![]() ![]() Even the movie's unnerving title track "I Wish We'd All Been Ready," composed by Larry Norman, and performed by The Fishmarket Combo after Duane's Rapture sermon, became the anthem for the Jesus movement.Ī Thief in the Night is just the first of a four-film series. I have found that A Thief in the Night is the only evangelical film that viewers cite directly and repeatedly as provoking a conversion experience." Historian, Randall Balmer, has also attested to the film's influence on Christian media: "It is only a slight exaggeration to say that A Thief in the Night affected the evangelical film industry the way that sound or color affected Hollywood." Growing up in church, it was common to hear older congregates speak about how the film terrified them when they were younger. MIT film and media professor, Heather Hendershot, spoke about the film's effect on older generations in 2010: "Today, many teen evangelicals have not seen A Thief in the Night, but virtually every evangelical over 30 I've talked to is familiar with it, and most have seen it. They don't seem to be under the same eerie haze that the devout Christians in the movie seem engrossed by. However, Patty's secular friends, Diane ( Maryann Rachford) and Jerry ( Thom Rachford), who likewise are left behind and eventually revealed to be co-conspirators with UNITE, by contrast, are brimming with life and personality, eager to take full advantage of their youth as if they’re a young couple in a John Mellencamp song. ![]() The devout Christians in the film almost appear to be robotic as if they’re losing the core of who they are to their beliefs, which is something the film obliquely calls for. Something is unsettling about their behavior, almost seeming cult-like. Patty's husband Jim ( Mike Niday), her friend Jenny ( Colleen Niday), and Duane, all devout Christians, behave as if they're in a trance. The film makes an obvious statement in that it believes that Christianity like Patty’s is not worthy of Heaven. A lot of Christians see this as a predecessor for the Mark of the Beast.Īlthough Patty identifies as Christian, her lukewarm devotion results in her being left behind. This is also why some Christians are uneasy about evolving credit card functions. The film’s decision to have the United Nations form into UNITE is representative of how many Christians feel about international bodies and "Big Government." Many Christians believe that the United Nations will serve as a vehicle that will create a new world order in the End Times, which will be led by the Antichrist. Some Christians believe Tribulation will take place before the Rapture some believe the Rapture will serve as a halfway point for the Tribulation, while many believe it will only occur after the Rapture. There are some different schools of thought regarding Christian eschatology. And at the end of the seven years, they believe the Antichrist and his army will bring upon Armageddon only to be defeated by Christ and his heavenly army. They believe this will all take place over seven years. People will be forced to receive the Mark of the Beast on their right hand or forehead, referred to as "identification" in the film those who refuse it will be persecuted and martyred, but those who accept it will be tormented forever in the Lake of Fire. While A Thief in the Night might seem like a low-budget, campy film to those who have lived outside of Christianity, particularly the evangelical fundamentalist branches, for those who grew up Christian in the Boomer and Gen X generations, it was traumatizing. ![]() Fear is one of the strongest human emotions, and A Thief in the Night uses it as a hook to goad people into becoming born-again Christians. Unlike fire and brimstone preaching, which was limited to a pulpit, advancing technology brought about new ways to pressure people into converting to Christianity. Of course, the goal of the film was to coerce conversion by using scare tactics presented in the movie. However, the film has been cited as traumatic for people who watched it as children and teenagers. It became a popular movie to show at churches, often focusing on youth attendees. Although low-budget – $68,000 - it eventually earned $4.2 million in the first decade of its release. It was the first of its kind: a movie focusing on Christian eschatology. "There's no time to change your mind.You've been left behind." In 1972, A Thief in the Night laid the groundwork for Christian cinema to follow. ![]()
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