On Feb. 23 a sister company of Walden Media—the folks behind such films as "Charlotte's Web," "Winn Dixie" and Chronicles of Narnia"—will release its latest positive fare, "Amazing Grace," the story of British abolitionist William Wilberforce.

According to a report in the Indianapolis Star, the two-century-old story of Wilberforce persuaded Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback to move from a tax-cutter to a more compassionate conservative focused on Africa and helping the poor.

Wilberforce's inspiring tale also shines a light on John Newton, author to the words of the legendary hymn that lives on and in recent years inspired a PBS television special on its impact.

John Newton? The slave ship captain caught in a powerful storm who struck a bargain with God, promising to set the slaves free if the Almighty saves their lives? And after God calmed the storm, Newton instantly converted to Christianity, freed the captives and quit the slave trade?

Over the years, you've probably heard (maybe preached) that story, or some modified version of it. I heard it early in my Christian life.

The only problem is none of it is true, according to Christine Schaub, author of "The Longing Season," a best-selling historical novel that tells the story of Newton and his beloved hymn.

Turns out Newton did face a storm at sea that made him question his life choices. However, he was a passenger and the ship carried such cargo as ivory, gold and beeswax, but no slaves. Nor was his conversion that sudden.

The saddest truth is that Newton captained slave ships after accepting Christ. He only quit because illness grounded him, not a crisis of conscience. And 24 years passed before he wrote the text of "Amazing Grace" for a New Year's Day service. Another decade passed before Wilberforce invited him to join the fight against slavery.

This penchant for myth-making is not unique to the Christian community. Yet its presence should bother anyone who follows Christ. Far too many church folk seem willing to pass along the latest urban legend.

It can be negative, such as the apocryphal attempts of Madelyn Murray O'Hair to get all Christian programming taken off the air, when she's been dead for more than a decade.

Or, positive, a la the mythical tale of President Bush stopping to pray with someone in a reception line. The reason the media never reported that story is because it never happened. Yet before the truth surfaced I got e-mails from indignant Christians about the press censoring this "news."

One time in writing a story about a church in Arkansas, I heard the inspiring report that it God had moved so dramatically the people had turned over its $15,000 organ fund to foreign missions. So many people shared the story I thought it must be true.

That is, until I talked with someone at the church and found out they still had $15,000 in their organ fund. Turns out someone thought if the church had given more than $15,000 to foreign missions—which it did—they must have emptied that special account to do it. The story got passed along until many accepted it as fact.

Before flying to Colorado in 1999 to report on the Columbine tragedy, a magazine editor forwarded an e-mail to me from a ministry leader claiming that nearly all the victims of the shooting were Christians. Again, the press was supposedly sitting on the truth.

When I got this leader's number and called to ask for more specifics, he said, "Oh, I didn't check that out, I was just passing along something I heard."

This casual disregard for the truth is serious stuff. If we are trying to persuade people that Jesus is the way, the truth, the life and the only way to heaven, we must stand for truthfulness. The future of millions of lost souls depends on it.