If you have a Facebook account, there are two questions within your profile that you either spent significant time contemplating or little to no time bypassing all together: religious view? and political view? Two questions that inevitably communicate more than anyone would ever desire. If your political view reads "liberal" - you are a democrat that welcomes socialization and is "anti" anything religious/conservative. If you select "conservative" - you are pro-privatization, certainly a Christian, and likely drive an SUV with a pro-life bumper sticker. Similar perceptions and distinctions emerge when religious/faith-based words become attached. Think about it. The sheer mention of the following words birth an array of assumptions: evangelical, catholic, atheist, Muslim, Christian, Mormon (to name a few).
What intrigues me about the "labeling" conversation is not the intricacies of the language and identifiers we could debate ad nauseam, but the simple belief that different "views" (political or religious) are ultimately in opposition and therefore cannot coexist. Sure, we can agree that we can inhabit the same earth (can we?), but beyond this - high-emotion, conflict, and non-interaction is a common reality.
This tension that exists within our western culture is the context and inspiration for the documentary film Purple State of Mind - a conversational film revolving around the seemingly different belief systems of two college roommates, Craig Detweiler and John Marks. As roommates at Davidson College in the 80s, Craig was beginning his first year in the Christian faith and John was experiencing his last. Some 25 years later... Craig is a filmmaker, teacher, and Christian living in Los Angeles. John is a writer, producer, and atheist living in New York. And the nation? Well, it has somehow become codependent on a red state/blue state war.
When "a Christian and atheist walk into a bar" sounds like the beginning of a joke - it is a sad reality - and very much the setting of Purple State of Mind. And this is the beauty of the film: two friends with different labels walk into a bar together (along with a handful of other places). The result? A film that is not so much about who is right or wrong, but a film that embraces the wonder of conversation and coexistence.
Having participated in a number of screenings around the documentary in recent weeks, I can vouch for the conversations to be had and invite you to join in. The director's extend their invitation too:
Welcome to a conversation between two old friends. Welcome to a real conversation about the things that divide and unite all of us: our memories, our identities, our beliefs, our choices..... At a time when the country is ever more divided over questions of faith and doubt, welcome to a new way of talking... welcome to a new territory of the heart. Welcome to a Purple State of Mind.
Purple State of Mind is available for purchase at Amazon.
Enjoy.
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Both John and Craig are friends and participants of rednoW and we can confidently say that we are all better off as a result. For more information on their work, the film, and their blog, visit www.purplestateofmind.com.
Purple State of Mind (Trailer)
