Old Fashioned: Not Your Typical Christian Film

I took my lovely fiancee' to go see Old Fashioned at its opening last night. We'd seen the preview months ago and put it on our list. In what was going to be a blatantly Christian movie, we didn't have incredibly high hopes, but were hoping for at least a good story line. As it turns out, we know several people involved in the making of the film, so that added to our desire to see it.

What we saw in the trailers wasn't that encouraging though. A cute female lead (Elizabeth Roberts) seemed to be able to act, but the male lead (Rik Swartzwelder, also the director and writer) seemed pretty awkward on camera. What we were going to experience in the next 2 hours was completely unexpected.


First of all, the characters are a lot more complex than the movie title would have you believe. This isn't a sappy love story about some perfect guy and perfect girl who saved themselves for each other over years while waiting for "the one that God had prepared for them". These characters are real and their lives are messy. Their friend's lives are messy. My favorite part of the characters is that all seem very real, and I can pick out people in my life to easily identify with each of them, myself included.

Make no mistake though, this is a Christian movie. There are a lot of references to the Christian lifestyle and ideas out there that you'll only find in Christian circles. You're going to get some doses of Scripture sprinkled throughout the film as well.

The film gets a PG-13 rating due to some scenes that are adult in nature, but don't go overboard in what is shown. The script was well written to indicate clearly what was going on without forcing you to actually witness some of it. This is not a movie that I would be comfortable with my teenagers seeing with their friends. With me, yes, but only with some intentionally planned time to unpack what happens immediately.


SPOILER ALERT.... SPOILER ALERT.... SPOILER ALERT

Okay, let me tell you some of the specific things that I LOVE about this movie.

First, Rik's acting isn't bad, it's the role and persona of the character he's playing. In my opinion, he nailed it. Clay has some serious **** in his past that he is chained to and it limits him severely. He's been saved and redeemed, but the guilt of what is there is overwhelming for him. So much so that he feels like perfection is what he has to maintain to prove that he's past it. Unintentionally, he projects that expectation on to Amber as well.

Amber is running away from her past and is more of a free spirit that is initially attracted to the unusual personality of Clay. The way that there relationship develops is really sweet and I (who does not like sappy romance movies at all) really enjoyed it. She's got a mess in her past, too. She doesn't really get the who Christianity thing, but she sees there's something different about Clay and that helps her start to dig in to it more. A little more on that in a moment.

These two very different personalities have to battle their inner demons and their friend's views. There is a scene that I am so glad that they included where the day is virtually ruined by "the conversation". If you've got skeleton's in your closet, you know the one I mean. The conversation that is the hardest you'll ever have when you lay out just how messy your past is and hope and pray that the other person doesn't reject you for it.

Both characters are put into situations where temptations from their past are right back in their face. You really don't know what they are going to choose and again, the script writing here is excellent in the way the drama leaves you on the edge of your seat. I won't tell you what happens, but I fought feeling of fear and anger during these scenes... because it was so easy to see myself back there.

Their friends are somewhere between lost and just messed up. You've got a couple with a kid that's been living together for 8 years unmarried. The former frat brother and alleged friend that never really matured from that place in his life. The lady trying to give advice that's been married three times. Even a Miley Cyrus-esque party girl that seems to embody the current societal mindset. All of these are trying to influence Clay and Amber along the way. The only thing they really seemed to stay away from was a homosexual relationship.

Most people that watch this are going to fall in love with Aunt Zella. She's this sweet old lady who's husband died some time ago. She's the only one in the movie that really seems to have her head squarely on her shoulders and she acts as a moral compass for Clay. She also provides some outstanding comic relief. There are several laugh out loud moments throughout the movie.

There is only one very small point of contention that I have with the film. That would be the fact that Clay is, in essence, Evangedating. Dating someone and thinking that they will come to Christ because of your efforts or their love for you typically doesn't work. In fact, the "conversion" that they may come through in not likely to result in a real relationship with Christ. It's much more likely that it's a Pharisaical response. For more on that, please see my former life. In spite of that, the intentionality in which Clay and Amber take the time to actually get to know each other makes the situation more believable, even though it's improbable.

So, the bottom line...

The openly conservative Christian ideas to dating in this movie are going to turn a lot of people off in the first 45 minutes. BUT, the complexity of the characters takes almost the entire film to develop and is completely worth the time investment. This is not the traditional "Christian" film with characters that are too perfect and situations that work out in an unbelievable manner. My future bride and I drove 40 minutes to see Old Fashioned, and it is worth driving twice that far to see it. It's very likely that we'll see it the theater again, and we'll be one of the first in line to buy the DVD when it's released.

