Review of For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) by Yui I — 10 Aug 2009

"For the Bible Tells Me So" shines light on the struggle experienced by contemporary Christian families when two emerging yet opposing social phenomena of the past century collide: Biblical literalism that found its roots in widespread but elementary public literacy and growing acceptance of homosexuals as a result of Americans being more open and honest with their friends and family. The film illustrates the pain experienced by families who are subjected to spiritual violence from those who read the Bible but fail to understand it and follows the journey of those families and others who struggle to take the Gospel as it is to a broader following.

You'll love this film if you are a Christian struggling to reconcile the treatment of gays by the Church or if you are a gay who was rejected by the Church of your upbringing. You'll also love it if you are a family who, for some reason or another, didn't fit the precise mold that your were instructed to by your Church.

This movie isn't preachy. It's informative, entertaining and spiritually moving.

Two lines from a theologian in the film keep running through my head: (1) "A fifth grade understanding of the Bible is fine--in fifth grade; (2) "That might be how the Bible reads, but that isn't what the Bible says." The third line that I keep hearing in my head when I think about this film wasn't in the movie at all, "As I have loved you, love one another." Seems to me life would be rather simple and pleasant if so-called Christian preachers could live by that last one.

Now if only I could remember who said that third line...