Christian Actor Alan Ritchson Takes Shots at Believers Criticizing Him for His ‘Reacher’ Role
Actor Alan Ritchson, a professing Christian currently starring in the lead role of the hit Amazon show ‘Reacher,’ has clapped back at critics questioning his decision to take such a ‘morally ambiguous’ role, criticizing those who disagree with him as “supposed Christians” while strawmaning their position and brushing off their concerns. Ritchson shared on his YouTube channel InstaChurch:
I love playing Reacher. I love telling this story. I love playing a character who creates a kind of moral ambiguity that we should struggle against as we consider whether or not what he’s doing is good all the time or morally right. I think that kind of thing is fun and fascinating.
But it’s funny to me how a lot of people, supposed Christians especially, criticize me for playing Reacher, as if the only TV that should exist is seeing people silently folding their hands in the pew of a church. I mean, what kinds of stories are we supposed to tell?
If you look at scripture, what do you find? You see a thousand years of an infinitely holy God holding tension with human beings as He tells the story of who He is, reveals who He is through an imperfect people.
So we get stories of paganism and war and bloodshed and ghost stories, mysticism. We see miracles and magic, and we see life and resurrection and death; and we see this incredible canvas where God is completely unafraid to tell the story of who He is through less than morally ambiguous characters, through pure evil sometimes.I think it’s laughable when people criticize me for playing characters that are not like saintly, you know? That’s not my job, and I don’t think God cares about only telling those kinds of stories. I think we can start conversations and we can reach people through these mediums in a way that I think God enjoys.”
He concludes by sharing these roles are actually a ministry oppertunity for him.
“Here we are now where we can get to the heart of the matter where God has built a platform because of this show for me, where I can reach people who maybe don’t think about these things all the time. And maybe for those who are struggling or feel lost or want to try something now, they can find something that brings them hope like my faith has [for me].”
Misrepresentations aside, Ritchson fails to understand that people are not criticizing him for the character’s ambiguities, but for the actions the actor engages in. No one is saying that ‘the only TV that should exist is seeing people silently folding their hands in the pew of a church,’ but we are saying that if the alternative is watching filthy content for the sake of entertainment, then put that hand folding on every channel.
According to IMDB, Reacher is 18+/ TV-MA in most countries and features a ton of cursing, foul language, graphic sex scenes, and visible nudity that Ritchson himself participates in.
Ritchson has been a professing Christian for many years, growing up in a Christian household, so he can’t be surprised when believers ask why an actor who has a wife and kid is undressing another woman, seeing her naked, and then simulating sex with her on camera while hiding behind excuses like “It’s just my job.” Warning: content advisory.
Similarly, he starred in the TV show ‘Blood Drive’ in 2017. Common Sense Media describes it as showcasing “insane levels of sex and violence in drive-in homage series:”
Parents need to know that Blood Drive is a show that pushes cable network boundaries on sex, language, and most particularly, violence. The main story involves a road race with cars that run on human blood, requiring many murders to get “fuel.” Characters are fed face- or feet-first into whirling knives, with fountains of spurting blood, screams, clumps of gory flesh, engine parts clotted and slicked with blood. There are crotch-stabbings, amputations, an attempted rape that ends up in the would-be rapist being fed to the “victim’s” car.
Is it fair to look at this and question why a Christian is participating in it? He seems to say to say no, but clearly we’re not convinced.
About Author
I never saw the show, and I was never keen on it. But now that I know, I will make it a point to never see it.
The love of entertainment, so-called “Christian” or otherwise, is a very good indicator that someone hasn’t yet experienced the profundity, satiety, and riches of God’s word. It’s something the entertainment industry can never ever rival.