3. A good movie offers the opportunity to understand the way others are thinking.
Art when done well offers an avenue into the deepest parts of other people’s minds (and hearts). It’s an incredibly unique opportunity to see what motivates other people, to see what drives them, what gives them purpose…in one way it’s the most amazing and exciting thing about seeing a movie. Imagine a person reaching both hands up to their chest, sinking their fingers into their skin, and opening up the doors to their true self. It’s an amazing way to understand the culture around us.
When the doors to the self are open, we find new ways to communicate spiritual truths to people. We see where they are hurting and can understand ways to love them and discover appropriate paths to travel on as we reach out to them. We have an important message to deliver and any clues as to the best means of presentation are valuable. The illustration of Paul on Mars Hill is so common here I hate mentioning it. But, if you haven’t pondered Paul’s methods in Acts 17…well, I guess you should.
There’s something else worth mentioning here. When movies are honest, they portray a view of the world that is surprisingly similar to the Bible’s view of the world. This is why so many honest movies are dark and have a depressing flavor. A movie that doesn’t portray some sense of the shadowy corners of humanity should immediately cause red flags to spring up.
5 comments:
I have been putting off commenting until I was prepared to interact with some of the various ideas from the series, but that might be forever because I am stupid. But this is a very good series and I am enjoying it. This is the obligatory sentence which says I don't agree with everything you said. Very thoughtful stuff, and worthwhile for all of us to think about. We have to think about what the art or pop culture we are taking in is creating in us, and whether or not that reflects reality, and whether or not it reflects things we should be focusing on. I am reading a great book called "All God's Children and Blue-Suede Shoes" by Ken Myers (and going to a conference where he will speak in a couple weeks) that is helping me along my journey to understanding some of this stuff. But it's certainly worth considering. C.S. Lewis wrote a commendable essay (I hereby commend it) that is useful, it's called "Learning in Wartime" and discusses the relative merits of enjoying books and "cultural" expressions during war-time. It can be found in a collections of essays in a volume called "The Weight of Glory." I now consider both of these books as essential. Anyway, excellent stuff. It deserves more thoughtful interaction. But for now this is all I have. I am very much enjoying the blog.
Hey, Josh! I followed the link from the book list site you posted on my Facebook wall. I love the Internet. [Brief aside: Don't let the movies fool you into thinking you've gotten the gist of Tolkien's tale because, while the movies are well done, they do not compare to the magnificence of the books. For one thing, Peter Jackson royally screwed up Faramir's character...]
I was wondering if you'd read Franky Schaeffer's Addicted to Mediocrity: 20th Century Christians and the Arts. If not, pick it up in your spare time; it's a short read and addresses much of what you've written in this "How to Process a Movie" series. Also Dorothy Sayers wrote about art and creativity and idolatry in The Mind of the Maker--bit longer than Schaeffer's book but no less intriguing.
The thing that I've learned since high school--something that Berean tried very hard to establish--is that the divide between secular and Christian is false. (It took a semester of Irish literature and Samuel Beckett to discover this...) All truth is God's truth wherever it be found. However, many Christians have forgotten that the Holy Spirit has endowed us with the power of discernment; hence, many Christians are content to lurk in the safe neighborhood of our WWJD and Thomas Kindcaid (*shudder*) subculture. It has horrible consequences: They miss a great deal of beauty; they forget how to have fun; they lose perspective of how unbelievers feel about life.
Edit: Berean tried to establish the divide between the Christian and the secular.
My grammatical structure completely ruined that sentence.
To Sam:
Thanks for your note. Thanks for not agreeing with everything I said...I like that in a man. I had All God's Children and Blues Suede Shoes checked out of the library this year at some point. I don't remember much about it, I think I skimmed through parts of it and wanted to get back to it at some point. Your blog post made me extra curious about the book.
We have to think about what the art or pop culture we are taking in is creating in us, and whether or not that reflects reality, and whether or not it reflects things we should be focusing on.
Questions/comments about this statement:
1) Can pop culture "create" anything in us? Or are we 100% responsible for the creation of our thoughts and actions? I think it's probably a balance/mix of both...because, there are obviously some forms of pop culture that I should enter because they would be too overwhelming. But, once I admit that, it seems I've opened some sort of a can of worms, because I need to ask, am I capable of discerning what I can handle and what I can't. Maybe some stuff is subliminally effecting me and I don't know it.
2) I'm glad you made two conditions: reflects reality & reflects things we should be focusing on. Personally, I think "reflects reality" is easier to figure out that the second. However, in regards to "things we should be focusing on"…I think the smaller discussion revolves around content (I'm not sure what level you were implying). Perhaps the bigger discussion has to do with the emotional level. I feel like we're drawn to things that are easy and fun. In reality, maybe we should spend more time on things that are somber and convicting toward our souls. On the other hand, life throws quite a bit of that at us...and, I enjoy movies that give me a break from that. ...however, art that reminds you of your need for dependence on God and the spiritual struggle we are in should (maybe) be a bigger part of our lives.
...with that, I suppose I'm done overanalyzing your one sentence. Please feel free to post more sentences without the worry that my arrogant mind will dissect them.
I will talk to you later, my friend.
To Jenny:
I was quite suprised to open my Email and discover that I had been stalked through a long chain of internet links. I'm glad you ended up here and to see that you are recommending Francis Schaffer to me and not Gilbert Morris.
You threw me off at first with your Berean comment, because I was thinking...I don't remember high school quite like that. I'm glad you clarified. It's ironic that the "safe" neighborhoods you mentioned are in some ways very dangerous....I'm sure you agree. I'm not sure there are too many places where a person should let their guard down and feel safe. Unfortunately, I think that's what alot of Christians are looking for. (I think I agree with those last few sentences...I'll keep you posted.)
I just started reading How Should We Then Live a week or two ago. So far it's a little different than I expected, but I'm highly enjoying it. I will be on the lookout for the other two books....the list keeps getting longer and longer.
Welp, I think I'm done for the night. Thanks for leaving a comment or two. It's interesting that people actually read these things.
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