During WWII, Hollywood did its part in helping the war effort. They produced movies that promoted patriotism and mocked the Japanese and Nazis. They also made pictures that extolled the greatness of our allies. One of the allies was the Soviet Union. Films that praised that communist country included Mission to Moscow, The North Star, and Song of Russia. These movies were made to unify the citizens of the US and support what we and our allies were doing.

The Soviet Union played a major role in the defeat of Nazi Germany. At the time, Hitler’s Germany was considered the greatest threat to the United States. Hitler hated communism and had attacked Russia. The Soviets were eager to join forces with us in the war effort. The Hollywood movies promoted the message that they were our partners and friends.

The problem, of course, was that the communists stood against all the principles upon which the US had been built. Hitler was a monster, but Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, was as well. A solid argument can be made that he was worse. He would kill more innocent people than Hitler did.

It is somewhat humorous that the movies produced by Hollywood to promote friendship with the Soviet Union would later be seen as detrimental to the US. Congress investigated the people who made those films to determine whether they were communist sympathizers. During the war, these filmmakers were patriotic. After the war, they were seen as subversive!

The reason for the change in the way the government viewed the Soviet Union is obvious. During the war, the communists were needed to defeat our greatest enemy. After the war, however, Russia became our greatest enemy. With its arsenal of nuclear weapons, it threatened our very existence. It spread communism around the world. Our former friends became our scariest nightmare. It happened almost overnight. We would be involved in local wars in various places around the world where we fought against those backed by the Soviet Union. Even today, that struggle continues in Ukraine.

During WWII, then, the Soviet Union was our strange bedfellow. We were partners even though we knew they posed a grave danger to our future. Both President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill privately expressed their concerns. General George Patton was less subtle. Even during the conflict, he publicly said that we would be at war with our “friends” in the near future. He was correct.

I am not a historian, but I am pretty sure most experts say the US and England were wise in joining forces with the Soviet Union in WWII. Even considering the evil the communist country has caused in the years since the war, things would have been worse if Hitler had won. It was the lesser of two evils. The sacrifices of the people of Russia during the war brought about good, relatively speaking. We did the right thing by jumping into bed with them. I suppose, however, that a few would suggest we shouldn’t have done so. I’m glad that I was not the president of the United States who had to make that decision in the 1940s!

Even though nuclear war is not involved, Free Grace believers can become involved with strange bedfellows. There are logical reasons for doing so. We believe in the gospel of grace and assurance, but many within Christendom are strongly opposed to such doctrines. But these folks agree with us on other issues, such as the inspiration of the Scriptures, creationism, the divinity of Christ, His death and resurrection, and the sexual moral decay in our culture.

When it comes to warfare in these other areas, it is great to have allies. It’s like the Soviet Union joining us in WWII to fight against the Germans. These non-Free Grace allies can help us win certain victories. We might even make videos praising their support in these areas.

But these allies are fundamentally opposed to us. Our differences are obvious. As with Mission to Moscow and Song of Russia, we will have to explain why we praise those we oppose. Are we justified in working together for any victories we might experience with them?

I will not even pretend to have all the answers. I think there is room for believers to disagree. Some will be like Roosevelt and Churchill in the way they viewed their differences with the Soviet Union. Others will be like Patton. One thing is for sure. We need the wisdom of the Lord if we decide to have strange theological bedfellows.