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The Kendrick Brothers have produced their latest film, The Forge, to be released in Australian theatres from 29 August. Here is my review.

The Forge is a convicting film. I was certainly convicted watching it. 

I was generously gifted an advance viewing of the Kendrick Brothers’ latest film, The Forge. As I have mentioned previously, The Forge is set in the same world as the Brothers’ most successful film, War Room.

Characters like Miss Clara (Karen Abercrombie) and Elizabeth and Tony Jordan (played by Priscilla C. Shirer and T.C. Stallings) appear in The Forge, although they play comparatively minor roles.

The Message

The Forge focuses on the call to discipleship for Christians — the reality that we are not just called to be converts; we are called to be disciples of Jesus.

A real strength of the film is that it models how discipleship — or apprenticeship, as the likes of Dallas Willard or John Mark Comer would call it — is not an optional extra in the Christian life. It is what the whole Christian life is about.

We are called to follow Jesus in everything we do and be transformed into His image.

Dallas Willard calls discipleship the “Great Omission” from the Great Commission. Christians can tend to focus on the “conversion” aspects of the Gospel. Just preach the Good News of forgiveness for sins, and that’s it.

But the Scripture provides a far more fulsome Great Commission if we read it carefully.

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

This is an essential message for the Church — especially the Western Church — today. And it is the key theme in The Forge, which traces the life of a purposeless young man, Isaiah Wright (Aspen Kennedy), as he seeks God’s purpose for him — aided in his spiritual walk by his mother and a mentor, Joshua (Cameron Arnett).

It is a story of godly mentorship, of seeking God’s will for our life, and ultimately, of total surrender to God’s sovereignty over us. 

The film powerfully conveys the tension and complexity of that moment (or those moments) when you realise that God demands your entire life — everything about you — in submission to Him.

The Other Parts

How did the film hold up on the production-quality end?

While these factors are unimportant compared to the film’s powerful spiritual theme, the Kendrick brothers did not let me down when it came to film quality, acting, etc.

The movie was produced on a budget of around $5 million — apparently something of a sweet spot when it comes to recent Christian films, like Unsung Hero and Journey to Bethlehem. As The Forge is set in contemporary America — and production costs for films have been progressively going down — that budget was more than enough to craft a movie that supported the message admirably.

I had no bones to pick with the acting, the editing or the filmmaking. This is something the Kendricks have gotten progressively better at from their decades of experience — and it shows.

But ultimately, it was for the message that I watched The Forge. And I encourage you to do the same.

 

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The Forge is at the movies from Thursday 29 August. You can find your nearest cinema via the Faith Media website.

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