THINGS TO COME: WORLD WAR Z

On Superbowl Sunday, millions of people around the world will see this trailer, and I’m guessing there are a number of them who might be left with one question…

What is this movie about?

Oh sure, I know and you know, because we’ve read the book. And even though no scenes remotely resembling the contents of this trailer appear in the novel, we at least know what the general plot is based on the title. But for the uninitiated, the trailer leaves out one tiny little detail that might be relevant to those contemplating plunking down hard earned cash to see this movie. I’m talking about, of course… zombies.

Maybe it’s just me, but I would think if you’re going to make a multi-million dollar zombie movie based on the best selling zombie novel of all time, you might want to tell folks that, oh, I don’t know… there are some zombies in your motion picture! Yeah, they may look like some crap leftover from a video game what with their physics defying activities and all, but nevertheless, they’re zombies. And if you just can’t bring yourself to say the word, at least put some small print somewhere on the screen saying something like Warning: Film Contains Zombies. Trust me, I worked in a movie theater for years, and just because a lot of people read the book does not mean everyone knows what the movie is. And some folks might just like to know about the flesh rending gut chomping zombies up front before they buy a ticket. Just saying.

And thinking about it a bit more, shouldn’t the same principle apply to evangelization as well? I’m not saying every word that comes out of your mouth should be about your faith, because, well, that would get annoying real quick. I mean, if someone asks you what you think they should do about their cat’s hairball problem, then yelling at them to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior will probably result in nothing more than their avoiding you for the next few years. But in those instances where they actually question you about faith-related things, like what’s the deal with that rosary hanging from your rear view mirror or how is it you’re able to handle the stresses of the office just a little bit better than most people, then don’t clam up and tell them it’s personal. Don’t be afraid to tell people what’s the driving force behind your story. They may not buy a ticket right away, but in the long run they’ll appreciate the honesty.