DownshoreDrift

Lifeway's Blindside, Cultural Engagement, and Control

A few weeks ago, Lifeway Christian Stores made the decision to pull the movie, The Blind Side, from its shelves because of the protestations of a Florida pastor over some crude language in the film in one of its scenes depicting the urban life that the main character, Michael Oher, was living in at the time that he was found by the Tuohy family. I saw the movie and understood the scene and what was being depicted. There were also warning labels on the movie at Lifeway. But, some people thought that a Christian book store should not be selling it, apparently believing that the depiction of rough urban life was stronger than the message of redemption, adoption, sacrifice, and faith that the entire movie was about. Interesting.

Eric Metaxas, author of Amazing Grace and Bonhoeffer took Lifeway to task for pulling the movie from its shelves saying,

The film’s offense, according to a Florida pastor who started the campaign to have LifeWay stores pull the DVD, is that the movie contains “explicit profanity, God's name in vain, and racial slurs.” It doesn’t seem to matter that the objectionable language is used to depict the palpably unpleasant world from which the young black man, Michael, was rescued by his adoptive family.

What seems to matter to this pastor is that if we “tolerate” the presence of this movie in Christian bookstores, our children and grandchildren will “embrace” this kind of behavior. I’m not making this up – this is the exact reason given by the pastor. And frankly, I think it’s insane. I saw the movie myself. I even let my 12-year old daughter see it. That’s because it is a great film and I recommend it highly.

But sadly, LifeWay caved in and removed the “offensive” discs from their shelves.

For outsiders looking in, the moral of the story is that “there is no pleasing Christians. They always seem to be looking for something to be mad about.”

We complain about the calumnies and caricatures of Christians on the big screen; and then, when an Academy-Award winning film shows us at our very best, we complain that scenes depicting harsh, inner-city reality are too true to life!

We are, in effect, making our participation contingent on all our possible objections being met beforehand. Since there are many people who would be happy if we stayed within our cultural and religious ghettos, it’s difficult to imagine how we Christians can hope to be taken seriously in cultural discussions and debates with this kind of an approach.

Concerns about the language in the film also miss the larger point: what made the Tuohys—the family depicted in the film—such great Christian exemplars wasn’t their non-use of profanity; it was their willingness to reach out and embrace someone in need.

If we Christians can’t get this, then maybe we really should refrain from commenting on culture in the first place.

I agree with Metaxas' critique. Movies like The Blind Side and Soul Surfer are exactly the kinds of movies that Christians need to embrace in the culture because they show how Christian families handle difficult circumstances in a Christ-like, redemptive way. They are also mostly true and therefore, realistic. They deal with difficult things and show how Christians can handle trouble in a different way from the world. I think that Lifeway made a mistake here.

But, I want to give another perspective on this.  While I don't think that Lifeway should have caved to the demands of this pastor, I also want to shed some light on the cultural situation among Southern Baptists. We were heading to a convention where all kinds of strange resolutions and arguments have the potential to be brought up on the floor. Lifeway leadership responded to the protest by saying that they did not want the focus of the convention to be on this and they were hoping to just avoid the controversy - so they pulled the movie ahead of time. Instead of being satisfied, Pastor Rodney Baker of Hopeful Baptist Church in Lake City, FL, decided he was going to bring the resolution anyway to make a statement about the future. Instead of being happy that his concerns were heard, he wanted more. What does this tell us? It tells me that there is an attitude of dissatisfaction within Southern Baptist life in particular, and Evangelicalism in general, that is almost impossible to appease. It is not enough that you listen to our demands. You also need to know the rules for the future and don't cross them.  Lifeway tried to head this off and it did not work. I seriously doubt that they will make the same mistake in the future. At least I hope they won't.

But, the larger issue is that a statement was made that this movie is somehow inappropriate for Christians to watch and Lifeway went along with that statement. That is the bigger problem. We have a lot of serious problems in our culture, but this movie actually tried to show Christians giving their lives away to help someone in need. After seeing the movie, I wanted to show it to every women's ministry in Alabama. We need Christian families to engage the problems in our culture, to take in neglected and abandoned kids, to give hope where there is little, and to help bring redemption instead of constantly separating from the pain and alienation around us. We need to stop running away and being cowards. The Tuohy's gave hope to Michael Oher by sacrificing their lives and comfort and entering into his situation. I am glad that Jesus was not afraid to enter into our pain, but incarnated Himself into our world. The Blind Side shows how Christians can do that and it is a message that all of us need to pay attention to, especially affluent Southern Baptists who like to get away from problems and have their churches support them in their flight by meeting their perceived "felt needs." What we need to do is get over ourselves and care more about the hurting and dying and hopeless than we care about ourselves and protecting our way of life.

