Movie: End of The Spear- Disappointing- Where Is The Gospel?

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End of The Spear...Truly Disappointing
Where Is The Gospel Message?

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Posted: 01/21/06
This is our review and our thoughts of the film:

Yesterday, we attended the premiere of the movie, End Of The Spear.
This movie has been hailed as a "great story". The true story is a great
testimony of the saving power of Jesus Christ and the movie would have
been a "great story"...had the true story been told.

In our opinion, this movie fails to portray the true purpose of the five missionaries. It lacks any development of the characters in the film, except for one being the main character, Mincayani; and even then fails to portray the "converted man" in the detail as it does the violent one.

The film's emphasis seems not upon the five missionaries and their mission but rather on the true reason behind the Aucas killing the five men in the first place. Much of the film has to do with the history leading up to the slaying. We feel that it fails to bring to light many things that should have been portrayed.

We cannot recommend this film for young viewers to see because in our
opinion, this film conveys a humanitarian message rather than a mission-minded one. It is fairly violent. It is also strange seeing "rear-ends" draped in loin cloths for almost the entire film.

WHERE IS JESUS?

The first thing a true Christian will notice about the film is that Jesus Christ was NOT lifted up, nor glorified in the film's story-- which is grievous because the true account gives glory to the Lord. We did NOT even recall Jesus being mentioned at all in the film. To make sure we did not miss something, we
went online to read the reviews and this is what one review says:

For example, ‘Jesus’ or ‘God’ is never mentioned, but the Waodani word
for God—‘Waengongi,’ is used. One character tells another: “Waengogi
had a son who was speared, but he did not spear back.”
Source: http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s06010008.htm
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When I heard the, "he did not spear back" dialogue, I said, "Where is the Gospel message? Is this it?" Where is Christ-crucified and His glorious resurrection in
the presentation? Hopefully, the true Auca Indians have heard the COMPLETE Gospel message because the viewers of the film certainly did not.

We found it grievous that "God" was not placed in the English subtitles but rather, "Waengongi". All other words were in subtitled in English but the word, "God".

To Preach Nonviolence Or The Whole Gospel Message?

Second, the story begins with the missionaries already down in the jungle.
If one does not know the real story, they have no idea WHY the missionaries
are down there in the first place. The true REASON portrayed is very vague.
One has to wonder if it was conveyed at all. Our findings proved to be correct
for one reviewer of the film had this to say:

"...in 1956 Nate Saint (Chad Allen) lives along the Amazon with his wife (Cara Stoner) and young son Steve (Chase Ellison). He is a pilot and an ardent Christian who wants to locate the mysterious Waodani tribe and give them a message about nonviolence so they can be freed from the prison of their practice of revenge. He also fears for the tribe's survival since they are killing so many people, the government is threatening to bring in troops and wipe them out..."
Source: http://www.spiritualityhealth.com/newsh/items/moviereview/item_10219.html
------------------

A message of nonviolence? Is that why five young men went to Ecuador?
We know from documentaries and interviews, that the five American missionaries sought to bring the Gospel to the Aucas (who later changed their name to Waodani after receiving Jesus as their Savior-- something not seen in
the film).

These five missionaries KNEW THAT THE ONLY WAY VIOLENCE WOULD STOP would be if the Auca Indians received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. ONLY JESUS CAN change a person and GIVE THEM A NEW HEART!

The reason for their mission was not to teach the Aucas a humane way of life,
apart from Christ. Yet somehow the movie, in our opinion, conveys this unscriptural message.

For instance Nate's son (Nate Saint was one of the five men) asks him, if he would use his gun on the Waodoni and Nate replies, "We can't shoot the Waodoni. They are not ready for Heaven. We are." No explanation is given
to the viewer. Every Christian knows what he meant-- however the unsaved
or those who believe they can get to Heaven by their own "good works" will receive a VERY different message: The message being one that the Waodani
are not ready for Heaven because their works are evil and violent. This is a
very unbiblical message. One can be as sweet as can be but if that person does not receive Christ as Savior, that person is not born again. Jesus, Himself, said
to a devout religious leader: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

The Greeks were a very civilized and educated people, yet the Apostle Paul preached the Lord Jesus Christ to them.

When Dayumae Returns...

Third, when the wayward girl, Dayumae returns, she says to Kimo (an Auca warrior), something to the effect: that the women are here to tell you that God does not want you to kill one another. Was that the express reason why the women were there? The Bible says that God calls all men to repent and to
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

The same reviewer [as above] had this to say:
"Kimo (Jack Guzman), one of his warriors, accepts the message of nonviolence brought by these women: they follow the "carvings" about a
God who had a son who was speared but he didn't spear back so that the people who speared him would live well."
Source: http://www.spiritualityhealth.com/newsh/items/moviereview/item_10219.html
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The above quote is what one person got out of the film. What this movie
conveys is that the missionaries went to Ecuador to help the Aucas become civilized and follow a God? What about THE God? There is only ONE true
God-- The God of the Bible.

