Evan Almighty

Well said Nathan (Comment 21) I concur completely. I too am usually in full agreement with Tim, but disappointed in him here. Tim, this feels like a harsh judgement of something that (in the grand scheme) is fairly benign…….I think this space could be better filled by espousing the virtues of some good films…..but this isn’t my space.

I’m troubled by Samantha’s comment (5) - feeling she was in sin for seeing “Bruce Almighty”?……I hope that’s not what she gleened from Tim’s post, because I don’t think Tim said or implied that anyone who watches these films is in sin.

I’m one of the few Christians I know who disliked both “Bruce Almighty” and “Liar Liar”……..simply because in both cases, I’m just not a Jim Carey fan. I see no harm to believers in these films, nor do I see blasphemy……and even if there was, I don’t know that watching non-Christians blaspheme on screen is any different than watching non-Christians do anything else sinful on screen.

I do agree with those here who have said that wading through “Bruce Almighty” is a chore, and not worth the effort to get to the redemptive aspects.

Personally, I’d much prefer seeing the church get behind even a “hard-R” rated, but deeply redemptive films like “The Shawshank Redemption”….as opposed to supporting mindless fluff like the “Almighty” movies.

“We would be hard-pressed to see any redemption in Hollywood or our culture if we shun efforts toward more redemptive films.”

Were you awake when you wrote this?

mv

MV - Nathan couldn’t be more right here - what is wrong with that statement?……….would you prefer that Christians keep giving themselves Dove Awards and keep making “Left Behind” movies?…

John K, if you read my post closely, I defended Tim on that same point……I said that he was not telling anyone they were in sin for seeing the film……

John K said: “I found this comment to be rather telling and indicative of what may be a reduced level of discernment among Christians today.”

Actually, the comment to which you refer is quite insightful in that implies what far, far too few Christians seem to understand - the simple truth that non-Christians make movies with vulgarity and maybe even blasphemy in them (because, HELLO, they’re not Christians) - why should we be surprised by that?….and if we don’t like it and are offended by it, then we shouldn’t pay to see (and thus support) their films.

I’m going to get some push back on this statement, but need to speak up, because it’s a hot button issue of mine…..

“Taking the Lord’s name in vain” per comment 34, is being taken out context.

When that command was given, the idea was that we should not put God’s name on something that He is not part of - example - “…God wants me to have that cadillac”….when, in many cases, God does not sign on to us having that cadillac….the commandment is NOT refering to saying the name “God” or “Jesus” out loud………..our God (at least my God) is much more thick-skinned than that…………..yes, it is disrespectful when people say “God” and “Jesus” out loud when they’re not talking to him, but I would vehemently argue that it is NOT taking his name in vain as referred to in this commandment……

Many will disagree with me on this, so I’d challenge that we take a look at a few commentaries on this command. Andy Stanley’s Ten Commandments series is also a good resource.

That’s one scary brand o’ Theonomist Christianity you have there MV…….the notion that a non-Christian should shudder in fear when he flippantly blurts out a “JC” he learned from the other non-Christians he hangs around………is silly.

He should repent and come to Christ……..the Philippians 1 fear and shuddering comes later.

MV, respectfully, your condemnation of non-Christians under OT law is theocratic…….you may not mean to come across that way, but that IS how you write, and be assured I am well schooled in what Theonomy is.

We are to look on non-Christians with compassion - your words make think that you look on them with contempt. If that’s not how you intend to come across, I apologize for making innaccurate conclusions.

John H……..I most assuredly would watch Evan Almighty in Jesus’ presence, just as I did Bruce Almighty………..and since I would probably fall asleep (since I did in Bruce Almighty) and were His voice audible, He’d probably tell me to turn it off and go upstairs to bed and get some sleep.

The real question here is, can we watch a movie in which non-Christians do sinful things and still keep our minds in Phil 4:8 mode?….I think that the answer is a resounding yes - our minds should be taught to look for redemption in whatever we encounter - and if it’s not redemptive, we turn turn away (or in this case, turn it off) and move on.

The prodigal son story (for example) depicted on screen would show a non-Christian sinning, but the story would still be wonderfully redemptive and worth my time. I think that if we’re walking with Him, that we can make a good decision regarding the use of our movie watching time……especially these days when there is ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE for not reading about the content in a movie prior to watching it…..there’s an abundance of good information out there to help us make an informed decision.

and MV, you did write like a person who was subjecting non-Christians to OT law. I didn’t call you a name, but I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions (I had also apologized earlier for that, before your most current rant).

I don’t know what to say to you brother. Your tone is harsh and self-promoting, that’s mainly what comes across.

redemption is found in the midst of sin Kevin……….if mom metamorphasizes into a butterfly, I’ll watch. If mom stayed a cockroach, I’d hopefully know that before I tuned in - I make sure that there is redemption in a film before I watch.

I also maintain that God just has thicker skin than we’re giving Him credit for here. He’s not any more put off by some goofball who doesn’t know Him pretending to be Him in a movie than He is with any of the other shallow/petty things that we do.

Josh, yes, I absolutely would.

Kurt,

I think your point is well taken - the notion of seeing Evan or Bruce A. as witnessing tools is silly.

Personally, I have seen people come to Christ after I (but not because I) pointed out redemptive/Christian things to them in “The Shawshank Redemption” or U2 lyrics (as 2 examples) - those were cited as part of much larger conversations.

Even so, I (like you) don’t consider those things to be “witnessing tools”, beyond the simple fact that sinful people can write/paint/sing about or make a movie about redemptive things simply because those sinful people are made in God’s image. It’s because of this that I take issue with your reference to Phil 4:8.

I can’t think of anything more lovely, right, pure, honorable and praiseworthy than finding/seeing redemption in God’s creation expressed through the arts. Sometimes, in such redemptive art, the redemption shines through brightest when set against the background of a brutally secularly setting - like the prison in Shawshank for example.

Yes, the screen will depict prisoners swearing and doing horrific things to each other, but in the end, the story absolutely sings a chorus of faith, hope, and love. I would argue that the experience (though R rated) fully fits the Phil 4:8 bill.

Does Bruce Almighty stand up to that test? Nah, but not because the first thing he does as God is give his girlfriend bigger breasts. Rather, it’s because (for me) the positive parts were far outweighed by a ridiculous characture of God that I was offended by. BTW, certainly the bigger breasts moment does not pass thru the Phil 4:8 grid, but can it still be part of something larger that overall is redemptive? I think so, though (again, for me) this film isn’t.

I’m fine with Joi’s (comment 94) view on the film, and would defend her right to think that way about it………to me, she’s not add odds with God’s holiness or Phil 4:8, because she found redemption in that movie watching experience which encouraged her to (in this case) submit more readily to God’s will in her life.