I am not concerned if Lifeway carries this movie or not. There are a lot of things that Lifeway carries that I wish they wouldn't - starting with most of the "art" in their stores. But, that is beside the point. I think we need to consider the larger message that we are sending what what we protest and what we do not. The world is watching and we just told them that The Blind Side is not a movie that we approve of because it had a few bad words in it - nevermind that it was about a Christian family crossing racial and socioeconomic lines to change the life of a young man forever.  

Maybe I should bring a resolution next year asking Christians to stop running away from problems in our culture and be more like the Tuohy's. Or to stop straining at gnats and swallowing camels.  

Putting Away the Sunday School Jesus

Russel Moore has a good review of the movie Where the Wild Things Are. He says that the problem with it is not that it is too wild or dark, but that it is not wild enough and is not as good as the book because it does not properly deal with the existence of evil. He says that Christians are upset by the movie and are saying that it is not appropriate for kids because it is too scary, but Moore says that it is not scary enough. Evil is real and kids know it and they want something done about it. I haven't read the book or seen the movie, so I can't really comment on that, but there is something that he said that I think is important that we can all reflect upon. He compares what was done with the book to what we do with the Bible for children by saying:

Too many of our Bible study curricula for children declaw the Bible, excising all the snakes and dragons and wildness. We reduce the Bible to a set of ethical guidelines and a text on how gentle and kind Jesus is. The problem is, our kids know there are monsters out there. God put that awareness in them. They’re looking for a sheep-herding dragon-slayer, the One who can put all the wild things under His feet.

A couple of months ago a few of us went to hear Alan Hirsch in Mobile, Alabama and he said the same thing. He was talking about our different false images of Jesus and how they keep us from encountering the true Jesus. One of the images that he took on was the Sunday School Jesus. This Jesus is sugary sweet and is not a threat to anyone. He calls all the little children to come to him and he is just an overall nice guy. He was crucified for being a nice guy and if we believe in him, we can be really nice people too. The church is nice and everyone is nice. I think that it is wonderful to be nice, but that is a very incomplete version of who Jesus is. Yet, we do this with many of our Bible stories that we adapt for children.

A lady (who works with children) spoke up and opposed what Hirsch was saying. She said that it was important to have Bible stories for children and that many of them, like Daniel and the Lion's Den, were appropriate for children. Hirsch was not against telling children Bible stories, but he said that we needed to be careful to not sanitize everything so that the real story is lost. I agree.

Let's look at what REALLY happened in some of the Bible stories that we reserve for children:

• Adam and Eve? No, we don't tell that story too often. They are naked.
• Noah's Ark:  Usually a nice story about animals going two by two onto a big boat. It even has a rainbow! But, we often leave out the fact that the entire human race (save one family) along with every other animal drowned and died a horrible death. I'm not saying that you have to go into great detail here, but you can't leave out God's judgment on sin and stay true to the story.
• Joseph's Coat of Many Colors: Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery. Kind of scary.
• The Parting of the Red Sea (Exodus): The first born in Egypt died and the whole Egyptian army drowned.
• Giving of the Ten Commandments: 3,000 people were killed by Levites wielding swords after the Golden Calf incident (more than died in 9/11).
• David and Goliath: David cut off Goliath's head and held it up for everyone to see. Kind of gory.
• Daniel and the Lion's Den: Daniel was saved because he trusted God, but his false accusers were thrown into the Lion's Den along with their wives and children and they were dead before they hit the floor. The Lions were hungry.

It goes on and on. Even the birth of Jesus was attended to by filthy shepherds and pagan astrologers and was accompanied by the slaughter of all of boys under two years old in and around Bethlehem. The Bible is not exactly a book for kids, at least the way that we think about what a proper book for kids is. It is filled with violence, death, and human struggle. Sin is real, as is suffering, disappointment, rejection, and loss. When we sanitize it, we strip judgment, pain, and death out of Scripture and we learn to not fear God. We see God as the one who makes everything better all the time. It is wonderful that we provide comfort and safety for children, but should we do so by creating a false understanding? Does the fact that we have done this with children for the past couple of generations have anything to do with lack of fear of God that we currently have as adults? Or, the unbiblical views of God that affect us so deeply? Perhaps.

Hear me: I am not saying that we should fill our Bible stories for children with blood, gore, and horror. But, I am saying that we need to find ways to tell the stories as realistically as possible so that our children can see that evil is real, that God judges sin, and that Jesus' coming meant something more than he was nice and kind. We do not do our children or ourselves favors when we sanitize everything to the point that we make a baby nursery out of scenes from the almost total extermination of life on the planet because of judgment over vile sin (Noah's Ark) and we fail to consider what we are doing and the story that we are telling.  Without understanding, at least on some level, judgment for sin, it is impossible to understand and appreciate the redemption that we have in Jesus. 

