Gimme the Original!

I recently watched the "new" Robin Hood movie directed by Ridley Scott starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett.  Though it started with promise, in my opinion it ended in complete disarray.  For those of you who have not yet watched the film and hope to, you might want to skip the next couple paragraphs because I will no doubt spoil it for you.  For others I am only saving you the trouble of having high hopes dashed!  Robin Hood is a well-known character in English folklore who "robbed from the rich and gave to the poor."  This movie was a departure from that character.  It seemed like Scott didn't know whether to have Russell Crowe return to his role in Gladiator or impersonate Mel Gibson in Braveheart.  But what really bothered me was how Maid Marion was depicted in the latter part of the film.  It seemed she was directed to channel Éowyn from Lord of the Rings swinging a sword and riding into battle accompanied by chain-mail clad Friar Tuck!  And there was the new King John flamboyantly riding away from his egocentric character into battle...an absolute disaster.

The film may have been well-shot in beautiful locations with world-class actors and actresses.  But it was a movie about Robin Hood that bore little or no resemblance to Robin Hood!  The movie was a departure from the original characters I have enjoyed since my childhood.  The comedy "Robin Hood Men in Tights" is more true to the fabled folklore than the Ridley Scott version!  I understand it can be hard to do something which has already been done, perhaps even overdone.  When musicians "cover" a song, they like to make it their own.  But when a song departs so far from the original it becomes plagiarism rather than a cover!  If I watch a movie about Robin Hood, I want it to be about the Robin Hood the world has enjoyed plays, books, and movies about since the middle ages.  The "new" Robin Hood is a handsome impostor.  Big names, famous people, and 200 million dollars couldn't hide the flaws.  Of course, this is my opinion.  My convictions will not allow me to see it differently.

Unfortunately, this kind of departure from the original is nothing new.  This has happened with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!  When it comes to the Gospel, I only want the original!  Sometimes pastors feel like they have to put their own "spin" on God's Word to liven it up a little.  Man can't come up with anything that can add anything of value to the Gospel.  God is holy, man is wicked.  Man deserves death for his rebellion from God, and because God loves mankind He sent His Son Jesus Christ to be the Savior of the World.  John 3:16 reads, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  If man will repent and trust in Jesus Christ, he can be born again by the Holy Spirit and regain fellowship with God for eternity.  This is not man's idea - this is the creation of God.  He has offered to meet a need we did not know we had.

We can have different opinions about movies, music, or the Gospel.  But the big difference is movies are fabricated and the Gospel is fundamental truth.  The legend of Robin Hood has morphed and changed over time.  There is a big difference between Kevin Costner's Robin Hood and the Disney animated version!  But when it comes to the Gospel, there is no room for the opinions of men to alter it.  These are aspects I love about God:  He does not change, and His Word endures forever.  Refuse to accept a "modern adaptation" of the Gospel, for this is no gospel at all!  Go to the Word, o seeker!  Repent, trust in Jesus and be saved!