Fireproof

No, this entry will not be a topic for parents to help them prevent their children from burning down the homestead. What I'll be chatting about is the upcoming movie from the makers of Facing the Giants. This is a Christian film with a Christian message and one that is so needed in today's dark society where marriage (the main topic of this movie) is treated like nothing more than a fond friendship that's picked up and put down with little thought.

I originally heard about this movie back in November of '07 when I reported it on my News Headline site. I was very excited given what the directors, producers and screenwriters were talking about back then. And I'm even MORE excited now after learning more, watching the trailer and listening to interviews of the main star, Kirk Cameron (I will dedicate future posts to Kirk regarding his salvation, his wife and family, their involvement in Camp Firefly, his involvement in The Way of the Master evangelism, TV show and radio program, as well as his recent autobiography which I finished a few weeks ago). I mean, I loved Facing the Giants and although it was a bit "corny" in places, it had a very good story and was suitable for the entire family. How often does that come along?

And while the budget for Facing the Giants was limited to $100K, Fireproof is much better looking and has a more professional polish since they had a budget of $500K! The movie has been show several times to select audiences and it started with a screening at the SBC Pastor's Convention this past June. They actually started this convention a half-day early so that they could watch the film, then get together to discuss how they could support it in their churches!

At the helm of the project are the Kendrick brothers, Alex and Stephen. When asked why they were doing this movie, they replied:

"The foundation of marriage has been attacked, devalued and redefined by many in our culture," he said. "It is our desire to tell a story that would allow the audience to relate to common marital issues, and then to take them down a path toward understanding principles for unconditioned love through the roles of husband and wife. Our hope would be that after viewing the film, couples and singles hoping to marry would be challenged and exhorted to pursue God-honoring relationships that reinforce the foundations of marriage in light of a relationship with Jesus Christ. We want people to realize that fireproof does not mean the absence of fire, but the ability to withstand it."

As far as support from the religious sphere, the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Focus on the Family and FamilyLife are backing the film and urging people to go see it.

One little tidbit I found funny when listening to an interview with Kirk about the film and which he also discusses in his autobiography regards a scene near the end of the movie. In this scene he and his movie wife are to share a passionate kiss but Kirk admitted to the Kendrick brothers that he simply could not do this. The solution? They flew in Kirk's real wife, put a wig on her to make her look more like the movie wife and dimmed the lights so they could film the scene using Kirk and his real wife! Gotta love a man of integrity and faithfulness!

Here are a few older articles that give some background info:

Kirk Cameron Joins Movie-Making Church for 3rd Film

'Giants' Makers Working On New Movie

Here are the articles that came out at the SBC Pastor's Convention:

Pastors' Conference: Prepare For Revival

'Fireproof' Set To Be 'Giant' In Theaters

Here are a set of the most recent articles put out by the Baptist Press:

Makers Of 'Facing The Giants' Tackle Marriage In 'Fireproof'

'Fireproof' Offers Churches Unique Chance

Kendrick Brothers On Track For Another Hit

Volunteers Called Backbone Of 'Fireproof'

Here are two reviews:

'Fireproof' A Big League Film

Tim Challies

Last but not least are the two official movie websites. The first is where you'll find a very good trailer (large size, great audio) and the second, according to the makers, "provides information about marriage-strengthening resources scheduled to be released simultaneously with the Fireproof DVD in January 2009."

Fireproof movie website

Fireproof My Marriage website

So, please, spend some time reading these articles, watch the trailer to get a glimpse of what's in store and then start talking to everyone you know! As one person associated with the film put it:

"The opening weekend is the key and is so critical," Catt said. "Unfortunately, we live in a society with movies where it's market driven and box-office driven. Sept. 26 is huge. That opening weekend determines how it spreads. We had a great opening weekend with Facing the Giants, and so it spread to other cities. We started in 400 theaters and ended up in over 1,000, and a lot of that was based on what happened the first weekend, because it let people know this is a legitimate film. The key to that was churches, the key to that was pastors standing up in their pulpits and saying, 'We gripe about Hollywood. Here's something positive. It's a film we can go to and support.'"

Get your pastor, elders, deacons, church family, friends and coworkers excited about this movie. Pass along some links and have them view the trailer. Then think about spending some time in prayer for God to be glorified through this and help those lost in darkness either directly through the film, its web site or by using us as we take the plunge to talk about this movie and why it's so important to bring our faith in God to the table.