Testimonies

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I recently had the opportunity to see the film Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle. The film is basically about two young college graduates who get stone out of their minds and then go on a wild quest across New Jersey looking for the only thing that will sate their drug induced hunger, White Castle.

First of all, with the exception of the stereo typical portrait of the two Christian characters as complete sex-fiend nut jobs, I found the film rather funny. I was a serious stoner in hight school and I can relate to a lot of the wild adventures they get into. On the other hand I was deeply disturbed by the under lying message that there stoned adventures is life, or that some wild quest to find more drugs, sex, and cure the munchies is what life really is.

But I guess that is what Hollywood has been telling us for a long time. Hollywood would have us believe that real life is found in all the places it is not like sex, drugs, drinking, fighting, money, etc. When the truth is just the opposite. None of things of the world have life in there. The only place to find life, real life, is in Christ Jesus and his Kingdom.

The sad truth is that no matter how likable Harold and Kumar are they are on a road straight to hell. Not so much because of there life style, but because they are as much victim of the the Hollywood lie machine telling them to grab all "The Gusto" they can before it is to late, and that life that they find will empower them to stand up and be strong. The other sad part is that "The Church" would more likely spend its time telling these two young men that they are going to hell if they don't get there act together rather than embracing them and love them and telling them the truth, that Jesus dyed on the cross for them and that tell can find what they really seek in him.

In many ways Harold and Kumar are a personification of the desires and needs of the youth of today on a quest to find meaning in life. There is obviously a deep hunger in each of them for something more than White Castle, there is a hunger for love and acceptance and meaning. None of which are going to be found in smoking dope, getting laid by complete strangers, riding a cheetah, stealing your arch-nemesis' van, or telling your boss "where to go and how to get their".


Why isn't the church embracing people like this?


What would Jesus have done if he met up with these guys?


I think the answer is obvious, he would have given them directions to White Castle and gone a long for a burger and hung out with them in order to give them a taste of real life. Who knows he might of have even invited them to be his disciples. But I don't think Jesus would spent a lot of time giving them a lecture on what was wrong in the lives and how they need to clean it up before they could hang with him.

Needless to say the only real life is found in Jesus and his Kingdom. As representatives of that Kingdom we need to get over ourselves and being willing to embrace the "untouchables" with love. Until we, The Church, do that as a whole more and more people are going to go to hell out of ignorance. And I admit I am not prefect in this, but at least I am trying.

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