Identity Crisis

I was at a get together once with some friends and family. I just kind of stayed on the periphery of the group and tried to make myself useful. Even though I was around people that I know and genuinely like, there was a feeling that I just didn't belong there. It wasn't that there was something morally wrong going on, I just didn't fit in.

I've had the same feeling at church. I sit there at times wondering if I'm really on board with the church's mission or having a desire to engage in the community that we are supposed to serve. Again, that feeling of "maybe I don't belong here" creeps in.

Maybe a lot of that has to do with my past. It's ugly and it's scary. Hearing about it doesn't exactly endear me to many folks. The fear of rejection and a lack of acceptance in the places that you're supposed to be accepted because everyone is can certainly contribute to that.

My beautiful fiancee' and I are in this very weird place where we have the support of our church in our marriage, but actually can't get married at the church due to policy. Hmmm... there's that feeling again. I just don't seem to be cut from the mold of the type of person that fits in.

So where do I go? Where do I sink down roots and really begin to feel like I'm a part of something meaningful?

The short answer: nowhere.

The fact is that I actually don't fit in anywhere. I'm not a triathlete anymore. It's hard to identify myself as a runner or a cyclist compared to where I used to be. I'm can't really identify myself with my job, by the people I hang out with, or even my church... and it's a great place to be!

Why? Because it reminds me that I'm not supposed to fit in here. I am not defined by the church I go to, the sport I enjoy, or the job title I carry. I am defined by the one title that has any real meaning: Child of the One True King.

Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Paul gives us a reminder here that when we become Christians, we not only belong to Christ, but that Christ lives in us. How would you define Christ? By His job? His activities? Who He hangs out with? No, the only way He can be defined is as the Son of God. If He truly lives in us, then the title "Child of God" is the only one that now fits us.

Flip the coin and it's no wonder that as Christians we don't always feel like we fit in. An eternal title from our heavenly Father doesn't compare to earthly ones. The two just don't mix. So in the words of Building 429, "Take this world and give me Jesus. This is not where I belong." You and I belong with our Father, and that is the only place that we will finally feel like we fit in.

Relativism, Reflection, and Apologetics

I was in a bookstore just yesterday perusing for some new reading material and came across a most interesting text in the Christian section. It was a book that claimed to have spent years studying the Bible and coming up with Scriptural revelations that allowed for a Christian homosexual marriage to be viewed as a Godly marriage. I didn't actually read it, but as all things that I come across that seem to contradict what I believe, it caused me to ask some questions.

The pressing one at this moment was "Have we reached a place in our society that we are no longer interpreting the Scripture through the lens of the author's intention and context and replacing it with an interpretation that suits our own needs?"

The answer led me to a place that quite frankly, isn't anything even close to new. See, I was looking for something that was theologically sound. A text that I could trust wasn't tainted by the author's intention to sway me to see things his way; rather something that takes Scripture without an end in mind and leads down a logical path to a conclusion that wasn't necessarily forgone.

What I had actually encountered was the idea of relativism. As often as I had heard the term used, I realized that I didn't have the foggiest idea what it actually meant. Thanks to the knowledge and understanding of my beautiful fiancee', plus a little help from several internet sources, I'd like to pass on (briefly) a little bit of what it means when we talk about relativism as well as those that counter it called apologists.

Relativism basically takes the idea that a concept can be true for a single person, and that it's okay for different people to have different truths. In the case of relativism in the church, a lot of it boils down to the idea that what is in the Bible was true in those times, but our times and cultures have changed. Therefore, the truth needs to change to match the times. The inherent problem is that God is unchanging. What was true for His people then is still true for His people now.

Apologetics defend a position much like an attorney defends a client. Using (hopefully) facts, they follow a logical line of thought that comes to a conclusion. For the Christian apologetics, they use this to break apart the relativist's claims that are not Scriptural.

That leads me to, well, me. I questioned what I am actually doing through this blog. While I've been open that I am no theologian, only passing on thoughts and reflections that I have experienced, am I actually falling into the league of relativism? I hope not. I'd like to think that should I follow a line of thought to a conclusion that is in fact flawed, that I would take the Scriptural argument of someone more learned than me and use it to adjust my own perspective. At the very least, I hope that I can remain open minded enough to consider anyone's position and seek Biblical truth and wise counsel in breaking both ideas down.

