Components Of The Christian Worldview In The Movie I Can Only Imagine

God started out creating the heavens and Earth. “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters”. The new world all started with one male and one female named Adam and Eve. They were not the best example of what God had in mind for His children, as they chose to disobey Him by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and now the rest of the world has to pay for their choice to sin.

Since creation, the world has become a different place than God intended. Psalms 46:6 says, “The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts” (ESV). The world has fallen to selfishness and evil. As of 2015, Christianity was still the world’s largest religion, but it only accounts for 31% of the Earth’s population. This declining statistic indicates society’s push away from God. Murder, rape, war, premarital sex, drugs, divorce, and violence are the typical things shown in the news and television shows. At the same time, however, Christians yearn for things to be made right, for God to take control. Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied”. God understands the freedom of choice He gave yet He has not left the world alone. He sent His disciples, apostles, preachers and missionaries into the world. He has also called every Christian to witness to others in everyday life. Mark 16:15 says, “And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation’”. In this way, God is advancing His kingdom.

The Christian Worldview is a personal belief that the Bible is a person’s belief foundation, and that the Bible is God’s instruction book to follow. Christians believe that everyone sins and are only saved through the blood of Jesus Christ. It is their purpose to live for Him, obeying His commandments. Other worldviews can invade the Christian Worldview, because sin is appealing, and is ever more increasing in visibility and advertisement in the world. In each worldview, there are six basic components: God, nature, human nature, knowledge, the problem, and the solution. This is also true of a Christian Worldview. Each of these basic components is seen in the movie I Can Only Imagine, as both a problem, and a solution. The movie is the true story behind MercyMe’s hit song by the same name.

The movie begins with a young Bart Millard and his alcoholic and abusive father. Because of the abuse, Bart’s mother leaves and Bart is alone with his dad. Bart’s father was once a football star, but an injury kept him from further success. In the movie, Bart’s father continually compares his success with that of his son’s success and believes since Bart is not successful in the same way, Bart is a failure. The father frequently shows his anger towards Bart as he gets older, as this argument of failure is common between the two. The alcoholism and abusiveness push Bart even further away from his father. This is a common problem in today’s society, and destroys families. This is not what God intended a family to be. However, there is hope in God. Even in despair, God did not leave this family. God uses Bart as part of His redeeming work with his father.

The first component seen in the movie is God. Bart’s mother, before she left, sent him to a church camp. This is the first glimpse of God in the movie. There, Bart becomes a Christian. There are glimpses of God’s work throughout the movie. For example, Bart breaks his leg playing football and a door is opened for him to be the lead in a musical, even though he does not want to do it at first. This is his first time on stage and he sings beautifully. Living for God drives Bart’s life as he grows older, and was these experiences are part of God’s plan. God’s desire is that all know him, and Bart obeys. The second component seen in the movie is human nature. As sinners, the inclination is to do evil. Bart’s father has anger, which is a sin, inside of him. The anger engulfs him and drives him to more evil. Even after Bart decides to follow Christ, he struggles with forgiving his father. He continues his singing career on the road only going home when he needs to. It is only through God’s grace that Bart’s father accepts Christ as his Savior and they reconcile their relationship. The problems of alcoholism, abuse, hate, and separation in families are apparent. This is the third component seen in the movie. The sins of the father are the ones that are most noticed. However, Bart also does not forgive, and has anger about the things in the past that need resolved. All of these sins have a ripple effect. The actions of Bart’s father affect his wife and his son. According to the Childhood Domestic Violence Association, “those who grow up with domestic violence are 6 times more likely to commit suicide and 50% more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol”. In addition, “children of domestic violence are 3 times more likely to repeat the cycle in adulthood” and “74% more likely to commit a violent crime”. This sin is society’s problem.

A fourth component seen in the movie is the solution. As Bart grows up, he sings at church. Even though Bart does not know it, his father listens to him on the radio. Bart tries to live a Christian life, singing from city to city with his band, but his relationship with his father still bothers him. Bart’s father tries to make amends with his son, but Bart feels as though it is too late. When he finds out his father is sick, God begins to heal their relationship. The work of God is revealed through this miracle. Bart continues with his band after his father’s death, and struggles to write a hit song. With the help of his manager, he begins to understand that his song has to be personal. He writes “I Can Only Imagine” as the testimony of God’s work in his life. The words of the song say, “I can only imagine when all I would do is forever, forever worship you“. He writes about the wonder that all Christians have about heaven. As Bart sings the song, he imagines seeing his father smile in the audience. The solutions in the movie, through God’s continuous work, are that Bart’s father becomes a Christian and Bart writes his hit song. As a Christian artist, Bart is part of God’s plan for spreading His word and redeeming the world.