Ray Ortlund on Dark Knight:
Immanuel Church cannot compete with Hollywood in terms of raw momentary impact. No church can. But that's one of the great things about church. It can be real. It can be entry-level discovery, for anyone, of the Lovely One who will amaze us forever.I agree with these sentiments, but I still loved the movie and I will still continue to watch movies. I think it boils down to expectations.
I'm weary with the world's disappointing stimulants. I want more of Christ.
I didn't expect the Dark Knight to compete with the gospel. I expected to be wowed by it's artistic achievements and it did. That's all. The Dark Knight or any other movie loaded with mega-hype is not my functional savior and I know that as I enter the theatre. (Actually viewing this movie underlined this truth for me!) But thankfully as Ray pointed out, there is something very real that awaits those who hope in Him.
8 comments:
I'm a movie buff. I haven't seen The Dark Knight (yet), so I can't comment on it. However, God has used many so-called "secular" films to increase both my gratitude to Him for salvation and my yearning for non-Christians to come to know know Him.
Ingmar Bergman's movies (I love foreign films) are a great example. Bergman movingly portrays spiritual longing and the pain of the lost in a fallen world. Not being a Christian himself, he wouldn't have used the word "fallen" to describe us or the world, but his work shows the pain of our "fallen-ness" very well. His films don't have the Gospel, but they also definitely *don't* portray happy, self-satisfied people *without* the Gospel. I love them for this fact-- they are very true to at least *part* of life in this world. I would rather watch Bergman's "secular" movies that are artistically and philosophically compelling and moving, than all of the shoddy, and ironically shallow, "evangelistic" Christian movies out there.
Secular movies may not have the Gospel, but the better, more thoughtful ones make me *long* for God and His truth more than almost any explicitly "Christian" film. If only more Christians made great art now as they have in previous centuries...
One last thought-- I'm not saying that good, quality secular movies are preferable to the Gospel. Not at all! I am saying that the more thoughtful secular films make me *long for* God and the Gospel more than mediocre Christian films that only show (or point to) the Gospel in the most shallow or cliched of ways.
What Pastor Ortlund is critiquing is not the movie itself as much as the movie-goer.
Many people run from one unsatisfying stimulant to another, and neglect the only true source of satisfaction. Christians aren't immune from this.
Tim,
Good clarification. I have just been seeing critiques of Dark Knight much akin to Ray's and I feel as though it sets up a false dichotomy of sorts. But all this is preference driven and not something that worth much debate.
Great movie and great post. I wish Christians could produce films this good and impact our culture as much as this one has. I wonder if anyone saw this piece in the WSJ comparing Batman to George W. Bush. Personally, I think the movie had a lot we could all learn from.
http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB121694247343482821.html
I am consistently frustrated by Christians who either (1) insist that Jesus must be mystically "found" in almost any film, no matter the author's intent; or (2) conclude that any objectionable content puts a movie outside of the boundaries of holiness. The wildly divergent reactions to The Dark Knight seem to show this divide pretty clearly.
Loren,
Interesting take. Good point.
z
Z,
Gracias. Fun discussion over at JT's blog, eh?
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