As best we can, we need to read and tell the stories of the Bible rightly. Do our children need to hear everything when they are 4 years old? No. But, they need to hear that God is good and holy and that sin has consequences and that there is evil in the world, but God delivers us and protects us when cry out to Him. These were the stories that the Hebrew people told their children and these stories inspired courage and confidence in their God. May we do the same.

 

Random Thinking

Last night, I couldn't get to sleep. My mind was racing. Finally, I drifted off, but not before I ran through a dozen different subjects. I've been told by friends that I have adult ADD. Maybe so. It would explain a lot. Normally, I write essays for this blog because it is really rewarding for me to lock in on one topic and explore it and I use it as a teaching platform for my church. Today, I'll take you on a random tour of what I'm thinking about in classic, stream-of-consciousness form. Each of these thoughts could be a blogpost all their own and they have been building up in my head. So, I think I'll clean out my brain a little so that I can think more clearly and start over.

I'm going back to India at the end of next month. Around midnight last night, I called Thom Wolf in India and talked with him for awhile. It was almost noon there. He was my professor and intellectual mentor in school back when I lived in San Francisco and he lives in New Delhi. We will go north to the Himalayas and do our normal thing with the ministries there, and then possibly travel with him for a couple of days to the south of India to meet some people doing very interesting things.

I am working through Paul's letter to the Philippians right now in my Bible study and my preaching. I am also writing essays to go along with each topic. Philippians is a great letter to address the "God as a means to an end" syndrome that plagues contemporary Christianity. I am thinking of releasing the essays after I am through with this. It has been really interesting. Today, I am working on one called "Chains" about how Paul volunteered to put himself in less than ideal situations so that the gospel would be spread to others through his life and suffering. Check out Philippians 1:7-14. Am I willing to do the same? 

"According to some estimates, Christians in developed Western countries now represent only 37 percent of believers worldwide. As I travel and also read chruch history, I have observed a pattern, a strange historical phenomenon of God 'moving' geographically from place to place: from the Middle East to Europe to North America to the developing world. My theory is this: God goes where He's wanted." ~ Philip Yancey, Finding God in Unexpected Places. 

I ran across a fascinating article today on urban development in post-Katrina New Orleans on Newgeography.com by Andres Duany.  Duany, of Cuban descent, says that "New Orleans is not among the most haphazard, poorest or misgoverned American cities, but rather the most organized, wealthiest, cleanest, and competently governed of the Caribbean cities."  He says that New Orleans is not really an American city at all. Rather, it is a Caribbean city.  Jimmy Buffett, after Katrina hit, said that the northern Gulf of Mexico is actually the northern part of the Caribbean, not the Southern part of the U.S.  I agree. Being from there, it is different that the rest of the country, and I love it. Totally different way of thinking, worldview, and lifestyle. Maybe this is why Baptists have had so much trouble reaching the Gulf Coast?  Hmmm. 

My two favorite songs on my ipod right now are "Rocket Man" by Angie Aparo and "A Change is Gonna Come" by Ben Sollee. They are both cover songs, but the music and vocals are really intriguing. If you haven't heard either of these guys, check them out.  Here's a live version of "Rocket Man." I think about this when I am travelling too much.

And, Ben Sollee on the cello.  Yes, the cello.  This is amazing.

This week marks the 3 year anniversary of us finding a lump on Caelan's chest that was a cancerous tumor. It has been a hard three years, but I praise God everyday for His faithfulness. Last night, Erika told me that the little 3 year old girl that my family has been praying for since we saw her at Caelan's last scans died last week. Her name was Cassie. My heart was broken over that. Maybe that is why I keep singing "A Change is Gonna Come." Ben Sollee, covering Sam Cooke, says he doesn't know what's beyond the sky. I do, and more and more each day I pray that God's Kingdom come.

"As heretical as it sounds today, it is probably worth telling Americans that you don't need Jesus to have better families, finances, health, or even morality. Coming to the cross means repentance - not adding Jesus as a supporting character for an otherwise decent script but throwing away the script in order to be written into God's drama. It is death and resurrection, not coaching and makovers." Michael Horton, Christless Christianity.

Baseball season is about to start. I really don't like baseball. Too slow for my taste. During the dead of summer, it is almost like there are no sports going on. I'm just waiting for football. Although, our church has formed THREE softball teams with about 50 players and they'll be playing mostly on Monday nights, so I am glad for the fact that a lot of people from our church will be hanging out together and building relationships. Being blind in my right eye caused me to never play baseball because I have no depth perception, so maybe that is why I don't like it. I do plan to play summer league basketball, though. 

