Spiritual
relevance? How? Well, the Christian story is, in a sense, a romantic
comedy. It’s a
comedy in the classic sense that it’s a story with a happy
ending. It’s romantic in that, according to this story, God
wants us, and pursues us, sacrifices for us, gives gifts to us,
cares for us, etc., in a way that’s analogous to a lover/beloved
relationship. This is an idea as old as the Song of Solomon, and
as recent as Ted Dekker’s excellent Circle trilogy,
where his characters practice an allegorical representation of
Christianity, which they call “The Great Romance.” So,
since the Christian story is a romantic comedy, we shouldn’t
be surprised that the themes of this kind of movie will connect.
With this in mind, perhaps Hitch can connect to those of us who’ve
been hurt by the church, or by Christians, or to those who perhaps feel they’ve
been hurt by God himself. Perhaps it can make us take down our walls or masks,
like James’ character, and be ourselves—honestly admitting that we
still want that relationship, despite the hurt, like Smith’s character.
Perhaps it can encourage us to take a chance, to remember that God’s love
really is worth it, in the end.
--Matthew
Hill
As
the end credits began to roll at the conclusion of this film, I
became slightly jealous. I felt that, had this film been made ten
years earlier, I would not have had bad luck pursuing the opposite
sex in my younger days! I wished that I had a guy like Hitch in
my life who could bring out the inner strength and confidence that
was buried inside of me. Then again, I did eventually find a guy
who brought that out of me. That guy is Jesus Christ. That may
seem “out of left field” to some, but that’s
the truth of who Jesus is. He did more than just die for our sins.
His words and His life give us the confidence and power to pursue
our dreams... as well as the hearts of those whom we love. Six
years ago, because of Him, I gained the confidence to successfully
pursue the heart of the woman who would become my wife. For many
of us married folks, understanding the words of Christ and Scripture
as a whole help to continuously shape us into confident, faithful
and loving spouses.
In the end,
the assistance that Hitch gave his clients is a metaphor for Christ's
work in our own lives. In Christ’s world, even those who
are seemingly left out of the dating game can access the power
of His awesome love, apply it to their own lives, and eventually
sweep the beautiful (inside and outside) off their feet.
I
will not post these comments. I
welcome your spiritual concerns and prayer needs. I will correspond
with you, usually within two weeks.
Email David Bruce
Hollywood
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