• Jake's life clearly was being impacted by his encounter with Chris and their conversations; but the message never was more than, "Don't you want your life to count for more?" Can we get more specific please? Chris could have been mistaken for a military recruiter urging a young man to "be all he could be." Perhaps this is personal for me because I invited a young man to follow Jesus in the front seat of a driver's education car.

• I shed tears at Jake's baptism because I know the powerful truth behind that sacred public act, but does every viewer in the theater realize the powerful theological realities that must precede this sacred ritual? They won't know from this movie.

• Viewers were invited inside the church several times in this movie and heard portions of a couple different "sermons." Why not work the true gospel into one of these messages? At least mention God's offer of salvation through his Son Jesus in whom we have new life and forgiveness of sins. We don't love others for the sake of love; we love because "He first loved us"; and that love was costly.

Again, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. If you're a youth pastor looking for a good film to open conversation at youth group about the challenges today's teens face and some positive ways to work through them in a self-less way, then this film hits the nail on the head. I urge youth pastors to challenge their students to understand that true Christian transformation and discipleship goes much deeper and involves much more than just being nice to one another.

While Jake made some significant changes in his life and behavior after meeting Chris and going to youth group, one still has to ask if we have any clear reason to believe he really became a Christian by any biblical definition of the word. He certainly wasn't afforded the opportunity to hear the gospel and respond in repentance and faith on screen. To Save a Life encourages teens to help save others' lives, yet says so little about the One who truly saves and gives eternal life.

To Save A Life was culturally and sociologically bold, yet theologically and pastorally thin-skinned.

To Save a Life Resources

Watch Trailer

YCL: Devos2Go

Interview with Jim Britts