Controversy for "End of the Spear"

In many circles and particularly on the web, there is much discussion about casting of a homosexual, Chad Allen, in the lead role of Nate and Steve Saint in the movie "End of the Spear". I have some thought s on the matter which I will shall at a later date but for the time being, I wanted to post a few links that might prove interesting regarding this controversy.

First, an article from the New York Times reporting the posting on various weblogs. (You may have to sign up for a free account to read the full article.)

Evangelical Filmmakers Criticized for Hiring Gay Actor
By NEELA BANERJEE

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 — Christian ministers were enthusiastic at the early private screenings of "End of the Spear," made by Every Tribe Entertainment, an evangelical film company. But days before the film's premiere, a controversy erupted over the casting of a gay actor that has all but eclipsed the movie and revealed fault lines among evangelicals.

The film relates the true story of five American missionaries who were killed in 1956 by an indigenous tribe in Ecuador. The missionaries' families ultimately converted the tribe to Christianity, and forgave and befriended the killers. The tale inspired evangelicals 40 years ago with its message of redemption and grace, and the film company expected a similar reception.

On Jan. 12, though, the Rev. Jason Janz took the filmmakers to task for casting Chad Allen, an openly gay man and an activist, in the movie's lead role as one of the slain missionaries, and later, his grown son.

An assistant pastor at the independent Red Rocks Baptist Church in Denver, Mr. Janz posted his comments on his fundamentalist Christian Web site, sharperiron.org. He also asked the filmmakers to apologize for their choice.

And from Christianity Today,

Christian Studio Explains Hiring of Gay Actor
The makers of End of the Spear didn't find out about co-star Chad Allen's homosexuality until after they offered him the job, and then they felt obliged to honor the contract.
Mark Moring | posted 01/26/06

End of the Spear, the new feature film telling the story of the five Christian missionaries who were martyred in 1956 in the jungles of Ecuador, features an openly gay man in one of the lead roles.

Chad Allen, who plays Nate Saint (one of the martyred missionaries) and the grown-up Steve Saint (Nate's son), is an outspoken homosexual actor who has lobbied for gay rights and gay marriage.

Allen told Christianity Today Movies that he didn't tell End of the Spear's filmmakers about his sexuality until after they had offered him the job in late 2003. The filmmakers also say they didn't know about Allen's lifestyle until after they offered him a contract, but they felt obliged to honor it even though it had not yet been signed.

"We found out Chad was gay after we offered him the parts," said executive producer Mart Green of Every Tribe Entertainment, the production company behind the movie. "We felt like when we offered him the contract, we were obligated to honor it."

And again from CT,

Readers Affirm Decision to Hire Gay Actor
Most Christianity Today Movies readers say End of the Spear's filmmakers were right to honor their commitment once they had offered the lead role to Chad Allen, a homosexual.
posted 02/01/06

Late last week, we posted an article in which the Christian filmmakers behind End of the Spear explained their decision to hire a gay actor to play the role of a Christian missionary and one of the heroes of the faith.

Chad Allen, a practicing homosexual, plays the parts of Nate Saint—one of five missionaries martyred in the jungles of Ecuador in 1956—and Nate's son Steve, who was only five years old when his father was killed by Waodani tribesmen. End of the Spear tells that story, and more.

Every Tribe Entertainment's Mart Green, an executive producer of the film, and Steve Saint, a consultant on the project, told Christianity Today Movies that they didn't know that Allen was gay until after they had offered him the job. They then decided that it would be a bad Christian witness to rescind the offer, so they kept Allen on the job. The film had a solid opening weekend, finishing in the top 10 at the box office.

We asked readers what they thought of Every Tribe's decision to retain Allen after they learned about his lifestyle, and we received over 150 e-mails in reply—the vast majority of them positive, lauding the studio's decision. A sampling of those reader responses follows, starting with the positive replies, followed by the negative ones.

In pondering these issues, several questions have come to mind which I have not as yet answered.

Were all the actors, crew and staff involved with the picture Christian? Did they need to be?
Is the reaction from evangelicals because Mr. Allen is a homosexual or because he is referred to as an activist?
Should Christian film makers do background checks to insure that all those involved in their production are currently without any observable sin?
If any sin is subsequently discovered, should they be dismissed from the project with any and all work done up to that point destroyed and redone?
Where, in all this, does the fact that Jesus spent so much time with drunkards and prostitutes that people began to fear for His reputation come in?

I don't know but I will have an opinion shortly.