A Denver-area Christian minister whose protest over the casting of a homosexual actor in the religious-themed film “End of the Spear” became a national boycott among church conservatives defended his position Thursday and said that contrary to popular belief, he’s not a “gay-basher.”
The film depicts the slaying of Protestant missionaries in South America. A side debate among Christian conservatives over lead actor Chad Allen, a gay activist, was ignited when the Rev. Jason Janz, assistant pastor of Red Rocks Baptist Church in Lakewood, protested on his website, sharperiron.org.
“My concern is not so much that the actor was gay, it was his activism that concerned me,” Janz told The Denver Post on Thursday. “Many homosexuals have starred in Christian movies in the past. … He is perhaps one of the foremost spokesmen for the gay agenda in Hollywood.
“When a character’s personal life overshadows the character, in this case a missionary, it harms the message of the film,” Janz said.
Janz originally charged that the film’s production company, Every Tribe Entertainment, purposely cast Allen as real- life bush pilot Nate Saint, in a true story about missionaries killed 50 years ago by jungle tribesmen in Ecuador. The film opened at No. 10 in U.S. box office rankings and was 14th last weekend.
Janz retracted the accusation after speaking with Every Tribe executives, who said they didn’t know Allen was gay until after he had been offered the part.
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Colorado officials said they were delighted that the filmmakers still went with the project.
“You really ought to choose the best person for a role,” said Judy Calhoun, executive director of the GLBT Center. “Young people are not going to become gay just because they see a gay actor,”
Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family has strongly opposed same-sex relationships and films that are “gay themed,” but its media reviewer endorsed “End of the Spear” and said it was a shame Christians stayed away.
“I think the film could have been more of an inspiration had some people not deliberately kept themselves from the theater, using a real lack of wisdom on this one,” Focus on the Family media specialist Bob Waliszewski said.
Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-820-1537 or mgonzales@denverpost.com.