At the end of the day, I think one of the ways that we become the most dangerous to our enemy is when we look at our beliefs from an open mind. Not one that is willing to entertain anyone's "truth" as fact without regard. But one that considers my own perspective may be (and often is) flawed, but that I am also willing to risk sharing it in an attempt to then look back on what and who God has given us as resources to really find what the truth is.

Chained to the Past

I hate the person I used to be. He stole years from my life and made decisions that have permanent consequences. When I think about the person I was and who I was involved with, it makes me mad. It makes me angry that I could have been that stupid. It infuriates me when I look at the entire situation and begin to think "what if...?" 

Then there's my beautiful fiancee'. She, too, had years stolen from her by sin. It makes me just as angry when I think about what she went through. The fact is, all of us that have been truly rescued have had to deal with the fact that we lost years that could have been spent praising our Lord and living for Him. Many of us carry regrets of things we lost, relationships that were permanently damaged, family that we should have been there for, and much more. 

It's easy to dwell on the past from time to time, or more frequently for that matter. But it's also a lie. Lies got us into the sin that we enjoyed for a time, and lies keep us chained to it once we've been set free. It's just a tool of Satan himself to keep us from sharing God's incredible love story for us. These are the verses that I fall back on time and time again to remind me that what Christ has done for me, for my lovely future bride, and for those that He has redeemed. 

Micah 7:19 - You will again have compassion on us; You will tread on our sins underfoot and hurl our iniquities into the depths of the sea.  

2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone. Behold, the new has come!

These two verses remind me so much of how Christ has pursued us, redeemed us, and separated us from our sin that I used them when I proposed. For both my Princess and me, they are a constant reminder that we are not who we once were and that we are both seen as righteous, holy, and pure by our Father. That applies for you as well. The next time that you're feeling chained by the sinful grip of your past or you are having trouble seeing past that of those that you love, remember these two promises from Scripture and ask God to help you see again from that perspective. He will be faithful to you in that as He has been in separating you from your sin to begin with. 

The Problem with Christmas

One of the coolest things about the conversion from religion to relationship is the chance to see things from a perspective that you never could before. One that struck me like a 2 x 4 this year was Christmas. I just couldn't get into the holiday festivities with any real joy. Sure, I knew that this was the celebration of the birth of Jesus, but I couldn't look past the commercialism and shallow nature of the way our society treats Christmas.

Then I heard a couple of sermons and talked with some folks that got me thinking... and changed my perspective. First of all, there is the idea that Christmas makes no sense whatsoever unless you view it through the lens of Easter. Working backwards, Jesus was born to die as a perfect sacrifice. The culmination of everything and the act that sealed our salvation was His death and resurrection. Prior to His death, He had the opportunity to teach the people around Him and it was documented for us in the Bible. Then there was the birth itself. This was an end to 400 years of silence from God to His people.

Each of these should be celebrated, no doubt, but I think it's Easter that should be the one we really get behind. Yet it's Christmas that is celebrated and prepared for encompassing at least two months every year. Even the church seems to place a bigger focus on Christmas than Easter. Why is that?

#1 - Jesus was a disappointment to the Jews.

They thought He would come as a mighty warrior, not a humble servant. His birth and coming were widely anticipated and celebrated, but the reality of how He came didn't live up to the expectation. It was so bad, that the very people that celebrated His arrival had Him crucified. Even now, people of the Jewish faith don't believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

#2 - Babies are cute and vulnerable.

This is where I think society feels free to do what they want with Christmas. Jesus as a baby is cute. Babies aren't threatening to us. In fact, they need us! How easy is it to believe in a Savior that actually needs us as opposed to the other way around?

#3 - Nobody can overcome death.

Yet Jesus did! Replacing the cute, needy baby Jesus is a Savior so powerful that death itself can not contain Him. Someone that can defeat death? That makes Him invincible! Invincible is threatening, it can't be beat, and it doesn't need me for anything. The fact that Jesus comes to save us, that we need Him, and that there isn't anything He needs from us is repulsive in our culture. We are a society of self made men and women. We don't need anyone else's help unless they're a stepping stone up the ladder. But there it is in black and white and red. Every one of us needs a Savior and we are hopelessly lost without Him... the opposite of what our culture is feeding us.

So yes, let's celebrate Christmas. Let's celebrate the end of God's silence. But let's not forget that the birth and the teaching are meaningless without the death and resurrection. Without Christ's sacrifice and defeat of death, Jesus was just another fanatic or prophet at best. But He's so much bigger than that.

