Search - Purple State of Mind on DVD

LET THE CONVERSATION BEGIN!

Loves To Read | Twin Cities, MN USA | 03/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the story of a conversation between two old friends. They roomed together as sophomores at Davidson College in 1985. They were both devout Christians. It was Craig Detweiler's first year as a Christian and John Marks's last. Craig went on to become a film producer, minister and seminary professor. John pursued a career in journalism including 60 MINUTES. When he was laid off from 60 MINUTES, he remembered a question asked of him by a Christian couple he interviewed for a special on the hugely successful Biblical End Times series called LEFT BEHIND. They asked him if he would be one of those 'left behind' and it affected him deeply. He wrote a book called REASONS TO BELIEVE about his journey in and out of the evangelical faith. Now they get back together to discuss their lives, their families, their beliefs and where they disagree and, more importantly, where they agree. Rather than the insane rhetoric heard on talk shows on TV and radio, they ask honest questions and give honest answers. It is not about winning an argument - it is about trying to understand the other person. It brings the national debate about the 'culture wars' to a new and more positive level. Perhaps there is still hope that, despite great differences, people of different faiths (we all believe something) can find what we do have in common to work together to solve problems that affect all of us. What does it profit a person if they win the culture wars and lose their friends? While it won't satisfy everybody and many Christians will disagree with some of Craig's views, it is a starting point for those who want to have a serious conversation and not a shouting match. Some of the questions (and answers) will surprise, shock and even embarrass you. No matter what your faith (or lack thereof) perspective, we all should be ready to answer the toughest questions. This may turn out to be a syllabus for 'Culture Wars 101'. WWW.LUSREVIEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM.



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Disappointed

Fraulien Gladden | Oregon | 07/19/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"As a Christian living in a blue state, I was interested in reading Purple State of Mind. The advertisements made it sound as though it would be a good discussion between an intelligent and committed Christian and an intelligent atheist/agnostic. It was noted that the two had been friends for a long time and that they dialogued together about their differences to help create more understanding of where both were coming from. Ultimately, my biggest problem with the book is that those conversations either did not happen or they were not really summarized in the book, itself. That is unfortunate, because Craig Detweiler, the Christian author, has stated that one of the reasons for writing the book was to give more of a rationale for his own more passive role in the film. Unfortunately, he continues in a very passive role in the book. Ultimately, he appears to be a good listener and an empathetic person. However, there is not much of a dialogue that goes on here. If someone is a Christian and really does not have anyone in their lives who will bring up negative things about Christianity, then they may find this book interesting. Personally, I was disappointed because there was no real give and take in the book. Mr. Marks, the (at this point) non-believer, makes some points. Mr. Detweiler agrees the church has been very flawed. He goes into great length about how Christians need to do a better job of listening to others. He does not engage in any kind of a deep response to the criticisms aimed at the church or the followers of Christ in this culture. Even if I was not a Christian, I would have been disappointed. This is like point/counterpoint....only without the counterpoint. As such, it was not that interesting or helpful to me. I will say, that Mr. Detweiler appears to be a profoundly nice person. However, I was expecting something more from the book."

Thumbs Down

Wesley C. Woodell | Searcy, AR | 03/04/2010

(2 out of 5 stars)

"While the conversations between two friends are interesting to listen to, there isn't a whole lot of substance on the Christian side. As another reviewer stated, Craig Detweiler is a very empathetic and nice man. This is very obvious in the movie. What's also obvious is Mr. Detweiler was more interested in making his friend feel good about his own agnostic positions rather than addressing the conflict between them. Nearly every answer or comment out of Detweiler's mouth (with the exception of just a couple) was an attempt to avoid conflict rather than to take a solid stand on an issue. He was very evasive instead of straight forward - Marks even frustratingly points this out in the film.



I was also disappointed with Detweiler's poor grasp of Christian theology and biblical teaching. He implies that he believes God sees nothing wrong with practicing homosexuality, and also implies that real Christians shouldn't be confident in their salvation (i.e. if you think you're saved you're probably like one of the Pharisees, if you think you aren't (like Marks) you may just be saved).



This movie isn't a total bomb ... there were some interesting moments, but I was expecting a little more substance and was left disappointed. I do not recommend this one."