Facing the Giants

We had a Family Movie Night this evening at church. It was a lot of fun, and really good to get together with no real agenda or business to do and simply enjoy some entertainment together. I think we definitely need more of that!

We watched the movie Facing the Giants, which was put together by Sherwood Pictures, who are the same folks who did Fireproof and Flywheel. It is basically a ministry out of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA. To be honest, the film was not on par technically with movies from bigger studios: the acting, directing, producing, writing, etc. But, it wasn't awful. In fact, it was good enough that by the end of the movie, it didn't really bother me anymore.

But there were some things about the movie that did bother me. Actually, I suppose it is just one thing when you boil it down. I thought the film portrayed a really poor theology and view of how God works in the world. Now, everyone I talked to after the viewing really enjoyed the movie, so I'm sure not everyone will agree with me, but I do feel like I should put what I thought about it out there.

The movie centers on the character Grant Taylor, who is a high school football coach. Everything is going badly for Grant - his team is not very good, his players are transfering to other schools, his car keeps breaking down, his house needs work done, and his wife has been unable to conceive a child after four years of trying. Grant comes to a breaking point where he blames himself for all of these failings and then prays to God asking for help. God responds and everything changes: his team starts winning, revival breaks out at the school, someone gives him a brand new truck, his house is in good shape, and in the end his wife gets pregnant.

It was a touching, heart-warming, and even inspiring story. I'll be honest, I got choked up a couple of times (I mean, if I can't make it through Rudy without crying, I didn't have much of a chance here). But the message of the movie and the underlying theological assumptions really do trouble me. The movie basically says that if you trust in God and do all that you do to glorify God, then God will bless you and take away your troubles. And I think there are a lot of people out there who believe that and a lot of pastors out there who preach that. But it's simply not true.

I have seen people with great faith and trust in God endure horrible tragedies. Others who just can't seem to catch a break. Many who live in poverty and struggle every day. Some who are persecuted for their faith. I could go on and on, and I think anyone reading this could as well. Faith in God simply does not equate with success in life. It is not true in our experiences, and it certainly isn't true in Scripture. Jesus tells us that we must take up our cross and follow after him - not that we will be rewarded with success. He tells us that the first shall be last and the last shall be first, that the greatest among us must become servants. Looking at Jesus' example, I sometimes wonder why any of us would want to follow after him - he was not welcome in his hometown, he had no place to lay his head, the people in power plotted against him, the crowds demanded much of him, and his ministry and teaching ultimately led to his suffering and death sentence. Quite a difference picture than what the movie paints!

Now, certainly, some people who follow Christ do find success in this life. And some people who don't follow Christ also find success in this life. The Lord makes the sun to shine upon the just and the unjust. Part of what the theology in the movie does, though, is convince us that if we are not successful in life, then that means our faith is not strong enough. And this is just plain wrong, unhealthy, unscriptural, and all around bad! The way God works in the world is not some simplistic transaction that goes something like this: the more you love, serve, and have faith in God, the more good stuff God does for you. One prayer does not equal one blessing. One good deed does not equal one little bit more of success. God's math is much different than ours.

In the end, I think the theology of Facing the Giants that is very popular among Christians today is actually quite harmful. It gives Christians a poor understanding of who God is and sets us up to have unrealistic expectations about what it means to follow Jesus Christ. And it turns non-Christians who have any sense about how complicated and complex life can be away from our faith because it is way too simplistic and not at all true to life. But it is easy and sounds nice. May we have the courage to be real rather than easy and nice.