Some critics are calling “The Book of Eli” a “Christian blockbuster.” In the movie, set in the aftermath of a nuclear apocalypse, Denzel Washington’s Eli has the last remaining copy of the King James Bible. The bad guy (Gary Oldman) wants the book as a means of controlling his ruthless band of marauders. Eli defends The Book (supposedly because he knows its power to bring good back to the world) by hacking, stabbing, and beheading—without remorse—anyone who gets in his way.

In this article, writer S.E. Cupp makes the excellent point that if Eli were portrayed as a Muslim defending the Koran with the same methods, Muslim-Americans would be outraged that the hero “acted more like a murderous jihadist than a humble servant of God.” And rightly so.

So why aren’t Christians similarly outraged? And why does Popmatters.com say, “Christians should be lining up to embrace the Hughes brothers’ brave vision.”? Seems like just another example of the message of Christianity being completely inverted by those trying to deliver it—and completely misunderstood by the recipients.

Tags: Christianity, Denzel Washington, Hollywood, King James Bible, The Book of Eli