OK, so Samantha and I are a little behind the times as far as the Christian world is concerned, but I imagine there are a ton of people out there (even some reading this blog) who have not yet watched Fireproof. Let me give you my thoughts on the movie. Two disclaimers–first, as a once self-avowed movie fanatic, I won’t pull punches. Second, as a Christian I won’t either.
Fireproof is a moral tale centered on Caleb & Catherine, two young professionals married only seven years. As their careers flourish, their marriage falters and divorce looms. As the gap between Caleb and his wife deepens, Caleb’s father challenges him to try a book called The Love Dare, a 40-day “self-help,” if you will, to improve his marriage. He takes the challenge, only half-heartedly at first, but it proves to be much more difficult that he anticipated. What he first imagined was a problem only with his relationship with Catherine, he became to realize that it was much deeper than that.
The film critic in me wants to rail the movie for its poor acting, predictable dialog, and for being emotionally manipulative. However, even from the film side, there were some very outstanding features–cinematography was, for the most part, very well executed. The music was also one of the strongest components to the film, featuring several contemporary Christian songs including Slow Fade by Casting Crowns. One very important thing to remember about this film is that it was almost completely funded, produced, written, directed, acted, supported, etc., by church members as an outreach. With that in mind, this is one of the best films in its category.
The Christian side of me wishes he could make sure that every married, engaged, dating, divorced, widowed, and single person (is that everyone?) would watch this film and meditate on its lesson(s). This movie addresses several issues–including adultery, pornography, pride, selfishness, divorce, and more–in a way that Hollywood would probably scoff at. As Hollywood seeks to push the boundaries of decency and morality, the concepts of marriage being for life and putting your marriage before your career are utter foolishness. But as we know, the ways of God appear foolish to the world (“The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14). Growing up, I thought divorce was a natural part of life–I knew more adults who had experienced a divorce than those who had not. It was not until my pre-marital counseling (at age 25) that someone presented me with the idea, “divorce is not an option.” I wrote that idea on my heart, and every single time there is a situation where a disagreement could potentially escalate into an argument, God reminds me of this. Without God, there would not be marriage, so why would you attempt to try to have your marriage without God?
To learn more about the movie, watch the trailer below, and then visit www.fireproofmymarriage.com. The Love Dare is also available in paperback
(and probably e-book
