Live.Awake

Didn’t Enjoy a Christian Movie? Permission Granted.

// January 11th, 2010 // 4 Comments » // Christian Living, Movies

I have aÂ staggeringÂ confession to make. Â I didn’t enjoy the movie Fireproof. Â I wasn’t entertained or particularly moved by it. Â I didn’t cry. Â That’s saying a lot because I recently got misty-eyed at the end of a re-run episode of Full House. Â Kirk Cameron didn’t revolutionize my marriage or inspire me to become a fire chief who makes good chili and inspires his men to be soft-spoken and wear dockers pants. Â However, his idea of pounding the outside trash can with a bat is a good one that I plan to implement soon. Â Looked like fun. Â But, seriously, if my house was on fire and Mike Seaver showed up to lead the effort in saving my cigar collection from smoking itself, I would be more than a little concerned. Â I’d probably ask him to call in a favor to Kurt Russell for assistance.

“Didn’t this movie come out a while ago? Â Why are you talking about it now?” Â Everyone that has asked me if I liked the movie has gotten some kind of awkward response like, “I thought it was pretty good. Â I mean, it could have been a lot better but considering how this church gave up so much and all those volunteers worked so hard, it’s amazing.”

Sigh. Â It’s taken me this long to get up the gumption to come out of the closet on this.

You see, the problem is that I watched the extras on the DVD. Â You know, all the behind the scenes footage of regular church folk praying before each scene in the movie, volunteering their time, believing in the project, eating Chick-fil-A, doing morning devotionals, all while Third Day plays softly in the background. Â It’s touching. Â In fact, I was far more moved by the behind the scenes stuff than I was by anything in the movie itself. Â But then I was confused. Â The rules of criticism are different between a movie you pay for, and ministry you receive. Â Is it ok for me to say that I really didn’t like a Christian movie?

Y E S !

If movies made by Christians are going to get better, they need to be held to the same critique as other films in the marketplace. Â They need to be treated the same. Â In my opinion, it’s patronizing to the good people that made the movie to pat the movie on the head and say, “For a Christian, you’re ok. Â Bless your heart.”

Now, I know that many people really liked it. Â They say that Kirk is a sexy-in-a-christian-kind-of-way male lead. Â They found the plot riveting. Â MANY MANY people say that it (and the accompanying devotional study) helped their marriages. Â That’s awesome. Â I’m not saying we should NOT like Christian movies. Â That would be like someone saying that all Ninja movies are bad. Â That would be crazy because any time throwing stars are involved, great entertainment is sure to follow.

Now THAT’s an idea. Â A christian ninja movie. Â Does James Caviezel know karate? Â I bet he’s available.

Lose Your Plastic Jesus

// October 5th, 2009 // No Comments » // Christian Living, Video

I found this video compelling (and clever). Â It also brings up a subject that I think about a lot: the oversimplification of the gospel. Â I wonder if the Church, in an effort to reach more people, have presented a “plastic Jesus” to potential converts. Â A Jesus that is aÂ caricatureÂ of the real thing. Â Jesus get misrepresented as either unconcerned about sin, hell and rebellion or as loveless, angry and breathing fire out of his nostrils at all sinners of the world.

By the way I hear some preachers talk, you’d think Jesus isÂ disinterestedÂ completely in the fate of the world that He came to save as though He’s a petulant child. Â Â Still others make Him seem powerless and worried. Â All of them 2-dimensional.

How many times have we reduced Him to a sound-bite at the end of a meeting or only displayed a 2-dimensional version of Him to our friends? Â Perhaps that’s, at least in part, the reason why so many people simply fizzle out into mediocrity. Â And maybe that’s why we so often find it impossible to trust Him.

Toss your plastic Jesus in the trash can and seek out the real one. Â See Him healing the sick, touching the leaper, calling the Pharisees dogs, displaying His glory at the Mount of Transfiguration, dying in humility and victory at the cross. Â Imagine Him returning for His spotless Bride at the end of days. Â See Him as the hero of this great story of the gospel.