Carlton Pearson is a man who has devoted himself to serving God and others, quite obviously. His care and love for others is what draws people to him. He has been about as successful as a preacher can be. An African American, he built up his congregation to over 6000 parishioners - of all skin hues - in Tulsa, of all places. Everything was great; until he had a crisis of faith. Come Sunday is about that crisis.
More people than ever are comfortable with Atheism, especially in our entitled and wealthy society. {As with any belief system, many of the probing questions are avoided. No matter what people say, their choices are usually emotional, & once the choice is made, it's human nature to put blinders on so that things don't get complicated.} It's unlikely that atheists will ever out-number people who seek out God and faith. While Atheists would claim that's proof that people are gullible, people of faith would claim that the Creator has put the spark of the divine in all of us, creation testifies to God's magnificently complex design, and that our souls long to be reconciled to God.
Around it goes, with all kinds of stops inbetween. For the majority of us who gravitate towards faith, it seems like there's 2 views for every one believer - As with everything else in this information age, there's a bombardment of opinion, new theories, old interpretations, and the biggest obstacle to truth and progress: The way we've always done/seen things.
One would probably be lost without being a little familiar with the terminology. Rev. Pearson had espoused what has been termed Fundamental Christianity, or he was a Fundamentalist, as are many evangelical Christians (or whatever label is being assigned currently). That'll serve up images of white, racist, self-righteous, exclusionary, super-religious, and cheerless people with whom no-one would ever want to associate. The original meaning was not intended to be nefarious, as it was merely a label for adherence to 5 fundamentals of faith:
1. The Deity Jesus Christ
2. The Virgin Birth
3. The Blood Atonement - or the penalty for not making the grade(sin)=death if not atoned for
4. The Bodily Resurrection
5. The inerrancy of the scriptures themselves.
The concept is that God created the world GOOD. Man fell from grace through disobedience. God sent His own son to pay the penalty. Only believe and accept the free gift. God chose to get the word out through believers. For those that have never heard (mostly because believers have not done their job like they should), they will be held accountable for the truth they have personally beheld. Creation is the primary truth available to all, per Romans. The big obstacle for many believers is the teaching that all those who do not come to faith in the Father via the Son, will go the opposite way - He!! Rev Pearson began to agonize over that teaching.
First, he became overcome with grief when his uncle hung himself in prison without coming to God. The Rev further felt acutely overwhelmed by the pain and loss of this world, particularly upon seeing starving, suffering children in Africa on his 📺.
He had preached that God told him to get out and reach the lost. He later claims that God gave him direct revelation that everyone in Africa is going to heaven. Ultimately he was labeled a heretic by Christian Fundamentalists, and he converted to Universalism, which espouses that all religions lead to salvation. In the film's opening, he tells a woman to 'relinquish her sin,' which he no longer deems as necessary doctrine by the film's end.
Humanly, I understand his pain, which was born from love & empathy for others. He took off the blinders, looked at the misery of this world, and was overcome by it. How could any of us not be, I ask? As the daughter and granddaughter of ministers, having grown up in a strict fundamental setting, I have a lot of thoughts, both ways, on this. It's true, I ran into many people, while growing up in the church, that I find distasteful for one reason or another, but I also met many kind and sincere people. Before going to seminary, my father had been a college philosophy major. I never saw him once lose his temper; all he did was read. We could calmly talk about any topic. Any reasonable person would have enjoyed a conversation with him. My point is, we should be able to disagree respectfully. We should all be working to alleviate poverty and suffering.
People have a tendency to over simplify issues and categories to make the information more manageable, and this is never more true than in the world of faith. People also bring their human condition into everything they do, including religion. It's actually fundamental to Christian doctrine that nobody's ever done it completely right (except Christ). It's not hypocritical to say: 'I know what the right thing to do is, but I'm not capable of always doing the right thing'. It is hypocritical to say: 'This is what's right, and this is what I always do'. That person has deluded h/h self.
The primary theme of CS raises the issue of faith, and what it should be based upon, as well as the courage to stand up bravely for one's convictions. People, more than ever, want to believe things that they want to believe. Feelings trump all. Careful consideration should include doing your own research. Don't just believe what a person tells you, especially somebody claiming to have some new, direct communication from God.
To be fair, the film portrays the conversation in terms that serious Bible Scholars never would, and that is part of the disconnect. Whether one believes it or not, Scripture has layers of depth and intricacies. It is a complex piece of literature and has been hailed as the best ever written. Scholars must learn Greek and Hebrew, particularly in ancient forms, and thousands of years of history, along with so much more.
However, the debate in the movie centered around losing what they had built; the church, their jobs, etc. There was almost no debate based on a study of the issues. Christians complain that they never get a fair portrayal in media, and if one's aware of the claim, treatments such as this cause a pause. Perhaps that's exactly how it went down. Sadly, that isn't unlikely in the slightest. Regardless, the topic of faith is easiest dealt with when kicked down the road. Faith, or the belief system by which you operate your life, rather, is of tremendous importance. Your philosophy and core are what guide you through the challenging times. If one doesn't have it worked out, the challenging times will be all the more directionless and difficult.
The acting in CS is quite good, though the film lags. It's a very compelling story that's largely told in a very uninteresting way. Once we get a peek at the marriage, which is fascinating, it's all downhill. Condola Rashad is wonderful. Mrs. Pearson is a great part, and the actress nails it. Chitwetel Ejiofor is very good as Rev Pearson, though there's no emotional bond fused with him and the viewer. Jason Siegel does a nice job as Rev Pearson's #1 aid/partner. Danny Glover plays Uncle Quincy; he may have delivered the best performance of the film. He connects. Martin Sheen, himself, portrays Oral Roberts, Rev. Pearson's mentor.
One of the last things Rev Pearson says in the film is to quote the song: "Jesus loves me". There may be no chapter and verse for that, but the children's song is completely consistent with Christian doctrine as well, even the fundamental variety.
Apart from the acting, unless one has particular interest in matters of religion or institutional-group-think, which is another theme of the film, you are not likely to enjoy CS. Go straight to Monday.
QUOTE
"Jesus loves me". This I know. For the Bible tells me so".
〰🖍 IMHO
🎬6 🤔7 🎭7.5 🌞4 🎨4🎵5 😅2 🔚7
Age 14+
👁📺again? Nope.
🦎
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