Movie Review: Paul's Promise (In Theaters Now)

Movie Synopsis:

Set in the peak of the 1960s Civil Rights movement, PAUL'S PROMISE is the inspiring true story of Paul Holderfield, former racist firefighter-turned-pastor who started one of the first integrated churches in the American South. It's one man's journey to hope and healing during a troubled time in our Nation's history that resulted in one man's decision to serve God and stand up to injustice - a story that continues to make a huge impact on the community to this day.

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Watch the Trailer:

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My Review:

PAUL’S PROMISE steps back to the 1960s with authentic stages, behavior, and props. I loved the women’s hairstyles and fashion. From the “Beehive” to the “Bombshell” and all the hair accessories, I marveled at how women did their hair back then. All the characters possessed strong Southern accents, with a few that seemed over the top. The stages and memorabilia reflected the decade and reminded me of my grandparents’ house before it was remodeled.

Sadly, the 1960s was also a time of seated racism and the uphill fight for civil rights. Racism always saddens me, and PAUL’S PROMISE made me cry a lot. Violence against Black men and women appeared on screen several times. The term Negro is used. Powerful hatred displayed verbally and created dangerous situations. Add to that domestic violence and end-of-life issues, and the movie is a heavy one.

Yet, PAUL’S PROMISE highlights the power of prayer and the miracle of a changed heart. Again, the movie felt realistic as Paul’s mama desperately prays for her son for such a long time. Yet, it is her terminal diagnosis that finally forces Paul’s addictions, racism, and bitterness to the surface. His character change is slow to come (as is often the case in real life). At the end, I wished that the story had continued beyond the expected climax to tell more of how Paul founded a racially integrated church. I think that would have created a more inspirational feel and lightened the heaviness of the movie.

PAUL’S PROMISE is not appropriate for young viewers due to the racism, domestic violence, hatred, smoking, and alcoholism that is presented. It is a movie that brings awareness to racism of the past so that Christians can (and should) do much better today and in the future. 4/5 Stars.

Many thanks to Damascus Road Productions for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

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More about PAUL'S PROMISE:

• An encouraging film about the power of a praying mama!


• This film is based on a true story!


• Buy your tickets TODAY to see PAUL'S PROMISE in theaters starting 10/21! Tickets available at: https://paulspromisemovie.com/  ©2022 Momentum.

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Giveaway:

One reader of this post will receive a $10 Amazon gift card. US only. Giveaway ends 10/23/2022 at 11:59 P. M. EST.

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Book Review: Carved in Ebony by Jasmine L. Holmes

About the book: 

Elizabeth Freeman, Nannie Helen Burroughs, Maria Fearing, Charlotte Forten Grimké, Sarah Mapps Douglass, Sara Griffith Stanley, Amanda Berry Smith, Lucy Craft Laney, Maria Stewart, and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

These names may not be familiar, but each one of these women was a shining beacon of devotion in a world that did not value their lives. They worked to change laws, built schools, spoke to thousands, shared the Gospel around the world. And while history books may have forgotten them, their stories can teach us so much about what it means to be modern women of faith.

Through the research and reflections of author Jasmine Holmes, you will be inspired by what each of these exceptional women can teach us about the intersections of faith and education, birth, privilege, opportunity, and so much more. Carved in Ebony will take you past the predominantly white, male contributions that seemingly dominate history books and church history to discover how Black women have been some of the main figures in defining the landscape of American history and faith.

Join Jasmine on this journey of illuminating these women--God's image-bearers, carved in ebony.

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My Thoughts:

Carved in Ebony by Jasmine L. Holmes brings together the author’s life experiences and multiple biographies as she offers lessons and thoughts about living life as a Black woman of faith. Each chapter commences with an engaging story or narrative before relating the biography of the featured woman. Holmes then concludes the chapter by reflecting on the woman’s life and offers her own hopes for the future.

