On the 50th anniversary of the historic martyrdom of Jim Elliot and 4 other men, the remarkable story is the subject of a major motion picture from Every Tribe Entertainment titled End of the Spear. The movie is scheduled for release January 20 on 1,200 screens nationwide.

While the elements of a great movie are in place — an enthralling story, a competent cast, an exotic backdrop and high production values — Christian audiences may find two weaknesses.

First, the authentic and passionate Christ-centered motive of the missionaries is lacking, rendering an incomplete portrayal. In contrast, Elliot’s book clearly documents the Gospel zeal that drove the mission endeavor.

Second, Christians may be ambivalent at the choice of Chad Allen to portray both Nate Saint and a grown-up Steve Saint. Allen is an out-spoken homosexual activist who crusades against a federal marriage amendment.

In an epilogue to the 2005 edition of the best-selling Through Gates of Splendor, author Elisabeth Elliot writes that she has sometimes wondered if audiences tire of hearing the true story of five American missionaries — including her former husband Jim Elliot — who were killed by primitive tribesmen in the jungles of Ecuador in 1956. Apparently they do not.

The movie is based on a new book, also titled End of the Spear, by Steve Saint. Saint is the son of Nate Saint, the missionary pilot who was killed as part of the mission team working to bring the Gospel to the notoriously violent Waodani Indians.

Hopefully, the new movie will create a renewed interest in the people and events that first shook the world a half-century ago. Still, Christians are most likely to find Elliot’s book the most satisfying account.Full article.