Stigma of fanaticism

In the disturbing movie “There Will Be Blood” there is a classic confrontation between an ambitious oilman and an ambitious preacher. Perhaps the story attempted to make the point that there wasn’t much difference between them – each was unscrupulous in his own way.

The caricature of ministry in the story is not uncommon in today’s movies and television. Sadly, there have been just enough real-life instances of clergy misconduct and ecclesiastical impropriety – in history and contemporary times -- to give a certain credence to the portrayals. In the movie, Daniel Day Lewis’ character is coerced into public repentance and baptism, all the while retaining his ultimate allegiance to his “pipeline.” Scenes of this kind are repulsive to anyone who takes faith-matters seriously. Clearly, methods of intimidation, threats and coercion have nothing to do with genuine evangelism. But there is a stigma attached to the desire to share faith that draws heavily on this misrepresentation. Since we have no wish to be identified with the unprincipled fanaticism of a few, we err on the side of saying nothing at all.