Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look, and an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

80 years ago, a down-and-out man, George Bailey discovered that really, it's a wonderful life.

The redemption of Jimmy Stewart's character took place on Christmas Eve of 1945, the same night that Clarence got his wings.

It's an amazing film, a Christmas classic, and particularly meaningful for men, bearing the weight of

providing for their families. And it's also quite a Christian film as well. As Anne Morris wrote in

her book, It's a Wonderful Life Advent Devotional, and I quote, watching It's a Wonderful Life last Christmas, it struck me. Not for the first time,

that director Frank Capra, who came from a large and loving Catholic family,

had managed to sneak a boatload of biblical teachings into this, his greatest film.

For example, one important theme that's developed in the film is the idea of unmerited favor, what the Bible calls grace. At the start of the film, the addicted

druggist Mr. Gower, slaps a young George Bailey on the ear so hard it starts to bleed. George,

however, chooses to forgive him, realizing that Mr. Gower had just received news that his son

had died. In a later scene,

George and Mary try to leave for their honeymoon, but on their way out of town, witness a run on

the building and loan. Old Man Potter steps in and offers 50 cents on the dollar to customers

to move their business. Many are tempted to take him up on it. But George pleads with the townspeople

to keep their money at the Bailey building and loan, According to Bob Welch, author of 52 Little Lessons from Its Wonderful Life, The Baileys believe in grace. Potter doesn't. Here, Ed, George says to one of the neighbors, You remember last year when things weren't going so well and you couldn't make your payments? You didn't lose your house, did you? Do you think Potter would have let you keep it? Well, of course not, because old man

Potter, as is clear in the film, he doesn't do grace. And of course, there's that scene when

George Bailey begins to believe that all is lost and begins to think he's better dead than alive.

It begins with $8,000 that was lost by Uncle Billy on Christmas Eve,

though George grabs Uncle Billy and shouts at him. In the end, he chooses to extend grace.

Forced to ask Mr. Potter for help, George takes the blame for the law, saying he's the one

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