Carved in Ebony features ten women who were chosen because of their activism and deep faith. Elizabeth Freeman, Sara Griffith Stanley, Nannie Helen Burroughs, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Amanda Berry Smith, Maria Fearing, Maria Stewart, Lucy Craft Laney, Charlotte Forten Grimke, and Sarah Mapps Douglass. All these women were previously unknown to me and each one amazed me with their bravery as they lived out spiritual truths and led faithful lives.

As a mid-thirties, white woman, I may not be in the target audience for Carved in Ebony, but I am glad I read this book because I learned from the featured women as well as the author’s perspective. Not only are there truths that challenge and encourage me, but the book offers insight into what it means to be a Black woman in today’s evangelical church culture. It grieves me that racism still exists and that it is alive in today’s church. Despite the evils against her Black ancestors, the author doesn’t hate on white people. She detests racism and American chattel slavery, but she does not abhor other people based on their skin color.

I recommend Carved in Ebony: Lessons from the Black Women who Shape Us by Jasmine L. Holmes to any Christian woman who is willing to listen to the stories of others with an open mind and willingness to grow.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

Book Review: The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks: Young Readers Edition

About the Book:

Rosa Parks is one of the most well-known Americans today, but much of what is known and taught about her is incomplete, distorted, and just plain wrong. Adapted for young people from the NAACP Image Award—winning The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, Jeanne Theoharis and Brandy Colbert shatter the myths that Parks was meek, accidental, tired, or middle class. They reveal a lifelong freedom fighter whose activism began two decades before her historic stand that sparked the Montgomery bus boycott and continued for 40 years after. Readers will understand what it was like to be Parks, from standing up to white supremacist bullies as a young person to meeting her husband, Raymond, who showed her the possibility of collective activism, to her years of frustrated struggle before the boycott, to the decade of suffering that followed for her family after her bus arrest. The book follows Parks to Detroit, after her family was forced to leave Montgomery, Alabama, where she spent the second half of her life and reveals her activism alongside a growing Black Power movement and beyond.

Because Rosa Parks was active for 60 years, in the North as well as the South, her story provides a broader and more accurate view of the Black freedom struggle across the twentieth century. Theoharis and Colbert show young people how the national fable of Parks and the civil rights movement—celebrated in schools during Black History Month—has warped what we know about Parks and stripped away the power and substance of the movement. The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks illustrates how the movement radically sought to expose and eradicate racism in jobs, housing, schools, and public services, as well as police brutality and the over-incarceration of Black people—and how Rosa Parks was a key player throughout.

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My Thoughts:

Reading The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks: Young Readers Edition by Jeanne Theoharis was a bit of a rollercoaster. At the beginning, I read slowly – just a chapter or two a night – as the hard realities that Rosa and other Black people faced weighed heavy in my mind. As the narrative progressed, I increased my reading as I was fascinated by Rosa and her fight against segregation and racism. Toward the end, my pace slowed again and I felt a bit more disconnected from the story than I previously had.

Growing up, I learned a whitewashed version of history and knew very little about Rosa Parks other than her refusal to give up her seat on the bus. After reading The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, I have a much greater admiration and appreciation for this remarkable woman. Her strength, her demeanor, her love of reading, her spiritual life, her pursuit of justice and equality. All of it inspired me. I’d love to read Mrs. Parks’ books, My Story (autobiography) and Quiet Strength. I imagine those books tell even more of her story as The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks focuses on her experiences with segregation, racism, and activism.

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks: Young Readers Edition is marketed for 7^th-9^th graders/ages 12-17. However, I learned much from this book as an adult and the writing is not simplified, though I suspect some situations may be less detailed than in the original edition. I felt that Jeanne Theoharis presented the information in this book objectively, except for perhaps a few parts near the end. I recommend this book to ages 12+ and I expect that we will use it as a resource in our homeschool program once my daughters reach middle school. Excellent book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product via the Amazon Vine program. All opinions in this review are my own.