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Because we're writing this before the movie is released, we can't speak definitively about what it contains, but according to Amy Nicholson, film critic for [LA Weekly, it tracks "the trials and tribulations [Lin] endured on his path to a three-year, $25-million contract with the Houston Rockets." Nicholson also says the movie "doesn't -- and shouldn't -- hide its star's religious beliefs."
Those "trials and tribulations" (Nicholson's term, not Lin's) include Lin's not being offered a college scholarship to play basketball, being passed over in the NBA draft out of Harvard University and then, after receiving a partially guaranteed contract deal in 2010 with his hometown Golden State Warriors, his mostly riding the bench and spending time in the Development League. The following preseason, he was waived by the Warriors and the Rockets before joining the New York Knicks early in the 2011-12 season. But there he seldom was sent on the court and spent time in the D-League. That all changed in February 2012, when he unexpectedly led a winning streak for the Knicks and was promoted to the starting lineup. This led to the worldwide following dubbed "Linsanity." In 2012, Lin signed the contract with the Rockets.
Lin is one of only a few Asian Americans in NBA history, and he's the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the league. Several observers believe that his ethnicity caused him to be under-recruited as a basketball player because Asians are more often stereotyped as math and science whizzes than as athletes.
In an interview with The Christian Post about the movie, the interviewer asked, "In the NBA, you've played for teams in San Francisco, New York, and now you are in Houston. How are you handling these transitions?"
Lin's response suggests he believes God to be leading him: "For me it's just where God calls me to be, and as long as I know that, I will have peace deep down inside even though I might not enjoy what's going on or not enjoy what just happened, or whatever; as long as I know I'm where God wants me to be, that's the most important thing. In my life, he has taken me to a lot of different places and a lot of unexpected turns, but at the end, he's been faithful through it all."
Nicholson's review also picks up that view. She quotes Lin, referring to the tough times before his breakout success with the Knicks, saying, "I know God orchestrated the whole thing. Nothing in my life will happen that's not according to God's plan.
More on this story can be found at these links:
NBA's Jeremy Lin Talks About Faith, Fame, and Racism. Religion News Service
Jeremy Lin on Embracing 'Linsanity' Spotlight, Where God Wants Him to Be. Christian Post
Linsanity Examines Jeremy Lin as an Asian-American NBA Star, and a Christian. LA Weekly
Linsanity: the Movie
The Big Questions
1. As a follower of Jesus, how do you interpret the ups and downs of your life? Are they part of God's plan for you? Does God actually have individual plans for us? Tell what you base your answer on.
2. Does God call some people to lucrative sports careers? If so, why might God do that?
3. Would you attribute the slow start of Lin's pro-basketball career to God's will? With so many young adults going through slow career starts, is there something God wants all of them to learn, or are such starts simply a reflection of the state of the economy and the job market, having nothing to do with faith? Can it be "both-and"? If so, how? Explain your answer.
4. One of the online commenters, responding to the LA Weekly review of the movie, took issue with Lin's statement "I know God orchestrated this whole thing" by saying, "So God, who ignores the Billion ills happening in the World at any given moment, decided [Lin] becoming a Millionaire Basketball Player was a huge priority? Religious people slay me." How would you reply to that person? Does Matthew 10:29-31 help answer the question?
5. When have you been convinced that some course of action was God's will for you? How did you know?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Amos 7:14-15
Then Amos answered Amaziah, "I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'" (For context, read 7:14-17.)
After Amos the prophet spoke a hard prophecy against the people of Bethel in Israel, the chief priest of Bethel, Amaziah, told Amos to go home to Judah and tell them about their sins, but leave Israel alone. Amos responded with the words above.
To put Amos' reply into a contemporary setting, Amos was saying, "Look, I'm not preaching here because I've got a yen to be a minister. I'm a layperson, a farmer, but God has called me to speak to this situation, and I've got to obey him." He was saying that his life had taken an unexpected turn. He never imagined that he would ever do anything other than herd sheep and tend sycamore trees. Yet here he was, preaching for God in another country.
Questions: When we end up doing something we didn't expect or prepare for, how do we determine if the unexpected change was God's idea? How do we test what we think might be a call from God?
Matthew 12:50
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. (For context, read 12:46-50.)
Romans 8:28 (NIV)
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (For context, read 8:18-30.)
That God has a definite will in some things is clear from Scripture. Jesus spoke the words above on a day when he was out teaching some crowds. Someone interrupted to tell him that his mother and brothers were at the edge of the crowd, wanting to speak to him. We're not told whether Jesus eventually went to them or not, but his first response was to point to the crowd and say, "Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother" (vv. 49-50).
So Jesus plainly says that God has a will to which we should conform (See also the Lord's Prayer: "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" --Matthew 6:10.) There's no question that God's will for all of us is that we should live righteously and love our neighbor.
Yet in Romans, Paul seems to imply that whether or not we follow God's specific guidance, God will work things out for the good -- note, not necessarily for the best. That may imply that God has less of a specific plan than a promise to be with us as we use our gifts, talents and decisions in life.
Question: Beyond God's general will for all of us, does God have a detailed plan, individually tailored, for each of us that includes what sort of job we should take, whether and who we should marry and how many children we should have, whether we would should pursue a basketball career and so on?
Acts 18:20-21
When they asked him to stay longer, he declined; but on taking leave of them, he said, "I will return to you, if God wills." Then he set sail from Ephesus. (For context, read 18:18-21.)
"... if God wills." Clearly the apostle Paul, the speaker in the verse above, believed God had an individual will for him regarding where he should go.
Question: In what ways do you try to determine what God wants you to do?
James 4:13-15
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money." Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. ... Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that." (For context, read 4:13-17.)
Question: Do you think James was saying that God has a plan customized for each one of us, or is he simply saying that God's will trumps our own? Explain your answer.
Genesis 50:20
Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. (For context, read 50:15-21.)
When Joseph's brothers had betrayed him and sold him into slavery, they never imagined that their act would result in Joseph becoming highly placed in the government of Egypt. That was an unexpected consequence. But Joseph interprets their deed as a means for God's will to be accomplished.
Question: How does hindsight figure into our understanding of God's will?
For Further Discussion
1. Does God care about our minor decisions, such as what clothes you decided to wear to church today or what food you had for lunch yesterday? Are there any circumstances when such decisions might actually not be as minor as they seem? If so, does that change your answer about whether God cares about them? Explain.
2. Comment on this, seen on a large banner hanging in a church: On the banner is a large footprint, and across it are the words, "The sign of God is that we are led where we did not intend to go."
3. Tell what role you think God played in these decisions: what career or job you chose; whom, or whether, you married; how many children you have, if any; and your choice to attend your present church.
Responding to the News
You might arrange to take your youth group to see Linsanity, or make plans for your TWW group or another group of adults to attend together. If you do, be sure to arrange for a time following to discuss, from a biblical perspective, what they saw and heard. It may also be helpful to discuss where you think Lin still has room to mature spiritually. Closing Prayer
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