"Courageous" Movie

[episkopos]

Greetings all! I thought to put this topic in the family section as the message of the movie "courageous" is based on fatherhood.

What follows is my own review of the movie. Please add a review of your own...

Well I have followed the Kendrick brothers in their movie series...Flywheel, facing the giants, Fireproof...and now Courageous.

These movies are steeped in the call to do what is right before men and God. The movies themselves vary in quality but the sincerety of the producers comes through in them all. The emphasis on righteousness is well thought out in order to gain the largest possible audience. I, personally, very much liked the first 2 ...very poignant and very needed in our society. They stand as beacons to righteousness and trust in God.

Now for Courageous!!!

I thought it had a great beginning...showing a lot of promise, and there was a healthy dose of humour throughout as well. Quite entertaining.

But there were obvious flaws as well. For instance the speech of the rookie cop to his partner was forced...like we have to mention that Jesus died on the cross at one point so we'll just shoehorn it in here. One gets the impression that the writers are not so sure themselves how the sacrifice of Jesus plays into a family's happiness. So the telltale sign of a religious agenda mars the basic message of the movie by being overly preachy...but to no added value to the movie. A few times I felt as if I was watching a Mormon infomercial. I think we've all seem those. And I do mean Mormon, with the emphasis on a happy home life and family values. After all they believe that families are literally "forever".

But the movie does have a value in bringing the responsibility of fathers to the forefront. It just maybe could have been done without an over appealing to the Sunday crowd...like a broader outreach to the whole population would have been nice. We even see a choir in the last sequences where Mr. Kendrick does his speech before his own congregation ...literally preaching to the choir.

Which raises the issue of just what is Christianity to the family? Does Jesus just want a happy home life for His followers? Or are we to forsake all to follow Christ putting the family second in all things!!

So the message is good...but it is not essentially Christian...more Mormon in my view. There may be a "we're not going to let the Mormon values commitee take over the happy home issue from us without a fight."

Maybe one issue is enough (a father's role) without confusing it with a greater issue (the high calling of Christ) and turning off the very people who need to hear the message so much in our time of the breakdown of fatherhood and the family.

As I've said many times...when the church lives in holiness then the world will turn to at least a more righteous practice. But when we are simply living the best we can without holiness...and then try to force this behaviour on the world...then we will fail and bring a reproach to Christ.

Just my

[Boo]

I certainly didn't examine the intent of the movie as you have done.

What I saw was a movie presented at a time when "family values" has become an out-of-date concept and fatherhood ends at conception.

I never saw in the movie an attempt to show that happiness is the result of being courageous in the fashion of this movie. I see that it is acknowledged that there will be tension and difficult decisions, but we will have to commit to our promise which we assumed by becoming fathers in the first place - a commitment that has largely been ignored for many years.

[Youssarian]

I was unusually moved by it, to the point of tears. I don't currently want to have kids but the fact of the matter is that life has that weird affect on you and in 10-15 years from now there may be a kid with 50% of its genetic data from me. I know what it's like to live in a divorce-ridden family where the father figure was not there - or indeed, the identity of the person filling in the father role changes at least once - and I don't ever want to have a child of mine face that problem.

[Slug1]

A few times I felt as if I was watching a Mormon infomercial. I think we've all seem those. And I do mean Mormon, with the emphasis on a happy home life and family values. After all they believe that families are literally "forever".

I didn't get this feeling as you felt...

We even see a choir in the last sequences where Mr. Kendrick does his speech before his own congregation ...literally preaching to the choir.

Present statistics for Christians is that 20-35% will divorce... so the movie is not about preaching to the choir. It shows those who don't know the statistics that the REALITY of failed marriages within the Body of Christ is a SERIOUS problem. A result of this SERIOUS problem is how the children are affected.

No preaching to the choir at all since the remaining percentage may not be aware of that percent who do divorce. Nor are those who don't divorce always aware how the children are affected in families who are divorcing or have divorced in the past. Many who ARE divorcing DON'T KNOW or CARE how the children are affected.

The movie put the reality and truth into our faces!!

