Removing a movie makes for some thoughts on real Christianity

The Movie: “The Blind Side” was released in 2009 by Warner Bros., with a budget of $29 million, raking in over $300 million at the box office.  Successful film right?  Yes, it was.  The first week of showing in 3,000 plus theaters nationwide it was number two behind “Twilight.” 

The story line is about a true family, Sean and Leigh Ann Tuohy.  Tuohy’s, a white, well-to-do Christian couple adopted an oversized black teenager named Michael Oher from a Memphis ghetto.  After hiring a tutor to give their adopted son confidence and raise his grade point average so he could play football at a Christian high school, Oher was highly recruited by Nick Saban and Lousiana State University and Tommy Tuberville and Auburn University.  Opting for the Alma Mater of his adoptive parents and his tutor, Oher became a star college football player at Ole Miss and now plays in the National Football League for the Baltimore Ravens.

As one can expect the movie deals with racial issues, recruiting issues, and conflicts with social circles.  Yet, this film earned a number of prestigious awards, one being an Oscar for Sandra Bullock for best actress.

Due to the large success at the box office, Hollywood has made a few attempts at emulating its success.  Soul Surfer is about a surfer who credits her Christian faith for her comeback after a shark chewed her arm off.  This Tristar Pictures film was an $18 million production that brought in $44 million at the domestic box office.

The Problem: After two years on the shelves of the 165 LifeWay Christian book stores and on LifeWay.com, the movie was pulled from the shelves over a month ago, dropped from the website; and there seems to be no end to the banter, both negative and positive, regarding this decision from LifeWay.

A statement from LifeWay:

“After selling the movie for nearly two years, LifeWay decided to stop carrying it because of the likelihood it would be the focus of debate and division at our annual denominational meeting…We were electing the Southern Baptist Convention’s first African American president and did not want to distract from this historic moment.”

A Christian author, Rachel Held Evans, who was asked by Thomas Nelson Publishers to remove a word describing the female anatomy from her upcoming book “A Year of Biblical Womanhood” in deference to Christian bookstores standards, said it points to a “chokehold” the stores hold on the Christian publishing industry.  She went on to state that Christian bookstores have developed a reputation for “a highly sanitized customer experience.”

Marty King, director of communications for the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) publisher, said officials have heard different perspectives from customers about the decision to remove the movie.  He went on to say:

“We agree the movie as a whole promotes Christian values and a redemptive message, however it does contain instances of street language and racial slurs against African Americans.”

While all of these aforementioned things make sense-both the pro’s and the con’s-there is still more issues that yet have been uncovered.  There are other movies LifeWay is carrying which could very well be questioned regarding content and/or overtone which would be as objectionable as the movie which was removed.  Language, situational ethics, and plot need to be examined across the board, the same for all movies; not just one movie at a pivotal time in the life of the convention, but always and at all times.

How about the books?  I was recently in one of the LifeWay stores and there was an entire twenty foot wide, six foot high section which was covered (six shelves) with mostly fictional writings.  Yes, they are considered Christian fiction, but what about content.  That sais, I purchased two books.  One book was about a young pastor, in his first assignment, who had to deal with one widow who seemed to think her lot in life was to get the preacher on the straight and narrow, doing things the way she wanted them done, and finding him a wife.  She had help, another widow who agreed with her on what was to be done, but they were sidetracked by a veteran who had lost his leg in the big sandbox (Afghanistan) and needed a wife to help him recover from his fears.

It was an entertaining read, but contained several situations which questioned wise Christian ethics and Christ-like discipleship.  The other book falls along the same line, in it you have mistaken identity due to amnesia and a woman convinced the man is her husband.  She takes him home and both of them desperately seek common ground, as he takes time for his memory to return.  In the meantime the man who looks like her husband and the wife who does not realize her husband is dead, are beginning to fall in love; while the man with amnesia has a wife who thinks her husband is dead and she is falling in love with her brother-in-law.  Oh, my so much like a soap opera!

Both books were purchased at LifeWay and if they seem to have questionable content, then why are they being sold through LifeWay?  Let me take you one step further with that same line of questioning.  Why then is LifeWay producing, publishing, and marketing movies and books which are contrary to the Christian faith or Christ-like living?

Someone has said the folks at LifeWay and Thomas Nelson have “sanitized customer experience,” and by doing so “Christian bookstores…create an entire Christian subculture that is so sanitized and safe it often fails to produce art that is relevant to our culture or our lives.”

