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'The Cross' Opens Today
Film Documents One Man’s 40 Year Journey
By Erin Maguire, The Bulletin
One man’s 40-year journey carrying a 12-foot cross to every inhabited place in the world was documented in “The Cross — The Arthur Blessitt Story,” which opens in theaters today.
“All too often religion has caused the cross to become a symbol of conflict around the world,” Mr. Blessitt said. “But it’s part of my life’s mission, and hopefully the mission of this film is to reinterpret the meaning of the cross for people, so they can see that the cross is not something that’s against them. It’s the ultimate symbol that says God loves you no matter what.”
In 1968, Mr. Blessitt said he heard a message from Jesus: “Arthur, take the cross off the wall of your building [a hippie coffee shop called “His Place”] and carry the cross on foot … identify my message on the highways, roadsides where the people are.”
Since Christmas Day 1969, Mr. Blessitt has traveled 38,102 miles through 315 countries, island groups and territories on all seven continents carrying a cross “for Jesus.” During his journey, he visited 52 countries at war and was arrested or jailed 24 times (not for crimes). He is listed by Guinness World Records for having the “world’s longest walk.”
Prior to his cross ministry, Mr. Blessitt was known as “The Minister of Sunset Strip” as he shared his faith with Hollywood’s most radical: hippies, Hell’s Angels and Black Panthers. This experience prepared him to meet people of every culture and way of life, interacting with the most powerful and poor worldwide.
After reviewing 160 hours of footage, much which was filmed by Mr. Blessitt and people he met on his journey, the family and faith-based company Gener8Xion Entertainment produced and distributed the feature documentary.
Matthew Crouch, Gener8Xion Entertainment CEO, first met Mr. Blessitt as a child. Mr. Crouch’s parents owned a television station, on which Mr. Blessitt was interviewed about his work. Then, he knew Mr. Blessitt as “kind of strange uncle character in my life; he would disappear for months or years at the time, but like a faithful hound dog, he always came back.”
Mr. Crouch decided to work with Mr. Blessitt because he is simply intrigued by his story — the story of a man who accomplished a feat no one has ever done.
“When you really sit back and look at a globe and sit with him as he tells stories about this globe and the people who live there who he has lived with, eaten with and stayed in the homes of — it’s fascinating,” he said.
In the film, Mr. Crouch said there are three central themes.
“The cross that he’s carried on his shoulder has been misinterpreted for years to mean death and separation. Arthur feels like one of his major missions and themes is the reinterpretation of the cross into one of love and acceptance,” Mr. Crouch said of one theme. “Arthur is also the Nike poster child of ‘Just do it.’ “
One of most important themes, Mr. Crouch said, is not what Arthur had did with the cross “but what the cross had done to Arthur.”
“This movie is not about the statistical evidence of where Arthur went, the hottest place, the coldest place, the highest point, but the thematic element of what he remembers about the trip after his 40-year journey,” Mr. Crouch explained. “We are not trying to make Arthur Blessitt out to be superman — he’s every man. Everyone has a purpose to carry out just like Arthur did — one step at time.”
Local theaters playing “The Cross” are listed at: www.thecrossfilm.com/theaters.
Erin Maguire can be reached at emaguire@thebulletin.us
“All too often religion has caused the cross to become a symbol of conflict around the world,” Mr. Blessitt said. “But it’s part of my life’s mission, and hopefully the mission of this film is to reinterpret the meaning of the cross for people, so they can see that the cross is not something that’s against them. It’s the ultimate symbol that says God loves you no matter what.”
In 1968, Mr. Blessitt said he heard a message from Jesus: “Arthur, take the cross off the wall of your building [a hippie coffee shop called “His Place”] and carry the cross on foot … identify my message on the highways, roadsides where the people are.”
Since Christmas Day 1969, Mr. Blessitt has traveled 38,102 miles through 315 countries, island groups and territories on all seven continents carrying a cross “for Jesus.” During his journey, he visited 52 countries at war and was arrested or jailed 24 times (not for crimes). He is listed by Guinness World Records for having the “world’s longest walk.”
Prior to his cross ministry, Mr. Blessitt was known as “The Minister of Sunset Strip” as he shared his faith with Hollywood’s most radical: hippies, Hell’s Angels and Black Panthers. This experience prepared him to meet people of every culture and way of life, interacting with the most powerful and poor worldwide.
After reviewing 160 hours of footage, much which was filmed by Mr. Blessitt and people he met on his journey, the family and faith-based company Gener8Xion Entertainment produced and distributed the feature documentary.
Matthew Crouch, Gener8Xion Entertainment CEO, first met Mr. Blessitt as a child. Mr. Crouch’s parents owned a television station, on which Mr. Blessitt was interviewed about his work. Then, he knew Mr. Blessitt as “kind of strange uncle character in my life; he would disappear for months or years at the time, but like a faithful hound dog, he always came back.”
Mr. Crouch decided to work with Mr. Blessitt because he is simply intrigued by his story — the story of a man who accomplished a feat no one has ever done.
“When you really sit back and look at a globe and sit with him as he tells stories about this globe and the people who live there who he has lived with, eaten with and stayed in the homes of — it’s fascinating,” he said.
In the film, Mr. Crouch said there are three central themes.
“The cross that he’s carried on his shoulder has been misinterpreted for years to mean death and separation. Arthur feels like one of his major missions and themes is the reinterpretation of the cross into one of love and acceptance,” Mr. Crouch said of one theme. “Arthur is also the Nike poster child of ‘Just do it.’ “
One of most important themes, Mr. Crouch said, is not what Arthur had did with the cross “but what the cross had done to Arthur.”
“This movie is not about the statistical evidence of where Arthur went, the hottest place, the coldest place, the highest point, but the thematic element of what he remembers about the trip after his 40-year journey,” Mr. Crouch explained. “We are not trying to make Arthur Blessitt out to be superman — he’s every man. Everyone has a purpose to carry out just like Arthur did — one step at time.”
Local theaters playing “The Cross” are listed at: www.thecrossfilm.com/theaters.
Erin Maguire can be reached at emaguire@thebulletin.us
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