{"id":2018770,"date":"2023-08-31T22:34:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T02:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/film-produced-by-jay-z-romanticizes-counterfeit-jesus-christ-who-declares-himself-messiah\/"},"modified":"2023-08-31T22:37:14","modified_gmt":"2023-09-01T02:37:14","slug":"film-produced-by-jay-z-romanticizes-counterfeit-jesus-christ-who-declares-himself-messiah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/film-produced-by-jay-z-romanticizes-counterfeit-jesus-christ-who-declares-himself-messiah\/","title":{"rendered":"Jay-Z produces film romanticizing counterfeit Jesus Christ as self-proclaimed Messiah."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffilm-produced-by-jay-z-romanticizes-counterfeit-jesus-christ-who-declares-himself-messiah%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2018770&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>The Book of Clarence: A Controversial Film \u2063Produced by Jay-Z<\/h2>\n<p>The occasional good Christian movie that finds success is always a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-education-nominee-ignored-sexual-assault-allegations-lawsuit-charges\/\" title=\"Biden Education Nominee Ignored Sexual Assault Allegations, Lawsuit Charges\">double-edged sword<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>On the \u200done hand, it is an \u200coasis in the entertainment desert \u200cfor Christians who, despite all of the \u2063talk in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/make-vomit-jaws-star-torpedoes-hollywoods-new-woke-inclusion-standards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hollywood<\/a> of\u2063 \u201crepresentation,\u201d seldom \u2064see their faith accurately and reverently depicted on the silver screen.<\/p>\n<p>On the other\u200b hand,\u2062 each\u2062 spawns\u200b copycats that are either cringy or\u2063 blasphemous \u2014\u200c but the forthcoming film <strong>\u201cThe Book of Clarence\u201d<\/strong> \u200b may be \u2062an\u200b excruciating mixture of both.<\/p>\n<p>Set \u2063in 33AD, writer and director\u200d Jeymes Samuel uses a biblical\u2062 backdrop to tell\u200b the\u2064 story of Clarence, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/film-produced-by-jay-z-romanticizes-counterfeit-jesus-christ-who-declares-himself-messiah\/\" title=\"Jay-Z produces film romanticizing counterfeit Jesus Christ as self-proclaimed Messiah.\">streetwise drug dealer<\/a> who becomes captivated by \u200cthe power and fame of Jesus of Nazareth and his apostles and seeks the \u2062same for \u2064himself, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/hollywood\/2023\/08\/the-book-of-clarence-first-look-exclusive\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vanity\u2063 Fair<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p>This leads Clarence, played by \u201cGet Out\u201d and\u200b \u201cAtlanta\u201d star LaKeith Stanfield, to several misguided attempts to imitate Jesus, including preaching a\u200d phony \u200csermon\u2062 and faking a \u2064miracle\u2063 with the help of his\u200c friend, played by RJ Cyler.<\/p>\n<p>While\u2062 there are some indications that Clarence may indeed\u2062 experience a beautiful conversion\u2064 to becoming authentically <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/woman-cries-help-jesus-venomous-snake-lands-moments-later-something-incredible-happens\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Christlike<\/a>, the \u2063trailer reveals that \u2063the journey to get\u2064 there will be problematic \u200bfor many Christians.<\/p>\n<p>Hip-hop legend Jay-Z, who is\u2063 producing the movie and\u200c will lend his\u2064 musical talents\u200c to the soundtrack, shared the trailer to his \u2062Instagram Tuesday, captioned with its release date of January 2024.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF;border: 0;border-radius: 3px;margin: 1px;max-width: 540px;min-width: 326px;padding: 0;width: calc(100% - 2px)\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/CwiIgv1BANH\/?utm_source=ig_embed&#038;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px\">\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;align-items: center\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block;height: 50px;margin: 0 auto 12px;width: 50px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 14px;font-style: normal;font-weight: 550;line-height: 18px\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 14px;line-height: 17px;margin-bottom: 0;margin-top: 8px;overflow: hidden;padding: 8px 0 7px;text-align: center\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 14px;font-style: normal;font-weight: normal;line-height: 17px;text-decoration: none\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/CwiIgv1BANH\/?utm_source=ig_embed&#038;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by @jayz<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>A Controversial Depiction of Jesus<\/h3>\n<p>In one\u2064 of the scenes\u2062 featured in the\u200d trailer, Clarence, who sells ancient\u200b psychedelics and gambles on chariot races, declares himself to a \u200bcrowd\u2064 to be\u2063 their \u201cnew messiah.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although the next cut shows him getting slapped by \u2064John the Baptist for\u2063 blasphemy, witnessing it play out is sure to make Christians uncomfortable, if not utterly repulsed.<\/p>\n<p>Based on what they \u2064say about it, the filmmakers seem to be coming \u200dfrom a good place \u2014 but,\u200b as the adage says, \u2063the road to Hell is\u2063 paved with good intentions.<\/p>\n<p>This story\u200c could have been told in any\u200d other context besides this one\u200c and still been impactful. Instead,\u2063 they\u2019ve chosen the route that rides the \u2064coattails of other \u2062popular films \u200bbut arguably comes with\u2062 the most \u2064pitfalls.