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Last article, we talked a lot about William Wilberforce, the English
parliamentarian who fought for the abolition of the slave trade in
Great Britain. The marvelous new film about his life, Amazing Grace,
beautifully portrays a public servant whose Christian beliefs aligned
with his outward actions. His life was the epitome of integrity, an
example of an integrated worldview.
Just before the debut of Amazing Grace, another film about a public servant appeared in theaters. The film is called Breach,
and it tells the story of Robert Hanssen, the man responsible for what
some have called the "greatest security breach in American history."
Hanssen was the FBI agent, you may remember, who sold secrets to the
Russians for twenty years until his arrest in February 2001.
Breach opens with a scene of Hanssen in church praying the
rosary; it closes with him asking for prayer. Like Wilberforce, Hanssen
seems to be a man of deep religious convictions. He was a Roman
Catholic, a member of Opus Dei, a devoted father and husband, and—to
all appearances—a true patriot. A Washington Post review noted: "Hanssen would duck out of work early so he could attend antiabortion rallies."
But unlike Wilberforce, it appears that Hanssen's inner convictions had
little impact on his outward behavior. Hanssen was a sexual deviant
who, without his wife's knowledge, distributed films of their marital
encounters across the Internet. He was a traitor who did not bat an
eyelash at betraying three American agents who were killed due to his
actions.
Hanssen's story is a cautionary tale of the dangers of failing to
combine orthodoxy (that is, right belief) with orthopraxy (that is,
right action). Biographer David A. Vise says about Hanssen, "He was a
compartmentalizer. How else could he be married and a father and go to
church every day and, at the same time, commit treason?"
So we have in Amazing Grace, on the one hand, and Breach,
on the other, a contrast between integrity and compartmentalization.
One life shows the fruit of right belief translated into right action,
while the other shows how compartmentalized sin does not stay
compartmentalized for long; it spreads like gangrene.
God demands our whole hearts. He wants our beliefs and actions in
alignment. That's why Wilberforce was so adamant, warning us against
counterfeits of real Christianity.
Wilberforce wrote the following: "If the affections of the soul are not
supremely fixed on God, and if our dominant desire and primary goal is
not to possess God's favor and to promote His glory, then we are
traitors in revolt against our lawful Sovereign. . . .Whether we are
the slaves of avarice, sensuality, amusement, sloth, or the devotees of
ambition, taste, or fashion, we alike estrange ourselves from the
dominion of our rightful Sovereign."
Breach is rated PG-13 for some mild obscenity and adult situations. If you do choose to see it, however, see Amazing Grace
soon after. The juxtaposition of Hanssen and Wilberforce will startle
you. Unlike Hanssen, Wilberforce knew that real Christianity puts
beliefs into action—and that any failure to live our Christian
convictions is an intolerable breach of trust with our rightful
Sovereign.
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