12 But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast.
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.
14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
+++++
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
What do Jim Bakker, Father Sebastiao Rodrigues, Army medic Desmond Doss, and Spider-Man all have in common? They are characters that have all been played by the same actor - someone who has expressed a respect and curiosity about matters of faith, but hasn't quite decided, it seems, what his personal faith really looks like.
Andrew Garfield played the role of Rodrigues in a Martin Scorsese film that explored matters of faith called, Silence, and according to Faithwire, he told America magazine that in preparing to play the role of the priest: “What was really easy was falling in love with this person, was falling in love with Jesus Christ, that was the most surprising thing,” adding, “That was the most remarkable thing — falling in love, and how easy it was to fall in love with Jesus.”
...in a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Garfield, while discussing his latest project, made an interesting proclamation: if he weren’t working in Hollywood, he would likely be studying theology.
“Questions of faith and spirituality, and the mystery of a spiritual life, is what I’m drawn to the most,” Garfield said. “If I wasn’t an actor, I think I’d be doing some kind of theological study.”
Garfield played the role of Jim Bakker in the movie, The Eyes of Tammy Faye. His latest project is an FX and Hulu series called, Under the Banner of Heaven, which also deals with faith matters. The Faithwire article says that in it, "Garfield depicts a detective struggling with matters of faith — and murder." It is based on a book by Jon Krakauer. Religion News states:
The miniseries closely tracks Krakauer’s account of the gruesome 1984 murders of 24-year-old Brenda Lafferty, played by Daisy Edgar-Jones of “Normal People,” and her 15-month-old daughter near Salt Lake City, Utah. Like the book, it explores the underworld of Mormon fundamentalism and polygamy, following the descent of a family of brothers into madness, misogyny and violent religious extremism.
But Hulu adds a fictional element in the character of Detective Pyre (pronounced “Pie-ree”), a devout mainstream church member whose investigation loosens the moorings of his conventional, taken-for-granted Mormon faith. Andrew Garfield shines in this role, totally believable as the good-natured detective, returned missionary and family man.
Movieguide has also run a piece this past week about Garfield's curiosity about faith - it included an excerpt of an earlier article on the website, which said:
Garfield has played two characters in the last year who have shown strong Christian faith in the midst of tragedy, first in Mel Gibson’s HACKSAW RIDGE and now in Martin Scorsese’s SILENCE. So, we wanted to know if he too, like his characters, is questioning the will of God.
“Is that something you think about?” I asked.
“Yeah, a lot,” he replied.
“Was it the movies that led to the question of God’s will, or was that something you questioned before?”
“Chicken and egg,” Andrew responded. “I think it’s like I was drawn to it because I was asking those questions already, and then that just kind of enriched my experience by doing these films.”
In case you don't know it, Garfield reprises his role as your friendly neighborhood Spiderman in the latest installment, Spiderman: No Way Home, which deals with trying to "redeem" or "cure" villains from other parts of the multi-verse. Garfield is quoted in another Movieguide article as saying:
“This is a deep movie. This is a movie that is about coming of age, an acceptance of loss, acceptance of death, taking responsibility for your gifts. I was torn open by the journey that Tom went on; it’s classic Peter Parker, but it felt totally fresh and totally reimagined. It is like, Tom’s origin story was happening in his third movie rather than his first. There’s something so profound..."
Faithwire noted that:
It’s not fully clear where Garfield stands on personal faith today, though his Hollywood journey and his comments show he’s deeply interested in the subject. In fact, he told Collider last year why he’s so interested in portraying characters who grapple with issues of belief.
The article closes by stating:
Pray that people in Hollywood like Garfield, who continue to take on these roles and ponder what it means to be faithful, will discover the true heart-change and transformation that comes through a relationship with Christ.
While it is hard to determine the overall faith perspective of Andrew Garfield, it is clear that he is 1) seeking and 2) sympathetic - to a wide range of beliefs. But, it doesn't appear that he has embraced Biblical Christianity. He speaks of his spirituality or affinity for spiritual things, but we must remember that the practice of spirituality and following Christ are not the same. Christianity certainly is a spiritual practice, but just because something is described as "spiritual" doesn't necessarily means that it has anything to do with the one true God. We have to, as 1st John says, "test the spirits." There are many "spirits," but only one Holy Spirit.
We also have to point out here that following Mormonism, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is not the same as Biblical Christianity. It seems that there is a re-branding that has occurred over the last decade or so to try to make this religion seem more "Christian" - but make no mistake, Mormons are not Christians. Mormonism, or LDS, is not another denomination of Christianity. The Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry put together a helpful chart, and prefaces it by stating:
What does Mormonism teach? Well, here are some of the basics, plain and simple.It goes on to say, "Mormonism uses the same words found in Christianity, but it redefines them. So, with a proper understanding of what Mormonism really teaches, you will be able to see past those definitions into the real differences between Christianity and Mormonism."
- God came from another planet
- God is a man with a body of flesh and bones
- There is a mother goddess
- God and his goddess wife are married
- You can become gods
Mormonism puts a heavy burden of works on its followers. Although there are some passages that talk about grace and free salvation (2 Nephi 31:19; 1 Nephi 2:4), the overwhelming emphasis in the Mormon scriptures is on earning salvation through obedience to commandments and refraining from sin.Here is another difference:
Humans have the potential to achieve godhood if they follow Mormon teachings. In his King Follett speech, Joseph Smith Jr. said, “Here then is eternal life — to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God the same as all gods have done before you.”
So, be aware, Mormons, like all unbelievers, are certainly people to be loved and are in need of salvation through Jesus Christ. But, to say that the LDS Church is an arm of Christianity or that Mormons are our brothers and sisters in Christ is erroneous.
The ecumenical Andrew Garfield is representative of someone who is apparently deeply interested in matters of faith, but who embraces as self-styled religious practice. We have to be careful, as Christians, that we are not picking and choosing the Scriptures that we want to believe and follow, and make sure that our lives reflect an obedience to Jesus and devotion to the Word.
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