Let's talk about "Saved". This is an irrevernet sacreligious movie that is written by Brian Danely, produced by Michael Stipe of R.E.M. and stars Mandy Moore, Mary Louise-Parker, Macaulay Culkin and Jena Malone. In fact it is so "offensive" I believe EVERY Christian needs to see this movie. I bought it and you are welcome to borrow it if you live here in the area. This is a movie about a star pupil at a Christian Highschool who gets pregnant and therefore becomes the Pariah of the institution. She finds solace in the only 2 non-Christians at the school, being they are the only two with a heart available to love a person in her condition.
By the end of the movie the infidels have been expelled after being framed by the "star" Christian of the school, the father of pregnant teen's baby has returned with his boyfriend, and an affair between the school's pastor and the pregnant teen's mom has been exposed. In the final moments after the baby's delivery the entire bunch of "wastes" are in the hospital room sharing precious community.
You know in your heart, if you are honest, that in this whole crowd of characters Jesus would have loved the losers in the hospital room over the "pharisee" crowd that was in the school. Yet the crowd at the school is how "we" appear to the world. If we are not genuine about our own struggles, and our own ongoing growth in Sanctification we come off as judgemental and self righteous. We must remember that we have been clothed in righteousness and called to be sanctified in our LOVE relationships with people.
The movie got me onto my soap box.
Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
(9)Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual (10) offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
The plank in the church's eye is that we treat verse 9 as if it is of a much greater importance than verse 10. The church so often seems an institution of "American idealism" that exists to encourage greed by promoting many fiscally succesful rather than spiritually successful people to the position of elder. So many in our fellowships leave the sins of their past only to adopt gossip and slander as a more righteous form of self indulgence. Our plank, that the world see far more clearly than we see ourselves, is that we do not embrace the "Love of Christ." Greed and slander, the most prevelant sins in the American church, stand as the polar opposisite of Christ love. This makes us look like the ineffective, out of touch, pharisees of the movie.
As we are sanctified we are more FREE to love people trapped in sin. We should not retreat from these people, until they embrace righteousness, instead we should embrace them in their unrighteousness so that they can see the dynamic amazing love Christ demonstrated in his physical life. The Christian life is not the avoidance of people caught in sin, but instead the willingness to love and be with these people while having the freedom to not be caught in their destructive sin cycles. That is the goal we are being sanctified to.
1 comment:
Once again a resounding AMEN! Were you that little fly on the wall at The Journey (our church) this morning? We talked about this exact thing!! (minus the movie) instead we watched a clip from Dances With Wolves, where K.C. begins to realize the indians aren't the monsters he had always been told they were and believed to be. He was learning to love them. Good stuff!
I thought SAVED was hilarious, if not a bit stupid! I looked at it as a kick in the pants to all of us in the Christian Bubble.
Thanks for the prayers friend!
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