Which raises the issue of just what is Christianity to the family? Does Jesus just want a happy home life for His followers? Or are we to forsake all to follow Christ putting the family second in all things!!

There's a difference in how families are made up. Here's what I mean, for a family who are all Christian we don't see this problem and when God leads, and even though that leading may require sacrifice (such as time), those family members who are Christian... will support.

On the flip side, Jesus came with a sword and families are gonna be split apart, BUT... this is due to an unequally yoked family. Those who are NOT Christians will be persecuting those who are following Jesus in obedience. Those family members who ARE Christian will not be persecuting those who are following Jesus because they are following Him, themselves.

So the message is good...but it is not essentially Christian...more Mormon in my view. There may be a "we're not going to let the Mormon values commitee take over the happy home issue from us without a fight."

So, based on what I've posted... I will disagree with you putting a Mormon label to this movie.

Maybe one issue is enough (a father's role) without confusing it with a greater issue (the high calling of Christ) and turning off the very people who need to hear the message so much in our time of the breakdown of fatherhood and the family.

I felt the message of this movie was IN the face of the truth of this problem and to be bold and IN the face of people... is what needs to happen.




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As I've said many times...when the church lives in holiness then the world will turn to at least a more righteous practice. But when we are simply living the best we can without holiness...and then try to force this behaviour on the world...then we will fail and bring a reproach to Christ.

I do agree with this statement when not in the context of the main body of your entire post

[karenoka27]

I loved the movie. I felt it was a call to Christian men to be just that...men!

Acts 24:16-" And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void to offence toward God, and toward men."

[episkopos]

I didn't get this feeling as you felt...

Present statistics for Christians is that 20-35% will divorce... so the movie is not about preaching to the choir. It shows those who don't know the statistics that the REALITY of failed marriages within the Body of Christ is a SERIOUS problem. A result of this SERIOUS problem is how the children are affected.

No preaching to the choir at all since the remaining percentage may not be aware of that percent who do divorce. Nor are those who don't divorce always aware how the children are affected in families who are divorcing or have divorced in the past. Many who ARE divorcing DON'T KNOW or CARE how the children are affected.

The movie put the reality and truth into our faces!!

There's a difference in how families are made up. Here's what I mean, for a family who are all Christian we don't see this problem and when God leads, and even though that leading may require sacrifice (such as time), those family members who are Christian... will support.

On the flip side, Jesus came with a sword and families are gonna be split apart, BUT... this is due to an unequally yoked family. Those who are NOT Christians will be persecuting those who are following Jesus in obedience. Those family members who ARE Christian will not be persecuting those who are following Jesus because they are following Him, themselves.

So, based on what I've posted... I will disagree with you putting a Mormon label to this movie.

I felt the message of this movie was IN the face of the truth of this problem and to be bold and IN the face of people... is what needs to happen.




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I do agree with this statement when not in the context of the main body of your entire post

I think that the confusion over old testament righteousness and new testament holiness has caused nothing but trouble in lowering the standards of each. Doing what is right in our own strength...like earthly fatherhood...is according to old testament righteousness. This is the foundation upon which we can then understand new testament holiness...to be in Christ...aliens to this world.

So if we don't care for our families then we are worse than infidels. But to uphold family at the highest level is to forsake Christ (at least according to Him). So we need balance. There are many non-Christian families that have good loving fathers (at least according to them).

[glazer1972]

I liked the movie but I do wish they would have had more gospel message in it.

[rejoice44]

I believe you fellows are too critical. Such a wonderful job of presenting the right thing to do. There is no two of us on this forum that would agree on every theological thought, so why should we expect to be in 100% agreement with the people who put on this movie. Sometimes we consume our own brothers and sisters.

[Vanderhoven7]

I believe you fellows are too critical. Such a wonderful job of presenting the right thing to do. There is no two of us on this forum that would agree on every theological thought, so why should we expect to be in 100% agreement with the people who put on this movie. Sometimes we consume our own brothers and sisters.

I for one was challenged and convicted by the integrity and commitment produced by the gospel in these renewed fathers.