The movie shares how Smith, although reluctant at first, welcomed those who looked and acted differently from him, his family, and those who attended his church.
Living in a nation where the sexual revolution has introduced a crisis of gender identity upon a generation like never before, Laurie encouraged pastors to “open our hearts and open the doors of our church to anyone who would come in.”
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Laurie explained that “Jesus said, ‘Whosoever will, let him come,’ and he also said, ‘He that would come to me I would in no way cast out.’ Even if these people look different than us, the objective is not for them to clean their life up and come to Christ. They need to come to Christ, and he will clean their life up.”
“So the church needs to engage in bridge building, not bridge burning. We need to be peacemakers, not troublemakers. We need to be stepping stones, not stumbling blocks,” Laurie said. “I think sometimes in the church, we are focusing on second tier issues, as in maybe how a person votes or how they dress, when really we should be focusing on our spiritual issues.”
Pastors and evangelists, Laurie emphasized, “must call them to God.”
Concluding the interview, Laurie advised pastors to keep their relationship with Christ their number one priority in life, a detail depicted well in the movie.
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“Your number one priority as a pastor is your relationship with Christ. Keep that strong. You’re a Christian first; ministry comes second. Just walk with the Lord, live a godly life, and a life of integrity. Number two is your family. Don’t put your family on the sacrificial altar of ministry. Your first ministry is to them, then to your congregation.”
