You have probably watched movies and TV shows that proclaim they are “based on a true story.” Most folks are fine just walking away from such a presentation, accepting it as pure entertainment.
However, being a curious person, whenever I see a film labeled this way I research the real story afterward. I’m always intrigued by what, if any, liberties Hollywood folks have taken with the facts.
RELATED: Check out more stories on faith and culture from Ken Lass.
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As I have found out, and as you have probably figured out, that disclaimer basically gives the filmmakers latitude to do whatever they want. I am often disappointed to learn that my favorite characters in the movie were fictitious, or that the most poignant and dramatic scenes never really happened.
Feeling deceived
I need to stop doing this because discovering the truth frequently ruins the movie for me. It makes me feel as though I’ve been deceived.
Through the centuries the message of the Bible has been portrayed in many ways. Different cultures and evolving morality have reshaped it into new versions based on the true story. The account of God’s revelation to humanity has been edited, dramatized, criticized, revised, misrepresented and outright denied.
The original authors anticipated this. In 2 Peter 2 are several cautions. “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them — bringing swift destruction on themselves.”
Doing your homework
A little research here can be very helpful. Most historians of the first century, even those who deny His Godship, confirm that Jesus was a real person, that He was put to death on a cross and His death started a new spiritual movement that grew rapidly across the land.
It’s also fact that prophecies written hundreds of years in advance were fulfilled precisely the way they had been predicted. There were hundreds of eyewitnesses to the resurrected body of the slain Jesus.
Stands test of time
You will be hard-pressed to find anything written by any objective historian that proves something revealed in Scripture was false.
The Bible is not based on a true story. It IS the true story. And no modern cultural change or Hollywood magic can destroy that.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Ken Lass is a retired Birmingham television news and sports anchor and an award-winning columnist for numerous publications and websites.
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