Faith Fight Club
Stories
Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit
Series V, Cycle C
Object:
But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (vv. 11-12)
Based on the satiric novel by Chuck Palahniuk, the 1999 movie, Fight Club is a modern-day morality play warning of the decay of society. Edward Norton narrates the film as Jack, a disenchanted recall investigator for a major automobile manufacturer. Bored with his nine-to-five life and suffering from insomnia, he takes his doctor's advice and begins attending various support groups and twelve-step meetings to encounter people who really have problems.
While flying across the country investigating car crashes, Jack meets Tyler Durden portrayed by Brad Pitt. Tyler is a soap salesman with a warped philosophy about life. In two part-time jobs, he expresses his antisocial behavior. As a projectionist, he splices pornographic images into family films. And as a waiter, he spikes food with body fluids.
At first, Jack isn't drawn to Tyler. But when his condo is blown up and he has no real friends to turn to, he calls up Tyler. After several rounds of beer, Tyler urges Jack to hit him while in the parking lot. After reluctantly doing so, the two get into an invigorating fight that changes Jack's life.
Jack moves in to Tyler's large, rundown home. They continue to therapeutically fight. Others come to watch. As they become assimilated into the philosophy, these onlookers become participants and a Fight Club is born.
There are two rules: only two men can spar at a given time and no one can mention the club outside their circle. The Fight Club eventually swells into a nationwide fascist group becoming decidedly more antisocial. Jack sees it as out of control and wonders if Tyler's going too far.
Fight Club presents the vast emptiness of life -- filled with shallowness, consumerism, and emptiness.
At one point, Tyler Durden expresses his frustration in life. He said, "We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war ... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact."
Do you hear the voice of one who is mad at the world? The voice of someone who wants more out of life? Have you ever felt that way?
Being mad at life is no reason to fight another human being. But because people are mad at life -- because there is more to life -- we fight the good fight of faith. We are the Faith Fight Club.
Paul wrote to Timothy and encouraged him to "fight the good fight of the faith." He wasn't telling Timothy to join Tyler Durden's Fight Club. But he wanted Timothy to be determined like a boxer who goes the full ten rounds.
Paul was encouraging Timothy to live out the profession he made at his baptism: that Jesus is Lord. And he urged Timothy to take hold of the eternal life that he professed. A good paraphrase may be "take action in the faith you have claimed." The weapons in this faith fight are righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.
The Faith Fight Club exists because of people like characters in the movie, Fight Club. We pursue the eternal life that we have professed to believe. We fight for that life -- for ourselves and for people whose earthly lives are miserable. We have something that is worth fighting for. So take action and fight for eternal life by living for Christ and leading others to Christ. Fight the good fight.
Based on the satiric novel by Chuck Palahniuk, the 1999 movie, Fight Club is a modern-day morality play warning of the decay of society. Edward Norton narrates the film as Jack, a disenchanted recall investigator for a major automobile manufacturer. Bored with his nine-to-five life and suffering from insomnia, he takes his doctor's advice and begins attending various support groups and twelve-step meetings to encounter people who really have problems.
While flying across the country investigating car crashes, Jack meets Tyler Durden portrayed by Brad Pitt. Tyler is a soap salesman with a warped philosophy about life. In two part-time jobs, he expresses his antisocial behavior. As a projectionist, he splices pornographic images into family films. And as a waiter, he spikes food with body fluids.
At first, Jack isn't drawn to Tyler. But when his condo is blown up and he has no real friends to turn to, he calls up Tyler. After several rounds of beer, Tyler urges Jack to hit him while in the parking lot. After reluctantly doing so, the two get into an invigorating fight that changes Jack's life.
Jack moves in to Tyler's large, rundown home. They continue to therapeutically fight. Others come to watch. As they become assimilated into the philosophy, these onlookers become participants and a Fight Club is born.
There are two rules: only two men can spar at a given time and no one can mention the club outside their circle. The Fight Club eventually swells into a nationwide fascist group becoming decidedly more antisocial. Jack sees it as out of control and wonders if Tyler's going too far.
Fight Club presents the vast emptiness of life -- filled with shallowness, consumerism, and emptiness.
At one point, Tyler Durden expresses his frustration in life. He said, "We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war ... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact."
Do you hear the voice of one who is mad at the world? The voice of someone who wants more out of life? Have you ever felt that way?
Being mad at life is no reason to fight another human being. But because people are mad at life -- because there is more to life -- we fight the good fight of faith. We are the Faith Fight Club.
Paul wrote to Timothy and encouraged him to "fight the good fight of the faith." He wasn't telling Timothy to join Tyler Durden's Fight Club. But he wanted Timothy to be determined like a boxer who goes the full ten rounds.
Paul was encouraging Timothy to live out the profession he made at his baptism: that Jesus is Lord. And he urged Timothy to take hold of the eternal life that he professed. A good paraphrase may be "take action in the faith you have claimed." The weapons in this faith fight are righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.
The Faith Fight Club exists because of people like characters in the movie, Fight Club. We pursue the eternal life that we have professed to believe. We fight for that life -- for ourselves and for people whose earthly lives are miserable. We have something that is worth fighting for. So take action and fight for eternal life by living for Christ and leading others to Christ. Fight the good fight.