The groundbreaking for our church's new building is April 5, right before we have a huge neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt. We've been reaching a lot of teenagers in our community lately, and God really moved in their lives at a youth retreat that we had this past weekend. Several came to Christ and many more opened their hearts to Jesus. We have also started tutoring, GED classes, and are helping with job placement.  God is doing some amazing things. The building is just a tool to help us with this, and it should be finished by October. I'll be very happy.

I keep watching Jon & Kate plus Eight. I don't know why. Erika keeps asking why I stop there when we are watching TV and I have the remote and I told her that I really can't believe how mean Kate is to Jon and I can't fathom how they manage eight kids like that. Wow. It's like a car wreck. I have four kids of my own. Do I really need to watch someone else's stress? Strangely, I'm drawn to it. That, and Clean House, which is about people who live in an unfathomable mess.  I guess that it is cathartic to see other people's stress and mess instead of my own.  Normally, these shows come on right after we put the kids to bed. Hmmm.

I turned in my taxes yesterday and I'm trying to get some insurance stuff taken care of. It's a pain and seems to be taking forever. Car tags have to be paid on Monday and I'm doing a TV interview tomorrow for a local religious broadcasting station about our work in India. I lump all of that together because it all feels about the same to me - stuff I have to do that I don't like doing. I'm not just trying to be humble about the TV thing either. I HATE stuff like that. Communication should be two-way and interactive with feedback, not captured on a television for people to pick over and misinterpret as they wish. Maybe I'm just insecure. 

Books I'm reading right now (they happen to all be "Christian" books, which is not good - I need to vary things up a bit and learn from some other disciplines):

• Finding God in Unexpected Places by Philip Yancey - picked it up in the airport last week. Yancey writes essays about where he sees God working in the world. Excellent.
• Christless Christianity by Michael Horton - states that the American church has given itself over to an alternative gospel that he calls, therapuetic moralistic deism.
• No Place for Truth - Or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology by David Wells. This came out about 15 years ago, but it was recommended to me by a friend of mine. It is pretty dense, but a good read. Makes some of the same claims as Horton, but from a historical perspective.
• People of the Dream: Multiracial Congregations in the United States by Michael O. Emerson. Just picked this one up.

My church is always heavy on my mind and my heart. I graduated from seminary over 9 years ago. I've been the lead pastor of our church for 3 1/2 years. I'm realizing more and more each day that I am not smart enough, talented enough, entertaining enough, or gifted enough to do what needs to be done, no matter how many books I read. God has to work through me. I need Him. I carry the weight of people's struggles pretty intensely. I greatly desire for people to walk with the Lord and to glorify Him and I want our church to hunger after Christ with their whole lives and to reach people who do not know Jesus. But, I am really having to pray about this and release it to the Lord. I can't make anyone do anything. I am completely powerless to make anything happen. God has to do it.  I have always known that intellectually. I am learning that emotionally and spiritually and it isn't easy, believe it or not.

Ashtyn has started soccer.

I have great kids and an amazing wife who listens to me go on and on about everything that I am thinking about. She is really patient and she always gives me great feedback. I do not deserve her, and I'm not just saying that because it is what I am expected to say. She's really something. She texted me two days ago and said that we should go on the mission trip with the youth group this summer. I told her that I agreed. Not many mother's of four kids would do that. 

My city, Montgomery, just elected a new mayor in a special election a couple of weeks ago. In his election night interview, he said that he hoped that he would "rule" well.  Rule #1 in American politics: Never tell the people that you plan to "rule" them. It doesn't sit well in a democracy. Then, he said that he was pushing the inauguration back a week because he was taking his family to the beach. Rule #2:  When we are in a severe recession, don't tell the people that just elected you that you would begin to rule, er, serve them, but first, you have to go to the beach.  Go to the beach in a few months AFTER you have worked for them for a little while. Wow.

Look, a BUTTERFLY!!!! Sorry, had to get that out. Does anyone ever feel that way? Random as can be.

I've lost 10 pounds in the past two weeks and I don't know how. I guess that I haven't been eating as much. Duh. Stress? Busyness? I don't know, but I'll take it. I could stand to lose a lot more.

____________________________________________________

Well, that's about it. Not really, but I figure that no one is still reading at this point, so I might as well stop. Believe it or not, engaging in an exercise in complete randomness actually made me feel better. So, I leave you with a picture of my kids that I really love. 

God is good, by the way.  And, He's always working in every thing. Big, little, important, mundane. God is always at work.

