In my lifetime there have been a number of times when a book or a Hollywood film has sparked conversation and/or controversy among Christians, and often, pastors have found themselves in the front lines when it happens. Do any of the following ring a bell? - The Last Temptation of Christ (Film 1988), The Da Vinci Code (Book 2003, Film 2006), Heaven is for Real (Book 2010, Film 2014), Noah (Film 2014)...

An about to released film is no exception. The only saving grace in this for Pastor Jones and I is that it is based on a series of books that have been out for quite some time so hopefully the controversy will be kept to a minimum. Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, the first book of 12 in a series by the same name, was originally published in 1995. And the subject of the series is the so called "rapture" and its aftermath found in the book of Revelation as interpreted by the authors. While not the first film to be based on the book series, this new film starring Nicolas Cage promises to draw more attention than previous efforts.

The challenge with books and films of this nature is that they seem to make many Christians question their understanding of their faith and what they know about God, Jesus, and the Bible. And it boils down to something that we in the pastor biz like to call Biblical Illiteracy, or in plain English, a lack of knowledge of the actual content of the bible and how to appropriately interpret it.

Several of my Facebook friends shared something with me this week that I would encourage you to read if you have a few minutes. It's an article titled "Nobody Is Getting Left Behind (Because The Rapture Is Never, Ever Going To Happen" by a gentlemen named Zack Hunt who does a wonderful job of addressing this phenomenon in relationship to the new Left Behind film. The article can be found online here: http://theamericanjesus.net/2014/10/03/one-getting-left-behind-rapture-never-ever-going-happen/

How many of us pick up a Bible on regular basis and actually read it; and I mean really read it? As in take one of the books of the bible and just read the whole thing from the first verse to the last. How many of us engage in either individual biblically based devotion and study or participate in a study with a group? How many of us actually hear or read the Bible beyond what we read/hear in church?

Martin Luther fought  for the right of all people to be able to study the Bible for themselves and he translated the bible into German so that at least those of his day who could read would be able to do just that. And he did so largely because the leaders of the church at the time were using what the people didn't know about the word of God to take advantage of them. Luther fought the church to free believers from the need to have the scriptures read and interpreted for them and to place God's word directly in their hands; and in so doing our hands as well.

It is through the knowledge of what the Bible actually says that we can know the real questions to ask when books and films like Left Behind make their way into the world. It is through our personal knowledge of the word of God that we can recognize and separate truth from fiction, and possibly even good action packed story telling. Spend some time searching for truth in the pages of your Bible sooner than later. And maybe even take the chance to engage in a study or two, either on your own or with others at church in one of our study groups. I promise you won't regret it.  

Peace - Pastor Sue = )