How 9-1-1 on ABC Incorporates Faith Is One of My Favorite Details So Far

After a lot of affectionate peer pressure from my beloved pals at Fangirlish, I finally started watching 9-1-1 on ABC. So, naturally, yes, I started for the romances—I see the buzz on social media; I know what’s going on and what to root for (wink wink). However, what’s surprised me so far, three seasons in, is the subtle yet profoundly moving depiction of a respectful form of faith through a character like Peter Krause’s Bobby Nash.

Christianity in America isn’t the Christianity I believe in. The Lord and Savior I pray to isn’t the same God currently tied to fascism. I believe in an inclusive world, where no matter our skin color, where we come from, or who we love, Jesus Christ loves us equally. That’s faith to me. Forgiveness is faith. All-encompassing love is faith. And thus, I deeply appreciate how we see a reflection of this faith through a character like Bobby, who’s proof of how a leader should be.

Anyone who watches 9-1-1 on ABC knows that Bobby carries profound guilt and heartache for what happened to his family because of his past mistakes. That much is clear even before we get flashbacks. But Bobby is also a man who continues to try. He’s a man who continues to believe in a loving God, and he’s a man who continues to love those around him with an openness that’s both welcoming and admirable.

Christian leaders often talk about the image of God, but what does that truly look like in this day and age when more Christians are full of deep-seated hatred than unwavering love? It’s certainly not the idea presented in Matthew 22. When Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment is, his response is: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself'”(‭22‬:‭37‬-‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬). Nowhere in this Bible verse does Christ include a list of exclusions, yet the world loves to add to it by shunning people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and marginalized individuals based on things such as wealth, class, etc.

Loving your neighbor looks profoundly different in the world than the way I imagine Christ wants it to look based on how this verse spells it out for us. In many cases, leaders like Bobby are vile to their female co-workers; they also see people of color employees as less than. They use faith as a tool to destroy and break others while they climb some invisible ladder that’s primarily made of money when faith should instead be what we keep in order to live a life of grace and gentleness.

Christ died for each of our sins, yet some people prefer to believe they’re immaculate while others are scum of the earth. That isn’t the case with 9-1-1 on ABC, and it’s making the show such a riveting comfort watch for me. A show that’s full of this many heartaches and natural disasters shouldn’t be a comfort watch, yet everything about it feels like it’s meant to be restorative and healing. It’s honest and tender, and it’s wholly welcoming.

As human beings, we all have different views on religion and faith. People are often shocked to learn that I don’t attend church, but I wake up every morning with the Word, and I pray before I write everything. I believe in a world more inclusive than the ones Christian churches often preach about. I believe that God is meant to comfort us in our troubles in the same way that Bobby finds comfort through prayer. I believe that we’re supposed to be proud of our Savior, and we are supposed to spread His love wherever we go. People should know we’re Christians because of how loving we are, not how we terrorize people. Christ is a God of inclusivity, not hatred. Because of this, Bobby Nash feels like a character who represents the image of God, someone who’s loving, kind, warm, and welcoming.

Bobby never pushes; he doesn’t judge. He doesn’t wait for people to be perfect manifestations of his own beliefs in order to love them. His patience is a rarity so few have, even the most devoted Christians, so it’s fascinating that no matter the denomination, it’s easy to find comfort in how the show presents faith through the characters. It’s admirable to see a character whose heart is so full of love that it translates externally off-screen, too.