 

Danny DeVito Gives Advice on Honesty, Character, and Evangelism

Probably one of the best things I've ever heard on how to relate to people honestly was from the movie, The Big Kahuna (1999) starring Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito. I saw clips from the movie several years ago and they have stuck with me ever since. The movie takes place in a hotel room and involves three salesmen working in the Midwest. Spacey and DeVito are longtime friends and they have taken on a newcomer, "Bob." Bob is an idealistic Christian and he spends a good bit of his time trying to evangelize people. Spacey calls him on what he is doing and says that he lacks integrity for evangelizing on the job. After a blow-up between Spacey and Bob, DeVito confronts Bob about what honesty and character is.  It is insightful and really spoke to me about my motives in my interactions with people. Do I care for people because of who they are, or because of what I can get from them?

For my more sensitive readers, there is one inappropriate word in the clip spoken in context. Sorry to expose you to that, but I felt that the truth of what was said here far outweighed any offense that may be given.                                                                               

A few years ago, I travelled through Europe. I made a decision, thinking about what DeVito said, to not lay my hands on a conversation and try and steer it in a spiritual direction. I resolved to deal with people as people, not as evangelism projects. It was amazing. In spite of myself, I actually ended up getting into about 10 spiritual conversations with people. On several occasions, I ended up talking to people for hours about life and the conversation inevitably turned to God. I had determined to just be a human being, not a pastor or an evangelist. It was very freeing.

One time, I was hiking along the coast of Italy with a guy and he began comparing me to the guys that he had partied with the night before. He told me that I was much calmer and more peaceful than they were. Why? he asked. That was the perfect opportunity to tell him that my peace came from Christ. I actually decided not to. I just told him that I didn't feel the need to talk all the time - that I was pretty content as I was. I had nothing to prove. Instead of thinking that I had missed an opportunity, I trusted God to do with that conversation what he wanted. We ended up spending the entire day together and we talked a good deal about relationships, life, goals, and the future. He ended up asking me how I knew that my wife was the right one for me and I told him that I prayed and God told me. Intrigued, he asked me all about how I could receive guidance from God in issues like that and I was able to tell him what a relationship with God was like and how it worked. We talked a great deal about knowing God as he asked me question after question. Because I entered a relationship with this guy and saw him as a person instead of a project, God used the whole thing in the way that He wanted and far more came out of it than I ever could have created myself. I have continued to try and minister this way.

I've found it much harder to have relationships with people like this since I've been a pastor. There always seems to be this religious barrier up between me and those outside the church, like they think I'm going to assault them with Bibles or force them under the water against their will in some type of extreme baptism ritual. The fact that as soon as people find out I'm a pastor I see them visibly recoil has probably been the hardest part of being a pastor for me. It is not that I don't want to be rejected. It is that I hate the barriers that artificially seem to go up between me and other people. It takes a while to get them down as I have a lot of work to do to convince people that I am just a normal person desperately in need of God's grace and love just as they are.

When I think about it, DeVito was right on the character issue as well.  We don't really have character until we can admit that we've blown it and that we were wrong about things. It is the regret and the desire to change that puts us in touch with our weaknesses and hopefully, connects us with our true source of life and power, Jesus. IF we humble ourselves and look to Him. I think that so many of us as Christians feel like we have to maintain our own righteousness, so we can never admit a mistake or be real with people who are alienated from God. That makes us look pretty plastic because we aren't fooling anyone. Everyone can clearly see that we are not perfect. Why do we continue with the charade?

The times that God's life and power have flowed through me the most were times that I just cared about people and was myself. Religion always seems to get in the way. Religion teaches us to see people as projects to "win to Christ" or "reach" because religion is all about climbing the ladder to God. We have to show how we're further up the ladder than other people because our identity is based on where we are on the ladder. If we have our doctrine straight and we are in the club, so to speak, we feel better about ourselves, especially in relation to others. This kind of religion kills. But instead of falling into this trap, what if we got our identity from Christ and were free to just take an interest in people for who they were? What if we cared about people because they were made in God's image? All people have desires, dreams, hopes, and fears. They all have families, jobs, and most just want to live a good life and make some small difference in the world. I know that we are all born sinful, but our doctrine of original sin should not cause us to despise people to the point that we do not deal with them as the human beings that they are. Jesus was the holiest man that ever lived - He was God and Man. Yet, He caused prostitutes, tax collectors, and "sinners" to be at ease in His presence. How? I really believe that He treated people with respect and that love flowed through Him. He didn't have to rank Himself on the ladder in relation to others because He knew who His Father was and as a consequence, knew who He was as well. He brought the Kingdom of God with Him and people were drawn to the love and healing that He gave.

So, what I have found is that when I see people as people and not as commodities that I can use for my benefit, then I am much more likely to express the love of Christ to them in a way that speaks to their heart. Often, this happens more effectively when I do not have some grand plan, but rather, when I am just friends with people for the sake of being friends. God seems to move mightily through loving, respectful friendship. If you had to ask me, I never thought I'd get this kind of wisdom from Danny DeVito. He's not a very "religious" source, is he? Who knew? I guess that God teaches us in all kinds of ways if we would just be quiet long enough to listen.

