Alex Kendrick Multiverse Theory

I’m a huge fan of the movies by Alex and Stephen Kendrick. Chances are, you’ve heard of or watched some of them if you’re a fan of either religious or feel good family films. I’d like to talk about Alex Kendrick and my multiverse theory surrounding his appearances in his films.

They’re all connected.

But first, a few disclaimers-

Stephen- I’m not trying to disrespect you at all. I realize you’re probably as involved as your brother in making the films. But since you’re behind-the-scenes most of the time, I’ll have to focus on Alex. But don’t think for a moment I didn’t notice you as a jump rope competition judge, race starter, and, my favorite that’s close to my own heart, United States Marine.

Alex and Stephen- I would kill, especially if I have to in a roll, to be an extra in one of your films. Nothing special. I’m fine being Outlaw Biker #2 or maybe Bearded Thug in Bar. Just call me guys!

This is meant to be fun and not doctrinal, so enjoy it. Although the multiverse is fun in science fiction films and comic books and makes for an interesting brainstorming exercise, there is no indication of its existence in the Bible or science. It is merely conjectural.

Let’s dive on into the Alex Kendrick Multiverse Theory.

This theory covers the movies made by the Kendrick Brothers. They include:

• Flywheel
• Facing the Giants
• Fireproof
• Courageous
• War Room
• Overcomer
• Two other films are included because of Alex Kendrick’s involvement, even though they’re not formally Kendrick Brothers films. They are:
• Mom’s Night Out, starring Alex Kendrick
• Like Arrows, produced by Alex and Stephen Kendrick and starring Alex Kendrick
• The Lost Medallion, starring Alex Kendrick, is not included in the list because an occupation is never mentioned, although his caring nature and love for others demonstrates the same qualities as his other characters.

In real life, Alex Kendrick has been a radio DJ, youth pastor, associate pastor, and now involved with the Kendrick Brothers productions, which includes all aspects of making movies and writing books associated with them.

How does this fit into the concept of the Kendrick Multiverse Theory?

It is my assertion that Alex Kendrick plays the same person in each movie that he is in real life, with only a few differences based on diversions in his path as he grew up.

Broken down by movie, these are the occupations or callings that Kendrick’s characters portrayed-

• Flywheel- Used car salesman
• Facing the Giants- High school football coach
• Fireproof- Pastor
• Courageous- Police officer
• War Room- Pharmaceutical CEO
• Overcomer- High school basketball and track coach
• Mom’s Night Out- Pastor
• Like Arrows- Caterer

From this we can see certain patterns, personality traits, and character qualities emerge, such as-

• Caring
• Leans on God before it’s too late
• Chooses the right path following trials, tribulations, and mistakes
• Isn’t perfect
• Helps others
• Encourages others
• Inspires others to live to their potential by living to his

The conclusion of my Alex Kendrick Multiverse Theory is that the being known as Alex Kendrick grew up the same in each reality. These realities diverged at some point between late high school and college. It was at this point that an event occurred that splintered his life into various areas, created numerous multiverses and the plotlines and characters for his films. Each film is actually Kendrick catching a glimpse of one of those multiverses and projecting his dream onto the screen.

• Flywheel- He drops out of college to run a used car dealership.
• Facing the Giants and Overcomer- He goes to college for a teaching degree with a minor in exercise science.
• Fireproof and Mom’s Night Out- Following undergrad he attends seminary.
• Courageous- He goes on to college to pursue a degree in criminal justice.
• War Room- Following undergrad he goes on to get his MBA.
• Like Arrows- He gets a degree in culinary school and moves on to open his own catering business.

If we attach the ideas of prominence and time to each movie, we can see how close that universe is to the original Alex Kendrick. Prominence refers to how important his role is in the movie, which mostly also correlates to the amount of time given to each character.

A score of 1 is given to the roles closest to Earth Prime (Kendrick in real life). A 3 is given to roles furthest from the original, and a 2 represents those in the middle. It is my belief that these roles have a higher prominence because the traits and characteristics are more closely related to the Earth Prime Kendrick than the others.

1- Flywheel, Facing the Giants, Courageous, Overcomer

2- War Room

3- Fireproof, Mom’s Night Out, Like Arrows

I hope you’ve enjoyed my jaunt along the pathways between the universes of Kendrick. I’ll be interested to see what comes next from the Kendrick Brothers and how it adds to my theory.

Coming Soon- Preacher with a Sign

I’ll be starting a new series soon on my personal Instagram account called Preacher with a Sign. It’s a direct offshoot of my Sacred Cow BBQ posts where we’ll be highlighting issues, inconsistencies, human traditions, etc through sarcasm and wit.

Be sure to check it out.

You can find the posts on Instagram at my account @drdavidpowers or using the hashtag #preacherwithasign.

 

Call it a Church, a Ministry, or even a Cult…The Pilgrimage is Back!

Once upon a time, a place known as The Pilgrimage started in 2012 in Myrtle Beach SC.

That’s right, in the same year that John Cusack and the Mayans said the world was supposed to end (the movie 2012 in case you don’t get the pop culture references). We figured it was a good year to start a ministry.

It was a church, but it wasn’t really a church.

We met weekly. Sometimes we had chili. Sometimes a sermon. We watched movies. Every now and then there was music. Every Sunday evening, we broke out padded swords and fought before church.

I felt like I was doing what God wanted me to. Maybe all God wanted out of me at the time with church was a short term thing to reach a few specific people. If that’s the case, it was a success.

Then our focus changed. We became Kapow Church and focused our ministry on reaching people at comic book and pop culture conventions. We did ok and reached a lot of people in a short time with a thing called Nerd Church.

Then I moved to Chattanooga TN, thinking I was going to move Kapow Church there and do even more than before.

Everything fell apart. Nothing took hold in Chattanooga, and we ran out of money. Kapow Church in Myrtle Beach fell apart when we left. Two years later we moved back to Myrtle Beach, heavy in debt and living in a warehouse.

Now, I write this in 2020. The world fell apart this time, with the coronavirus pandemic. Churches everywhere closed, and Sunday worship moved into the home, mostly online. During this crisis, God has been speaking to me again. He’s been speaking to me about how church is done and how the physical church has barely survived the virus, given way to fear instead of practicing boldness, been persecuted by the government and media, and pushed into obscurity by being considered a “non-essential” activity.

Something has got to be different. I feel God pushing me to do something different.

I feel like all of the learning experiences (failures and roadblocks) with The Pilgrimage and Kapow are a direct result of me not stepping wholeheartedly into my calling from God. I was afraid to be bold in the beginning, and The Pilgrimage quickly came to resemble regular church, even though I knew that wasn’t what it was supposed to be.

I’m doing it differently this time. I’m going to be bold. I’m going to piss people off, burn sacred cows (metaphorically), and question beliefs and traditions.

Call it a church, a ministry, or even a cult…The Pilgrimage is back.