Fireproof: Good Message, Bad Art

There are several posts embedded in my day's events, but only two make the short list: the Vice-Presidential debate and my last minute decision to see the Christian flick, Fireproof. VP or Fireproof? Fireproof or VP? In the end, I figure everyone else will be chatting up the debate. So, if you wanna hear about that check out the debate coverage from CNN or Fox News, according to your political bent. I'm taking on the Christian flick.

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I love good music. That's why I typically stay away from Christian music. I love good films. That's why I don't watch many Christian movies as a rule. Today, however, I broke that rule and went to see Fireproof, a movie produced by a baptist church in Albany, GA that has already grossed over $7 million. (Coincidentally, it was produced by the same people who brought us Facing the Giants, a movie which grossed over $10 million that you may also never have heard of.) 

The movie exceeded my expectations, though I must admit my expectations were pessimistic bordering on despondent. On the one hand, there were moments of genuine emotion and times filled with true humor where I laughed out loud. The leading roles were filled with serious actors who carried a plot that was well-written in places.

 

On the other hand, the cinematography was often made-for-TV poor to the point of distracting and the supporting roles were filled with actors for which the adjective "B-list" would be a compliment. But, most of all, the movie was awkwardly filled with spirituality at the expense of the plot. (And, I can say that as a passionate Christian.) In one scene, which would have likely been the climax, the sense of romance and reconciliation was ruined by out-of-place comments about salvation. As I told a friend following the movie, a good joke is marked by a strong and unexpected punchline. The punchline for this joke was shamelessly smattered throughout and left no one guessing.

I don't understand why we, as Christians, can't just make good art (like Dot and Cross, the people who produce the nooma videos)! This movie, while a big improvement over its predecessor, suffered at the hands of the message. That is truly a tragedy because the message is so timely. I give Fireproof 2 stars.

Did you see it? What did you think?

Dr. Al Mohler's book, Culture Shift, is one of the smartest reads of this year. It is a short, succinct manual for engaging the culture with Christian truth. I am a very critical reader, and I have very little criticism for Culture Shift. One point of criticism was the insertion of chapter nine: "Needed: An Exit Strategy from Public Schools. The Crisis Christian Parents Face."

It seems strange to write a book on engaging culture but then include a chapter on withdrawing from a critical cultural battleground. Dr. Mohler did a lot to clear up this discrepency when I interviewed him last week, but it is something that I think will still strike readers as odd. That is why I wrote Experiencing Culture Shift for RelevantMagazine.com.

My educational background is a patchwork of Christian schooling and public schooling with a year of homeschooling in the middle. If your experience is similar to mine, you probably have some strong opinions about public schools and Christian schools shaded with humorous, hurtful, awkward and wonderful experiences.

What is your educational background like?

What are personal views about Christian schooling/homeschooling/public schooling?

Any good stories?

What Would Jesus Wear?

This week, I ended up in the dreaded Sahara of retail. I am convinced that Walmart is where all bad items go to die. You know what I mean. The huge bins of 1.99 DVDs ranging from Denise Richard's workout videos to leftover copies of Edward Scissorhands, the rolled up shirt-and-cap combo screen-printed with the local AA baseball team's logo, and don't forget about all the marked-down left over popcorn barrels from Christmas. After experiencing the typical mayhem of a typical Walmart, I sometimes find myself on a cliff's edge revving my car engine.

This trip to purgatory-on-earth, however, was a little different in that the shopping was served up with a side of laughter and reflection. While walking through the markdown-littered aisle next to the men's clothing, my eye couldn't help but catch a display filled with Christian t-shirts. This shocked me for two reasons: First, I couldn't believe that Walmart actually sells blatantly religious apparel. Second, I couldn't believe how ridiculous some of these shirts actually were.

Unlike modern Christ-wear of the "Jesus is my homeboy" persuasion, this stuff was neither funny nor hip. "Jesus: Without Him, Life is Hell" and the classic "WWJD" placed second and third in the kitsch category, but got beat out by "House of Jesus"--a clear knock off of the "House of Blues" logo. (I mean, seriously, what does that even mean?)

Next to this aisle was a rack of a different kind--shirts much more vulgar, likely transferred from the Panama City store. Many of these shirts were too vulgar to even repeat in this forum (email me and we can have a good laugh), but some of them were just trashy sayings like "Beer...Cheaper than School."

As my mind began processing these two polar opposites, it occurred to me that both lines of clothing were no more than pop culture. One represented the redneck-who-buys-airbrushed-sandollars-on-spring-break pop culture and the other represents the Christ-versus-culture, Christian separatist pop culture. Neither communicates its message very effectively.

If followers of Christ are to live incarnationally, I don't think we need to chastise non-believers with bawdy, sarcastic billboards that are signed God but resemble a sarcastic old man more than the One found in Scripture. If we are living out our faith like Christ did, people will know we are set apart and we won't have to resort to cheeseball Christian t-shirts.

It is very difficult to imagine how Christ is exalted by kitschy, marketed, meaningless, awkward expressions of Christianity like "House of Jesus" shirts printed on a .40 Gildan. Why can't Christians just do what Jesus did and participate in culture like everyone else while letting our lives serve as an invitation to salvation? Wouldn't it benefit the cause of Christ more if we sent our people out into culture rather than retreating into an awkward Christian subculture like a turtle attacked by a toddler?

Are you a devotee of the crazy Christian sub-culture? If so, do us all a favor: STOP.