Why You Should Go See Bonhoeffer Right Now, Instead of Wicked or Queer
John Zmirak of The Stream interviewed author Eric Metaxas about the new film, Bonhoeffer, now in theaters for its third week nationwide.
The Stream: You’ve been working really hard spreading the word to movie audiences about the powerful new film, Bonhoeffer. I’m pretty sure I saw you outside a Studio Movie Grill in Richardson, Texas, trying to get parents with a minivan full of kids in Wicked costumes to go see the “We Tried to Kill Hitler But Got Hanged in a Concentration Camp” movie instead. How’s that working out for you? Is the movie doing well? Are believers rallying to it?
Eric Metaxas: It’s breathtaking to think this film got made, because we usually have a choice between secular Hollywood garbage — some of which is genuinely wicked (pun intended) — and cheesy “Christian” films that were made by people laid off from the Hallmark Channel. Notice that I’m not mentioning my good friend Kevin Sorbo, because that would be gratuitous and mean, and we really are friends, so please edit out this sentence! Please don’t forget.
But YES, this film is that super rare thing, a $30 million motion picture about one of the greatest Christian heroes of all time made by Hollywood professionals who have spent their lives working with Clint Eastwood and Mel Gibson, among others. One of the producers is the legendary Ralph Winter, who produced X-Men and a zillion other major blockbusters. You’d have to go back to Chariots of Fire to find an equivalent of anything approaching this. This film could be a game-changer in leading our decrepit culture back from the verge of Armageddon. I believe God wants to use this film to begin a great change in the entertainment world. But this is probably the last week it is in theaters across the country, and many have still not heard about it or seen it. Which is why I’m willing to talk to someone at The Stream about it. I’m that desperate to get the word out.
TS: Now I heard something strange which I don’t really want to believe, but it’s my job as an investigatory journalist to ask: I heard you don’t even get a percentage of the gross receipts on this film, which isn’t directly based on your book. So why are you kibbitzing? Some have suggested that you have some hidden religious agenda. That maybe you’re trying to proselytize people with mystical beliefs about a Jewish rabbi whom the Romans executed, like, hundreds of years ago. Aren’t religious beliefs incredibly personal, so it’s kind of rude to try to influence them in any way? That’s what I read in Christianity Today, anyway …
EM: This is the kind of film you hope someone will make, but they never do. It’s a miracle that it exists. So the fact that it’s not based on my book makes no difference to me. It’s a brilliant film about Bonhoeffer, and I’m simply amazed it exists and want everyone to see it. Hollywood spends zillions promoting the H-E- double hockey sticks out of totally dopey or genuinely vile films. The folks at Angel Studios — who didn’t make the film, but are the producers — cannot do that. So it has to rely on word of mouth. And I have a big mouth.
Also, there is NO doubt that the film helps people think about the Big Questions, which will lead us to think about God. Hollywood films never, ever do that. So it’s vital to me to get the word out as far and wide as possible. As I say, this is probably the last week to see it in a big theater, and that is very important to the success of the film. If we really want great entertainment, we have to support it. Many have not yet done that and I’m hoping they will do that this week. By the way, don’t forget to edit out that sentence about Kevin Sorbo. Thanks.
TS: Speaking of CT (and I don’t mean a brain scan), that huffy NeverTrump magazine — whose editors take funding from Soros-linked NGOs and Planned Parenthood donors — has published an attack on the film. The review said the movie plays fast and loose with some of the details of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s behavior in jazz clubs in Harlem, for instance. If true, I would find that shocking. Since you literally wrote the book on Bonhoeffer — which I stopped reading just short of the ending, since I heard that part’s really sad — can you address these factual issues? Did Bonhoeffer play “Minnie the Moocher” on a piano or not? Americans have the right to know.
EM: If you ever wanted to know how soul-dead the folks at CT have become, all you need to do is read their depressing review. Imagine that someone makes a spectacular film about a Christian hero and all you can do is snipe about the things you didn’t love about it. The only good news is that the only people who read CT these days are ex-vangelicals like David French and David Platt. I think having to read it is part of the devil’s bargain they made with George Soros, who fondly thinks of CT‘s editors as his own illegitimate children.
TS: Also in that review, which I encourage Stream readers to quickly skim then forget, the author claims that the film misrepresents Bonhoeffer. In the movie the theologian gets directly involved in his brother-in-law’s plot to assassinate Hitler, which seems to outrage the reviewer — who claims Bonhoeffer just heard about the plan but refused to help. The same reviewer is disgusted that Bonhoeffer might have “compromised” his previous silly belief in pacifism, just because his country’s government was invading most of Europe and murdering millions of Jews. What’s the real story here? Is this movie a wacky historical romp like Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Bastards, or a scrupulous documentary like Raiders of the Lost Ark?
