YO, ADRIAN! HAVE YOU ACCEPTED DA RISEN JESUS INTO YAW HAWT?

I don't want to leap to conclusions about the worldliness of conservative Christian journalists, but this Baptist Press article seems a tad naive:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Believe it or not, Sylvester Stallone says the infamous movie character Rocky was meant to reflect the nature of Jesus, and the sixth film in the series, "Rocky Balboa," scheduled to hit theaters Dec. 22, carries an intentionally Christian theme.

"It's like he was being chosen, Jesus was over him, and he was going to be the fella that would live through the example of Christ," Stallone said of Rocky in a conference call with pastors and religious leaders. "He's very, very forgiving. There’s no bitterness in him. He always turns the other cheek. And it's like his whole life was about service."

Wow, a superstar Hollywood actor comparing the fictional alter ego he created for himself to Jesus -- believe it or not! That's so odd -- most Hollywood stars have really humble self-images!

... "The more I go to church," [Stallone] said, ... "and the more I turn myself over to the process of believing in Jesus and listening to His Word and having Him guide my hand, I feel as though the pressure is off me now."

Stallone, in the conference call, compared the need for church to the need for a physical trainer.

"You need to have the expertise and the guidance of someone else. You cannot train yourself," he said. "I feel the same way about Christianity and about what the church is: The church is the gym of the soul." ...

Wow, I bet a publicist didn't even write that line for him -- even though, as this Focus on the Family Citizenlink article points out, the movie is "being marketed to the 'faith and values' crowd." I bet Stallone just made it up off the top of his head!

Well, it's understandable if Christian journalists are falling for this -- the movie's Christian outreach campaign is fairly serious, to judge from RockyResources.com, a slick site that links the film to Jesus, and that features laudatory statements on the movie's spiritual force from semi-prominent faith leaders. ("This movie is a must see event. Not only is it a fitting conclusion to the fabulous Rocky story, but what a joy to see Sly Stallone transcend his faith through this awesome story that millions of people are going to see." --Bryan London, vice president of marketing at America's Christian Credit Union.)

However, I'm struggling in vain to find any reference to any of this on the main Rocky site, unless what Sly and Frank Stallone are drinking here



is Communion wine.