Recently there have been several threads here on whether we SDAs should see movies or not, and what about Hacksaw Ridge used as an evangelistic tool etc. Well, now there is a new, professionally done movie put out by our SDA church, telling the story of our church's early history. Having watched it, I give my review, and advice to BEWARE.
Review grade=C (first part A, last part F)
Recently someone sent me a link to the movie telling the early history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church "Tell the World". It is produced by the Australian Union Conference and is 2:27:52 long. It is reported that they spent 6 million dollars (Australian?) in its production, as it was done by a professional company, and mostly shot in Canada.
I watched the whole thing on this Sabbath (Oct. 1, 2016) and Day of Trumpets. The first part had me crying in several places, as it is a powerful presentation of how tenuous, or fragile, the beginnings of the Advent movement had. William Miller, Joshua Himes, Joseph Bates, the Harmon family, they are all shown in a very realistic manner, and the events speak closely to anyone who is interested in the beginnings of the SDA faith.
I decided to sleep on the first half overnight, right after the Great Disappointment. I was very excited, thinking how I would be happy to help promote this movie. To be truthful, I did have very minor odd feelings with the depiction of the Great Disappointment, as Ellen was just standing all alone in a field for hours, but that was extremely minor compared to the amazingly good story of William Miller and the Advent movement up to the Great Disappointment.
The next day I eagerly looked forward to watching the last half. It is mostly about the prophetic gift of Ellen White, and her and her husband's work to build up the church. Somehow tho, the feeling was different. The whole spirit of the second half seemed odd, and not according to the excellent spirit of the first half. Many things in the last half were not according to the historical record, either. It seemed somehow "Hollywoodized", with no Holy Spirit giving guidance.
The last 7 minutes are credits, and at 2:21:11 it says: "Its (SDA Church) core mission, as captured in the prophetic message of Revelation 14:6-12, is to proclaim the good news of God's love and forgiveness as revealed in Jesus Christ and to tell the world of His Promised soon return." This is just wrong. The core mission of the SDA church is to give the Three Angels' Messages. Of course that includes the promised return of Jesus. The 3rd Angel's Message especially is all about warning us to keep the Sabbath to give glory to God and escape the wrath to come.
I started looking for more info on the movie on Youtube, and saw a video by Adrian Ebens. Now I disagree with him on his anti-Godhead doctrine, but he had a sermon directly on this movie, and showed how some of the workers in this movie had connection with demon possession in other movies they've worked in.
Sadly, the casting for the film makes me think that this film should be rejected outright. Tommie-Amber Pirie, who plays Ellen White, has starred in: "How to plan an orgy in a small town". She also played the part of a possessed woman in a different movie called "Bitten". OK, maybe playing the part of Ellen White caused her to repent? Well, since she played Ellen, she has top billing in a movie called: "Clusterxxxx". The last four letters are very vulgar. No wonder the last half of the movie, largely featuring Ellen, James, and Bates, is discomforting to watch.
Timothy Paul Coderre, who plays Joseph Bates, starred in "Rulers of Darkness", which is about a "terrifying entity in the woods."
Also, Aaron Hartzler, who did the screenplay for this movie, "is an actor and writer, known for Gay Propaganda (2002)." According to the description for that short movie, it basically does what the title says spread the gay culture.
I watched the entire movie. While the first part is fantastic, and true to history, the last part has a different spirit. Perhaps the fact that several of the stars (like the woman who plays Ellen) have appeared in Satanic possession movies, has introduced an evil spirit into this film?
I recommend everyone thinking of watching this movie to BEWARE! Perhaps small snippets could be used to good effect, and God could bless, but I really don't think the movie as a whole is giving glory to God.
This movie was presented at the Annual Council at the General Conference headquarters just this week, and is scheduled for worldwide release to our churches on October 22, 2016. May God protect our people, and may his remnant church repent, and be filled with the Holy Spirit to give the Loud Cry to a world waiting to be deceived by Satan and his lying angels with their supernatural wonders.
One of the things that made me wary was the DVD cover which depicts the character of Ellen White standing in a field with the sun behind her and a single tree in the field. The lone tree is a pagan symbol. It could be completely neutral but if the producers also make horror movies, it is probable that they have coded their beliefs and values in the movie.
One more thing that made me uncomfortable was the spooky music which accompanied some of the visions. Occasionally there is a screeching sound as the scene is transitioning from a universal view back down to earth. This is the type of sound one would expect in a thrilling adventure movie to convey mystery.
UNCERTAIN:
I thought it was interesting that I experienced goose bumps each time I watched the scenes of Ellen White in vision. At the time I thought this was positive i.e. indicting that the movie was very meaningful to me. Now I'm not sure whether this was a response shaped by the way the movie is coded by the producers/directors or a genuine response based on strong emotion.
I assumed that I was watching believers act the parts of the pioneers and Ellen White. If I had known that they were worldly actors, perhaps my emotional response would have been more reserved.
Why couldnt actors who actually believe the Sabbath doctrine and Adventist theology be used for such an important project? Wouldnt they communicate emotions, attitudes and values better than worldly actors?
POSITIVE POINTS:
I have watched the movie twice. I was touched by the emotions of the characters. I appreciated understanding more about the historical details and the values of the pioneers.
I too shed tears while watching the movie. It is certainly a soul-stirring narrative.
Since you are familiar with the movie, and it's portrayal of actual SDA history, I will email you a pdf of church history researched from SDA publications with bibliography at the end of each chapter. Tell me what you find upon comparison.
