Chinese Pastor Who Organized Human Wall
Against Church Demolition "Grateful" for Prison
Sentence
A Chinese pastor maintains that he is grateful for
the opportunity to serve a prison sentence.
Huang Yizi faces up to seven years in prison for
criticizing the government's campaign to
demolish church buildings, according to the
Christian Post.
China Aid reports Pastor Yizi gathered church
members and other believers to defend Salvation
Church by created a human wall to keep
authorities out on July 21. Fourteen people were
seriously injured that day.
On Aug. 3, police took forty-year-old Pastor
Huang Yizi of a Wenzhou-based church into
criminal detention. Aug. 28 he was arrested for
“gathering a crowd to disrupt public order.”
"He [Yizi] seems well. He is grateful that God has
given him the chance to serve time in the
detention centre," Beijing-based rights lawyer
Zhang Kai Ahaojie said.
Huang’s arrest notice is translated below:
Upon approval from Pingyang County People’s
Procuratorate, this bureau placed Huang Yizi
under arrest on August 28, 2014 on suspicion of
“gathering a crowd to disrupt public order.”
Huang Yizi is currently being detained at
Pingyang County Detention Center.
‘Left Behind’ and ‘The Good Lie’ Face Off during
Hollywood’s Year of Faith-Based Films
Sarah Pulliam Bailey
movies coming out this weekend that aim to
attract a faith-based crowd join a glut of biblical
films for 2014, testing the limits of Hollywood’s
appetite for religion.
The two films, “The Good Lie” and “Left Behind,”
both opening Friday (Oct. 3), reflect two different
filmmaking strategies: One is geared for a wider
audience that could attract Christians, while the
other produces a movie clearly made for the
Christian base.
With a number of films targeting a faith audience
this year, it’s unclear whether Hollywood is
oversaturating the market with faith-based films
— a revolutionary idea 10 years after Mel
Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” shocked the
industry by raking in $611.9 million worldwide.
“The Good Lie,” starring Reese Witherspoon
helping four young “Lost Boys” from Sudan adjust
to life in the U.S., has underlying faith themes.
The refugees rely on their faith as they try to
leave homeland strife behind, and Witherspoon’s
character works closely with a faith-based
agency to place refugees with families.
To find the Lost Boys actors, the filmmakers held
casting calls at churches that have helped
resettle actual Lost Boys. Actor Ger Duany, who
plays one of the Lost Boys in the film, was
himself a Lost Boy. Born in Sudan, Duany was a
child soldier before he escaped to Ethiopia and
sought refuge in the U.S. at age 16.
The film, being billed as the next “The Blind Side,”
already has grassroots support from a diverse set
of faith-based leaders and organizations.
Megachurch pastor Rick Warren, Sojourners
founder Jim Wallis, World Vision, UNICEF, Oxfam
and other groups are promoting the film, with
some hosting screenings or buying out entire
theaters.
“The Blind Side,” based on Michael Lewis’ best-
selling book about a black football player taken in
by a white family, received a groundswell of
support from Christians, eventually grossing over
$250 million in the U.S. One of “The Good Lie”
producers, Molly Smith, who also produced “The
Blind Side,” said this film could face some
challenges in drawing people to the theaters.
“‘The Blind Side’ struck a chord with the
heartland,” Smith said. “This movie is a tougher
sell because it’s not entertaining with a story
about children of war.”
Though it’s not an overtly religious film,
filmmakers employed the same strategy as other
films in seeking endorsements from religious
leaders and faith-based organizations.
“We didn’t set out to make it a faith-based
movie. During the journey of the Lost Boys, it was
their faith that guided them. We tried to tell the
story in an authentic way, and that’s part of it,”
Smith said. “Movies like this only opens the door
to making more movies like this with values,
family, sacrifice, love, faith.”
The other film out this weekend, “Left Behind,”
starring Nicolas Cage, is more overtly religious,
based on the best-selling books by Tim LaHaye
and Jerry Jenkins about the world after Jesus
returns, when true believers are swept into glory
and everyone else is left behind.
The first “Left Behind” book, published in 1995 by
Tyndale House Publishers, was a surprising best-
seller, spawning a series that has sold over 63
million copies. The series’ sales figures would
rival “The Hunger Games” trilogy, “The Hardy
Boys” series and even “Winnie-the-Pooh.”
The book had already been turned into a 2000
film starring Kirk Cameron, grossing about $4
million, barely breaking even. Tim LaHaye
originally panned the newer version but later
changed his tune.
“It is the best movie I have ever seen about the
Rapture,” he said.