EM: Bonhoeffer’s pacifism is wildly overstated and misunderstood. I say this as a widely recognized expert on him, having written a exhaustively researched, million-selling, highly praised blockbuster book about him titled Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, available at www.ericmetaxas.com. Bonhoeffer was never a pacifist in the classic sense, but for all the important details and actual historical context on that important and somewhat complicated subject, I recommend my exhaustively researched, million-selling, highly praised blockbuster book about him. If you don’t know the details (available in my exhaustively researched, million-selling, highly praised blockbuster book), it’s easy to get confused, and I know that the folks who write for CT don’t read exhaustively researched, million-selling, highly praised blockbuster books, because all of the scrupulously documented facts and primary sources could interfere with their ability to make a hasty and emotionally satisfying ideological judgment, which George Soros wouldn’t like.
TS: Do you think Christianity Today has current political reasons for casting pacifism in the face of Nazi crimes as somehow a “purer” Christian response? Meghan Basham documented that virtually all political donations from CT staff go to pro-abortion Democrats. The magazine’s editor helped Rob Reiner make a film accusing believers who vote their consciences of “Christian Nationalism.” Do you smell another unspoken agenda here?
EM: The once-great magazine is now in total meltdown, just like the Democratic Party. They know they don’t have a message that resonates with anyone. But they still have a magazine to get out every month, or the money from George Soros and Satan goes away. They’re in a real pickle! They’re thinking of putting Bruce Jenner on their next cover — dressed as a woman! I’m not making that up. It’s crazy.
TS: In your book Letter to the American Church, you detailed Bonhoeffer’s attack on German churches that wouldn’t criticize the Nazis — and instead just safely “preached the Gospel” as Germany’s synagogues burned. You compared Germany’s head-in-the-sand pastors to Christian leaders today who won’t resist abortion, transgenderism, lawfare, election fraud, and public health fascism. Having written that, did you really expect a rave review from Christianity Today for this movie? Didn’t you basically provoke this?
EM: Again, the movie is not based on my book and I am not a producer on the movie. So why the unhinged ire of ex-vangelicals like Russell Moore should be piqued by this movie makes no rational sense. If they want to attack me, fine. But to attack a great faith-based film that brings a Christian hero to the attention of the world is sheer lunacy. Ironically, any liberal seeing the film will love it. Variety raved about it! So for the folks at CT somehow to suggest that the film is about “Christian Nationalism” or whatever else is so crazy, there’s really nothing to say. They’ve obviously flipped their rainbow-colored wigs.
TS: I said on your radio show that Regime Christians who supported Kamala Harris to protect us from the threat of a grubby populist from Queens are probably panicking now. The pro-abortion billionaires who fund them and pro-Antifa journalists who interview them on NPR might decide that there isn’t much point in platforming people like David French, who apparently failed to influence much of anyone. If there’s one thing worse than being what the Marxists call a “useful idiot,” it’s proving to be a useless one. In light of that, can you tell us what happened to the German churchmen who rallied to Hitler and trimmed Christianity to fit his ideology? Did they lose their jobs at magazines and their columns in MSM newspapers? Did Frenchmen shave their heads in the streets?
EM: I’m sorry, what? I was distracted by the cover of my exhaustively researched, million-selling, highly reviewed blockbuster book. Have you read it? It can clear up a lot of the confusion some people are having about Bonhoeffer. Did you know they’ve made a film about him!?
TS: Why should people make a point of seeing this film on the big screen, this week, rather than streaming it later on the tiny screens of their phones?
EM: Films like this come along once in a generation, and if it does well at the box-office — and so far it is NOT doing well for reasons we have mentioned — it really could portend a shift in the culture. So the opportunity is huge! But people have to see it, and it really DOES need to be this week, because the film has already been out three weeks and will soon go away. The box office matters. And this is the sort of film that SHOULD be seen on a big screen. But this film in theaters is also a huge evangelistic opportunity. Taking a friend or family member to see it will open up a conversation on God and the real role of Christians in history. Which is amazing. And here’s one more reason: There are discounted tickets available at Angel.com/eric. What’s not to love? And of course, seeing a fabulous film about Bonhoeffer is a whole lot easier than reading my exhaustively researched, million-selling, highly praised blockbuster book!
But seriously, it’s a great film. I hope everyone sees it ASAP and prays that God draws people to Himself through it. That’s the general idea behind it, in case anyone was wondering.
John Zmirak is a senior editor at The Stream and author or coauthor of 14 books, including The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism. His newest book is No Second Amendment, No First.