In our society, we have civilized people with evil thoughts, evil actions. The
only answer for the world is the Lord Jesus Christ. True lasting peace can
never be met, apart from Him. One has to wonder if the actors in the film received any true Gospel message.

Christina Souza, who played the part of Dayumae in the film, is a "Latin Sensation", according to one reviewer who also notes her accomplishments
which includes, “Pretty Dead Girl” is a musical “necromance,” a twisted retelling of Romeo &Juliet, in which a necrophiliac finally learns to love a woman who is alive." Source: http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2004/2/emw104574.php

Necromance? Sexual relations with the dead? Truly appalling!! Enough said.

---------------------------------

Steve Saint, the son of missionary Nate Saint, said the following during an interview, concerning the film: "If you don’t show the anger, the animosity portrayed, than what value is there in the fact that we’ve become friends
and the reconciliation..."

Yes, but what value is there if the REASON behind you becoming friends is not poignantly conveyed? What value does the film have if violence is emphasized but Jesus, who reconciled the people is not mentioned...not even once! Jesus deserves all the praise-- all glory and honor belongs to Him alone! The film does not portray the conversion of the Waodani-- how they received Christ. The film emphasizes the violence of the tribe before conversion but does not give us insight into how they "got saved" nor what Jesus means to them. A testimony is very important...this film offers the testimony of the Aucas before Christ and emphasizes it in detail... but how Jesus truly changed them does not seem to be the focus at all.

In the end, we left with the impression that there really is no heart to the film...
a few sentiments but no true substance. Although a change was depicted
in Kimo's life, the film does not portray what changed him. Who changed him? Was it words of "nonviolence" as the movie would have you to believe or was it the Gospel message? Was it a reasoning in his mind or was it God completely changing His life, as he believed the Gospel message? Why did the Waodani receive Christ? How did they? What words were said to them? What made the women stay on after their husbands were brutally slain? Even secular writers are wondering.

Gary Goldstein at Reel Review had this to say:

"...The problem is, the film is vague about how, specifically, the women accomplished this feat, and it offers no real insight into their emotional states while doing so..." Source: http://www.reel.com/movie.asp?MID=141546&buy=open&Tab=reviews&CID=13#tabs

In the film, the true purpose of these missionaries seems lost and what we are
left with is a portrayal of humanitarian effort made by professing Christians.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

In truth, Jim Elliot (one of the five) said to his wife, Betty: “If that’s the way
God wants it to be, I’m ready to die for the salvation of the Aucas.”

Notice that it was for "the salvation of the Aucas" that Jim was willing to die.
It was for the salvation of souls that the wives stayed on. Consider what one website wrote about them:

In the fall of 1958 Rachel Saint and Betty Elliot and her toddler, Valerie, hung their hammocks among the Waorani. While Valerie played with the children
of her father’s murderers, Rachel and Betty became acquainted with the murderers themselves: Gikita, Kimo, Nimonga, Dyuwi, Minkayi, and Tona.

Nine years later, the first copies of the Gospel of Mark in Waorani were dedicated at “God’s Speaking House.” Kimo prayed, “Father God, You are alive. This is Your day and all of us have come to worship You. They brought
us copies of Your Carving, enough for everybody. We accept it, saying, ‘This
is the truth.’ We want all of your carving.”
Source: http://www.plymouthbrethren.org/page.asp?page_id=545
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Why not bring this out in the film? Oh, it would not be entertaining for the viewers? It might upset the secular viewers! Yet the true testimony makes one see what Jesus did for a people who put their trust in Him.

Folks, one can never please the Lord by compromising one's own testimony. Your testimony is NOT supposed to please the world...but instead, to shine the Light in their eyes. One cannot reach the world for Jesus by hiding Him behind closed doors. What good is a half-truth testimony.... leaving out the BEST part about how the Lord saved you and how a new heart He gave you?

These five missionary men had a zeal for winning souls-- A heart of compassion that only Jesus can place within an individual. These five men were willing to die for the sake of the Gospel because THEY KNEW that Jesus is the ONLY way
to Heaven.

Psalm 115:1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.

The End Of The Spear details the violence but leaves very little room for Jesus. How tragic because the true story is one of the love of Jesus and what He can
do within the people that trust in Him.