As we transition out of Christmas, let's look forward to the Easter season. Let's talk about the all-powerful, all-knowing Savior of the entire world. Let's tell our children about the man Jesus became rather than focusing on the baby that He was. Let's celebrate the fact that we are weak and helpless, and that it is us that needs Him.

2 Corinthians 12:9 - But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

How Big is Your Jesus?

Luke 7:36 - 50 recounts the story of the sinful woman who comes in and washes Jesus' feet with tears, dries them with her hair, and then puts expensive perfume on them. When questioned by Simon over this behavior, He goes on to tell a brief story of two men.

41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Of course the one that was forgiven more loved more than the one forgiven less. The point that Jesus was making was that people who feel like they have very little to be forgiven tend to love Jesus very little, yet those that realize how much they have been forgiven love Him much more. 

The attitude that we carry today is very similar, but we are far more widespread as the one who has been forgiven little thanks to the message that "You are perfect just like you are" and "It's all about you." Let me put this idea from Jesus in a slightly different way. For most of us, Jesus tends to be only as big as the worst things you've been forgiven for. This is because we tend to believe only what our tangible experiences have taught us. Head knowledge tends to be meaningless unless we have had some kind of event to tie it to our hearts and make it real. 

Christians that have the strongest faith often have terrible things in their past. For some it was circumstances that they had no control over while others chose the path they went down. A fortunate number did not have to experience personal tragedy, but have been involved in significant events that there was no other explanation than that Christ Himself intervened to do something that should have been impossible. 

The reality is that Jesus had to dive just as deep into hell to pursue me as He did every other person out there, including you. One of the biggest issues that I had in my Pharisaical life was that I didn't really have a need for Jesus. Forgiving me for a cuss word wasn't that big of a deal. Checking out the women at the gym; it was only looking, I didn't touch. Training for triathlon instead of being home with my family; I was staying healthy so I would be around longer. 

Never did I think of myself as evil. I was a good person that sinned occasionally. Unfortunately, that is a lie that too many of us that call ourselves Christian fall prey to. You and I are born into evil and are evil by nature. Not just kind of bad, but truly evil. 

What is tragic about not coming to that realization is that it limits how big Jesus is to us. When He's forgiven the really, really big stuff, He's a really big Jesus. When you only feel like He needs to forgive the little sins, He's pretty small to you. The reality is that He's infinitely big, but you'll only begin to understand how impossibly powerful He is when you are able to see how impossibly lost you are without Him.

Why Christianity Can Be So Disenchanting

Romans 7: 21 - 24

"So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am!"
You might be interested to know that the above quote is written by Paul about himself. Yes, that would be St. Paul. The greatest champion of the early Christian church. Author of half the New Testament of the Bible.

I was listening to my favorite Christian radio station yesterday and starting thinking about the lyrics of many of the songs. My mind also wandered to many sermons I've listened to. Well, the majority of songs and sermons actually. There's something very important missing from them. Something critical to the new believer and the would-be believer. Christianity doesn't make you perfect and it doesn't take away your desire to sin.
We hear all of these things about how we should live and think, how good God is, and about the amazing things He has done. It just doesn't seem to happen for us. That must mean we either aren't really a Christian, or maybe our sin is too great to overcome, right? Wrong, but it's very easy for me to see why it comes across that way. When people talk and sing, they pick topics that sound really good, but they leave out what Paul is discussing here.

In the above verse, Paul has just finished telling us that he does the things he hates rather than the good things his mind desires to do. This is the post-conversion Paul by the way. He's telling us that being Christian doesn't make you perfect or life easy. It makes life harder. You now have the Spirit in a constant battle against the sin you were born with. It's a fight that lasts your entire lifetime. It's only over at death.

Let me share this with you: as a Christian, you will still sin. You will lose battles. You will make a choice that is clearly the wrong one and feel guilty about it afterward. You will win over your favorite sin one day and lose the next. Christianity simply offers that when you mess up, Christ covers it. It also offers that the Spirit living in you will do battle against your sinful nature.

There will be improvement. You will feel moments that match what the songs and sermons say. They'll slowly grow more frequent and longer in duration. But you won't escape every form of sin. Every obstacle you overcome presents a new one. The Christian life isn't easy, my friends. Anyone who preaches health and wealth while ignoring the reality is a liar. No one should be telling you that it's easy, only that the it's worth it.