OPINION:
In an era filled with people who are often too petrified to speak the truth, Hollywood A-lister Denzel Washington is an absolute breath of fresh air.
The longtime movie star, who is arguably one of the boldest men in Tinseltown, consistently shares his belief in God, his Christian ideals and his ceaseless conviction that his career is about far more than merely entertaining the masses.
For Mr. Washington, the son of a Pentecostal pastor, movie-making is a missional effort that gives him a megaphone to share eternal truths he believes the masses must hear.
And one of his most recent no-holds-barred interactions while promoting his new film, “Gladiator 2,” is an emphatic example of what happens when a person truly lives a faith-forward life. Rather than couch, police his words or hold back, he openly proclaimed a Christian message.
“I was put on this earth to share, and to be an example, of the power, and wisdom, and grace, and mercy of God in my life,” Mr. Washington is seen proclaiming in a now-viral clip.
He then proceeded to share what he says is a supernatural experience he had — an unlikely message he believes came directly from God.
“I was sitting on a yacht listening to a song called ’The Face of God,’ and nobody was up,” Mr. Washington said. “I was in my prayer and meditation, reading my Bible, and I’m like, ’Lord, everybody can see Your face, I wanna see it…’ And while I said it, when I said, ’I wanna see your face,’ I heard, ’Look to your left.’”
He continued, “So, I look to my left, and … this is what I saw.”
At that point in the exchange, Mr. Washington handed his phone to the interviewer, who immediately appeared shocked to see a photo of what seemed to be a face in the clouds.
Regardless of what people might believe about the image and its association with anything supernatural or divine, Mr. Washington’s willingness to share the story and photo — and his openness that he believes it’s a message from God — show he’s far more concerned about the eternal truth he believes in than the opinion of any mere man.
Beyond that, the actor used the shocking photo and story to underscore his broader point: He’s not blinded by the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. He knows there’s something bigger and has no plans to refrain from speaking about it.
“My life is not the movies I make,” Mr. Washington said. “That’s what I’ve been put here to do, or that’s proof of the source of what I’ve been given to do on this earth, and it’s not acting.”
There’s not necessarily anything new about Mr. Washington’s foray into faith rhetoric, though it has seemingly intensified over the years. In 2021, Mr. Washington told The New York Times he’s “a God-fearing man” who tries “not to worry” or allow fear to dominate his life.
And he made it clear his worldview and priorities leave him more interested these days in directing films than performing, though he hasn’t stopped doing the latter.
“I’m more interested in directing because I’m more interested in helping others,” he told the outlet. “What I do, what I make, what I made — all of that — is that going to help me on the last day of my life? It’s about, Who have you lifted up? Who have we made better?
“This is spiritual warfare. So, I’m not looking at it from an earthly perspective. If you don’t have a spiritual anchor you’ll be easily blown by the wind and you’ll be led to depression.”
He even spoke about the “last days” in that same interview, noting he’s not sure society has reached the biblical end times, but that scripture makes it clear people will be “lovers of ourselves” when that time comes to fruition.
Considering the obsession with selfies and getting “followed” on social media at all costs, he warned of the dangers that can follow when people place the focus on themselves over the truth. And, years earlier, Mr. Washington delivered a 2015 sermon along similar lines at the annual Church of God in Christ convention, urging people to be thankful and to look to the Lord.
“It is impossible to be grateful and hateful at the same time,” he said. “We have to have an attitude of gratitude.”
Mr. Washington also shared another supernatural experience he once had, recalling sitting in his mother’s beauty shop as a young man while failing college and struggling in life.
“I had no future. I was sitting in the chair looking in the mirror,” he said, noting that a woman who purportedly had the ability to discern messages from God about what was to come delivered a shocking message. “Young man, you’re going to travel the world and speak to millions of people. You are going to preach.”
Mr. Washington has certainly lived out that reality, boldly sharing his faith in an industry that tends not to herald biblical beliefs. And that isn’t lost on him.
“I speak now and I’m doing what God told me to do from the beginning,” he once told The Christian Post. “It was prophesied that I would travel the world and preach to millions of people. It was prophesied when I was 20. I thought it was through my work and it has been.”
Ultimately, Mr. Washington offers us a number of powerful blueprints, including boldness, truth and a fixation on what matters most. In such an aloof culture, he’s espousing and touting the only answer that can heal us: unadulterated faith and a devotion to God.
And we’d certainly be wise to listen to him.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” Mr. Hallowell is the author of four books.
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