Last night I went with some good friends of mine to see the
movie Blue like Jazz, based upon
Donald Miller’s famous book with the same title. We went in with a swirling of
emotions. Having read the book, we knew that the movie could be faith stirring.
At the same time a lot of our friends had seen it the weekend before and said that
they had hated it for its
secularistic focus. After sitting through the movie, I can understand why they
hated it. The movie has everything college Christians are told to cringe at:
profanity, sexual references, drug and alcohol abuse, and immense
partying. As I sat there I took mental
notes of every time something offensive was spoken or portrayed and of how I’m
sure it was one of the moments that caused my friends to dislike it so much.
But can I let you in on a secret?
I loved it!
No part of me actually supports or condones the use of some
of the things depicted in the movie, but at the same time I couldn’t help but
admire Donald Miller for his edginess.
He not only pushed the envelope but he pushed, I believe, the majority of the
Christians who went to go see it out of their comfort zones. I admire Donald
Miller’s decision to alter the movie from the story line of the book (the movie
is far more edgy) because I understand why he did it…
He didn’t make the film so that Christians can go and see a
feel good movie like Courageous; He made it so that he could depict the world
like it really is.
The world is full of drugs, sex, alcohol and broken hearts
trying to fit in and find their own social redemption, and his story is about
his doubts and struggles with coming to terms with God in all of this, and yet
somehow we’ve been spoiled by rather cheesy Christian messages that tell us
that doubts, struggles, and sin somehow manage to get wrapped up nice and neat
in a pretty little bow. How many of you would say your story wraps up Sunday school
sweet? How many of you would honestly say that your story rather was far more
full of course language, partying, and peer pressure?
Perhaps, though, the reason that I enjoyed the movie so much
is because it gave me hope; hope that people other than Christians would go see
it. Miller allowed the movie to be so,
because Christians were never the target audience. He wrote it so that people
that felt judged by and held hatred towards the Church can see Jesus through
the myriad of negative connotations of Christians. He wrote it so that people
could see that Christians don’t have everything held together. He wrote it so
that they could find freedom.
After watching the movie, I couldn’t help but listen to some
of the thoughts that God was echoing within the caverns of my soul…
He pushed the envelopes because he is more concerned with reaching people than appeasing people
God didn’t redeem us so that we could watch faith stirring movies;
God redeemed us so that we can give faith
stirring stories.
What story do you have to tell? Is it one of a holy huddle,
or is it one filled with you being a light in the utter darkness of college
life?
Are you friends with Lesbians, Atheist, Russian Agnostics,
people who dress like the pope and Christians or are you friends only with
straight-tied, slack wearing Christians?
Jesus keeps us on this earth so that we can bring freedom to
the captives not so that we can hang around in the presence of “safe” friends.
We’re here to be a swirling of light in the blue that is this
world.
Merely,
Chris Gerac
“Jesus said to them, ‘It’s
not the Christians that need more of me, it’s the ones who have been hurt by
Christians who do.” Mark 2:17, My Modern-day Adaptation
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