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Response to Remember the Titans

Remember the Titans is an awesome movie! It is not only a great football movie, it is an inspiring story. It is definitely one of my favorite films of all time. Not to mention it is a youth pastor’s (or any communicator for that matter) dream come true.
There are great scenes for almost any topic you can think of. Here are a few I thought of... anger, prejudice, discrimination, racism, fear, friendship, respect, mentors, leadership, hypocrisy, tolerance, forgiveness, honesty, teamwork, trust, self-control, hatred, character, attitude, humility, pride, learning from others mistakes, perseverance, going against the crowd, standing up for what you believe, tragedy, priorities, unity, courage, acceptance, facing adversity, making choices, winning & losing, and even music choices! I was considering having a clip from Titans for every message I did for an entire year.
And all the great lines...
“What an opportunity for me then, to learn from the best.”(Coach Boone)
“Who’s your daddy?” (Coach Boone)
“Attitude reflects leadership, captain.” (Julius Campbell)
“This is Gettysburg... take a lesson from the dead.” (Coach Boone)
“I don’t care if you like each other, but you will respect each other.” (Coach Boone)
“Are all white girls that crazy?” (Cheryl Yoast)
“I’m not playing, I’m accessorizing.” (Nikki Boone)
“Welcome to my life, Yoast.” (Coach Boone)
“Leave no doubt.” (Coach Yoast)
“Don’t you see the family resemblance? That’s my brother.” (Gary Bertier)

I think what I like best about Titans is the message of overcoming - overcoming mental, physical, social, and spiritual obstacles. We all face many tough times in life. And most of those tough times can’t be fixed with human effort and encouragement alone. Jesus said, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Although I highly doubt that anyone would come to know Jesus just by watching Remember the Titans, there are so many ways this film can be used to introduce Jesus to others. Of course, simply watching it occasionally just to be inspired is not bad either.

John Wood
Pastor of Student Ministries
The Wesleyan Church of Hamburg

posted by Kerry at 7:36 AM