Braden’s Thoughts on Christianity

This may seem odd considering that I haven’t written something in quite a while and all of a sudden I’m writing about Heath Ledger. I’ve got some other posts in the works but nothing I feel like publishing yet. Anyway…

I’ve always thought that Heath Ledger was a fine actor. I suppose the first film I recall seeing him in would be “10 Things I Hate About You.” And yes, I happen to enjoy that movie, which I believe to be a wonderfully light-hearted teenage rendering of “Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare. Then of course, there was “The Patriot,” which is also a fantastic movie.

His latest film “The Dark Knight,” the sequel to the incredible (and much-needed) new vision of the Batman series known as “Batman Begins,” was sure to be a blockbuster. Not only that, for me, “The Dark Knight,” will be one of those films that you find a way to watch on opening night, or even midnight on the eve before it opens in theaters. Ledger’s take on the Joker, from what I’ve seen in the trailer, will be nothing short of magnificent. Unfortunately, now the excitement is more or less dimmed (and perhaps supplemented) by an urge to see the final performance of a great actor.

Seeing the headline that first caught my eye on Yahoo News, I was in complete disbelief. Actor Heath Ledger, age 28 found dead in NYC apartment. How could it have happened? This guy had so much giong for him. He had a little daughter whom he loved very much. He had an acting career that was on the rise, which would have risen even higher as a result of his performance in “The Dark Knight.” He was arguably one of the most popular actors in Hollywood, perhaps even one of the most talented.

Currently, we don’t know whether or not it was a suicide. I personally don’t think it was, based on the circumstances. He never seemed to be a drug addict or someone that you’d see in and out of rehab like Lindsay Lohan or Robert Downey Jr. It seems so ironic to me that there are dozens of celebrities that get second chances, involved in much more dangerous substances than prescription sleeping pills, and yet they are still alive and well, if you can call it that.

I’ve heard that Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas is going to protest Heath Ledger’s funeral. I must say that I can’t think of anything more anti-Christian than that. Their logic is that since Ledger starred as a gay cowboy in “Brokeback Mountain,” then he is currently “serving an eternal sentence in Hell.” In my opinion, people like that have no concept of grace, forgiveness, or even love itself.

I’m not an advocate of homosexuality. I believe the Bible is very clear on that (Romans 1:18-31, 1st Corinthians 6:9). And I’m not here to condone Heath Ledger’s portrayal of a homosexual. But I cannot say that Christ is glorified in the actions of Fred Phelps. I think a guy like Fred Phelps represents some of the things that are dead wrong about evangelical Christendom. He protests the funerals of homosexuals, soldiers, and now an actor. This is just ludicrous. Is there no respect for the dead any more? Why doesn’t he protest the funerals of drunk drivers, thieves, murderers, rapists or people like that? Evidentally, he considers the sin of homosexuality to be worse than the rest. And besides, who has made Fred Phelps the judge of a soul’s destiny?

But back to Heath Ledger. This guy was extremely talented. He was a fantastic actor that I really admired and now he’s gone. It’s a terrible terrible tragedy that I still can hardly fathom. It truly saddens me to know that he will not live to make another movie. Not that that was his only reason for living or even that that’s the only reason I’m sad about him dying. But I’m sad that a human being with so much talent, so much success is now dead and gone. I’m not even sure he ever had a chance to reach his prime.

I think it goes without saying, that he’ll be sorely missed.