Easy A

Let's talk about Easy A. Most of you have probably heard of this movie- well, let me rephrase that statement: Most of you under the age of 25. It's a little high school flick starring the delightful Emma Stone about a girl who unintentionally starts spreading rumors about her own sexual activity with unfortunate results. This starts when, in a spur-of-the-moment decision, she decides to lie about losing her virginity to a college student, sparking further and further lies to help her own and others reputations, eventually coming to being paid to say that she 'did things' with less-popular students. Naturally, the whole situation becomes out of her control and leads to situations she could never have expected. I honestly really liked the movie, and thought it had a lot of good things to say.

But what's really worth thinking about is the portrayal of Christians. Amanda Bynes plays the Christian girl in school, head of the 'Christian club' that really just goes around condemning people and acting pretentious. These kids sit around and sing African American hymns to guitar and protest all the things they can possibly find to be anti-Christian, while really only accomplishing annoying the crap out of and alienating everyone. These situations are funny, but, for a Christian, also uncomfortable because it's not that far from the truth.

It gets a little more upsetting than that, though. When things really get out of hand and our little heroine decides to seek help from God, she heads into the nearest Catholic church and sits herself down in a confessional. She pours her little heart out in a genuinely touching scene, only to open the screen separating her from the priest to find that there is no one there. After that unsuccessful attempt at Christian condolence, she heads to a Methodist church to speak with a pastor. This does not go well. She never really gets around to what she wants guidance about because the pastor can only really focus on telling her over and over and over that there is a Hell. Furthermore, she discovers that this pastor is the father of her Christian schoolmate that has been giving her the Hell she went to the church to try and find some help for.

To an average viewer, these seemingly harmless scenes are nothing more than laugh-getters. Sadly there's a little more to it than that. A young, confused teenage girl going through a small crisis finds, instead of a helping hand, a practical enemy in the Christians at her school. It's not just her, though. Everyone hates the 'Christian clique' at the school, and for good reason: They're a bunch of judgemental, pretentious, exclusive little kids. Despite this clear discouragement, our leading lady still heads to the church for guidance when she feels truly overwhelmed. But what does she find when she opens up and is honest about what she's feeling and the things she's unsure about? An empty chair. No one listening. People who don't wanna listen, but just overpower, never even allowing her to speak her mind. It's truly disconcerting to realize that the church, Christians are seen this way. It's more disconcerting to realize that it is probably based in some truth.

If living in New York City for close to a month now has taught me anything, it's that people everywhere are lost, looking for something, anything to give them a little reason. This movie is a perfect example of that. Yes, it's a silly, fun teenage flick. But that doesn't mean it doesn't have something to say. Has the church become so distanced from the world that it can't be a place of help when an 'outsider' seeks it? Are we so engrossed in being different from the world that those wishing to can't find solace? When the world comes to us after all their efforts have failed, and pours out it's insecurities and unsureness for us, will we listen and be there and show them the love they seek? Or will we be an empty chair? Hard questions to ponder.

Going to acting school in NYC, I am surrounded by people without faith, people who measure their lives by fleeting, material things. Don't get me wrong- They are delightful, fantastic folks and I'm so glad I know them, but I am different from almost all of them because of my faith. It doesn't get to me. I have absolute confidence in my belief, and you know what's remarkable about that? I don't have to be forceful, pushy, pretentious, judgemental or any of those other unfortunate Christian cliches. My unwavering faith speaks strong enough on its own. And when people come to me with their issues and questions (and they do), I listen. I don't judge or condemn. I tell them what I know to be true. And I show them love. Love is all over the Bible. '...For God so loved the world...', '...love thy neighbor as thyself...', '...Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love...' God was pretty big on love. I'm pretty sure he intended the church to be so as well.

There was one more scene in that movie worth looking at: Near the end when the main girl is broadcasting a live video blog which she has coerced everyone into watching with a (false) promise of taking her clothes off, we see the aforementioned insensitive pastor watching on his laptop and becoming angry when the girl does not go through with her promised strip-fest. This unfortunately not far-fetched scene also has something to say, albeit in an unintentional way: No matter how different we aspire to be from the world (as we should; God demands holiness), we still are part of it. We are not Christ. We are not above our fellow man. We are just like them- we just happen to have reason to try and be better. We should listen to what they have to say, show a little understanding, a little love. I'm pretty sure that's what big J.C. would have done. I hope the church, Christians can get back to that.