{"id":6610,"date":"2010-02-19T16:50:22","date_gmt":"2010-02-19T21:50:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/jesuscreed\/2010\/02\/19\/friday-night-at-the-movies-to-save-a-life-review\/"},"modified":"2010-02-19T16:50:22","modified_gmt":"2010-02-19T21:50:22","slug":"friday-night-at-the-movies-to-save-a-life-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2010\/02\/19\/friday-night-at-the-movies-to-save-a-life-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Friday Night at the Movies: To Save a Life Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
MOVIE REVIEW: \u201cTo Save A Life\u201d<\/div>\n
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by Jeremy Berg<\/div>\n
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www.jeremyberg.org<\/div>\n
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This review is a for all youth workers out there! \u00a0<\/div>\n
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Every few months youth pastors get a promotional box in the mail luring them to jump on the bandwagon of the next big Christian movie, book, conference or concert. \u00a0Marketing madness bombards you with free promotinal posters, t-shirts, devotionals, bookmarks, bumper stickers. Sadly, the Christian entertainment sub-culture often disappoints. I usually don\u2019t bite. \u00a0I\u2019m the boring youth pastor who tends to just stick to the Bible as much as possible.<\/div>\n
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So, I was skeptical at first when the hoopla came out about the latest Christian-produced film To Save A Life. But our youth group was due for a field trip, I had heard great things and so we boarded a bus this past Wednesday night and took a group of 50 high school students to the theater for some popcorn and a two-hour trip into the world of many teenagers today.<\/div>\n
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The movie quality was great, the acting quite good, and the plot tackled the issues in a real, non-cheesy way. \u00a0There were moments of gut-busting laughter and applause, and other moments where we were holding back tears. Our group seemed to really enjoy the film.<\/div>\n

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Here\u2019s a synopsis of the plot:<\/div>\n
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Jake Taylor has it all: friends, fame, a basketball scholarship and the hottest girl in school. What could be better? \u00a0<\/div>\n
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Enter Roger Dawson. Roger has nothing. No friends. No hope. Nothing but putdowns and getting pushed aside. Things couldn\u2019t get worse\u2026could they?<\/div>\n
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Jake and Roger were best friends when they were kids. But the politics of high school quickly pulled them apart. Now Roger doesn\u2019t fit in Jake\u2019s \u2014 or anyone\u2019s circle \u2014 and he\u2019s had enough. He walks onto campus with a gun in his pocket and pain in his heart and makes a tragic move.\u00a0<\/div>\n
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Jake\u2019s last-ditch effort can\u2019t stop Roger, and the sudden tragedy rocks Jake\u2019s world. Something breaks loose inside and sends him questioning everything. Most of all, he can\u2019t shake the question \u201cCould I have saved Roger?\u201d \u00a0In a quest for answers, Jake finds himself looking for the next Roger and reaching out to the outcasts and lonely. But he quickly finds that crossing class castes threatens all his world is built on. And it could cost him his own friends, his girl, his dreams and even his reputation. Is it worth the price to find the answer to his ultimate question: \u201cWhat do I want my life to be about?\u201d<\/div>\n
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This is a story and film written by a veteran youth pastor from California. He attempts to accurately capture the challenges and pressures teenagers face daily. \u00a0One way the film does this is by leaving in scenes involving sex, partying, binge drinking, cutting, abortion, divorce and so on. The film earns it\u2019s PG-13 rating. While not shying away from the messiness, ugliness and complexity of some dark teen issues, the film brings a positive, redemptive message of hope and transformation.<\/div>\n
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So, while I have much good to say about the film\u2019s real portrayal of teenage culture, I have some other disappointments from a pastoral and theological point of view.<\/div>\n
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But let me preface my disappointments with a disclaimer. Many Christian reviewers and youth pastor comments immediately complain that the gospel \u2014 the sacrificial, sin-atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ \u2014 was not clearly communicated in the movie. But before we make such judgments we should ask the question: What particular story and message was the artist\/writer trying to communicate with this film? \u00a0Once we\u2019ve identified the key message this film is trying to get across to teenagers, then we can fairly assess whether or not they succeeded or failed.<\/div>\n
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Everything I have read about the making and purpose of this film has indicated that their main purpose is to motivate and inspire Christian teens to begin to notice the lost, hurting and lonely kids on the fringes in our schools. \u00a0The movie\u2019s slogan is: \u201cSome people are just dying to be heard.\u201d There are countless Rogers everywhere in every school who are living in isolation, deeply depressed and lonely. \u00a0They are crying out in ways that go unnoticed \u2014 until it\u2019s too late. \u00a0This film reminds pushes us to take the bold first step out of our comfort zones and established peer groups and across the lunch room to reach out to those who have no one. \u00a0This is Jesus with skin on. \u00a0This message came across clear and powerful.<\/div>\n
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But\u2026.<\/div>\n
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If this was as overtly Christian as the film intended to get, then it would have been completely successful in making it\u2019s point. \u00a0But this film was willing to go much deeper into the world of the church, Christianity and youth group. \u00a0This was exciting to me. \u00a0We saw youth pastor Chris step into a teenager\u2019s life and begin to dialogue about what it means to be a Christian. \u00a0We saw a non-religious skeptic in Jake inquire as to what Christianity means and what it costs to follow after God. \u00a0We heard more than one sermon from Chris. We saw teens worshiping at youth group. We saw Jake getting baptized in the ocean surrounded by friends. We saw and heard Jake kneeling and praying by his bedside over his future.<\/div>\n
