Fireproof

Published on July 14, 2010 by CT in Blog, Thoughts

7

I watched the movie Fireproof last night for the first time.  I know I’m coming late to the party, and as I understand, the movie has its fair share of critics who say Christian art often doesn’t compare in quality to its secular counterpart.  And the movie has its fair share of proponents who say that movies like this stand to redeem art from our evil culture.

Whoever is right is less important to me right now; I’m simply glad the team that made this movie did so.  I found parts of it to be compelling, other parts to be cheesy, and other parts to be a myopic index of standard hot topics for many modern Evangelicals.

But I loved the movie—and here’s why:  the story reminded me, in tear-filled fashion, that Jesus changes lives.  He shines brightly into darkness.  He renders the impossible possible by the power of His Word and His love.  He breaks people, and in doing so, makes them whole.

He heals marriages.
He restores broken relationships.
He releases addicts.
He melts hardened hearts.
He humbles the proud.
He brings purpose to the lost.
He opens the eyes of the blind.

I find it difficult to remember all of this sometimes.  I find it far easier to “move on” from this sort of thing to thinking on weightier theological issues.  I look at our being conformed into Christ-likeness as a forward-looking process, foregoing an awareness of where I have come from, and how Jesus first changed me.

Fireproof reminds each of us of our first love, Jesus, and it awakens within us a sense of gratitude and joy in being changed people.  This is the reminder for which I am grateful.

Having said all this, I don’t know that being changed people is the foundation of our faith.  I’m not even sure it’s end of our relationship with Him—it’s more likely a means towards the end of glorifying Him with all of our beings.

But being changed, and the One who continues to change us, is good to remember, and remember often.

Question:  Have you seen Fireproof, and if so, what were your thoughts?

  • http://www.marketinginprogress.com Brett Duncan

    Wow, you couldn't have summarized my take on the movie any better. Definitely cheesy, and definitely moving. I'll admit, I walked into it wondering why a "Christian movie" has to star Kirk Cameron. Once I got past that, though, and accepted the cheesiness, I really appreciated the point. There were actually some pretty practical tips in the movie.

    bd
    @bdunc1

  • bethyada

    I enjoyed the movie. But on the quality, I think some of the issue is that it changed. It started out B grade but improved some way into the movie. So rather being variable quality thru-out, I thought it seemed as if the director changed in the middle.

  • Elizabeth

    Re: the cheesiness factor: When I learned that almost the entire cast and crew were volunteers without any professional experience, I was actually amazed. Considering that, they pulled off something pretty amazing.

    I think what touched me most was the message that there are things in life worth fighting for. When things get "hot," we can turn to God and fight, or we can just give in and do whatever we feel like or whatever the world tells us. The easy thing to do is to just give in (in the case of the movie, to just get a divorce). We can apply this principle to just about anything. The easy thing to do is to tell someone off when they're rude. It's much harder to give the "gentle answer that turns away wrath."

    I think married couples should watch this movie together, and laugh at the cheesy parts, but let the deeper message sink in. Your spouse is your partner. When you're angry, hurt, or frustrated in your marriage, stop and remember that you are on the same team. You're in this life together. Fireproof helped me remember that.

  • http://awkwardchristianity.com Jonathan Romig

    I really liked the movie after I saw it too. I waited for a while, mostly because I wanted to watch it with either my wife or girlfriend, but I went ahead and took the dive anyways. Well worth the time.

  • http://www.christiancognition.blogspot.com Mike

    There's another movie coming out next Fall by the same church that made Fireproof. It's slated to be called, "Courage", and is about fathers and sons, and the backdrop is police officers. Hope it's as powerful as Fireproof.
    My recent post THE NEW POOL-

  • http://intensedebate.com/profiles/lauradroege lauradroege

    When I read your list of things Christ does (healing, restoring, etc.), I immediately thought of the passage in Isaiah 61, where it describes what the Lord has annointed him to do: bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives, comfort those who mourn… And then later, in the Gospels, this is the passage that Christ reads in the synogogue and says that it applies to Himself. Awesome.

    I haven't seen the movie, but if Fireproof can get the point across that Christ CAN and DOES heal broken people, I'm happy.
    My recent post Open your eyes A lesson learned at Walmart

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/Chris_Tomlinson Chris_Tomlinson

    Sometimes the comments are better than the post. Thanks, Elizabeth.