While I see both sides of this issue, there is a greater issue at stake here.  There is a need to be attuned to the things of reality-such as the reality of a life lived on the street with gangs and drugs and language-but how do we deal with that from a Christian perspective?  Yes, as in the book I mentioned earlier about the man with amnesia, there is a reality of something like this happening.  Or the woman who controls the preacher and the church, getting the single preacher and the war veteran married off.  How do we deal with these things from scripture?  For that is really what is at stake here, right?

Jesus said we are to be salt in the world. (Matthew 5:13)  We are also told that we are to be light:

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

(Matthew 5:14-16 KJV)

In order to be salt and light, we must realize that we are in the world, but we are not of this world.  Jesus said in His prayer to the Father, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” (John 17:16 KJV)  This is the reason Jesus said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21 KJV)

Another section of scripture reminds us:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

(Romans 12:1-2 KJV)

With those verses as support, let me interject that since these are true affirmations and instructions for the Christian life, there are certain things which we are as believers should be, and that is first of a changed life.  We are no longer involved in the things of the old life, but we are born again, into a new life, where Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord and where we are striving to be more like Him. (See Ephesians 2:1-10; Philippians 2:1-11)

In the section of scripture from Philippians, Paul says, “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life…” (Philippians 2:15-16 KJV)  This is speaking of the believer who is separated-the view is of holiness-to God and His work and His way and His will.

While some think of this as a doctrine of devastation and demise; I think of it from the viewpoint of the joy of being “set apart” useful in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ.  In Old Testament times the pots and pans in the Temple were “set apart” for God’s use.  Where these pots and pans spotless and shiny and unusual to behold?  No, they were dented, dingy, and old looking, because they had been dragged through the wilderness, tossed around, and handled by a multitude of people.  But they were “holy” to God; separated from all the rest for His use and His glory.

We are no different.  Believers have been claimed as children of the King.  We are to live our lives in such as way as to be pleasing to Him and bring glory to His name.  This means that we are to be a witness of Him in word and deed. 

“I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

(1 John 2:12-17 KJV)

What we hear, what we say, and what we see will be a reflection of who He is to us and in us.  Someone wrote: 

Be Careful

Little Eyes what you See

Little Hands what you Touch

Little Feet where you Go

Little mouth what you say

Little brain what you think

Yes, we are to be change agents in the world in which we live.  This means that all that we do should be a reflection of who Christ is.  Through this type of life we are to change the environment around us.  In the public square and in the private abode of life we should always let others see Jesus in us-His goodness and His grace-through our words and our deeds.

Lastly, we are to rejoice in all things.  When we are being assaulted, persecuted, slandered, or rejected; we are to consider it all joy-for it is Jesus that we long to satisfy.  This means we make our priorities line with Him and not to include Him in our priorities.  I have always gone by this simple acrostic: J-Jesus First; O-Others Second; Y-Yourself Last.  This works for me!

Now back to the original issue-The Blind Side-where the movie is removed from LifeWay’s inventory.  I applaud this decision.  Yes, that is what I said; I am clapping my hands right now.  Not because we are seeing a “sanitized customer experience.”  Not because the movie is not one I will not watch (I have not seen it yet; I have watched others, such as Ice Age-all of them-and recently watched the most recent release).  And it is not because I want us to limit art or become a subculture. 

I applaud this decision, because maybe they understand the gravity of the issues related to Christian bookstore and Christian movies.  LifeWay is a Christian bookstore and as such needs to allow the reputation of being a quality, godly supplier of Christian resources which are suitable for all audiences.  This means that anything other than “G-rated” materials and movies, by companies outside of the Christian marketplace, should not be sold in our stores.  Christian movies with anything other than “G-rated” may have valuable lessons to learn from, but should not be a part of the inventory of a solely Christian market.

There is too much as stake here.  Take for instance a man who has been dealing with the issues of Christianity and being a godly father.  He watches a movie that was sold by a Christian supplier, bought by his wife, and played on his entertainment center at home which has objectionable material (such as language, violence, etc).  What is going to be his thoughts regarding the expectations of his wife? Children? The church?  There is going to be a huge battle that the evil one is going to inflict upon him and in the end if he gives in to the evil one, who is to blame?

This is why I so love the movies that Sherwood Pictures.  Here is a production company that tells the story of reality, without the bending and bowing to critics and popularity.  They stand for truth and reality, without compromising the Word of God.  That is the way it ought to be done.  That, my friends, is truly “Courageous!”