"End of the Spear"

ADDENDUM: I originally posted this on January 10, but I thought I would re-post for today since the movie will soon open in theaters.

And now back to the original post but with updates:

The sudden deaths of five American men who risked all to preach the Gospel to one of the most violent tribes in the Amazon River basin made headlines around the world. Fifty years ago today, the men were speared to death on a sandy beach in an eastern Ecuadorean jungle by warriors from a Stone Age tribe known as the Auca. Americans were glued to their radios to hear reports of Ecuadorean and U.S. Army search teams heading down the Ewenguno River into Auca territory. Graphic photos of the men's bodies in the river and those of the anguished widows gathered around a kitchen table were immortalized in Life magazine.

The deaths of the five men and subsequent -- and successful -- efforts by the relatives of the slain missionaries to convert the killers to Christianity is dramatized in a new film. "End of the Spear," a 111-minute feature shot in the jungles of Panama, premieres in 1,200 theaters nationwide Jan. 20. (Washington Times)

This film should be most interesting to watch. It shows perspectives from missionary families that return to the area and from a Waodani (then called Auca) character named Mincayani. I wonder what my more conservative and 'religious right' brothers and sisters think about the casting of Chad Allen, who considers himself homosexual, as both Nate Saint and Steve Saint, one of the murdered missionaries and the son he leaves behind. You may also recall that Chad Allen played the role of "Matthew Cooper" on the series "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman."

Greg Wright gives a review.

UPDATE: Click here for Mr. Allen's website. You'll see that he is quite vocal in his support for "gay rights."

Randy at Contend 4 the Faith has more here. So does Jason Janz at Sharper Iron.

UPDATE 2: Just look at how many are posting on the controversy. Thanks to Technorati.