Kevin D. Hendricks

Billy Graham’s Bible Blasters

I saw an employee screening of Last Flight Out today, the latest movie from World Wide Pictures, the motion picture arm of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. I’m not usually a fan of Christian movies, so my expectations weren’t exactly high for this movie. I was expecting intensely mediocre. Instead, it was dreadful. Absolutely dreadful.

What saddens me about this movie is that some people will think it’s amazing. The very fact that it was produced says somebody liked the idea. But as the movie is released there’s that certain type of person that will love this movie. They’ll be touched, and they’ll be pushing it like Citizen Kane, when sadly, it’s not even in the same galaxy. Somehow when you blatantly shoehorn the gospel into something it becomes top notch. Apparently quality doesn’t really matter to some people. Or maybe it’s just that the gospel is a trump card for any measure of quality. As long as you quote John 3:16 and explain salvation in painful, awkward detail, nothing else matters.

But what truly disturbs me is that God doesn’t seem to care. People will still be saved watching a pathetic movie. I don’t know how that works. I guess I should take solace in the fact that God doesn’t need an Oscar to change hearts.