This is my second post on the 2008 Christian movie, Fireproof, which starred Kirk Cameron. This movie is about a firefighter named Caleb, whose marriage is on the rocks. Caleb's
father, John, a Christian, advises Caleb to practice the 40-Day "Love
Dare", in which Caleb refrains from saying a negative word to his spouse
and does kind things for her. It was amusing to watch Caleb sincerely
try to do these things, only to be rebuffed continually by his wife.
This raises a question: Are Christian movies unrealistic in their depiction of people? A while back, I watched the E! True Hollywood Story about Growing Pains,
and it went into Kirk Cameron's conversion to evangelical
Christianity. The way that some on the documentary were portraying it,
Cameron continually brought up his problems with the scripts----he
didn't think that Mike (his character) should lie to his parents or have
sex, for example. One person was saying----and I'm basing this on my
memory of watching this documentary years ago, and that may be
flawed----that Christian movies lacked characters who struggled
morally. In many movies, this guy was explaining, a hero struggled to
do the right thing and perhaps grew, but, in Christian movies, the hero
was expected to do the right thing automatically.
I think that's
an unfair statement, on some level, because I've seen a number of
Christian movies in which a character struggles to do the right thing
and grows. That's just part of storytelling. Without struggle
and growth, you don't have much of a story, and I believe that even
those who write Christian movies realize that. In the case of Fireproof,
Caleb struggles to save his marriage against high odds----he and his
wife are distant from each other, his wife is cold and arguably hateful
towards him, and his wife is being pursued by the dashing doctor at the
hospital at which she works.
But I will say this: In many
Christian movies, it does appear as if the Christian characters usually
have their acts together. There are exceptions----I think of the movie The Wager,
in which Randy Travis plays a Hollywood actor who struggles to follow
Christ, in the midst of trials. But my impression----and I'm open to
correction on this----is that the Christian characters in Christian
movies ordinarily do not struggle a great deal, but they are
automatically loving and have inner peace. Even in The Wager, the Randy Travis-character's sister comes across as that kind of person----one who has her act together. In the case of Fireproof,
some of these Christian characters struggled in the past. Caleb's
Christian co-worker, Michael, failed at his previous marriage, but that
was before he became a Christian. And Caleb's father was once the
object of the 40-Day "Love Dare", as he wanted to divorce his wife
(Caleb's mother), and she saved their marriage by showing him
unconditional love. But these characters' struggles were a thing of the
past, for now they were Christians and had learned the secret of how to
love people successfully (i.e., embrace Jesus' unconditional love for
them, notwithstanding their sins and faults). Regarding one of the
Christian characters in the movie----a nurse who works at the same
hospital as Caleb's wife----we don't know her background, but she is a
fountain of love, wisdom, and concern. She has her act together, in a
world where the rest of us struggle.
In my opinion, there is a sense in which these types of Christian characters make Christian movies better. Regarding Fireproof,
Michael and Caleb's father are like a refuge for Caleb in the midst of
his storms, oases in a desert----they are rocks of wisdom,
understanding, patience, and love. On the other hand, I don't think
that one should conclude that all Christians in the world are like that
in real life. Sure, there are plenty who are, but there are
also plenty who are cliquish, cold, self-absorbed, and uncaring.
Speaking for myself, I tended to identify with Caleb in his
struggles----even when he was selfish----more than I did with the
Christian characters. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what the movie
is going for: Many of us are like Caleb, but, through Christ, we can
become like the Christian characters.