This is something I wrote a while back in response to the outrage I heard from many Christians about the movie, Saved. I haven't actually seen the movie yet, but there are some principles expressed here that I thought some of you would be interested in.
I think this movie has the posibility of being very beneficial for the Christian church. This is why.
I think that anyone who knows and understands what Christ taught, even non-Christians, would agree that his teachings are completly opposite of what our natural tendencies are (anyone loved your enemies lately?).
Because of this it is the natural tendency of the Christian church (which is made up of people) to drift away from the teachings of Christ. That is one of the reasons Christians are encouraged so often to read the Bible, to become recalibrated in a sense.
I think that this movie could be a recalibration for the Christian church, even if it is from a non-traditional source. What I mean by that is that Christians, at the heart of who they are, should be seekers of truth. If a Christian is wrong in what he believes he should be at least willing, if not eager, to see that he is wrong. I think that a movie like this is in the perfect place to make Christians examine what they do (and how they think) by pointing out their questionable or even ridiculous actions. That is not to say that all actions that non-Christians perceive as questionable or ridiculous are wrong for a Christian, but they should at least be looked at.
So, as a Christian, I say bring it on! Make fun of me! Make fun of the Church! If you make fun of me for doing what is right then it’s nothing more than I should expect (Matthew 5:10). If I’m wrong, then heck, I need to be made fun of, and hopefully I’ll be mature enough to thank you for it.