Recently I was challenged to watch the movie Brokeback Mountain by a friend who is gay and wanted to give me insight into the plight of those with different sexual leanings. I won't really comment on the movie here (I'm still thinking about it) but after watching it and thinking about it, my attention was drawn to a conversation I had here in the comments section of Challies.com. People were weighing in on what they thought of the movie Crash. It seemed to me that at times, Christians have to completely write off a certain movie or a musical artist with just a blanket statement of "that trash" or "I don't need to fill my mind with that garbage" because it seems like the holy thing to do. Perhaps they want to maintain the appearance of purity by giving blanket statements of condemnation concerning those things that are “worldly”.
I know for sure that this is the response of most Christians when it comes to the movie, Brokeback Mountain. Now to be sure, there is a lot of this is movie that is trash and really doesn't need to be see by anyone who is pursuing Christ as the center of his or her lives. But make no mistake, this movie got serious nods from the Academy, not because they have some liberal political agenda on gay marriage, but simply because in many ways this is an amazing movie. The acting is brilliant, the script is extremely believable and well written, the cinematography is breath-taking, and the story holds your attention for the whole two hours of the film.
Is it ok to acknowledge that a pagan movie has some redeeming qualities? But is it not possible to see God’s common grace in all things that are creative and artistic, Christian or non-Christian? In some ways I really appreciate the music of Kanye West and Eminem. They are amazingly creative and know how to create music that moves people in powerful ways. They have been gifted in ways that most people will find extremely foreign. Unfortunately, they are choosing to use this gifting in ways that completely dishonor their creator, but at least I can celebrate that his image is still dimly relfected and value in an artistic sense what they can do. Do I meditate on it very often? No. Would I let my three year old listen to it? Not when he is three, but maybe when he is 18 and we can have a conversation about these things.
Some would say that I shouldn’t have seen the movie Brokeback Mountain in the first place. Maybe so, but for the sake of the relationship with my friend I took that risk and I think it was worth it, even though it's probably not something that I would watch again.
Would it not be more winsome to an unbelieving world if we were able to indentify and celebrate openly those things that are beautiful and lovely and reflect the image of our creator in the arts, while at the same time speaking candidly about those things that are not in accord with his Word? To look at a movie like Crash or Brokeback Mountain or any other artistic expression that does not wholely honor God and just simply say, “that’s trash” seems to me to be overly simplistic and lacking in grace. I think we can do better than that.
I would love your thoughts.
5 comments:
Great post Zach. I had this same experience when I went to see the actual Broadway production of Rent in Chicago years ago. I was asked to go see it for it's artistic/musical merrit by Willow when we were going into a big production for which we wanted to borrow of bit of the feel stylistically of the music, set, form, etc. While the characters and story line are obvioiusly very un-christ like, what I found particularly moving was the plight of the characters and in their own mixed up world, their "seeking" - as well as the compassion I ended up having for them in their midst of being very lost. It truly turbocharged my evangelism mindset and gave me that much more passion for what I do. We live in a terribly hurting sin filled world. From the wealthy lonely housewife living on the best street in America to the poorest druggie on the street. How can we relate and have compassion for who and what these people STILL are - God's creation and lost Children, if we don't at some point have a chance to witness and actually relate or experience? I always feel this way after going to a bar or being in the setting of non-Christians. Therefore, within what one can personally tolerate of pagan productions such as Rent, Brokeback, etc. - and that's different for everyone of course - I have no problem and actually feel it's a good thing that we have the opportunities to witness the lost world and better relate to it. One obviously must hold one's self accountable for movies/art that may make one stumble of course. Such as I can't say seeing "Basic Intinct 2" is going to be such a film that I would see of course. But good art will always show a reflection of our society good and bad, and one that we sometimes can have a precious and rare view inside of by viewing.
Watching the movie "Crash" definitely led me to praise God.
Two reasons primarily
1)It made me realize God's sovereignty and my responsibility. God is sovereignly in control over all circumstances and we have a role to play. Nothing happens by chance, but He is sovereignly orchestrating all events. Instead of feeling hopeless or wondering what difference we can make, we must always remember we walk by faith.
2)I was in awe of His grace. Apart from God's grace I would be like any one of the characters or possibly worst. Thank God for His amazing grace that has saved me and redeemed me and enabled me to live differently then the world.
With all that said, do I think that "Crash" is an edifying movie that all believers should watch, definitely not! I watched it on the recommendation of my parents and other friends not knowing all of the content. With all the talk about DaVinci Code there has been encouragement from the Christian community to watch it or read the book so they can engage the culture in dialouge. The reality of it is that there are many works arts out there where God is reflected that we can consume to engage the glory.
As we see in Galatians, the key issue is what we are feeding our souls with? Do we consistently sow to movies like Brokeback Mountain and Crash or as Paul urges us in Philippians 4" 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."
A wise outlook. While I am morally offended by the topic of Brokeback Mountain, I must acknowledge that the love between two people is not the issue. The issue is the expression of that love. This is a complicated topic for me as my brother-in-law is gay and in a long term relationship. I care very much for him as a person and while it saddens me to know that his relationship seperates him from God, I must also acknowledge that judging and chastising him will not bring him to Christ.
All that being said, it is important as Christians for us to recognize that while some sins are more public and offensive, none of us is with out sin. It is not merely by our lifestyle that we testify to our faith it is also in how we treat one another, in our actions and behaviors. Jesus preached the love of God by demonstrating his awesome love for all people. I am by no means as perfect as Jesus but I do strive to project a similiar image of love and grace that draws the stranded heart to the truth of salvation.
Hey Z, good posting. It reminded me of a book I read called "A World of Differents" written by Bob Laurent, a friend of mine from college. He says that in order to be a light to some people, we need to "play on their court". That pretty much sums up the reason I do Community Theater. A large part of those involved in community theater are lost. By taking part in productions with them, I am able to gain some connections I would not otherwise have and they can see that I am (mostly) normal. :-) I am able to be a light to them by the way I act (no pun intended) and by giving thanks to God in my "bio" in the program. I am praying that someday one of those people would come to know Jesus because of my involvement in the arts outside of our church setting.
Good post and good comments (friends). My deal is this. There is a ton of great art out there that is worth seeing. Sadly, secular art is often better quality than sacred art. One reason to not embrace and enjoy this art is if it causes you to sin. The other reason to not enjoy it is if, by doing so, your are funding and organization that is intentionally promoting a sinful lifestyle. On the other hand, if we truly take this argument to its logical extreme we couldn't go to Walmart or hire a plumber, etc....
I saw the movie version of "Rent" and thought it was great art. The moral agenda was distasteful, but I would still say it was a fantastic artistic experience. Would I recommend to a broad audience? No, but I could see some benefiting from its artistic merits. I think these same principles apply to anything we can see that is artistic, from the cinema to the theater.
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