First Chance
Sunday night I saw The Second Chance with Jeremy, and Foolishknight, and was surprised by the movie's quality and zeal. Afterall it could be called a CCM movie with yin Michael W Smith acting, and yang Steve Taylor directing, with low expectations for either one. Afterall Steve Taylor had only made music videos and the Newsboys Under the Big-top, and Smitty is uh.... But Taylor is tight and W is well cast as Brentwood preacher's kid, Ethan Jenkins with the nickname of Gucci. The nickanme is courtesy of Jake Sanders (jeff obami carr, the true star), an inner-city pastor of the (fictional) Second Chance church in Nashville. The Second Chance was once the home church of Jenkins family before they retreated to Brentwood (boo!hiss!) to their Wal-Mart church called The Rock and their thrice daily Sunday services that are always televised.
Conflict comes when Ethan unexpectedly truns over a pledge card announcement over to Sanders. He goes on a rant on how churches can't think of any other way of helping others besides throwing money at the problem. He finishes by commanding them to keep their bleep money, which turns the ire of the Rock's deacon board against Sanders for not keeping silent (we put the status in quo). Then they decide to punish Ethan for his ad-libbing by sending him to the inner city with Sanders, hoping such a move would lead him to a tearful repentence, and a willingness to do whatever the board says.
This is more than I was hoping to say; afterall I'm not a film reviewer. All I really wanted to say was that this important movie for all churchgoers to see. Especially those who go to mega-churches (nothing personal Eucharisto), and those involved who are involved in minorties in the Nashville area. I would hope eyes are opened to surrounding conditions, and through Taylor's outsider's eyes they would see what religious life is like in Tennessee, attitudes of the rich in their obliviousness, the poor in trying to trade Plymouth rock for the Rock of Ages, and how churchspeak is contorted by the powerful for wickedness.
I have two reasons two be concerned about the movie's ability to influenced. One, I'm afraid that people will see the names involved and will try to turn it into an evangelizing tool. Second, they'll won't give a movie a chance because of inability to things with a perspective on class relations, instead of race relations. That is someone could see the movie as being the story of white people oppressing blacks, therefore no as meaningful as seeing it for what it is: a story of the wealthy and powerful silencing the congregations of the poor.
I titled the post "The First Chance" so people, the great masses that read this blog, will make this movie the biggest thing since sliced salami, but seriously watch the movie, blog about it, and bring further discussion here.
Two links worth reading: Peter T. Chattaway's review for Christianity Today magazine.
and a feauture piece on the film by Nashville Scene.
posted by Eriol @ 3:49 p.m.
3 comments
3 Comments:
thanks ... I enjoyed that post.
I would love to go see it if I ever have a minute to myself this week
I also thoroughly enjoyed The Second Chance. I think that it goes in the same category with The End Of The Spear, as opposed to Left Behind: The Movie, in that Christian movies are finally making it into the mainstream, even if on a small basis.
One of my main problems with the movie is that though it is a megaphone message to the commercially bent churches in America, it way overgenerallizes the church as a whole, and seems to polarize the opposites even further than they are. It makes the modern-day predominately white suburban church look like a bunch of materialistic, almost hedonistic people with nothing to do but spend money on $1000 dining sets. It also seems to buy into the idea (just as it seems you have, eriol) that all megachurches are negative. I fundamentally disagree with that, even if I do agree that there are some misguided megachurches in the nation today.
And also, no offense taken, as the church I go to has no more need to go see the film than the small, 100 member evangelical church down the street who is more like the Second chance church does. My church is more involved in its community than any other church I can think of, big or small. In many ways, the city in which I live has gone from being a predominately pagan town to being a majorly Christian town, and much credit is due to my church for that.
I think that is where most Christians are misguided. They automatically assume generalizations about churches (no offense, eriol, but...) without actually seeing the facts for themselves.
So though I enjoyed the movie, I think it came to some misguided assumptions.
We have yet to see it. Thanks for your thoughts on the subject.
Post a Comment
<< Home