Christ Under Fire - Wits Theatre

Volume 4 1993

Within one week I witnessed the bloody aftermath of the terrorist attack on St. James Church and the Weekly Mail Film
Festival’s blasphemous attack on our Lord Jesus Christ.
The violent attack on Christians with firearms and bombs and the vile attack on Christ with films and blasphemy are related. In fact they seem to form part of a co-ordinated attack on the Church of Jesus Christ in this land.
I was officially invited to take part in the Weekly Mail Film Festival’s debate on censorship. But at no time did the organisers inform me that they intended to screen the banned and blasphemous “Last Temptation of Christ’ directly after our debate. However, some of our contacts informed us of the planned secret showing.
Upon entering the film festival’s venue at Wits Theatre I was greeted by a bewildering barrage of blasphemous posters. A tasteless display of male and female sexual organs and huge posters with vulgar and obscene swear words dominated the foyer. An incredible number of crude posters used Christian symbols along with obscene language and vulgarity. What any of this had to do with art remains a mystery.
During the debate it became clear that the other theologians on the panel not only supported such blasphemous pornography but they endorsed the “Last Temptation of Christ” as well.
Ds. Naas Ferreira, the producer of the TV programme “Kruis en Kroniek”, maintained that the only thing which was blasphemous was censorship! He maintained that to censor even pornography, or blasphemy, was to censor the image of God as in his assessment there was no real distinction between the sacred and the secular.
When a Frontline member in the audience asked the 2 theologians opposing me and the chairman, who was also a minister, if they were born again each one of the three emphatically denied that they were “born again”. Despite their support for abortion, pornography and blasphemy, they nevertheless still maintained that they were Christians! It is no wonder that the judgement of God is falling upon our nation when we have so-called ministers and dominees who smile and nod and wink at pornography and who try to justify blasphemy academically.
We reject anti-semetic films because they could encourage discrimination or violence against Jewish people. We abhor racist films because they could incite racial hatred or violence. So too we should reject pornographic films because they could incite or fuel the abuse of women, rape or even child abuse. And we should reject blasphemous or anti-Christian films because they could incite anti-Christian persecution like the St. James massacre.
The issue of pornography has nothing whatsoever to do with freedom of speech - it has everything to do with money. It is the exploitation and abuse of women for profit.
During the debate I documented the dangers of pornography and called for responsibility by the media and sensitivity to the deeply held religious convictions of Bible believing Christians.
When the organisers refused to consider cancelling the screening of “The Last Temptation”, about 70 Christians in the theatre fell on their knees and prayed for God to have mercy upon our wicked country. We then refused to leave the theatre and continued to sing hymns of worship to Christ. Despite many threats and the hostility of a large crowd of viewers who wanted to see the film our prayer vigil and demonstration delayed the screening of the offensive film for almost 2 hours. Finally a contingent of police arrived and ordered our people to leave the theatre. At this point our protestors reluctantly left, singing hymns to Christ.
While the debate and prayer vigil was continuing inside the theatre many other Christians were gathered outside in an attitude of prayer and worship with placards proclaiming the Deity and holiness of Christ. Once forced Out of the theatre by the police, the two groups of Christians gathered for final prayers for national repentance.
The organisations and ministries which took part in these demonstrations were: United Christian Action; Christians For
Truth; Salt Shakers; Tradition, Family and Property; Pro-Life; Signposts; Transvaal Christian Action and Frontline Fellowship.
Legal action is being pursued against the Weekly Mail for violating the blasphemy law. It is an outrage that a blasphemous film banned by the Publications Control Board could still have been shown.
Our government is clearly in rebellion to Almighty God when prostitution, pornography, violence and blasphemy can be allowed to flourish in spite of the laws against such evils.

Peter Hammond

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