Freedom

In the 6th chapter of the book of Micah, the prophet is exploring matters of sacrifice, stating:
6 With what shall I come before the Lord, And bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

Please observe the contrast between religious practice and Biblical justice. We can be devoted to our churches - as we should - claiming to be people of faith and doing the right "religious" things. But, not addressing the evil and injustice in the world.  Verse 8 reminds us that we are to be people who are concerned about justice and mercy, exhibiting the presence of Christ in us; bringing God's love into a situation and adopting a perspective of involvement rather than inaction.

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When we become aware of injustice in our world, that may represent an opportunity to inject the light and love of Christ into a situation about which God has made us aware. He is the righteous Judge, the purveyor of true justice, and we find His principles in Isaiah 1:
16 "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.
18 "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.

There is much about a recent movie phenomenon that defies description.  It opened on the Fourth of July and instantly became the #1 movie in America.  It is still performing admirably, and has now surpassed $100 million at the box office.  According to its distributor, it has sold almost 9 million tickets - dwarfing the original reported of 2 million.  Some of those millions of box office dollars came from people buying tickets through an innovative Pay it Forward program. 

This movie was originally slated to be released, apparently, by one major studio that was bought by another, and the project was put on hold because of COVID, according to a Newsweek story.  Then, another studio, which had been powered by its crowdfunding, ended up distributing it. 

You're apparently not going to be dazzled and amazed by superheroes traipsing across the screen or CGI wizardry. No, it's a movie that is raw and based on a true story.  Meg Kilgannon of Family Research Council writes at The Washington Stand: "I really didn’t want to see this movie. Does anyone want to see a movie about horrific crimes against children and the systems that support or fail to stop child sex trafficking?"

Focus on the Family's Plugged In calls it "a brutal film to watch." It adds, "But it also might be the most important movie you see this year." Reviewer Adam Holz states: "Sex trafficking, we hear in the film, is the fastest-growing international crime network the world has ever seen." He adds that the film, Sound of Freedom is a...

...movie you buy a ticket to because you’re willing to enter into the ugliness of this societal scourge. It’s a movie you give consent to shock you out of complacency. It’s a movie that can’t help but light the fuse on the question, “What can I do?”

Sound of Freedom is a movie that defies description, apparently. It's being received well by the faith community, but with 100 million at the box office, it's certainly attracting more than a Christian audience.  Christian or faith-based films do not often go over that mark; in fact, Box Office Mojo reports that only 4 movies marked "Christian Theme" have. And, Sound of Freedom is not listed in that category.

A movie featuring its star, though, is. That would be Jim Caviezel of The Passion of the Christ, who plays the role of Tim Ballard in Sound of Freedom. He was formerly with the Department of Homeland Security and founded an anti-trafficking organization called Operation Underground Railroad.  Plugged In notes:

It’s clear, then, that Tim is motivated at a deep level by his faith. Anyone researching Tim Ballard’s life will find that he’s a Mormon, though the film never references his particular faith explicitly.

We repeatedly hear the phrase, “God’s children are not for sale.”

But, as Adam Holz notes, "There’s not a ton of overtly spiritual content here."

Caviezel told Movieguide, though, that, “It’s a biblical story...I love this story because it was like a modern-day part of the Gospel, of truth that has been so watered down and butchered…you walk into this movie, your hair’s gonna stand up. It’s highly entertaining, it’s adventure.”

I'll be honest, I do think we should be aware of the faith connection with Ballard and the Mormon-owned Angel Studios (yes, that's the people who bring you The Chosen).  It is troubling that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or LDS, align themselves with evangelicals and act as if they are "one of us."  Mormons are not Christians.  They serve a different Jesus and the tenets of their faith do not line up with the truths of the Bible. But, that's a different conversation. 

Furthermore, Ministry Watch has revealed information that Operation Underground Railroad, the organization founded by Ballard, has become quite profitable monetarily and the organization's tactics have been called into question; one example: working with traffickers to bring children into OUR sting operations, which "seemed to actually encourage trafficking behavior in some instances, sources said."

But...and I want to be very clear: the shortcomings of Operation Underground Railroad and the faith practice of Tim Ballard really should not mute the message that Sound of Freedom brings - human trafficking is real.  And, some in the media are attempting to discredit the film because of either its message or the perceived ideological bent of those involved in the film; for example, there have been fraudulent attempts to link it to the conspiracy theory known as QAnon, which claims there is some sort of child pedophile ring operating out of Washington, DC. 

Caviezel, in a FoxNews.com story, took aim at media criticism of the film: "They’re scared. Quaking in their boots. And it’s because the public are listening to their hearts, which is what this film tells you to do..."  He added, "This is just appalling. The moral depravity is such now that people are willing to live with this. That’s why we did the film."

The Christian organization, ZOE International, which is involved in the fight against human trafficking, states on its website, "Human trafficking is believed to be the world’s fastest growing criminal enterprise and is an estimated $150 billion-a-year global industry."  It relates that over 40 million people are "enslaved today" across the world, with between 14.5 to 17.5 thousand "victims are trafficked into the U.S. annually."  25% of those are children.

There are a number of Christian organizations who are involved in not only rescuing sex trafficking victims, but providing needed support for victims once they have been freed.  I think of Victor Marx and All Things Possible, a ministry that goes into difficult places to do the work of Christ in bringing freedom. Samaritan's Purse is also involved in providing assistance. 

Meg Kilgannon of FRC writes how the knowledge of this scourge of human trafficking, could propel Christians to action:

Each of us is called to combat the sex industry, whether through promoting organizations like Covenant Eyes that guard against pornography, by speaking out against endeavors to normalize pedophilia, or simply by living a life that upholds the dignity of every male and every female as a human being — not objects for exploitation.

There's an adage: if you see something, say something.  Sound of Freedom and Operation Underground Railroad have raised the awareness of human trafficking.  My radio program has brought awareness of what is occurring in that arena.  So, we are not uninformed.  Culture is not uninformed.  With education comes responsibility.  We can consider what God wants us to do with the information we have received - in every area of life. 

Because there are real crises in our nation and around our world.  While we can enjoy our life here on earth and worship and fellowship with God, having been saved through Jesus Christ, we are called to serve Him by serving others.  Through our relationship with Christ and our obedience to Him, He produces fruit, lasting fruit, through us.  

Christian parents can also make sure their children are protected.  Not isolated, but taught Christian values and principles in order to make themselves less vulnerable, as John DiGirolamo discussed on The Meeting House just this week.  Pornography is pervasive and predatory behavior is commonplace - but God has chosen to place us into this world into this period of time in history to shine the light of God's truth; to break the hold of darkness, and to shine the light of His freedom.