Actor David Oyelowo says “Being a Christian Has Been Invaluable”; ‘Voice of God’ has Guided him Throughout his Life (Gospel Light Minute #179)

David Oyelowo

He is a British-Nigerian actor who is known for several movie roles. He won a scholarship to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and finished his training in 1998. He played supporting roles in the films “The Last King of Scotland”, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, “Jack Reacher”, “Middle of Nowhere”, “The Paperboy”, and “Lincoln”. He also earned high praise for portraying Louis Gaines in “The Butler”. His TV roles include, “Spooks”, “A Raisin in the Sun”, and “Star Wars: Rebels.” He stars as Martin Luther King, Jr. in the biographical drama film “Selma”, for which he received a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama.

In an interview with the Telegraph UK, he is described as having an unwaveringness about him which can be ascribed to his Christian faith. He said, “my faith is a very visceral, conversational one that bleeds into everything. I was brought up as a Baptist. By 16 I was ready to leave church behind. It was a time when my hormones were raging and I was nursing a nice rebellious streak. I decided to try a different church for three months and God turned up in a dramatic way. From then on my behaviour and decisions have been driven by my faith.

As a devout Christian, he often prays on film sets. For the movie “Selma”, he said he heard a voice tell him that he would play the role of Martin Luther King, Jr. In an interview with The L.A. Times, he said, “I knew that voice [of God], because it was the same voice that told me to marry my wife, the same voice that told me to give names to my children before they were even conceived. This is how God has spoken to me in the past. And it’s what kept me going even though directors at the time didn’t want me.”

He said further, “I think it’s vital to have something outside your acting to keep you rooted in the real world, and help you fill the vacuum. If you have nothing else, it can be unhealthy. For me being a Christian has been invaluable: it simply means acting isn’t the centre of my life.”

His name is David Oyelowo.

Advertisement

Sylvester Stallone: “Life is About Following Christ, Not Battling it Out Alone” (Gospel Light Minute #75)

Sylvester Stallone

He is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. The most notable characters he has portrayed are boxer Rocky Balboa and soldier John Rambo. The franchises that stemmed from these characters solidified him as a mainstay in Hollywood. His film “Rocky” was inducted into the National Film Registry and its film props were placed in the Smithsonian Museum. He was voted into boxing’s Hall of Fame on December 7, 2010.

As a child, he used to attend church regularly, but as he got older and his acting career progressed, he stopped going to church. After several years of Hollywood fame and fortune, he says “I got back to my Christian roots. After my daughter was born ill in 1996, I turned myself over to the process of believing in Jesus. That conversion experience released me from the pressures of the world.”

He went on to say, “In the past, my ego and worldly temptations took over in my life and I went spiraling out of control. Rather than living like Rocky with some sense of ideal, I didn’t. I thought I was entitled to things but you’re not entitled to anything. You are what you leave behind. The more I go to church and the more I turn myself over to the process of believing in Jesus and listening to His Word and having Him guide my hand, I feel as though the pressure is off me now.” He said that the latest and final chapter in the ‘Rocky’ series, “reflects my conviction that life is about following Christ, not battling it out alone…You need to have the expertise and the guidance of someone else. You cannot train yourself. I feel the same way about Christianity and about what the church is: The church is the gym of the soul.” His name is Sylvester Stallone.

Blair Underwood says he Doesn’t Have All the Answers, So he Turns Things Over to God (Gospel Light Minute #72)

Blair Underwood

He is an American television, film, and stage actor and director who is perhaps best known for his seven-year-long role as Jonathan Rollins from the NBC legal drama L.A. Law. He has gained critical acclaim throughout his career, receiving numerous Golden Globe Award nominations, three NAACP Image Awards, and one Grammy Award. He has starred in 27 movies and has appeared in 26 television series. He was voted as one of People Magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” in 2000, and one of TV Guide ‘s “Most Influential Faces of the 90s”. He played the role of Jesus Christ in the Bible Experience audio Bible dramatization.

He says his relationship with God is “very much like a healthy, childlike connection to a father who is loving, who is giving, who is consistent, who is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient.” When asked how he personally deals with the stress that comes with his career, he said, “the bigger issue is to go to your faith. What works for me is to know that all of this is preordained. I am a Christian. I believe God has a plan. I believe he is not going to leave us hanging. As a man, in our society, I don’t have all the answers. Being able to turn matters over to a higher power works for me.” He says his faith gives him the ability to say, “You know what? I’ll understand what I can understand, and then God will give me the direction to go where I need to go from there.” His name is Blair Underwood.