REACHER’s Alan Ritchson Explores Intersection of Suffering and God’s Wisdom
By Movieguide® Contributor
REACHER star Alan Ritchson delivered a powerful message on his YouTube channel, InstaChurch, exploring the Biblical relationship between human suffering and chokmah—the Hebrew word for wisdom.
In the video, he builds a case that God’s ultimate plan always works for good.
“God says…the universe is built on chokmah wisdom, and we have to, like Job does, accept that we maybe don’t have the perspective that God has, and while we cannot answer that very painful question of why suffering exists, instead of hating God for it or refusing to believe in God because of it, we must accept that God in due time will have a response for each and everything that happens that that proves that it was ultimately for good,” he began.
“That things happen the way that they did because the universe is ordered with Hokma wisdom, built on wisdom that wisdom will ultimately prevail to prove good,” Ritchson continued. “That is the leap of faith that we need to take.”
He related his personal experience while making the movie BLUE MOUNTAIN STATE when he turned down companies that reached out to cover manufacturing and shipping costs of products related to the film to save 5% commission—a decision he later regretted.
“It was a nightmare, and you know people look at this industry, and they’re like a glamorous movie-making. Man, we were in hot parking lots for months and months and months at a time when I would have loved to do anything else—packing t-shirts, signing things, sending them, mailing them, labeling them in the parking lot, taking them to ship. It was like…it took years off my life all because I wanted to save that 5% fee to put it into the movie.”
“We didn’t make money on the movie. We put everything we had into that movie, but, you know, that was a big mistake. I didn’t have the chokmah, the long, long lens view wisdom to know that was going to be a huge mistake,” Ritchson said.
Ritchson ended the message with a challenge for his viewers.
“Maybe, just maybe, we’re going to find out someday that there is a greater love than we ever imagined on the other side of the chokmah that has ordered our universe. I’m going to challenge you to think about that if you never have and ponder what faith might look like if you embraced the appreciation for that.”
The actor, who is consistently outspoken about his Christian beliefs, used his YouTube channel to deliver a message to people who criticized him for playing a secular character on REACHER.
“I love playing a character who creates a kind of moral ambiguity that we should struggle against as we consider whether or not what he’s doing is good all the time or morally right,” Ritchson said. “I think that kind of thing is fun and fascinating, and I think escaping to that world as an audience, hopefully, it’s as enjoyable for you as it is for me to help bring it to life.”
The actor has spoken about how God can and will use roles like his in REACHER to further the gospel.
“God continually shows up in our world in a way that kind of boggles our mind,” Ritchson told Christian Headlines. “Because we, for whatever reason, I think we continue to buy into the idea that…God chooses heroes to do His work. And it’s just never been the case. It’s the broken and the dysfunctional that God proves His power and strength through. And this a story of that, too.”
While REACHER features intense violence, Movieguide® praised its strong Christian worldview:
Episode Five of REACHER: Season Two is an exciting, slam-bang episode. Season Two is one of the more gripping action series available on the major streaming outlets. Best of all, Episode Five has strong Christian, pro-family, patriotic values and overt references to resurrection and eternal life through Jesus. The best scenes, which are extremely moving and uplifting, are smack dab in the middle of Episode Five. However, MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution because of strong foul language and intense violence involving ruthless, murderous terrorists in Episode Five of REACHER: Season Two.
Movieguide® previously reported on Ritchson:
REACHER star, Alan Ritchson recently said that it is important to support faith-based films in Hollywood.
Ritchson compared movie theaters as the new “pulpit,” on a Zoom prayer call with the cast and crew from ORDINARY ANGELS.
Christian Headlines reported that Ritchson has a desire to be in films that honor Jesus.
“People are hearing the name of Christ in movie theaters,” said Ritchson. “And if that’s where the pulpit is for people who wouldn’t normally step foot in a church, then that’s still a great way to have that conversation. It matters that these films get supported,” he added.
When faith-based films are supported it sends a vital message to Hollywood.
‘Other people in [Hollywood] watch this and a groundswell kind of takes place in Hollywood that changes things in a real meaningful way,” Ritchson stated.
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