1Peter 2:9-10 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Christ Jesus said to the man He delivered, "Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee." (Mark 5:19)

Copyright © 2006 Cobblestone Road Ministries
All Rights Reserved

ADDITIONAL NOTE:

What good is a film "based on a true story" if the true meaning is lost? The irony is that the film is being marketed to Christians but yet the complete story...the story that a true Christian would want to hear: how the Lord Jesus saved the Aucas is missing. How the Lord placed it upon the hearts of the missionary men and their families to leave the comforts of home to live in the jungle. How the Lord loved the Aucas so much that He placed a zeal within the hearts of the five missionaries and a zeal within their wives to reach the savage tribe at any cost. Even after their husbands were killed, these women continued-- Only in the love of Jesus could they do such a thing. How the Lord comforted their hearts and placed a desire to reach the Aucas and love in their hearts to show compassion; Willing to lay their own lives down for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

How sad it is that the film makers simply missed the mark and chose to keep the true plain Gospel message out-- a message that those five were willing to die for!

Jesus, the Savior-- whose name is above every name-- is left out of the film.
The conversion is almost conveyed in a sort of code, as to not offend the
secular viewers. One has to read in between the lines. No wonders Jesus said to His disciples, Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

1John 4:9-10 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because
that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST:

BEWARE of NARNIA
"I Have A Personal Relationship With God..." - Don't miss this one!
The Way of Cain - A Bloodless Gospel
What Does The Bible Say?
Jesus Died For Us

Additional Information Submitted:
It was recently brought to our attention that the actor, Chad Allen, who plays Nate Saint in the movie is a Gay Activist. Had we known this, we would NOT have attended the film. We do not watch much TV (mostly the news), nor do we attend movies so we would not have known this fact. To read more on Chad Allen, click here.

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THE TRUE TESTIMONY OF THESE FIVE MEN

Nate Saint:
“God Himself laid down the law when He built the universe. He knew when He made it what the price was going to be. God didn’t hold back His only Son, but gave Him up to pay the price for our failure and sin.”

Roger Youderian:
“The happiest day of my life was the day I accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour for the remission of my sins, duly repented for, and with God’s help I hope and pray for the faith and strength to glorify our Father through my daily living as a witness and follower of Christ. Searching the Scriptures is my greatest source of hope and inspiration, having yet to learn the full power of prayer. I used to say, ‘This is a great world.’ With this new faith, this feeling has increased a thousandfold and I fairly ache within from happiness and rejoicing in sharing God’s manifold blessing which He gives to this world with Infinite mercy and grace.”

Ed McCully:
“I stood by the bed of a eighteen-year-old Indian boy in the eastern jungle. I watched him vomit blood and in a few minutes I watched him die. In that hour, as I stood looking at his lifeless form lying on bamboo sticks on the dirt floor of the hut, I was to realize more fully what Paul meant in I Thessalonians 5. ‘Ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.’ I will not forget the screaming-chanting wail of these heathen folk as they beat their breasts and mourned for
two days and nights. It was a pathetic picture of ‘no hope.’ Tonight I pray a peculiar prayer . . . that God will spare the lives of these Indians until He enables us to bring them the message of hope, of eternal life, of salvation in their own language.”

Pete Fleming wrote:
“I am longing now to reach the Aucas if God gives me the honor of proclaiming the Name among them . . . I would gladly give my life for that tribe if only to see an assembly of those proud, clever, smart people gathering around a table to honor the Son—gladly, gladly, gladly! What more could be given to life?”

Jim Elliot prayed:
“Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.”

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**Listen to an excellent radio interview discussing the very troubling aspects of the "Spear" film:
End of the Spear, part 2... Vic Eliason's Crosstalk

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Albert Mohler wrote, "Put bluntly, I believe that the makers of this movie made a very reckless decision in casting Chad Allen as Nate and Steve Saint. Given the publicity of Chad Allen's activism and the intensity of his mission to normalize homosexuality -- a mission clearly articulated on his Web site -- it is hard, if not impossible, to suspend belief and see him as a missionary martyr for the Gospel. The distance between Nate Saint and Chad Allen is just too great."

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One review online by a "Jeanne", age 46, wrote: "The only gospel message,
if it could be called that, is a reference to God using a Waodani word for him,
that He has a son who was speared and did not spear back so 'that others could live well.' That's it. In fact, throughout the movie, I was left wondering if these tribesmen had had authentic salvation experiences or if they were merely
turning their lives around in response to their realization that they had killed
the missionaries in error and were trying to rectify that. It appears the movie was produced to appeal to a larger secular audience and in the process, disappointing Christians hoping for a dynamic story and boring or confusing unbelievers who don't know enough of the story to fill in the storyline gaps. I can't help thinking that if five men willingly laid down their lives to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ
to the most deadly Amazon savages, would they think highly of a movie of their lives which so waters down the gospel out of fear of the Hollywood movie critic savages?"

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So that those who speared Him "could live well"? Folks, that is not the Gospel message! Jesus died for OUR SINS. Matthew 1:21 says, And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.