“We’re not pursuing endorsements as if the film’s
success depends on it,” said his grandson, Randy
LaHaye, who co-produced the film. “One of the
reasons ‘Left Behind’ was successful was
because people had no idea they were learning
biblical prophecy. In that sense, it’s a biblical
film.”
Early reviews give “The Good Lie” a boost: The
film scored an 84 percent rating on Rotten
Tomatoes, which measures how positively movie
critics review a film. “Left Behind,” on the other
hand, receives 3 percent. Both films will also
compete with Ben Affleck’s highly anticipated
thriller, “Gone Girl.”
With 2014 shaping up to be the year of faith-
based films, the two films reflect the increasingly
fierce competition to tap into the purchasing
power of Christian moviegoers. Christian
audiences turned out in force for surprise hits like
2008′s “Fireproof” (which had a budget of $
500,000 but took in $33.5 million) and the 2006
film produced by the same Georgia church,
“Facing the Giants.”
But with Hollywood producing large-scale films
like this year’s “Noah,” starring Russell Crowe,
smaller-budget films like “Left Behind” might have
a harder time standing out at the box office.
“Noah” grossed more than $100 million
domestically, according to Box Office Mojo.
Christian Hollywood duo Mark Burnett and Roma
Downey’s “Son of God” took in $60 million. The
book-to-film story “Heaven Is for Real” has made
$90 million domestically since its release. Even
“God’s Not Dead” drew in a surprising $60
million.
Films like “The Good Lie” that don’t feature overt
religious themes don’t always perform well.
“Moms’ Night Out,” which was marketed heavily
to the faith-based audience with a production
budget of $5 million, drew only $10 million.
In addition, smaller-scale films with faith themes
out this fall, such as “Believe Me,” “The Identical”
and “The Song,” could have difficulty competing
with a film like “Noah,” which had a $125 million
budget.
More faith-based films are expected this year.
Texas megachurch pastor Joel Osteen signed on
with Aloe Entertainment to be the executive
producer of “Mary, Mother of Christ,” billed as a
kind of sequel to “The Passion of the Christ,” but
production has been bogged down with
controversy involving Mexican drug traffickers and
money launderers.
The official trailer for “Exodus: Gods and Kings,”
about the life of Moses and starring Christian
Bale, was released from 20th Century Fox and
already has 2.5 million views. And the film
adaptation of the best-selling book “Unbroken,”
which also has faith themes, will come out on
Christmas.
Against Church Demolition "Grateful" for Prison
Sentence
A Chinese pastor maintains that he is grateful for
the opportunity to serve a prison sentence.
Huang Yizi faces up to seven years in prison for
criticizing the government's campaign to
demolish church buildings, according to the
Christian Post.
China Aid reports Pastor Yizi gathered church
Church by created a human wall to keep
authorities out on July 21. Fourteen people were
seriously injured that day.
On Aug. 3, police took forty-year-old Pastor
Huang Yizi of a Wenzhou-based church into
criminal detention. Aug. 28 he was arrested for
“gathering a crowd to disrupt public order.”
"He [Yizi] seems well. He is grateful that God has
given him the chance to serve time in the
detention centre," Beijing-based rights lawyer
Zhang Kai Ahaojie said.
Huang’s arrest notice is translated below:
Upon approval from Pingyang County People’s
Procuratorate, this bureau placed Huang Yizi
under arrest on August 28, 2014 on suspicion of
“gathering a crowd to disrupt public order.”
Huang Yizi is currently being detained at
Pingyang County Detention Center.
‘Left Behind’ and ‘The Good Lie’ Face Off during
Hollywood’s Year of Faith-Based Films
Sarah Pulliam Bailey
movies coming out this weekend that aim to
attract a faith-based crowd join a glut of biblical
films for 2014, testing the limits of Hollywood’s
appetite for religion.
The two films, “The Good Lie” and “Left Behind,”
both opening Friday (Oct. 3), reflect two different
filmmaking strategies: One is geared for a wider
audience that could attract Christians, while the
other produces a movie clearly made for the
Christian base.
With a number of films targeting a faith audience
this year, it’s unclear whether Hollywood is
oversaturating the market with faith-based films
— a revolutionary idea 10 years after Mel
Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” shocked the
industry by raking in $611.9 million worldwide.
“The Good Lie,” starring Reese Witherspoon
helping four young “Lost Boys” from Sudan adjust
to life in the U.S., has underlying faith themes.
The refugees rely on their faith as they try to
leave homeland strife behind, and Witherspoon’s
character works closely with a faith-based
agency to place refugees with families.
