[While I was formulating my own thoughts at the passing of Charlton Heston I received this e-mail. I couldn't say it any better:]Dear Friends,
Perhaps many of you remember the late Charlton Heston as Moses from Cecil B DeMille's "The Ten Commandments" or even as Judah Ben Hur from the movie based on Lew Wallace's novel: "Ben Hur" or even as Rodrigo de Vivar in "El Cid" or even as John the Baptist in "The Greatest Story Ever Told". Personally, I have always remembered him as all of those roles and much more.
However, few people remember him as a man of upright morals and of upstanding Christian faith. Of the many celebrity actors in Hollywood, he was one of the few who has stood by his spouse for a good 64 years without ever going off the rails maritally or in any other way. Very few actors within the industry of Hollywood would have stayed as long in their marriages as he did. In fact, this has been his one and only marriage faithful to the end. In addition to this, Charlton Heston has stood very strongly against the sins of abortion and sodomite/homosexual behaviour and upset the apple cart of political correctness due to his strength of stance as a moral man.
In terms of his Christian faith, it is recounted that when he was scheduled to play "Moses" in Cecil B DeMille's "The Ten Commandments", the producer, Cecil B DeMille, had fallen from a four foot ladder and had injured his back. This would have halted the production of this movie, but instead, the next day Cecil B DeMille turned up at work well and gave every body on the cast and crew a copy of the New Testament. He then testified before everyone that Jesus Christ had healed him and could do wonderful things in their life. It is probable that he became a Christian from that period onwards. In addition to this, Charlton Heston many years later after retiring from the film industry, personally produced a 4 part documentary series defending the historicity of the Holy Scriptures called: "Charlton Heston Presents The Bible" on location in the Middle East. At the end of it all, he gave a challenge: "If you seek the Lord, you will surely find Him." Furthermore, he has been involved often when he was alive with the Christian Film and Television Commision.
Those who knew him personally always recalled him as this: "self controlled, gentle man" and also in the words of both Presidents George W Bush and the wife of late former President Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan respectively as: "man of character and integrity, with a big heart" and "I will never forget Chuck as a hero on the big screen in the roles he played, but more importantly I considered him a hero in life for the many times that he stepped up to support Ronnie [Ronald Reagan] in whatever he was doing".
In the words of our Orthodox Liturgy for the dead (Trisagion), we as Christians say this: "O God, most merciful and giver of life, may you forgive Charlton Heston of his sins, both voluntary and involuntary, and grant him peace." May God grant him a place in paradise and give comfort and rest to his family and loved ones.
Yours Sincerely,
Timothy Kwoh
