Being courageous

This week I went to see "Courageous", a new movie by Christian filmmaker Sherwood films in association with TriStar. The heroes of the story are a group of cops who are wrestling with a more challenging calling, being fathers. They are faced with both work and life challenges, and the audience gets caught up in their personal tragedies and triumphs. If you go, bring lots of tissues, especially if you are a parent. Yes, I'm serious, the message is heart-rending.

The movie is a challenge to fathers to step up, and take that role seriously. This movie comes from a un-apologetically evangelical Christian worldview, which I think surprised some local reviewers. To be honest I had mixed feelings about going to see this movie. It is not uncommon in evangelical churches to have the annual "Mothers are wonderful!" sermon in May, and the corresponding "Fathers are failing their kids" message in June. Hey pastors, constructive options motivate better than guilt. Thankfully I think this movie did offer more than guilt, and I appreciated that. Our church strongly encouraged its members to attend, and is following up with small groups for couples to talk about their parenting challenge.

Churches are often seen as opponents to popular media including movies. Many people don't realize that North American Christians saw very early the potential of cinema to transform culture and to educate. The Vatican as early as the 1920s believed that film as a means of cultural expression "enriches the church and cultures themselves." Billy Graham was an early adopter of radio, and later television and film as tools for evangelism. The Billy Graham Association's World Wide Pictures produced 38 feature films.

I admit when I go to movies, I go for the escapism: Thor, X-Men, and Despicable Me (Dave is cool.) But sometimes it is good to be challenged.