To find the Lost Boys actors, the filmmakers held
casting calls at churches that have helped
resettle actual Lost Boys. Actor Ger Duany, who
plays one of the Lost Boys in the film, was
himself a Lost Boy. Born in Sudan, Duany was a
child soldier before he escaped to Ethiopia and
sought refuge in the U.S. at age 16.
The film, being billed as the next “The Blind Side,”
already has grassroots support from a diverse set
of faith-based leaders and organizations.
Megachurch pastor Rick Warren, Sojourners
founder Jim Wallis, World Vision, UNICEF, Oxfam
and other groups are promoting the film, with
some hosting screenings or buying out entire
theaters.
“The Blind Side,” based on Michael Lewis’ best-
selling book about a black football player taken in
by a white family, received a groundswell of
support from Christians, eventually grossing over
$250 million in the U.S. One of “The Good Lie”
producers, Molly Smith, who also produced “The
Blind Side,” said this film could face some
challenges in drawing people to the theaters.
“‘The Blind Side’ struck a chord with the
heartland,” Smith said. “This movie is a tougher
sell because it’s not entertaining with a story
about children of war.”
Though it’s not an overtly religious film,
filmmakers employed the same strategy as other
films in seeking endorsements from religious
leaders and faith-based organizations.
“We didn’t set out to make it a faith-based
movie. During the journey of the Lost Boys, it was
their faith that guided them. We tried to tell the
story in an authentic way, and that’s part of it,”
Smith said. “Movies like this only opens the door
to making more movies like this with values,
family, sacrifice, love, faith.”
The other film out this weekend, “Left Behind,”
starring Nicolas Cage, is more overtly religious,
based on the best-selling books by Tim LaHaye
and Jerry Jenkins about the world after Jesus
returns, when true believers are swept into glory
and everyone else is left behind.
The first “Left Behind” book, published in 1995 by
Tyndale House Publishers, was a surprising best-
seller, spawning a series that has sold over 63
million copies. The series’ sales figures would
rival “The Hunger Games” trilogy, “The Hardy
Boys” series and even “Winnie-the-Pooh.”
The book had already been turned into a 2000
film starring Kirk Cameron, grossing about $4
million, barely breaking even. Tim LaHaye
originally panned the newer version but later
changed his tune.
“It is the best movie I have ever seen about the
Rapture,” he said.
“We’re not pursuing endorsements as if the film’s
success depends on it,” said his grandson, Randy
LaHaye, who co-produced the film. “One of the
reasons ‘Left Behind’ was successful was
because people had no idea they were learning
biblical prophecy. In that sense, it’s a biblical
film.”
Early reviews give “The Good Lie” a boost: The
film scored an 84 percent rating on Rotten
Tomatoes, which measures how positively movie
critics review a film. “Left Behind,” on the other
hand, receives 3 percent. Both films will also
compete with Ben Affleck’s highly anticipated
thriller, “Gone Girl.”
With 2014 shaping up to be the year of faith-
based films, the two films reflect the increasingly
fierce competition to tap into the purchasing
power of Christian moviegoers. Christian
audiences turned out in force for surprise hits like
2008′s “Fireproof” (which had a budget of $
500,000 but took in $33.5 million) and the 2006
film produced by the same Georgia church,
“Facing the Giants.”
But with Hollywood producing large-scale films
like this year’s “Noah,” starring Russell Crowe,
smaller-budget films like “Left Behind” might have
a harder time standing out at the box office.
“Noah” grossed more than $100 million
domestically, according to Box Office Mojo.
Christian Hollywood duo Mark Burnett and Roma
Downey’s “Son of God” took in $60 million. The
book-to-film story “Heaven Is for Real” has made
$90 million domestically since its release. Even
“God’s Not Dead” drew in a surprising $60
million.
Films like “The Good Lie” that don’t feature overt
religious themes don’t always perform well.
“Moms’ Night Out,” which was marketed heavily
to the faith-based audience with a production
budget of $5 million, drew only $10 million.
In addition, smaller-scale films with faith themes
out this fall, such as “Believe Me,” “The Identical”
and “The Song,” could have difficulty competing
with a film like “Noah,” which had a $125 million
budget.
More faith-based films are expected this year.
Texas megachurch pastor Joel Osteen signed on
with Aloe Entertainment to be the executive
producer of “Mary, Mother of Christ,” billed as a
kind of sequel to “The Passion of the Christ,” but
production has been bogged down with
controversy involving Mexican drug traffickers and
money launderers.
The official trailer for “Exodus: Gods and Kings,”
about the life of Moses and starring Christian
Bale, was released from 20th Century Fox and
already has 2.5 million views. And the film
adaptation of the best-selling book “Unbroken,”
which also has faith themes, will come out on
Christmas.
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