I do not watch movies very often. I usually don't have the time, and even when I do it is difficult to find a movie that is genuinely good and compelling while at the same time not offensive in its content. Besides, I would rather read a book.
However, I recently watched the movie
The Other Side of Heaven, which my wife brought home from the local library. The picture on the front of the DVD case was clearly aimed at a female audience, what we men refer to as a "chick flick."
I had no idea what the movie was about before viewing it. Usually I check for offensive content in movies on
http://www.screenit.com/ before I watch them so I will not be surprised. This one was rated PG so I figured it was probably OK.
It wasn’t long before I realized this movie was not a typical “chick flick.” Numerous references to missionaries, God, and even Jesus alerted me to the fact that this movie was different. The obligatory mission of the, tie wearing, main character John Groberg, and his title of “elder” as well as what appeared to be an infatuation with white clothing immediately made me suspect this was a film about a Mormon missionary.
Sure enough I was right. About 2/3 of the way into the movie there is a reference to Groberg as a Mormon by a drunken villager. Even then it wasn’t clear due to the slurred speech of the drunken man. I had to rewind it twice to make sure I was hearing it correctly.
It was also clear that this movie was “squeaky clean.” When I say that I am not simply talking about morality but rather all the dirty realities of life seemed to have been scrubbed away. It was like a Leave It to Beaver episode. Extreme sappiness might be an accurate description. There were scenes of heartache in the movie but even they seemed to be glazed over so as to make the entire film fairy tale like. It was kind of bizarre. Some events were no doubt embellished to make the Groberg’s actions larger than life.
Now don’t get me wrong, even I can take a sappy unrealistic movie now again, for the sake of my wife, but this film made me feel as though I had been intellectually or spiritually violated in some way. It was “stealth evangelism” Mormon style. Afterwards I couldn’t help but make comparisons between this film and the way Christians often attempt to evangelize, and at times, myself included.
We attempt to give some indistinguishable message of love and some generic god or God so as not to seem too forward or offensive. The plan is to share this generic message and see how it is received. If it is received well we give a little bit more and more, until finally we share the message of God. At least that is the way it is supposed to work. Unfortunately often times the discussion never progresses past the first step. You see as Christians all want to share our faith but the natural side of us wants to be liked. Unfortunately Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:23 the message of Christ is offensive to natural, sinful man. Therefore sharing our faith and being liked don’t always go together. So if we can be liked and share our faith, even if it is a non-offensive generic Christian faith, that is where we will often stand.
This movie did something to me. It allowed me to wear the shoes of an unbeliever for a moment. It allowed me to feel what it’s like to be on the other end of “stealth evangelism” and frankly it irritated and offended me. Did the director not think I was intelligent enough to take in the facts, understand them, and make a choice? I would rather have been told up front what the message of the movie was rather than trying to figure it out on my own. In an attempt to make their message palpable they actually turned me off (not that I am about to become a LDS).
Is this what it’s like to the unbeliever when we try the soft sell approach? None of us wants to be lied to. Most of us want someone who will tell us like it is. I may not always agree but at least I know where you stand and that gives us a starting point for discussion.
Whether we care to admit it or not, it is true that to downplay the message inevitably communicates that there is either something wrong with the message, or that we don’t truly believe it.
Nowhere in Scripture do we see the soft sell approach. Rather we see the opposite. We see men of God speaking boldly the message of Christ crucified. This is what we are called to do. We must be careful what we are communicating through our methods.
If we believe what we say we believe about God, sin, salvation, and condemnation than we must we must be honest and up front with our message. Those we encounter deserve that much. Anything less is the ultimate in disrespect……something to think about.
God bless,
Pastor Duane
