Saved!

I went and saw the new movie "Saved!" tonight with four of my girlfriends (seeing as there are absolutely no guys my age IN THIS COUNTY, this is how it typically is). All four of us volunteer or work in high school ministry. One of my friends is as liberal as me, so I knew that the two of us would find it hilarious. The other three I wondered about.
I should have wondered.
It is definitely caustic toward the Christian culture in general, and about 95% of the satire is well deserved. And, simply put, much of it is absolutely hilarious. Let's face it, Christians are EASY to make fun of.
But what got me as I walked away from the movie (not making eye contact with some of the girls, as I was afraid of the rage that might be simmering there) was not just the humor and satire, but the truthfulness of some of the characters, and how much I sympathized with the main character, Mary, who falls away from a faith that I'm not sure was ever real to her. She was raised in the church and always surrounded by Christians, thus her faith was more a group march rather than a personal walk. She is confronted with a situation that would cause most to question God's methods or plan, and the judgment and callousness toward her from those 'Christians' around her would make almost anyone walk away. It's simply, "If this is what it means to be a Christian, then I don't want to be a part of it...and I don't know if he would even want me anymore." I wonder how many people, every day, think those very same words. I did.
Mandy Moore's character of Hillary Faye was a caricature of so many people I knew growing up. She epitomized all the reasons I began a life-long aversion to "Christian" types. From the prideful praises to the use of prayer as an excuse to gossip and it is so amazing to see how one person's false walk can harm dozens of true (but tarnished) ones. How someone who may have genuinely wanted to further God's work let it get to her pride, and thus used it as a ramp to get the things she wanted and not remember the rest.
However, the best character by far was the one of Patrick, the pastor's son and new kid in school. His character is a shining example of what a real Christian should (and often does) look like. He didn't come in with any preconceived notions as to who he was to be or how he was to effect lives. He didn't mouth off about his dislikes and gracefully considered each person before deciding his role in their life. When the mistakes and imperfections came out, he was the first to say "I don't care--we all screw up. But I know you, and I won't let that person go just because they aren't perfect." How much more loving and Christ-like can you get? If there were just ten more Patricks in the world, there'd be 100 less Marys.
I almost want more Christians to see it, not for the comedic portions, but for the characters themselves. Really observe their reactions to the people and situations around them, and then wonder if this movie didn't actually do something for the work of Christ: it let Christians know what they look like. On the drive home my friend pointed out that during the 2000 presidential race, both Gore and Bush would watch the spoofs of them on SNL to see how to improve their campaign--they used the footage of people mocking them to see how others may actually view them--and it changed the way they reacted to America.