James is the oldest of the Wyler children. He has been raising them at the expense of his own hopes and dreams ever since his parents died twelve years ago. He is the moral force behind the family, but is also fallible himself.
His character is unique and important for a number of reasons. First of all, he is not perfect as a Christian. It’s true that the Bible challenges every believer to strive to follow God’s laws. However, when we sin, we are free to come to the Lord and ask forgiveness. This is a key element with James. It ties directly into his working so closely with teenagers. So often, as Christians, we feel that we need to hide the fact that we are imperfect people. We forget that it is not by our own goodness that we are saved, but, rather, by the free gift of Jesus’ death on the cross. Honesty about our identity as forgiven sinners can be an important tool when trying to communicate with teenagers.
Secondly, James is the first person to introduce the discussion about Bobby’s beliefs and where he stands with God. Much of their discussion stems from the book of James, especially chapter 2, which is about grace and works. This is a frequently discussed topic in Christianity because it is so poorly understood. The author’s challenge in James 2 is that believers need to live out their faith, not just pay it lip service. It’s not about earning heaven by doing more good deeds than bad ones! Instead, it’s about accepting the forgiveness that Christ offers us and then living our lives in a way that reflects that we have been saved. When we do not live godly lives, it reflects poorly on Jesus.
Spoiler alert! When Bobby discovers that James has been hiding the money and dating Terry behind his back, Bobby immediately questions James’ belief system. Why? Because, whether he likes it or not, James, as a Christian, represents who Christians are. When his actions do not line up with Jesus’ teachings, it makes James look like a hypocrite, which makes Christianity appear to be false. See the connection?
The important thing is that James recognizes his failures and openly apologizes for his sin. It is only when he is honest about his own failures and need for a Savior that he can make any ground in helping Bobby do the same. This is huge! It is a challenge to Christians to not only do their best to live like Jesus in order to be a good example, but also to be honest about their struggles in order to help others come to faith in Jesus.
Finally, James is important because he is an example of a godly man who is not afraid to work with at-risk teens with different temperaments than his own. His relationship with Eric demonstrates how the patience and acceptance of an adult can open doorways. Since Eric’s family is abusive, he needs a safe place like the Wyler home. James’ willingness to open his doors is in contrast to Andrea and Walter who are afraid of Eric because of how he dresses. So often we forget that Jesus died for sinners! He often hung out with people who were different from the rest of the culture. Shouldn’t we be open to leading others to Jesus, even if they do not look like us?
Marc Thompson (James) graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 1997 with a B.F.A. in acting. Since then he has found much success in voice-overs. You may have heard his voice on several commercials. He was the voice of Thelma in the Citibank Identity theft commercial. Marc is featured on many cartoons such as “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, “GI Joe Sigma Six”, “Yu-gui-oh”, and “Poke’mon”. Recently he completed a 9 book Star Wars Audiobook series entitled “Legacy of the Force”. Marc has acted in plays off-broadway, and made his Broadway debut in the Tony nominated revival of “Talk Radio.”
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