<\/p>\n<p>Faith-based content is hot right now because\u2064 of hits like \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/chosen-smashes-expectations-debut-highlights-trend-tv-conservatives-celebrate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Chosen<\/a>,\u201d \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/christians-celebrate-jesus-revolution-rockets-netflixs-top-5-trending-charts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Jesus\u2064 Revolution<\/a>\u201d\u200d and \u2064\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-star-nfl-qb-gives-high-praise-sound-freedom-addresses-reporters-kids\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Sound of Freedom<\/a>,\u201d so it makes sense that the filmmakers would \u2062be eager \u2062to ride those coattails.<\/p>\n<p>However, Jay-Z,\u2063 whose real name is Shawn Corey Carter, perhaps attempted to play both sides when\u2062 he said he \u200bwas uncomfortable \u200bwith it being called a \u201cfaith-based movie\u201d by some studio executives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis story is about \u200da young man who finds his faith through \u2064love and through wanting to become somebody in \u2064the world, which\u200b is the story of\u200c everybody,\u201d the \u201cIzzo \u200d(H.O.V.A.)\u201d star clarified.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone wants to find love, \u200band\u2062 everyone wants to\u2064 leave this place\u200c having accomplished something, having left their mark that they\u2019ve been here and hopefully affected the\u200d world\u2063 in a positive\u200d way,\u201d Jay-Z added.<\/p>\n<p>At least Samuel, who has been working on the script \u200bsince\u2063 2017, leaned into the religious aspect a little more.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted\u2063 to\u2064 tell a Bible story \u2063about an \u2063everyman,\u201d Samuel said in his first interview about what will be his follow-up \u2062to \u201cThe \u2063Harder \u200dThey Fall.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI always \u200cwanted to explore the Bible stories, but from the \u200bangle of the person \u2062that sells Jesus his\u2064 sandals,\u200d the \u2064woman or man that owns the hair\u2063 salon,\u201d he added, \u200capparently unsatisfied with the stories already told from the fishermen who caught Jesus\u2019s dinner.<\/p>\n<p>However, Samuel\u2019s description \u200dalso explained his rationale for the cringe aspect\u200b of this film, namely the use of \u200ba lovable, just-like-us urban guy who updates the story of Jesus by being super relatable.<\/p>\n<p>It may not \u200cbe the\u2064 patchwork clothes and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/curious-omission-noted-indictment-donald-trump-kind-clown-joker-wrote-thing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">clownface<\/a> \u200bdepiction of Jesus and\u2062 his disciples \u00e0 la \u201cGodspell,\u201d but it\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tom-wopat-reveals-why-dukes-of-hazzard-was-a-blessing\/\" title=\"Tom Wopat Reveals Why \u201cDukes of Hazzard\u201d Was \u201cA Blessing\u201d\">pretty darn close<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200bstory of\u200c Jesus Christ\u2019s life, death, and resurrection is\u200b the greatest story ever told precisely\u200b because it is compelling\u200b and universal in any century.<\/p>\n<p>Still, that doesn\u2019t stop misguided artists from\u200b attempting\u2063 to \u200ddo a better job than\u200d the \u200bGospel \u2064writers, which \u2063often results in\u2064 irreverent movies with subpar plots that turn\u200d off or\u2064 outright offend most\u2062 Bible-believing \u2062audiences.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s clear that Hollywood no longer understands why certain stories resonate \u2062with audiences\u2064 or \u200deven how to reproduce\u200d the same sentiments in a remake (see \u200bthe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/son-original-snow-white-director-eviscerates-disney-woke-remake-insulting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">woke<\/a> \u201cSnow White\u201d\u200d disaster\u2064 for proof).<\/p>\n<p>In \u200bsearch of the \u200bever-elusive magic formula \u2014 in this case, Christian audience equals cash \u2014 the\u2063 filmmakers\u2062 may end\u200b up offending their\u2064 target audience by using Jesus \u200cChrist \u2063as a mere plot device.<\/p>\n<p>It seems \u201cThe Book \u2063of Clarence\u201d \u2062is a movie\u2062 that \u200cChristians will \u2062despise \u2064and nonbelievers \u200cwill ignore \u2014 but\u2063 because of the money rolling in for other\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/itll-cancel-itself-dennis-quaid-rips-cancel-culture-talks-upcoming-reagan-biopic-new-film-in-exclusive-interview\/\" title=\"\u2018It\u2019ll Cancel Itself\u2019: Dennis Quaid Rips Cancel Culture, Talks Upcoming \u2018Reagan\u2019 Biopic, New Film In Exclusive Interview\">faith-based films<\/a>, this surely won\u2019t be the last of them.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps just like its muse, the Christian genre has, in a way, become a victim of its own popularity.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/film-produced-jay-z-romanticizes-counterfeit-jesus-christ-declares-messiah\/\">Film Produced\u2062 by Jay-Z Romanticizes Counterfeit Jesus Christ Who Declares Himself Messiah<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\">The\u2064 Western Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The rare triumph of a Christian film is bittersweet. It offers solace to believers starved for genuine representation in Hollywood, where their faith is rarely portrayed with respect. However, each success breeds a new wave of mediocre imitations, diluting the impact of those few authentic and reverent depictions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2070,"featured_media":2018771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2018770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2018770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2070"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2018770"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2018770\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2018771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2018770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2018770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2018770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}