Why I Want to be Reverend Camden

“7th Heaven has all the ingredients of a show I should hate. Sappy storylines. Unrealistically good characters. The equation of religion with morality. And yet…there’s something unhateable about it. The characters may be good, but they are flawed. The stories may have pat endings, but they are not quite trite” says Judge Diane Wild.

I can agree. And I am sure that I will have heck to pay for admitting it…

You’ll think I’m crazy—sometimes I think I’m crazy—but as I dream of my life over the next decade or two I really hope my life will mirror offscreen the qualities I saw in this fictional man onscreen.

• He and his wife are very much in love and prone to public displays of affection.  They model a loving, trusting relationship that sets an example.
• He and his family are guided by faith, but the common theme is acceptance, not exclusion or judgment.
• He helps various congregation members and townspeople with their problems.  He’s not afraid to get involved and really is a pillar of the community.  It’s hard to imagine the town surviving without him.
• He boldly and passionately modeled the example of the Good Samaritan
• He could save everyone he came in contact with, within three episodes.
• He was articulate, soft-spoken, and direct.
• He listened as much as, if not more than, he spoke.
• He had a large family who (while not always got along) always loved each other.
• His children didn’t always agree with him, but they respected him.  He and his wife raised them with a strict but loving hand.  That shows a long-term level of commitment to one’s children and above average parenting skills.
• He was always helping others, but he was always there for his kids.  He was a dad first and a minister second. He was involved in his kid’s lives.
• He did not raise the stereotypical pastor’s family, nor were they all uptight sticks in the mud.
• He was not the dumb one in the household. he was communicative and responsible.
• He said things like, “We can justify our actions, but it doesn’t make it right” and people actually listened.
• He wasn’t perfect.  That was part of the beauty of the show in a way.  But you could always count on him to do the right thing in a pinch.  As such he inspired people.
• He had a really good sense of humor.  Rarely sarcastic and never cutting… his wit was understated and well-timed.
• He took life at a decent (relatively slow) pace, taking life in a calm and relaxed spirit.