The Dark Knight Review

I went to see The Dark Knight on Friday night and was not disappointed at all. Actually, this movie has to make my list as one of the best I've seen, and I do not throw around those types of compliments lightly. For a summer blockbuster, this movie is exceptional in every way (USA Today has a review that I wholeheartedly agree with). Here are a few thoughts and then I give an overall perspective:

• Heath Ledger stole the show as The Joker. He will go down as an acting legend. If he does not win an Academy Award for Best Actor, then they should discontinue the award (they probably should anyway, actually).  As I stated in my previous post, on January 24 I asked a question about Heath Ledger: "Did playing the Joker role lead to his death?" Some speculated that the role of the Joker affected Heath deeply and led to depression and insomnia. After watching his performance, I would not be surprised if he opened himself up to a darkness that ended up consuming him.
• All of the acting was superb. The directing, cinematography - everything was amazing. It was a very well made movie.
• I had no idea what was going to happen next. The movie was full of surprises and plot twists. While intense, it was not exhausting. It gave you room to breathe, but every scene was important.
• Overall, The Dark Knight was much better than Batman Begins (a movie that I loved). I would hardly even call it a sequel as it stands on its own quite nicely. 

Overall Analysis

This movie was an intense morality play of good versus evil. Heath Ledger, playing The Joker, emulated Satan better than any movie character that I have ever seen. Yes, he was creepy and strange. The make up and his voice gave you the chills. But, what I mean by emulating Satan is that he acted the way that the Devil acts. He was deceptive and evil only for the sake of being evil. There was no motive. He was evil just because he was, well, evil. The rest of the criminals and residents of Gotham were shown in a more human light. Their evil was always because of self interest, greed, or self preservation. Not The Joker. Like Satan, he delighted in evil for the sake of evil. His desire was to throw the whole system of society out of whack so that anarchy would rule for no other reason than to enjoy the anarchy and to show people that they were not in control like they thought they were. He hurt people just because he could. The only way for this type of evil to be truly combatted was through self sacrifice, and you find that occuring from unlikely sources as well as Batman.

As I drove home, I naturally thought about the ultimate cosmic battle of good versus evil. The human sin that we see around us, while wrong, is still human - it normally works according to self interest and self preservation. There is a much darker, more sinister source that lies behind it all and seeks to manipulate, deceive, and destroy, however. Yes, Satan entices us according to our own sinful desires and he exploits the corruption that lies within us. But, the most rank evil is not flesh and blood - it exists in the powers and principalities; the demonic forces around us that seek to destroy just for the sake of destruction. If there is any reason at all, it is to mar God's creation and attempt to diminish His glory. Jesus conquered the sin that lies within us as well as the evil of Satan through laying down His life in self-sacrifice, which is the only way that evil can ever be truly conquered. Faith in Him provides freedom from our own inner corruption as well as freedom from the evil of Satan. The Dark Knight tells portions of that story in a very surprising way and because of that, it points to something bigger than itself.

This movie is not for children, but at the same time, it was relatively clean by Hollywood's standards. The subject matter was gruesome but real. It dealt with issues of good and evil, morality, sacrifice, perception, courage, and what lies in the hearts of men. If you like movies that deal with these types of issues, then you will enjoy The Dark Knight. But, it is not for the faint of heart.

Marty Duren wrote an excellent review HERE.   

Who Plans to See "The Dark Knight" This Weekend?

I do, if not this weekend, then soon. I am not a huge fan of comic book or super hero movies, but a couple of years ago Erika and I rented Batman Begins.  I thought it would be a tired, boring restart of a tired, boring franchise that had run out of steam years ago. It was one of those nights that we were just looking for a movie and I popped it in expecting little. I was blown away. Christian Bale was amazing. The story was profound and fairly realistic (as realistic as Batman could be - not as cartoonish like the earlier movies). I loved the movie, and when I heard that a sequel with Heath Ledger as the Joker was coming out, I wanted to see it.

Then, in January, Heath Ledger dies. I asked the question, "Did the Joker Role Lead to Heath Ledger's Death?"  Some say that the darkness of the role affected him and led him into a depression. Reportedly, Jack Nicholson (who played the Joker back in the 80's) warned Ledger not to play the role. Apparently, people are very interested in that possibility because that post has become one of the most popular pieces that I have ever written. Daily, people from all over the world go to Google in search of the effect that the role of the Joker had on Ledger and they end up at my post. It has been interesting to observe.

