The prettier the wrapping, the pricier the gift. The bigger the box, the better the gift. But that’s not always the case, as evident in the life of 24-year-old Jason Stevens.

Jason is the main character in the upcoming FoxFaith film, The Ultimate Gift, set to release in theaters March 9. The film is based on a novel by the same name, written by entrepreneur Jim Stovall.

“Books can change people’s minds, but movies can change a culture,” Stovall told AFA Journal. 

So Stovall teamed up with producer Rick Eldridge to bring The Ultimate Gift to the big screen.

 “We really targeted it at a younger audience … that we feel needs to identify and understand the values that [grandfather] Red Stevens was trying to share with his grandson,” Eldridge explained.

Jason was born into a wealthy family and has always had life handed to him on a silver platter. His happiness is rooted in money, but this begins to change after Jason’s billionaire grandfather dies. Jason has hated his grandfather since childhood and assumes his grandfather feels the same about him. He is certain of this when he finds out he must work for his part of Red’s inheritance by completing 12 tasks assigned to him via Red’s videos made prior to his death. Upon completion of each task, Jason unwraps a priceless gift. 

All gifts work together to provide Jason with a deeper sense of purpose and the meaning of life, eventually leading him to the ultimate gift.

Unwrapping the package
The Ultimate Gift is packed full of morals and values, contains references to the Christian faith and proves to be a family-friendly film. So much so that Eldridge is quick to admit that the wholesomeness of The Ultimate Gift bucks Hollywood.

Still, it is important to know that the movie is rated PG for thematic elements, some language and violence. The Dove Foundation notes two uses of “h-ll,” one as an expletive and one as a place; one use of the initials “B.S.” and two uses of the word “scr-w.” In addition, some of the women in the film are immodestly dressed, adults are seen drinking and smoking and a couple is shown kissing several times.

In addition to the mild objectionable material, the film’s underlying message could mislead believers and nonbelievers regarding some basic tenets of the Christian faith.

Counting the cost
Taken at face value, the film is an exemplary story of redemption and forgiveness. Its message conveys a philosophy and a movement and is so powerful that it has potential to change lives, which is exactly what Stovall and Eldridge, both Christians, hope happens.

But taking an in-depth look at the story from a Scriptural perspective, the film stops short of the Biblical message about truth and grace.

Before addressing these concerns, one needs to understand that the book and the screenplay were not intended to tell a Christian story. Stovall explained that the story does have a Biblical basis in Proverbs, but Eldridge said it was meant to reach a broad spectrum of people. They want viewers to realize that life is their most important asset and they should use it to benefit others and make a difference in the world while creating their own interpretation of the ultimate gift.

 “When you think about the ultimate gift as a Christian, you think of Jesus. He’s the ultimate gift,” Eldridge said. “But in this case, that wasn’t really the message of the movie … that we wanted to point people to, but it was more … [of] finding your own purpose, in your own heart – your own life.”

While a relationship with Christ is personal, it is not to be self-centered, and creating a film that is intended to change the world through means of self should cause Christians to pause.

Some might say the film implies that grace can be earned through good works rather than received as an act of God’s unmerited favor, thus disputing Ephesians 2:8-9, which says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

All in all, The Ultimate Gift delivers a powerful message of: “Share the Gift. Change the world.” But it is Christ who ultimately changes the world, and when the gift a person shares doesn’t include Him, one might as well open an empty box.