Reflections on ‘Sound of Freedom’

This week I went to see Sound of Freedom. If you’ve seen it you will understand my struggle in writing this blog. If you have not seen it I encourage you to take that step.

I desire to do two general things, one for those who have seen it and another for those who have not. For those who have watched it I’d like to give food for thought. Then I want to challenge those who have not to go see it, and do so quickly.

Introductory Thought

I mentioned this on Facebook a week ago: Why are there social, political, and tech elites expressing concern about a movie that exposes the sex trade in South/Central America? The film has been called militant…a guise to recruit republicans. Many have said there is misinformation. Why the attack? Consider this:

• Have you heard a critique of the film where contrary evidence is presented. Has an opponent put forward data to demonstrate the “misinformation” of the film? (if you have seen some shoot me an email…seriously…I have seen none).
• CBS did a story on Tim Ballard (character played by Jim Caviezel) in 2014 in which they help document the sting operation he led against child traffickers. Now they are platforms for people to bash the story and make attempts to discredit it. Which news story is the lie: that of 2014 or the current stories being put forward to undermine the content of Sound of Freedom?

To Those Who have Seen it (and those who haven’t)

As I drove home from the movie with my stomach in knots I had one question: how can this practically and immediately impact my life. If you have seen it or plan to see it I would encourage you to pray before and after that God would teach you what you need to know, and so respond to the info in a fruitful fashion, not emotional reaction. Being emotionally affected is not bad, but it is of little worth if it does not create space for conviction.

The Application from this Film:

• The overwhelming nature of the movie in demonstrating how greatly evil abounds should press us to pray. In a new way pray: “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…deliver us from evil…” Prayer must be the immediate response because the movie leaves you with so much to process. I dare say we see so much that we cannot process it on our own, at least not to any great benefit. You probably left the theatre overwhelmed or mourning or angry. How are we to take wise and effective steps? Begin with prayer.
• To husbands and fathers: Most of us will not be running sting operations, but we can do diligence in loving our wives and caring for the souls of our children. How does that help? It helps because it is proverbially putting a Christian flag in the ground. The film demonstrates the great evil and damage a godless man is capable of. I don’t mean this to sound like a balancing act of outweighing the bad; it is living with the knowledge that He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. A godless man can to great damage while a godly man can do unimaginable good. Specifically loving our kids by leading them to love justice. Plainly put, teach them to love justice so that when your sons and daughters see this movie in years to come that they too walk away from it nauseous, angry, mourning, and yearning to act. Teach them to love The Righteous One; lead by word and deed. Then, when you are cold in your grave you have posterity carrying the torch of truth.
• Identify areas of selfishness that regularly show themselves because unless you deal with your daily selfish tendencies, how can we expect to make big sacrifices for freedom when the time comes? How are you regularly and actively serving your spouse, kids, and church? Are you working hard in your vocation to be quick and effective, so that you can get home quickly to have time with your spouse, play with your kids, be available to the brethren? Are you death scrolling social media for a fast grasp of self-gratification? Are you saying no to excessive hobbies so that you are more engaged with the people God has placed in your life? Identify selfish patterns in life. Name them. Resist them. Replace them with service to others.

https://invest.angel.com/freedom

To Those Who haven’t Seen it (and those who have)

Jim Caviezel is right to say that such stories have power to open eyes and motivate change. Caviezel at the end of the film speaks of the power of stories and narrative. He states that this was seen in the influence of Uncle Tom’s Cabin during the 1800’s. The story brought the reality of slavery home for the common man so that it was no longer a far off idea of what was happening in another region. I think Caviezel is right when he claims that this film has that potential for our age.

Photo by Victor Freitas on Unsplash

So…

• Go see this movie and take someone with you…
• Pay it forward. Angel studios has set up an opportunity for people to pay it forward so that those who cannot afford a ticket can go. Make a donation.
• If you can’t afford to go, click the link above for a free ticket.
• Every Christian man needs to see this. It is hard to watch; it is gut wrenching, but we need to be aware.
• Pop your comfort bubble. I was telling my friend and mentor this week how I don’t want to press too hard for someone to see it who is uncomfortable by what is portrayed on screen. This friend said: That’s the problem. Until comfortable Americans (and those of western civilization) pop their comfort bubble in which everything is calm and pleasant, they will always lack the zeal they might have if they chose to open their eyes. He persuaded me. My final word is that Christian men and women need to step into an air conditioned theatre in the middle of your safe community and see what is happening to many children around us and around the world.

I close with a quote from the movie: “Are you a parent? What would you do if your child’s bed was empty each night and you did not know where they were?”