From what I understand, the movie is a classic exploration of the battle of good versus evil, with Batman taking on the sacrificial role to protect Gotham City. There are lots of moral implications to stories like this and I think that is why people are drawn to them. At any rate, this is one of the most anticipated movies in the past several years. Do you plan on seeing it? If you have seen it, what did you think of it? Try not to spoil the plot. I normally only see a few movies a year in the theatre and I think this will be one of them.  Lifeway has a review HERE but, I didn't read the whole thing because it had spoilers to reveal part of the plot in it and I really would rather be surprised.

On Heath Ledger: Did Joker Role Lead to His Death?

UPDATE: July 19, 2008. See my review of The Dark Knight, including Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker,  HERE.

The death of actor Heath Ledger has shocked the world. He did not appear to be one of the many Hollywood party figures who live for their next drug binge or DUI.  He seemed to be a serious actor and a devoted father.  I've watched his career since early movies like 10 Things I Hate About You, A Knight's Tale, and The Patriot.  I was disappointed that he played in Brokeback Mountain and skipped that one, realizing that I don't expect anything more out of Hollywood than that, anyway.  He seemed to have a promising career in front of him and his upcoming role as The Joker in this summer's Batman sequel, The Dark Knight had everyone eager with anticipation.

Yet, it appears that playing the role of a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy ..." took it's toll on Ledger. He slept less than 2 hours a night and his mind would not stop racing. He had to take ambien to get to sleep and even that didn't work. Reportedly, Jack Nicholson warned him that this was possible when he took the role of the Joker. Nicholson played this character in 1989.  We still don't know what killed Heath Ledger, but the fact that he was severely affected by playing this role should not be overlooked.

When you spend your days and nights getting into the character of a homicidal maniac, it is going to affect you. We think that it doesn't but, just like you can be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:1-2), you can also be destroyed by what you think about. When you entertain these types of thoughts and actually become this type of character in your mind, a disconnect can take place and you can open yourself up to all types of evil influences. Evil really does exist. There is a spiritual realm. Demons are real.  When Ledger walked around his apartment getting into character, what might he have unknowingly been getting in touch with? I think that it might have been more than the dark recesses of his own mind, as scary as that could be for all of us. Matthew 15:19 says that it is the evil that comes out of our heart that makes us unclean. Maybe Ledger, even as an unbeliever, could only take so much uncleanness without being emotionally and mentally affected.

This whole story is a tragedy. Ledger was a promising young actor and he seemed to be a decent guy who was trying to handle the stardom thing as well as he could. We still don't know what caused his death, so I am not saying it was suicide. Maybe he was just trying to get some sleep and escape the horrors in his own mind and he accidentally took too many ambien. Maybe it had a reaction in his body. At any rate, it should be a lesson to all of us to place our thoughts on "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things" - Philippians 4:8.  As Christians, we have the mind of Christ - we can take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:3-5). We don't have to be subject to the evil that we are assualted with. And, we should also take care regarding what we fill our minds with. I am not saying that no actor should ever play an evil character - sometimes those stories are important to tell. But, if it ever does have to happen, a distance should be created so that we do not become what we are playing. If you are not a Christian, I have no idea how you would be able to do this effectively.

At the very least, this story should remind us that we have no idea the turmoil that the people around us are going through. As followers of Jesus, we should seek to minister love, grace, and mercy to people. We should also be available to pray the prayers that set people free. That is what Jesus wants to do through us and He still gives freedom to captives.

Christian Themed Movies Do Better Than Others

Tallskinnykiwi linked to this and it reminded me of a conversation I had the other day with a friend of mine. Apparently, movies with a strong Christian worldview and Christian themes/morality do MUCH better at the box office than movies with strong sexual content or very foul language.  That is really no surprise for anyone who has been paying attention the last couple of years, but it goes against the conventional wisdom that Hollywood dishes out and that Christians lap up. It has gotten to the point that I have no real problem finding movies that have family themes and are about epic adventures full of courage, loyalty, and honor. Yet, we still claim that everyone is out to get us and there are no Christian entertainment options available (as though that was some kind of right of ours or something). I just think that it is interesting that our culture seems to be beginning to value things that are important and they are beginning to tell stories that have weight and meaning. Perhaps we should take notice and do a better job of pointing out the eternal themes that are being explored.

The Nativity Story

In my continuing quest to embrace the true meaning of Christmas, my family and I went to see The Nativity Story tonight. It was a really beautiful movie. It was a simple retelling of the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Christ. The power of the film, for me, involved the perspective of how small God became to take on flesh. He was born to a simple peasant girl in a backwater region of the Roman Empire. He was born amidst controversy and scandal. He was hunted by the King, and attended to by low born shepherds and Eastern Wise Men, who were basically astrologers. What an amazing story! Who could believe it? God took on flesh and made His dwelling among us - a Savior for all mankind!

