My husband and I watched this movie lasts night (11/29/2018). We both loved the first half of the film, the emphasis on the true gospel of Jesus Christ, the explanation of the catholic church vs Christianity post reformation, works and grace. The people they interviewed and sought out were high caliber (Mark Dever, J.D. Greear, Trevin Wax, Matt Chandler, Bryan Chapell just to name a few.) I learned quite a bit from just the first half of the film and give a lot of thanks for the time and focus given to the true gospel.
Where my husband and I think the film may have missed its step is in focusing on the extreme examples of the prosperity gospel, and the extreme examples of people who have had radical testimonies of conversion as well as giving their lives up for the gospel. This is an area that we both sadly have seen repeated over and over, even in the reformed church. Something I have heard Timothy Keller say in sermons is that Redeemer purposefully chooses to not display public testimonies of radical conversions because a lot of people have "ho hum" conversion stories. (raised in the church, came to faith young, no real radical experience of conversion but a gradual awakening to God's amazing grace).
We also are concerned that the emphasis is on "those people in the word and faith movement" and that there is no self-examination encouraged in mainline, reformed, evangelical Christianity. It touches briefly on this indirectly, but it doesn't flesh it out enough. I could see how this movie could help a lot of people, but I can also see how this movie can just puff up evangelicals in their own prosperity gospel theology, never seeing it in themselves or their churches or families. This scares me, cause I've seen it in solid, biblical, mainline churches and Christian families. I've even had to repent of these beliefs in myself, and I've NEVER attended a prosperity gospel church, I was always taught it is heresy.
Lastly, the examples were so extreme that they are not relatable for most Christians. There was a couple statements made that pushing Christians to have a radical faith in God and for the gospel only burns people out. YES! We absolutely would agree with this, we have experienced it from family, friends and the church and it is exhausting. BUT, where are the average joe examples of faith in Christ and the beautiful gospel that just transforms us in the mundane? I think this film skirts too closely to looking eerily similar to the sensationalism that it is decrying. Let's show how the gospel motivates us to be faithful in the everyday, and stop pumping a gospel message that although does call us to leave all for Christ, for some that might mean staying in your job, paying your bills faithfully, and raising a family that loves and adores Jesus.
Where my husband and I think the film may have missed its step is in focusing on the extreme examples of the prosperity gospel, and the extreme examples of people who have had radical testimonies of conversion as well as giving their lives up for the gospel. This is an area that we both sadly have seen repeated over and over, even in the reformed church. Something I have heard Timothy Keller say in sermons is that Redeemer purposefully chooses to not display public testimonies of radical conversions because a lot of people have "ho hum" conversion stories. (raised in the church, came to faith young, no real radical experience of conversion but a gradual awakening to God's amazing grace).
We also are concerned that the emphasis is on "those people in the word and faith movement" and that there is no self-examination encouraged in mainline, reformed, evangelical Christianity. It touches briefly on this indirectly, but it doesn't flesh it out enough. I could see how this movie could help a lot of people, but I can also see how this movie can just puff up evangelicals in their own prosperity gospel theology, never seeing it in themselves or their churches or families. This scares me, cause I've seen it in solid, biblical, mainline churches and Christian families. I've even had to repent of these beliefs in myself, and I've NEVER attended a prosperity gospel church, I was always taught it is heresy.
Lastly, the examples were so extreme that they are not relatable for most Christians. There was a couple statements made that pushing Christians to have a radical faith in God and for the gospel only burns people out. YES! We absolutely would agree with this, we have experienced it from family, friends and the church and it is exhausting. BUT, where are the average joe examples of faith in Christ and the beautiful gospel that just transforms us in the mundane? I think this film skirts too closely to looking eerily similar to the sensationalism that it is decrying. Let's show how the gospel motivates us to be faithful in the everyday, and stop pumping a gospel message that although does call us to leave all for Christ, for some that might mean staying in your job, paying your bills faithfully, and raising a family that loves and adores Jesus.
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