By Tanner Anderson, Page Editor
As John Marks and Craig Detweiler sat in front of the Campus Center for their book signing, Detweiler pulled out a bag of chips to complement his Quizno’s sandwich.
Before Detweiler had a chance to take a bite, his longtime friend and former college roommate John Marks fired off a question, “Do you really think those chips are better for you than my delicious fries?”
For Detweiler and Marks, their differences go beyond their lunch decisions.
Detweiler and Marks are authors from different backgrounds; in college Detweiler began his journey into Christianity, while Marks decided to discontinue his. Although the men, who shared their thoughts in a myriad of events on campus Monday and Tuesday, have different religious perspectives, they are still friends and both collaborated on the film Purple State of Mind.
The men spoke at a special arts Chapel and had a one-hour discussion regarding faith, art and the business world Monday. This discussion was followed by another one-hour conversation that encompassed the filmmakers’ views on gender and sexuality. Finally 8 p.m. arrived, and the two friends screened their film Purple State of Mind in front of a crowded room in Hart Auditorium.
The two friends shared a fondness for John Wayne and Bruce Springsteen that gradually transformed into a long-lasting friendship. “A real friendship is a thing of beauty,” with Craig in L.A., we didn’t talk about religion at all; we talked about everything but.”
Marks said he had lost friends due to a division of religious beliefs and personal beliefs.
Marks said some relationships might be caught in the polarization of two differing beliefs.
“I would like people who are caught in this experience to feel they have permission to have that friendship in spite of those differences, that there are ways to sustain that friendship and that it’s important to do it,” Marks said. “We truly enjoy each other’s company and we don’t let religious division get in the way of that friendship.”
The 80-minute film consisted of conversations between the two friends about religion, faith and the events that led them to their beliefs. Throughout the film, Detweiler and Marks had a verbal joust about Christian faith or the lack there of and how personal worldviews shaped and molded their current belief structures.
“This project started as a book which was centered around the tensions between the secular world, the physical world and the political world,” Detweiler said. “I would say Purple State of Mind opens a theological can of worms. There’s something that either challenges, disturbs or energizes anybody.”
