As a follow-on to “Recommended books on Christian Persecution (Joseph Smith Foundation)“, enjoy the following list of life-changing motion pictures to instill in youth, and even parents, a love for God and liberty.
On Wings of Eagles (2016 – 108 min.)
[amazon_link asins=’B075DQ8R75′ template=’ProductAdFloatRight’ store=’ldsanswers-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’64b62aa1-1fbd-11e8-9bf0-af5f0442551f’]“The continuing true story of Eric Liddell’s glorious life after winning Olympic gold in the 1924 Paris Olympics. Liddell has returned to China, where he was born to missionary parents, modestly avoiding celebrity in order to teach local schoolchildren. In 1937, the Japanese invade China at the outset of WWll. Liddell with his friend Xu Niu, a street smart resistance fighter, recognize the increasing danger so Liddell sends his wife, Florence and their two daughters to safety in Canada. Duty-bound, Liddell stays to minister to the civilian victims. Liddell and other foreign nationals are taken as prisoners and placed in one of the many Japanese internment camps where they are forced to endure for two years. His message of hope became immortal. Eric Liddell’s legacy continues to this day as he remains admired as a champion for life.” (Summary by Amazon)
China Cry (1990 – 101 min.)
[amazon_link asins=’B001PXGYQA’ template=’ProductAdFloatRight’ store=’ldsanswers-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’64b62aa1-1fbd-11e8-9bf0-af5f0442551f’]“Her story is wrapped up within one of the most incredible marvels in all world history: how the Christian church survived under repressive atheistic communism in China. But it did more than survive. It thrived and multiplied. We can better understand these heroic Chinese Christians through Noras story. Adopted by a prominent family in Shanghai in 1941, little Sung Neng Yee (Nora Lam) is treated like a princess. . . until the bombs drop, and the Japanese seize her house. After the defeat of the Japanese, she joins the Communists, believing they are the liberators of China. All goes well until she falls in love with Iam Cheng Shen from Hong Kong. Communist officials decide to break her of any bourgeois tendencies. During the next few years, in which she marries and has three children, she is subjected to excruciating persecution. She calls out to God for salvation. Miracles follow. She bargains for her husband and daughters release to Hong Kong and is sent to hard! labor, where she starts agitating for her own release. An intimate love story, sage of courage, and acclaimed inspirational gem.” (Summary by Amazon)
The Printing (1990 – 137 min.)
[amazon_link asins=’B01JNXOZIM’ template=’ProductAdFloatRight’ store=’ldsanswers-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’64b62aa1-1fbd-11e8-9bf0-af5f0442551f’]“When Christian principles become socially unacceptable and society moves to repress them, what will Christians do? How important are the Christian faith and family values they believe in? Witness the Soviet Union—before glasnost. Fear of the KGB pervades society, and Christian faith is stifled wherever it is discovered. Most believers cling to a hollow shell of Christianity tolerated in “registered” churches. However, some believers opt to remain “unregistered,” worshipping God openly and accepting the consequences. A brave few dare to print Bibles—right under the noses of the KGB. This story is about them. While The Printing is a fictional story, Unusual Films has based the characters and events on real people and documented events that occurred during the Communist Era in the U.S.S.R.” (Summary by Unusual Films)
Tortured for Christ (2018 – 77 min.)
[amazon_link asins=’0882643266,143471117X,B015PJJZJM’ template=’ProductCarouselCustom’ store=’ldsanswers-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’66317880-1fc0-11e8-9e4e-4342bf06c4da’]“A cinematic retelling of the testimony of VOM founder Pastor Richard Wurmbrand as written in his international bestseller Tortured for Christ. . . .Filmed entirely in Romania, including in the very prison where Pastor Wurmbrand endured torture and solitary confinement, this powerful film uniquely presents the story with live action rather than interviews.” (Summary by Voice of the Martyrs)
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I just watched “The Printing” last night. I really appreciated the perspective that I gained from watching this film. Is God’s Word something that is a part of our daily lives? Is it important to us? Do we base our actions on what God says? I’m very grateful that I watched this film and I was reminded of the sacrifices others have made for us to have the scriptures. Let us not make their efforts and sacrifices vain by ignoring it!
I have seen China Cry, The Printing, and Tortured for Christ and all raise awareness of the raw and real possiblity of Christian persecution.
These are valuable references to look at for our preparation for the last days.
I hope the fire of faith is lit in anyone who watches these, and that they don’t cower away from true faithfulness to God, and His Son Jesus Christ.
I hope people take a second look at their dedication after viewing such.
All of these are powerful movies that can change who you are. Each one has taught me the beauty of suffering for Christ and the blessings in it.
By closely adhering to the teachings of the Bible, we will set ourselves up for rejection, mockery, loneliness, or betrayal. Often, the cruelest persecution comes from those who consider themselves spiritual but have defined God according to their own ideas. If we choose to take a stand for righteousness and these biblical truths, it can be guaranteed that we will be misunderstood, mocked, or worse. I love how no threat of suffering deterred the apostles from preaching Christ. In fact, Paul said that losing everything was worth it “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10).
I’ve watched tortured for Christ recently and I just loved it! I really enjoyed the beginning where he’s at the gathering with his wife and she told him to “stand up and say something, because she didn’t marry a coward.” Don’t be coward and stand up.
These are great movies. Each one I personally recommend to watch. My understanding of the beauty of being persecuted for Christ took on a whole new look.
All of these are wonderful movies. Have any of us really ever sacrificed for the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Do our children know what it means to sacrifice for Christ? Would we be willing to sacrifice even our lives, as many in these movies demonstrate they were willing to do? As the poet, William Wordsworth penned, “The world is too much with us….Getting and spending we lay waste our powers.” If that was true in his day, how much more is it a problem today! Do we waste our lives in frivolous pursuits, and teach our children that having “fun” is the ultimate goal?
Watching these videos with our families will help us realize how blessed we are, and hopefully strengthen our resolve to stand up and be counted, and do what’s necessary to instill “fire in our bones” so we can withstand any persecution we might experience for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.