The Gospel According to (Cool Hand) Luke

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Gary discusses the film, Cool Hand Luke. While it is not a Christian movie in any sense, it uses a lot of Christian symbology to tell its tale.

The Bible states, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7). True knowledge does not take place unless one begins with the presupposition that God exists and His Word is supreme. If the starting point is something other than God and His Word, then that other thing becomes the ultimate governing presupposition. “If the Word required something more certain than itself to give it validity, it would no longer be God’s Word.”[1] This means that at one level the facts do not speak for themselves. They are always interpreted in terms of a person’s adopted worldview that is constructed from a network of presuppositions. Objectivity and neutrality, as they relate to worldviews, are myths.

Beware of the man who tells you that he will explain—fully explain—any complex human action or event by resorting to “coldly objective,” “empirically verifiable,” “statistical data.” He is deceiving himself, and perhaps seeking to deceive you.

For in the first place we do not all see the same event in exactly the same way, let alone interpret it the same way—not even events which do not involve the complicating factor of human purpose.[2]

Presuppositions are the deciding factor in determining how facts are interpreted and combined to give particular content to a worldview. “A presupposition is something assumed or supposed in advance…. One could say that to ‘presuppose’ is to conclude something before the investigation is commenced.”[3] A presupposition is not proved by anything else more ultimate. For purposes of reaching answers to fundamental questions, a presupposition is “a belief over which no other takes precedence.”[4]

Thinking Straight in a Crooked World

The nursery rhyme “There Was a Crooked Man” is an appropriate description of how sin affects us and our world. We live in a crooked world of ideas evaluated by crooked people. Left to our crooked nature, we can never fully understand what God has planned for us and His world. God has not left us without a corrective solution. He has given us a reliable reference point in the Bible so we can identify the crookedness and straighten it.

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One of the problems with today’s movies and films is the lack of creativity. Modern filmmakers don’t have to worry much about constraints on their content, but real creativity needs these constraints. Cool Hand Luke is more than half a century old but it is a great example of excellent storytelling. While it is not considered a “Christian movie” in any sense, it uses a lot of Christian symbology to tell its tale. Christians need to re-learn how to interpret art through a Christian worldview. Cool Hand Luke is a good place to begin.

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[1] Edward John Carnell, An Introduction to Christian Apologetics (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1948), 66. Emphasis in original.

[2] Silvester Petro, The Kingsport Strike (New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House, 1967), 27–28.

[3] Josh McDowell, The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1999), 351

[4] John M. Frame, The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1987), 45, 125.

American Vision’s mission is to Restore America to its Biblical Foundation—from Genesis to Revelation. American Vision (AV) has been at the heart of worldview study since 1978, providing resources to exhort Christian families and individuals to live by a Biblically based worldview. Visit www.AmericanVision.org for more information, content and resources