I don't post reviews of things I watch, but I had to for this one. As a lifelong Christian with no intention of leaving my faith, this show made me cringe hard at their representation of the religion.
The director/main actor most likely had great intentions. However, this show comes across as shallow and self-centered for all of its talk of Christ's love. I only got through the first episode.
The "pastor" shows his love for his wife with poor communication skills, bordering on cold and passive aggressive at times. Who waltzes into the house with two kids out of the blue and just says "you'll make a great mom, honey!" as he breezes past her refusing any explanation?
The kids were convinced to go home with him because it would "make him look bad" if they slept outside on church property. 10/10 loving Christ-like behavior.
At one point the couple "talks" about keeping the kids and even though he brought them home, he stays silent through most of it, forcing her to make assumptions and then he acts like it was her idea to keep the kids. It is a truly sad representation of what I assume they think an ideal Christian couple looks like. This kind of passive aggressive communication should not be idealized even in a C-grade show.
It is probably just bad acting, but some of the faces the "pastor" makes at his wife just scream bad relationship dynamics. And the kids are really treated like an afterthought just because taking in orphans is what Christ would do.
Christ did not walk around loving people with an air of superiority in his humility, although that seems to be an endearing trait of the pastor in this show. Christ didn't go around telling people, "Hey, I have to love you because it's what the Father would do."
I take great umbridge to that message, because it really communicates to the person that the Christian cares most about their image and *appearing* to be like Christ. Similarly to the first and foremost offer of assistance always being prayer, with little else meaningful offered to address the individual's very real needs. The individual receiving the "love" or "prayer" is merely an accessory to the "perfect Christian" perception the other wants to project. Self-serving sacrifice is the modern game and it is off-putting.
This show reminds me that seeing the beauty in the souls of others and the the world around us is a gift. Fixation on the appearance of holiness is a distraction and reminiscent of the rebuked Pharisees of old.
