Eli just because they heard me say it shows unusual reverence for God and the Bible. Nor should teens rush out and rent Juno upon discovering that there are some refreshingly pro-life moments. We need to give credit where credit is due in Hollywood, but any praise should also include disclaimers when necessary.
Along those lines, I recently caught up with last year’s surprise hit Taken. I can’t recommend the PG-13 thriller despite the fact that it delivers a potent parable of God’s passionate rescue of His disobedient children from an unspeakable fate.
Liam Neeson plays Bryan Mills, a retired spy whose estranged teenage daughter, Kim, lies to him about her travel plans abroad. After arriving in France, she’s promptly kidnapped by despicable dudes in the business of snatching pretty young tourists and turning them into drug-addled prostitutes. Bryan leaps into action, risking life and limb to save Kim who, upon being rescued, weeps, “Daddy, you came for me, you came for me.”
Wow. What a powerful metaphor for our heavenly Father’s passionate pursuit of sinful mankind. The Lord, having waged war against evil in spiritual realms, rescued us from a literal hell through Christ’s sacrifice. As Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost.”
Of course, a few seconds after the spiritual parallels in Taken had me getting a little misty, I remembered how Bryan, driven to violent extremes by a vengeful sense of justice, had piled up a body count that would make James Bond wince. It occurred to me that I could’ve extracted the same spiritual message out of a far less pernicious cinematic parable: Finding Nemo.
Can you think of any other movies that, intentionally or not, made you think of God’s loving pursuit of His children, and Jesus’ willingness to redeem us at great personal sacrifice?
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