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When a film is bold enough to wade honestly into these overtly Christian issues, then I believe it opens itself up to be critiqued in how faithful they represented the gospel, the nature of repentance and discipleship, the meaning of baptism, the core message of Christianity and so on. \u00a0If you\u2019re going to go there, then bring it home accurately so viewers are not being sold a shallow, cross-less, Jesus-less, generic brand of \u201cyou can make a difference in the world\u201d type Christianity. This film handled teen issues brilliantly and accurately, but when it came to representing the true nature of Christian discipleship and the gospel, it wimped out. \u00a0How so?<\/div>\n
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Why was the name of Jesus always avoided (except for the prayer at the funeral)? \u00a0Watch the film again and notice how the youth pastor always talks generically of \u2018God\u2019 but avoids talking specifically about Jesus.<\/div>\n
In a conversation with Chris, Jake says he doesn\u2019t want to just become a \u201cjust another Christian.\u201d \u00a0Chris says, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want you to.\u201d \u00a0Here I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the youth pastor to offer a counter challenge and invite him to become a serious, committed Jesus-follower who \u201ctakes up his cross daily\u201d or something substantial. \u00a0But the scene just ended and left us wondering exactly Chris is inviting Jake to become.<\/div>\n
I fear that this film reinforces a sort of watered-down Christianity that is merely about \u201cloving one another\u201d and has little to do with being born again of the Spirit, true repentance, understanding the holiness of God, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and the rest. \u00a0Let me be clear: The filmmakers probably believe these things, but why sweep them under the rug if they\u2019re going to get as honest as they did in this film.<\/div>\n
Jake\u2019s life was clearly being impacted by his encounter with pastor Chris and their conversations. \u00a0But the message never was more than, \u201cDon\u2019t you want your life to count for more?\u201d \u00a0Can we get more specific please? \u00a0Chris could have been mistaken for a military recruiter urging a young man to \u201cBe all that you can be in the Army.\u201d \u00a0Perhaps this is personal for me because I have invited a young man to follow Jesus in the front seat of a driver education car.<\/div>\n
I shed tears at Jake\u2019s baptism \u2014 because I know the powerful truth behind that sacred public act. \u00a0But does every viewer in the theater realize the powerful theological realities that must precede this sacred ritual? \u00a0They won\u2019t know from this movie.<\/div>\n
Viewers were invited inside the church several times in this movie, and heard portions of a couple different \u201csermons\u201d. \u00a0Why not work the true gospel into one of these messages? \u00a0At least mention God\u2019s offer of salvation through his Son Jesus in whom we have new life and forgiveness of sins. We don\u2019t love others for the sake of love. \u00a0\u201cWe love because He first loved us.\u201d \u00a0And that love was costly.<\/div>\n
Again, I loved this film. \u00a0If you\u2019re a youth pastor looking for a good film to open up conversation at youth group about the challenges facing today\u2019s teens and some positive ways to work through them in a self-less way, then this film hits the nail on the head. \u00a0But I urge youth pastors to also challenge their students to understand that true Christian transformation and discipleship goes much deeper and involves much more than just being nice to one another.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
While Jake made some significant changes in his life and behavior after meeting Chris and going to youth group, one still has to ask if we have any clear reason to believe he really became a Christian \u2014 by any biblical definition of the word. \u00a0He certainly wasn\u2019t afforded the opportunity to hear the gospel and respond in repentance and faith on screen. &n
\nbsp;To Save A Life encourages teens to help save others\u2019 lives, yet says so little about the One who truly saves and gives Eternal Life.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
In sum, To Save A Life was culturally and sociologically bold yet theologically and pastorally thin-skinned.\u00a0<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
What do you think?<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MOVIE REVIEW: \u201cTo Save A Life\u201d by Jeremy Berg www.jeremyberg.org This review is a for all youth workers out there! \u00a0 Every few months youth pastors get a promotional box in the mail luring them to jump on the bandwagon of the next big Christian movie, book, conference or concert. \u00a0Marketing madness bombards you with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nFriday Night at the Movies: To Save a Life Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"MOVIE REVIEW: "To Save A Life"by Jeremy Bergwww.jeremyberg.orgThis review is a for all youth workers out there!  Every few months youth pastors get a\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2010\/02\/19\/friday-night-at-the-movies-to-save-a-life-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Friday Night at the Movies: To Save a Life Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"MOVIE REVIEW: "To Save A Life"by Jeremy Bergwww.jeremyberg.orgThis review is a for all youth workers out there!  Every few months youth pastors get a\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2010\/02\/19\/friday-night-at-the-movies-to-save-a-life-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Jesus Creed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-02-19T21:50:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Scot McKnight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Scot McKnight\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2010\/02\/19\/friday-night-at-the-movies-to-save-a-life-review\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2010\/02\/19\/friday-night-at-the-movies-to-save-a-life-review\/\",\"name\":\"Friday Night at the Movies: To Save a Life Review\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2010-02-19T21:50:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2010-02-19T21:50:22+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#\/schema\/person\/5919e847c58ffe6efb5899fb61797252\"},\"description\":\"MOVIE REVIEW: \\\"To Save A Life\\\"by Jeremy Bergwww.jeremyberg.orgThis review is a for all youth workers out there!  Every few months youth pastors get a\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2010\/02\/19\/friday-night-at-the-movies-to-save-a-life-review\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2010\/02\/19\/friday-night-at-the-movies-to-save-a-life-review\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2010\/02\/19\/friday-night-at-the-movies-to-save-a-life-review\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Friday Night at the Movies: To Save a Life Review\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/\",\"name\":\"Jesus Creed\",\"description\":\"Scot McKnight on Jesus and orthodox faith in the 21st century\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#\/schema\/person\/5919e847c58ffe6efb5899fb61797252\",\"name\":\"Scot McKnight\",\"description\":\"Scot McKnight is a recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. 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