Would it be too much to ask for a television show to have a character who is a Christian who doesn't annoy the crap out of you? I would love to see a show where a character is a strong Christian, but that isn't the focal point of the show or that character's place on the show. Do you know what I mean? Let me break it down to you like this... usually if there is a character who is openly a believer in Christ, they will fit into one of these boxes:
1) The Wet Blanket
This is the guy/girl who can't keep themselves from telling everyone else on the show that they are sinning and they'll go to hell if they keep up their evil ways. This person often exists as comic relief, where the main character will laugh at how silly the Christian is being, with the implied undertone being something like, "I'm having safe sex with someone I love, which is completely fine... quit being such a dork." The best example of this character that I can find is Clark Duke's character "Dale" on the ABC Family show, Greek. The funny thing is that I don't dislike Duke's character on that show... he's one of the best thing's Greek has going for it and I have met plenty of Christians like him in my life so he's not inaccurate... he's just really stereotypical and exactly what you'd expect him to be like as the show's resident Christian. Other good examples of this character are Angela on "The Office" and Anne Veal on "Arrested Development" (both of whom are pretty hilarious/ridiculous).
2) The Saint
This character is the angel on their friend's shoulder who never does wrong, never has any real fun, and always ends up doing the right thing. This character is truly a figment of the writers' imaginations because nobody like this really exists. Every Christian has moments where they are weak and make the wrong decision. It's inhuman not to do that. My example for this character is the father/minister on "7th Heaven". Now I'm not saying that he never makes a mistake in any show, but his mistakes are not necessarily sins and if they are, they are so rare that it makes you gasp. Total BS. The penultimate example of this category is Ned Flanders on the Simpsons. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Hidelly-Ho Neighborino!
3) God's Special Servant
This person usually seems to have a special tie to God, like "Joan" in that show "Joan of Arcadia" which lasted all of two seasons. They don't want to have the burden of being God's messenger placed on their shoulders, but they end up having to do it anyway. You could also look at Jim Carrey's character in "Bruce Almighty". This character eventually ends up accepting their role, but not without putting up a showy fight first. This idea is just tired, and I don't really care for it... most Christians don't hear God's voice in the literal sense or see him appear as a multitude of different people here on earth.
4) The Rebel
This is the Christian character who is going to take the world by storm and change it for God's glory using his/her coolness. This makes me think of Kirk Cameron in virtually every movie he does now, but specifically in Left Behind where he sees his need for God and then pushes everything to the max. Full on evangelism. Full on faith. No doubts, no mistakes, no downtime, and always so cool.
In none of these examples, and in virtually no TV shows or movies, do you see the regular Christian guy or girl who is trying to live out the gospel. I'd love to see a Christian character who you just find out is a Christian because they're headed to a Bible study one day or because they're praying for help in a scene. You know, nothing major... just everyday life. I'd love to see that character not singled out solely because of their faith in Christ... just another member of the cast who has their own personality and their own storylines that don't necessarily have to be centered on their Christian beliefs. I feel like it's a very large segment of the US population that gets completely ignored in screenwriting, and it's about time for a change.
I sound like I'm running for office. Is there an office I can run for? No? Well that sucks... that's the exciting new career I was hoping for.
3 comments:
did you ever watch "studio 60 on the sunset strip"? it had a real Christian character on it ... and it was a great show. the character was everything that real Christians are! unfortunately, the show was cancelled. stupid hollywood.
Holly, I did think that Harriet Hayes was a decent representation of the Christian community. I think Studio 60, in and of itself, flopped because the format that Aaron Sorkin used for The West Wing where the characters speak quickly and everything has this level of intensity, doesn't work at all in a tv show about a tv show. Personally, as far as having a Christian on a tv show, I might prefer on who is even less in-your-face about it than Harriet Hayes. Not because there aren't plenty of Christians like that, but because I think that the vast majority of them are not at all outspoken about their faith. In fact, I'd say sharing their faith is a huge struggle for most Christians, and I'd like to see that on TV.
I like your point, Pat ... I just think that until Michael is the one writing the show, that viewpoint isn't going to be represented.
Go, Mike, Go!
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