The theology of Apology

Donald Miller’s book Blue Like Jazz was a best seller and many who don’t follow the Christian faith read it. The recent movie adaptation is a very loose interpretation of the book (the book is, after all, not easily transferable to film). One of my favorite parts of the book, however, was worked into the film.

Donald Miller set up a confessional tent on the campus of Reed College. The point of the tent wasn’t so much to take the confessions of students but to offer apologies for the way Christians have misrepresented Christ and done much harm in his name. I know I have done some stupid stuff all in the name of Christianity. I am truly sorry for those things. In my youth I was somewhat of a judgmental prick.

So I guess I wonder….how do those of you who aren’t Christians on here see those of us who are?

There are no wrong responses to this…I can take it. I’m all too aware of some of the hurt perpetrated in the name of Christ.

I might respond to this later, but in the meantime can admin put this in Off Topic?

Yeah..I wasn’t sure where it should go…but it is tied to a movie so I thought why not?

dp

Fair enough.

I haven’t read the book or seen the movie, but I know another person who really liked it. I also believe there was a write-up in Atlantic about the film. For some reason the description didn’t appeal to me—not so much for the content, but I got the impression that the execution wouldn’t be that good or interesting.

@ Jazz:

Well…it won’t win any awards that’s for sure…..but it seemed like a step in the right direction for Christian themed films…..and I think it offers some good discussion points…..unlike films produced by Mr. Cameron which make me want to vomit with their simplicity and sanitized version of everything.

Yeah, the potential for discussion is one of the more interesting parts of the film for me.

@Rgrimes – Have you seen Steve Taylor’s other film, The Second Chance? I thought it was okay. He has his axe to grind in that movie and he doesn’t know how to do it with any nuance. Hopefully he’s improved.

@ Nathan:

No I haven’t seen The Second Chance….I’ll have to look for it. Not having seeing it I can’t compare Blue Like Jazz to it. I didn’t even know Steve Taylor had directed any other films.

RGRIMES, is this topic still alive? I have some strong opinions both about the movie & the perception of Christianity…

Gandhi said he liked Christ but not Christians. Everyone has faults but it’s beyond me how so many rich, reactionary warlike hypocritical bigots call themselves Christians.

Go and give all you have to the poor, judge not lest ye be judged, obey the commandments, thou shalt not kill, blessed are the peacemakers, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of as needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. There are sincere Christians of course, but many churches and their leaders are more anti-Christ than Christian, full of hatred, worshipping wealth, graven images, supporting mass slaughter and destruction in wars, wearing fine clothes and concerned with outer appearance of piety- the sort of hypocrites Christ despised. And the first to have him in the electric chair if he were around today. That could be an interesting film- the evangelical fundamentalist Right imprisoning in Guantanamo, trying and gleefully sentencing modern-day Christ to death

The apology idea in the film sounds worthwhile.

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place”

“Consider the lilies”, “love your enemy”, “do good to those who hate you”, “turn the other cheek”. Another film subject: 9/11, and instead of vengeance and destructive opportunism, the Christians Bush, Blair and fundamentalists turn the other cheek.

Why do Christians obsess so much against gays? I’ve found nothing Christ said against gays.

The apology confessional tent is precisely the opposite of how i see Blair and Bush- full of self-confidence, sure of being right, hubris, not humility.