Several times during the movie, tears came to my eyes as I mediated on the glory and humility of the Incarnation of Christ. What an amazing God. Jesus, our Lord and Savior!

O Come, O Come Emmanuel . . . and ransom captive Israel . . . who mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to thee O Israel.

Why Do We Love to Pile On?

There is just something about us that loves to point out the flaws of others and pile on. I know that the liberal media is overjoyed to hear about Mel Gibson's drunken tirade against Jews, and I agree that his comments were horrible and incredibly stupid. In addition, it gives really good credence to the recent SBC Resolution against Alcohol Consumption, eh? But, beyond that, we generally love to see celebrities or people in power blow it, don't we? There is something in us that loves to tear people down and criticize, whether they are politicians, preachers, or celebrities. It should cause us to grieve. In my opinion, he showed more strength of character by apologizing the way he has, coming clean, and entering rehab, than many who try and pretend like they have no problems. The truth is, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We all desperately need a Savior. The same people who accepted Bill Clinton's apology will not accept Mel Gibson's and vice versa because of their agendas. Forgiveness starts with recognizing that WE are sinners. Then, maybe we won't throw stones at others and we will help people who have fallen get back up.

Why don't we forgive and restore? Often, it is because we enjoy the power that we now hold over people. We can feel morally superior to them. "Well, at least I didn't do what she did!"  In this we become hypocrites ourselves. We need to find a way to point out wrong, but at the same time, accept and restore people who genuinely recognize their mistakes and try and make changes. We could just as easily be next. How can we not affirm someone who sees the error of their ways and tries to do right? We can deplore the sin and the sinful attitude, but we have to be willing to allow someone to confess and be forgiven.

Many will say, "Yes, people can be forgiven, but they no longer can have a voice or a platform to influence others because of their mistake." I see the reasoning in that, but if we are not careful, we make the moral platform that people have flow out of their own righteousness. From a Christian perspective, we are all to radiate God's grace and point to Christ as our Savior. As Christians, are we to be a moral example? Yes. Are our lives to be above reproach? Absolutely. Are there standards? Sure. We should join with Paul as he said, "Follow me as I follow Christ." But, we should be very careful that our authority does not come from our own righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ.  We should not point to ourselves, but point to Jesus who loves us, saves us, and lives through us.

I say this because Mel Gibson claims to be a Christian who made perhaps the most influential Christian film of all time, The Passion of the Christ.  As we think of his sin, we should also think of his repentance and see his flaws through the eyes of grace. That is what the cross and the true passion of the Christ is all about, isn't it? If our lives were ripped open and examined, who could stand?

How Good We Have It

In thinking about the cancer that my son, Caelan is going through, it would SO easy to throw a pity party and say, "Why us, Lord?" I could do a really good job of it, if I had half a mind. I've been known to throw some amazing pity parties in the past, with balloons, music, and even the paparazzi showing up to take pictures. I can be a pity party professional (P3 for short).  But, God, in His amazing grace is using all types of things to provide incredible perspective and to cause me to praise Him for His abundant blessing and goodness. He is using His Word, the prayers of others, and also things like books and film to remind me to pray without ceasing, praise the Lord, and think about the horror that others go through in this world.  My family really is blessed. 

The other day, Erika and I saw Hotel Rwanda.  I've been wanting to see this movie for some time, but haven't gotten around to it.  It is a really heavy movie about the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 where almost 1 million people were killed.  The story follows hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina (a Hutu), as he works to save around a thousand Tutsi from extermination.  It is an amazing story of courage and compassion, and it also shows the incredible depth of our sin and how evil man can be to one another.  I found myself terribly ashamed that when this happened, I was in college and did not even notice.  I don't think I even uttered one prayer on behalf of all of the people that were killed or that the violence would be stopped.  The West turned a blind eye to what was happening because it was not in our vital, immediate, interests.  Shame on us.  Shame on me.

This past week, I have also been reading The Great Deluge by Douglas Brinkley.  This massive book chronicles the week of August 29, 2005 in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast when Katrina hit.  It tells the story of the lack of preparation before the storm, all that went wrong on the local, state, and federal level during and after the storm, and the incredible suffering and courage that was experienced and shown by the people down there.  That is my homeland, being born in New Orleans and growing up in Picayune, MS, right up the road.  The Gulf Coast was our playground and the culture and people there mean a great deal to me.  During this disaster, I (and my church and so many others) did respond with many prayers and action, sending a team of 30 with supplies enough to start two Red Cross shelters on September 2 in Ocean Springs, MS.  All of that work has led us to stay involved down there and we are now  helping start and support, Pathfinder Mission in Waveland/Bay St. Louis.