Empathy for Sin, Sympathy for Sinners:
Brokeback Mountain and the End of the Spear Controversy
by Marc T. Newman, Ph.D.

Brokeback Mountain, from director Ang Lee, is surprising its critics. Some believed that people would not show up to see a "gay cowboy movie." But after sweeping major categories at the Golden Globe awards and positioning itself for Oscar contention, it seems to be expanding its markets every week. Some argue that it could end up bringing in more that $100 million at the box office.

The other side of the homosexual controversy this week came from an unexpected quarter. When the news broke that martyred missionary Nate Saint and his son Steve were both being portrayed in End of the Spear by Chad Allen, a man who is a homosexual activist, some Christians went berserk. Others called for a boycott of the film, arguing that attending somehow made one complicit in the "homosexualization of America." I have received more hate mail for championing End of the Spear as a God-honoring film (which it is) than for any other piece I have written in the last three years. the rest-commentary