This last weekend I enjoyed the drama surrounding the Masters tournament. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Rory McIlroy were all favored to be contenders for this most prestigious event. But Bubba Watson rose to the occasion and came away with the "green jacket." Following his win he posted this on his Twitter account: "1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." At his press conference he was unafraid the honor his Lord and Savior.
Bubba is not by any means the lone evangelical believer on the tour. In fact there are a plethora of evangelical Christians playing in the PGA. Webb Simpson, Aaron Baddley, Ben Crane, K.J. Choi of South Korea, and many others have used their success in the sport as a platform for bearing witness to their faith in Christ.
Last September, June and I took an afternoon to go the movie, Seven Days in Utopia, starring Robert Duvall, who happens to be a favorite actor of mine. I don't believe that this movie was promoted as a "Christian" film, in an attempt to "fly under the radar" of a secularized audience. This film was clearly produced on a low budget with the clear intention of communicating a message about faith in Jesus Christ.
The opening begins with Isaiah 30:21.
And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears
shall hear a word behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it.”
The film script is based on the book, Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia, written by David Lamar Cook, a psychologist who received a Ph.D. in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of Virginia. It was actually filmed in a small Texas town with the real name of Utopia. (Utopia is about 80 miles from San Antonio.)
This film is the fictional story of a young golfer who blows a tournament lead by shooting a 14 on a critical hole at the end of match play. In his rage and disappointment the young golfer flees only to have a car accident in a pasture near Utopia, Texas. What he discovered in Utopia was God and himself. The plot here is quite simple, the story is common and the genre is predictable. But the film is still very good. Contrary to so many Christian films Seven Days does not provide a “simple” gospel answer but rather the searching of a young man who comes to believe in God and himself. Admittedly, this is not stunning character stuff but it is not that bad. Robert Duvall is the young golfer's mentor. He helps the young man find the meaning to his life through a series of unusual learning experiences.
Was this a great movie? I wouldn't say that, in fact, it was panned by most of the critics. Even Christianity Today, the most-read evangelical magazine, criticized the film for "lazily rehashing clichés" and for failing to deliver "genuine characters or plausible storytelling.”
Nevertheless, as a golf fan and as a believer, I found the message reaching to basic issues in life. It addressed the issue of what "really" matters, it spoke to the importance of character, and finding meaning in life. It deals with the journey of faith. It was not the typical "evangelical' film with an altar call tacked on at the end.
I personally, found it inspirational and came away both entertained and uplifted. It is now available on DVD, if you come across it - check it out.
No comments:
Post a Comment