How to Share Your Faith Using Fat Albert
Was it really almost 20 years ago when Fat Albert and the gang sprung to life and became a Saturday morning staple for millions of people? I’m pretty sure I never missed an episode, because Albert and his band banded together to bring excellent entertainment and examples to the American airwaves.
“Hey, Hey, Hey!!!” - He’s back and bountiful as ever. Except this time Albert and the gang are transported from the cartoon world of the late ‘70s to the increasingly cold hearted and cruel world of today. They are on a problem solving mission for a disheartened teen named Doris , and they are granted only a temporary amount of time in which to accomplish their task.
This film is incredibly refreshing. It doesn’t stoop to gutter humor to “liven it up,” and it is a fascinating look at when “worlds collide.” Albert and the Gang show how the (mostly) innocent philosophy of 20 years past is less than comfortable with the progressively more morally bankrupt modern attitude. The underlying themes are a very simple yet much needed reminder for all of us. Essentially this movie demonstrates the power of the golden rule, taught by Jesus not twenty but over two thousand years ago:
Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God's Law and Prophets and this is what you get. (Matthew 7:12 The Message)
This comes out in several scenes that encourage viewers to break down walls between cliques, be who you really are, and enjoy life as a gift. Any or all of these concepts make a great tie-in to sharing the G.O.S.P.E.L Journey with your friends. Here are a few suggestions:
- Breaking down walls between cliques. This movie makes it clear that we shouldn’t let our “crowd” be our only circle of contacts. Popular and unpopular, athletic and brainy should befriend each other, because deep down we are all very much alike. In the same way, there was a wall between the Creator and the created (us) because of the wrong things we have done. Jesus came to earth to break down that wall by dying on the cross so we could have a friendship with God. There are no cliques with Christ, He loves everyone the same.
- Be who you really are. One of the ways the gang encourages Doris is by cheering her on to be who she really is. Many people struggle with trying to be somebody else because they aren’t confident in themselves. A big reason behind student’s lack of self-esteem is the lack of a relationship with Jesus. People cannot really be who they were made to be until they make peace with the One who made them.
- Enjoy life as a gift.
Fat Albert is a great reminder of how Christians should act. We haven’t come through a TV set to help those in need, but we have passed from spiritual death into spiritual life so we can give people the most marvelous hope of life in the universe! The problem is that many of us are content to stay in our Christian “box,” so we never get the chance to share the good news that people desperately need to hear. Every believer has a “Doris” in his or her life, and if you don’t you need to find one. The world is calling us with its tears. Are you going to respond?
