Church People Review & Giveaway Ends 2/19

Church People is a Christian comedy about the super mega church, their sub-culture and getting back to His Word. Laugh with us and find your way back to the simplicity of God’s Word.

Super Mega Church: We all know them, they have the giant million dollar statues of the cross took enough trees out to build their church and parking lot they might possibly have raised the temperature in the city by a degree all on their own.

If you walk into the church, they have big screens, music so loud it feels like you are at a concert. You might get a welcome pack that actually has a coffee mug with the church logo. Of course, they have their own disposable cups at the coffee shop area.

Yeah, those churches. Admittedly, I took a liberty with the description. The Church People film description doesn’t go that in depth, nor say anything that might offend the super mega church. However, my disdain for those churches, is always shared.

It kills me how much money is wasted on the buildings, steeples and all of the fancy, unnecessary stuff when there are so many ways that God told us to use our money: like feeding the poor, taking care of our fellow man, sharing the Word with everyone (which includes the people not welcome in some of those churches).

Churches were never meant to be corporations. Preachers weren’t supposed to teach what another man told them to preach. They were supposed to follow what God told them to teach. Paul had lots to say on that topic…

Because the rating powers of the internet need a link, I’ll share with you the link to my trip to prison, as it seems relevant. I really should do a follow up post and share the changes and what I have learned in the years since that trip, but that’s another day…

Screening Church People

Being completely honest, I’m watching as I write, and I will say that I feel like the best way for such a monstrosity of a church building to get back to the Gospel would be to sell that building and give to those who need it. Or, turn it into a soup kitchen and homeless shelter with classes for young parents, GED, ESL and whatever else is needed in the community.

Of course, this film is meant to be a comedy. To bring joy and laughter. I say, make it a Christian not-drinking game: each time you see or hear something  that you know someone that does/says it, eat a very rich, expensive type of chocolate!

Church People Synopsis

Weary from the showiness and materialism that has overtaken his ministry efforts, Guy (Ramsey) goes on a journey to get back in touch with the heart of ministry and be a real role model to his youth group kids. He makes the difficult decision to cut short his speaking tour managed by his money-focused agent (Faison) after realizing that his reputation has become more fame based than Gospel-driven.

But when Guy attempts to return to regular youth ministry, he is thrust into the throes of dissuading the youth group from performing a strange and potentially blasphemous stunt for the upcoming Easter service, starring a young, zealous new believer, Blaise. In attempting to manage his youth group while navigating an unexpected love interest in the Senior Pastor’s daughter (Cahill) and being a new father to his grown daughter (Manfredi), Guy ultimately rediscovers and puts on a powerful presentation of why we all need to put our hope in Jesus and not in ourselves.

Church People stars Thor Ramsey, Hallmark Channel’s Erin Cahill, Stephen Baldwin, Donald Faison, and NSYNC’s Joey Fatone.

My Final Thoughts:

Often, when I watch Christian films, I’m disappointed at the acting, the cheesy story lines, the film quality and/or the music. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of contemporary Christian music. The message they are sending, I typically can truly appreciate.

While this film didn’t have me rolling, it did give me an opportunity to muse at the real people I’ve seen that would have been pretty good fits by just being themselves in these rolls. It’s sad, really. It use to disgust me, now it just makes me sad.

Churches are God’s Houses, they aren’t meant to be a show or to showcase idols (those giant crosses seem to have become idols these days in my opinion). They are meant to be a home of God, a refuge for all who walk through the doors or even make it onto the property. No matter how broken down we are, God’s house is a refuge.

Church People, I hope, will be a strong reminder of that. At the end of the film, I was inspired to look at myself. To figure out what is inside that I need to be giving to God, wholly and completely. Galations 5 speaks on Christian Liberty, Love Fulfilling the Law and Walking in the Spirit. My favorite scripture is contained in this chapter:

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this:

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Galations 14

Something I often forget, and was reminded of from Church People, was that the chapter also reminds us that ‘those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.’ In other words, I was reminded that I need to be crucifying myself daily. What does this mean? It means every day, multiple times if needed, I should pray and ask God to forgive me, giving over to Him the sinful things I do and say so that He can mold me and I can be more of the Christian He wants me to be.

I recently met a person and, as we were telling each other about ourselves, when I told her I was a Christian (admittedly a terrible one) she said that I should probably find another friend. She wasn’t one who embraced all of the Christian principles. My response was that I believe what the Bible says when it talks about love. We are to love. End stop. Not just love those who are like us, who we agree with, who does what we want, etc. Simply do it: “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Giveaway: One DVD copy of Church People

Get Yours Here

Many thanks to Collide Distribution for providing a sample of the product for this re-
view. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.