Mad Max and the Ministry

I always liked Mad Max Road Warrior. It’s an exciting post-apocalyptic movie with a lot of action and cool cars. I watched it recently and realized I had never really seen the message of the movie. If you haven’t seen the first or second movie then let me warn you that I’m about to give some spoilers. In Mad Max, society is on the edge of collapse. Max is a cop whose wife and child at the end of the movie are killed by a motorcycle gang. He was a righteous man who dedicated himself to law enforcement but he lost everything at the hands of evil men. Road Warrior is the next movie. At this point a nuclear holocaust has occurred and people are living for themselves and trying to survive. Max is this a lone individual driving around scavenging what he can with his only friend, which happens to be a dog. He lives by himself and for himself. 

Resources are a premium in Max’s world and one of the most valuable is gasoline. In the course of the movie, Max helps out a community that has an immense amount of gasoline. They are being constantly attacked by a a gang of murderers. Max’s only reason for helping them is so he can fill his gas tanks and go back on the road. They however want him to stay with the community so that they can build something better. They are desperate for his help but he turns them down. It is during that time he is confronted by one of the leaders who tells him that he isn’t the only person who has been hurt or lost something. Eventually Max does become part of something larger than himself and helps these people. 

I was struck by this movie in its parallels to my own life. I was a minister who lost everything. The church I pastored eventually had to close because of lack of finances. My wife then left me and pursued an unbiblical divorce. The presbytery I belonged to abandoned and betrayed me. They were led astray by influential ministers who used strong arm tactics to force me out of the ministry. I was devastated and I couldn’t believe what was happening. 

As I looked at the film I identified with Max. Bitterness and resentment were invading me. Fighting those feelings was and is a daily challenge. There is an enormous desire to be by myself with maybe the exception of a dog because at least they will remain loyal. However there is something bigger that I and everyone can live for. There is a community. That is most certainly the church. There are many people that need your help. Or it may be a group of Christians such as this forum. 

You don’t want to be caught in isolation. That will definitely be tempting. Start to move out and seek ways that you can serve. God has brought these experiences in your life for a reason. It is not to be stuck alone on a road like Max. You are going to see that everyone has been hurt or has lost something. Even if they haven’t then they will. I have learned through my experience that everyone gets hit. It is not a matter of if but when. You can be there to help them. 

Go to another church, but don’t just hide there. Don’t curl up in the fetal position and cry forever. Talk to people. It’ll be hard to trust, but you don’t have to at first. Just listen and nod and be kind.

And if you want to start really small, you can join our little community here. We call it Former Ministers Anonymous. You can email one of us who posts on this blog - the email addresses are anonymous. We want to make other former ministers owners of this blog as well. This isn’t one person’s blog or two peoples’ blog. This is a blog for former ministers. We want to build an online anonymous community where men who have had to walk away from the ministry can commiserate together, tell their stories, and help each other. 

Join us. Tell your story. Get it off your chest. Get back on your feet. There’s no judgment here. We aren’t ashamed to be associated with you. It’s anonymous, not because we’re ashamed to be associated with each other, but because we don’t want to hurt the church or our fellow sinners saved by grace.