ANYTHING

Dear Christian-cinema-disparaging friend (please hear this with love),

I don’t care if you like the movie The Jesus Revolution or not. Honestly. Couldn’t care less. Personally, I loved it. But, you know . . . whatever.

I do care if you are criticizing the movie without having ever seen it. That’s a cheap shot. I highly suggest everyone reading this go see the movie. Judge it and its message for yourself.

Many of you, my disapproving friends, won’t go because you refuse to spend your money financially supporting an endeavor you oppose. Okay. For the record, understand that your incessant critique of the movie intrigued me and ultimately made me want to see it – and now I’m recommending it to everyone I know. So, I’m afraid you ended up contributing to its financial success anyway. Just sayin’.

That said, I need to be honest with you that I’m getting fed up with some of the critique. I’m really tired of hearing that the movie is unchristian – “anti-gospel”, even. I’m tired of hearing that this movie is going to send people in the wrong direction because it preaches a shallow faith. That it belongs on the old Mark And Avoid list I wrote about earlier.

This is a movie. It’s not a sermon. It’s not an intentionally evangelistic presentation. It’s a film version of a book Greg Laurie wrote about how he met Jesus. We are in no position to judge his conversion experience. If it was as shallow as you allege, I doubt he would still be pastoring a church that is changing lives fifty years later. Possible, yes – but doubtful. By their fruit, you will know them. . .

And even if the movie were an intentionally evangelistic presentation, what then? The fact that God could use it to bring people to himself is a GOOD thing – why do we need to stand in the way of that because there may be imperfections in the presentation?

And who are we to judge those imperfections anyway? God uses imperfect people . . . imperfect projects. . . even very imperfect you and me to bring people to himself. Because meeting Jesus is only the first step. We’re not called to transform lives. We make the introduction; then he does the transformation.

AND . . . would somebody please explain to me the “right way” to introduce someone to Jesus? Every means of presenting the gospel can be misinterpreted or misused because every listener is unique and every presenter is faulty. Some of us sadly end up pointing people to an unloving, legalistic religiosity. Some regrettably point people to a casual, cheap grace. And I daresay none of us intend to lead people astray. We ALL are wrong somewhere in our theology and our technique. And yet we are still called to preach the gospel. All we can do is point people to Jesus, over and over, so HE can correct what we’ve gotten wrong and make his people holy. And that’s what I think this movie will do.

Y’all, anything that points people to Jesus is a good thing.

ANYTHING.

My critical friends, I understand your heart here. I know you mean well. I know you are seeing a weak church in America and want desperately to turn that around. I feel that concern, too. But hear me: I’m actually praying that the lost do NOT hear the words you are proclaiming so loudly about this film. I don’t want them to become convinced that God has a bunch of hoops they need to jump through . . . otherwise he isn’t interested in their being a part of his family. That they have to be sure they’re signing on to the exactly correct belief system . . . or never mind. That they have to be willing to change everything in their lives from day one . . . or don’t even bother.

I want them to believe what this movie shows: God welcomes you now, today, just as you are . . . and then takes it upon himself to make you better in his own timing. Lonnie Frisbee (a decidedly flawed instrument in the story whom God uses anyway) insightfully recognizes that these hippies are looking for God – they just don’t realize it. “If you look with love,” he says, “you’ll see a bunch of kids that are searching for all the right things, just in all the wrong places.” Doesn’t that describe us all? “We thought acid was going to save the world. That was a lie.” What are the things we mistakenly believe are going to save the world?

I don’t know your heart, of course, my disapproving friend, but maybe you are like me . . . I sometimes think what will save the world is a church that is solid and secure and always right and completely reliable. But that’s a lie, too. What will save the world is a Jesus who is solid and secure and right and reliable . . . and big enough and loving enough to make his Body the instrument he needs it to be despite our weak efforts and inevitable failings.

And praise God, that’s exactly who he is. He can never be any less than that. We just get to choose if we want to work with him or against him.

Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. (Rom 14:13)