Big hair, small minds, obnoxious personalities, and frumpy clothes. It seems that’s how most evangelical Christians are portrayed on TV these days. Many Hollywood writers are apparently so unfamiliar with what it really means to believe in and follow Jesus Christ that when they try to include “religious” people in their storylines, it’s downright awful.
In the first episode of a new TV series (ironically called “Living Biblically”), the main character was discussing with a priest his decision to live according to everything in the Bible. The priest guffawed and told the guy he’d already blown it because he was wearing clothes made from two different kinds of fibers, a violation of an Old Testament command.
No mention here, or in any of the five episodes I’ve watched so far, of Jesus fulfilling the Old Testament Law and ushering in a new covenant whereby we’re saved through faith in Him, and not by works (see Ephesians 2:8-9).
I was apprehensive about watching “Living Biblically,” knowing I’d probably end up yelling at my TV. I was right, as once again Christianity is portrayed as a legalistic, buzz-killing way to do life. The main character in this series is likable and admits that “living by the Bible” sometimes helps him, but the life he’s shown trying to live is only biblical if one tosses out most of the New Testament.
When Hollywood makes military, police or medical shows, consultants are usually hired to ensure scripts are realistic. Why, oh why, don’t they consult actual Christians when their shows include Christian characters or themes?
Instead, we’re nearly always portrayed as haters, kooks, simpletons or rednecks—nothing like most of the people I’ve been privileged to go to church with over the years. The majority of committed Christians I know dress normally, think rationally, believe sincerely, laugh frequently, and love generously.
Equally unrealistic are depictions of contemporary evangelical church services. Hollywood writers invariably crank up the cheese factor with “Kum Ba Yah” choruses from the ’60s, Elmer Gantry-like preachers calling down fire and brimstone on their flocks, or milquetoast ministers delivering “do good” messages without a mention of Jesus.
Picture the public outcry if any other group were so grossly misrepresented. I can just imagine the boycotts, marches, hashtags, tweets and Joy Behar rants on “The View.” But evangelical Christians are fair game and I guess that shouldn’t frustrate me as much as it does since Jesus told His disciples, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first (John 15:18).”
While not many people will openly admit to “hating” Christ, the religion many present as Christianity is actually a rejection of His Gospel. Asserting we can buy a ticket to heaven with our good behavior isn’t only untrue, it’s essentially saying Christ’s sacrifice on the cross isn’t enough to pay the debt we owe to God for our sins against Him.
Our good works can’t earn us salvation but they do reveal the transformative process that begins when we admit our need for a Savior and then allow God to change us from the inside out.
Unbelievers just don’t understand that. I sure didn’t before I truly embraced the Gospel. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14).”
I’m so thankful that being right with God doesn’t depend upon my perfect behavior, but upon my faith in Christ, who took my place on the cross. His “yoke is easy,” His “burden is light” (Matthew 11:28), and His people are “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) … no matter what Hollywood says.