Being An Army of Ordinaries: why you should see the movie One Life

 

Streaming services have spoiled me.  We still like to watch movies, but usually from the comfort of our home.  I like having the control over the pause button when I need a bathroom-break and free popcorn.  Today we went to a real theater, it's only the second time in about four years to watch a movie in a theater for us, and I am glad we went.  

I shouldn't be surprised but the theater was only about 20%  full, I think we as a culture have gotten out of the habit of going to the theater.  That is neither here nor there, I'm glad we went today because it would be a shame to wait to see One Life.  

I'm glad Tammy discovered the release of a true life story turned into a movie "One Life," starring none other than Anthony Hopkins.  I typically do not cry while watching a movie, but here I did.  The WWII story of Nicky Winton rescuing over 600 Czech children from the Nazi Holocaust was well done, it was memorable, and it should cause anyone watching it to enter into some serious self-reflection.  

In a race against time, paper-pusher stock market office man Winton agonizes over how to move as many children to safety as possible.  This is not an action movie, Hopkins is often nerdy and feeble, and it's not driven by dialogue either.  Hopkins shuffles around from room to room, a prisoner of his memories and frustrated with the inability to have rescued more children than he did.  Hardly the stuff of The Oscars.  

You won't be dazzled by the movie-sets, the soundtrack, or the dialogue.  The character of the character is the point, the compassionate crusader who won't give up is the driving force of the story.  He fights bureaucracy , he raises money, he hounds people, he helps find foster homes, and his devotion to make a difference because he can, is moving.  He is compelled to do the right thing, how refreshing...

Hopkins was the protagonist of the movie, but the real heroes were the folks behind the scenes.  The brave risktakers, the men and women secretly organizing the efforts in Prague to get the children to England as the Nazi war machine gained momentum, and of course the ones who opened their homes and took in the children, these were the real heroes.

    

The movie is a stark reminder of how callous and how indifferent we can be to the suffering of the faceless crowds.  We are slow to alleviate the suffering of helpless people or to combat the forces of evil.  It is not a feel good movie, it is not an inspirational or motivational movie per se, there is no hype or hard-sell, it a soft-sell, undersold, lowkey pitch: You can and you should help, that is the message, or the moral of the story as the old saying goes.

There has been enough time & ample distance from the Holocaust that unfortunately we are either numb to it or we have forgotten about the brutality, the hostility, the horror of unspeakable crimes against humanity that took place in the camps  It is fitting that a movie like this, without polarizing us or politicizing anything, keeps the terrible memory alive and in so doing prompts us to assess our own character.  

This is not a negative complaint or a critique of the movie, instead what I'm about to say is more a reflection on us.  The storyline of One Life (rightful so) just sort of plods along, offers lackluster dialogue, and is slow-paced.  I'm glad it was the way it was.  Why?  Riveting plots get in the way, they cloud powerful messages, and this movie packed a powerful message that is timeless and relevant. 

Yes it had great acting from Hopkins, yes there were great lines, but the whole production was window-dressing.  The real value was the underlying message of the movie, not the movie itself.  The movie was just the container, the story of Winton was the worthwhile content.  

The movie doesn't attack Nazi Germany as one would expect, it attacks our comfort zone.  If the cast or the script stole the spotlight, the movie wouldn't be worth my time to blog about it.  To be clear, I am highly recommending the movie, please go see it as soon as possible, just know this, this movie is more than likely considered boring by Hollywood standards, there's nothing scandalous in it except our apathy and inactivity.  

The movie confronts us on an ethical level, in a healthy and calm manor, it doesn't judge the audience it only asks that you as the audience judge your own self.  One Life opens our mind to the fact that ordinary people can do the extraordinary when we listen to our conscience instead of culture.   

Do you really know how to treat refugees? Let me guess, you used the Bible to support your views

Our government's recent immigration ban sent shockwaves across the globe and it has polarized an already divided nation.  As a result, many people are citing Scripture on how we should treat refugees. The reality is, we need to be more careful when we try to use the Bible to support our contemporary political stances.  The politics of Ancient Israel and those of the Greco Roman world, bear little resemblance to our American Republic.   

Without understanding the historical and political context of any passage of Scripture, we risk misrepresenting the original idea of the text.  Here’s where it gets dicey, especially since it’s nearly impossible to use logic and reason when dealing with emotional circumstances.  The Bible, especially the Old Testament, wasn’t penned in a democratic culture.  The Old Testament was delivered during a Theocracy, and the New Testament was written under the rule of emperors.  

It’s a poor student of the Word who views ancient passages through the filter of their contemporary culture, we are called to do just the opposite.  We must filter our modern day life through the lens of the Scriptures.  Bridging the two worlds together is possible, but it comes with more than a little effort.  

Another problem, perhaps even a greater issues, is the way some people cherry pick passages of the Bible to support their views on any given stance.  So, for example, when people quote from the book of Leviticus to support the idea that we should offer all refugees a special treatment, it’s an interpretive mistake to not also realize two important facts.  There was a specific context that made sense to the Israelites, a personal experience which they understood, since they once were refugees, and secondly, their borders weren’t fully established yet.  They would be expanding their borders, the Israelites were entering the process of acquiring more land while forcefully expelling six particular nations, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.  

Why would God command the Israelites to remove these six nations from the soon to be inherited Promised Land?  Those six nations were ruthless, violent, dangerous, and pagan people who would harm the Israelites in many ways.  Destroy those seven nations and love the sojourner were commands that were given simultaneously to the ancient nation of Israel, like a two-sided coin.  It’s disingenuous to only polish one half of that coin.  

Back to Leviticus, especially Lev 19:33-34. “33 When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.34 You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”  This is pretty cut and dry.  Be kind to the people passing through your country, love those who are displaced or relocating.  But just a few verses before this passage in Lev 19:28, the Israelites are prohibited from getting tattoos.  And in the next chapter, Lev 20:10, people who commit adultery are to be put to death.  Why would we, culturally, pick one part over the others to obey?   

Something else to consider.  The New Testament, which was written under the reign of dictators and emperors, has specific guidelines for believers when it comes to submitting to their government, see the first part of Romans chap 13 for example.  Our government has well established laws on establishing citizenship.  There are real established borders.  We need to respect these laws, and we should probably expect people who want to join us to respect these principles as well. But are our laws fair?

The Bible isn’t merely filled with warm fuzzy affirmations of do-gooding, it’s complex and it’s easily used to justify any stance we want to take, when we don’t take the time and exert the effort to understand it.  Nearly 100% of the Old Testament commands on how to treat refugees are tied to the principle, “You know what it felt like.” Read them and see if each of the passages also remind the Israelites of their painful past.  

But what about the general command to love our neighbors as ourselves?  I can't argue with that. But what is America’s track record of showing compassion for indigenous tribes, of taking care of our elderly, of housing our homeless, and protecting abused peoples already?  

By this point, you might be wondering about my views on the current refugee crisis.  It doesn’t matter what I think about how we should treat refugees if I cherry pick which subcultures I want to defend.  I think it’s a huge mistake, attempting to apply the doctrine of Love only when it’s popular, defiant, or hip, while we continually neglect tons of people who are already in need.    

If that didn't make sense, watch this and maybe you'll get the point: