Let’s have a show of hands: Who hasn’t heard of Nicole
Kidman? Brad Pitt? Shahrukh Khan? Or Andy Lau? Karl Barth? Probably more people here know
more about these movie stars than about famous theologians. For
those of us in their teens or twenty-something’s, movies are just a part of life. Our
young people are more up to date with what’s coming soon from Hollywood, TVB or
Korean drama than perhaps, any other topic.
Because we live in an image-driven culture, a film-watching
culture. Otherwise Tanjong Golden Village and Golden Screen Cinemas would not
be jam packed during weekends. Or if you need more evidence, try to find a home
that does not have at least one television set. Or walk around the neighborhood
and count the number of homes now installed with Astro satellite dish that can
transmit more than 50 different channels to your living room at the press of a
button. How wonderful is that?
When the lights dim and the silver screen is lowered,
something magical happens. Movies are a magical portal that transports us into
another world. To the grand fortresses of Gondor in Middle Earth. Or the wonderful
ecosystem of Pandora. Or a galaxy far, far away where Jedi knights roam amongst
strange alien creatures. Movies can enchant us and thrill us, make us laugh out
loud or scare the living daylights out of us. They can change the way we think
and how we feel. They convey values and meaning, what is good and what is
important.
A good movie takes raw materials from the stuff of life –
friendships, conflict, our quest for significance and redemption – and turn
them into an experience, creating characters and a picture of reality that we
can all relate to. It’s a visual storybook that could show us new insights
about our world that would otherwise remain hidden from our untrained eye.
Like the short clip we watched a moment ago from the Pixar
movie “Up”… It not only makes you smile and draws you emotionally into the
story. It drives home gently some lessons about life too. It’s not just a
cartoon for kids, I tell you. The scene where Ellie lost her unborn baby
especially brings back memories of a similar episode in my own married life.
Combining the ancient art of storytelling with cutting edge special effects,
movies are, of course, very entertaining. But at the same time, they have also
become a powerful medium by which people today discover and interpret meaning
in their daily life.
Let me show you how different patterns of communication have
evolved in human society: at the dawn of history, stories are passed down by word
of mouth, focusing on the ear: an oral culture. Think of our grandfather’s
stories or the penglipur lara. Then
we move into a literate age where the focus is on the eye: Think of libraries,
reading books, the Renaissance, the invention of the printing machine. About a
hundred years ago, we crossed over to a post-literate age that focus on both
the ear and eye: think of television, movies, and news broadcast. And now with
the Internet, Youtube, smart phones and social media, perhaps we are coming to
a digital age where people not only consume culture, they also want to actively
create arts and culture. People want to share stories, create music videos and short
motion picture of their own. In fact, some talented youths in CDPC are already
doing that, aren’t they? Have you checked out the recent cover songs uploaded
by Eugene See and others? CDPC’s got talent!
If that is how people tend to communicate today, how should
our Christian faith relate to the movie world? Or put another way, what has
Jerusalem to do with Hollywood?
Well, for a long time, the church has a love-hate
relationship with movies. They are often frowned upon for promoting
worldliness, profanities, violence and sexual permissiveness. And that is quite
often the case. And we are right to reject these elements. But sometimes, we can throw the baby
out with the bath water.
For some people, movies are sometimes seen as helpful or
acceptable when they depict biblical stories like the Jesus film used for
evangelistic rallies. Apart from that, some of us don’t see much spiritual
value in them.
On the other end of the spectrum, and perhaps more descriptive
of us city folks, we may just mindlessly go along and consume whatever is
offered at the box office. “All my friends watched it so why I cannot watch?
Aiya… I just want to have some fun only. Don’t think so much lar.”. We don’t
discern between good and bad movies. We just switch off our brain and allow our
minds to “drift” along with the show. Just as a fish in water doesn’t realize
that it’s wet; television and movies are so much a part of our lives that we
hardly notice their impact on us. For better or for worse.
So I would like to reflect with you today how we can engage
with movies with an open mind and yet, to do so in a discerning way. It’s a
practical application of earlier CDPC sermons on “being culture maker” and
“cultural engagement”. So, here are three ways we can approach movie culture
1) Dare to say no! (Avoidance
and caution)
It may sound
obvious but there are many movies that we should intentionally avoid. We
mustn’t be afraid of saying no. There’s benefit in leaving some films
unwatched, some horrible music unlistened to, some junk food unconsumed. We
must not worry about being labeled uncool, uncultured, or legalists. It’s more
important that we learn to discern what we see in the light of the gospel and
know where our own limits are.
For example, food
(nasi lemak) like every gift in God’s created world is a good thing. But it can
become a bad thing if we eat it recklessly, excessively or selfishly. It’s good
if we consume it not as
something we must have (“My preciousss... Gollum must
have it”) but as something we can
have, delighting in God’s good creation.
So ask yourself: Am I free to abstain from these good
things as much as I am free to
enjoy them? Am I able to say no? There’s no clear command in the Bible against
watching movies or drinking coffee. But if we are not able to go without
television or Starbucks for a whole day, then it has become an addiction. Or if
we are so insistent on our Christian freedom to enjoy these things, that we
look down on others who don’t like arty films or whatever, that’s also a form
of legalism pretending to be “free”.
There are times when we need to say: Yes, I am not
forbidden from watching this film. It is not evil, but because of my particular
weakness and tendencies in this area and so that it won’t stumble my children
and friends, and for the sake of my gospel witness, I think the wise thing to
do is to abstain. I choose to, not because I have to. For example, if you give
me a remote control I can surf channels for hours. If that’s also your weakness
then you need to be extra careful how you exercise this freedom.
Cultural exposure is always related to a person’s
spiritual and personal maturity. Even an excellent movie like Shawshank
Redemption may not be appropriate for a 12 year-old.
You are in the best position to decide what films you are
comfortable with, and where to draw the line. Ask yourself: How is my habit
shaping my desires? Are they drawing me closer to God or to self? To holiness
or to worldliness?
We all know of the glorification of guns, sex and
materialism in some films. But there are less obvious spiritual dangers. French
philosopher Jacque Ellul notes that the person who has the power to edits
images in sequence chooses for you; he condenses or stretches what becomes
reality itself for us. We are utterly obliged to follow this rhythm.”
Remember how our mainstream media covers the Bersih rallies
last time? Someone has already decided for us what is “reality”– you don’t get
to see a peaceful multi racial crowd of thousands. We are just fed with images
of a few scattered samseng walking down an empty street, throwing bottles at
police. A movie director has the same power of propaganda by making fun of certain
people as stupid or intolerant in an unfair manner. As passive spectators, we
are constantly being fed with a stream of images. Reality is substituted with
an artificial construct like the Matrix that distorts our perception and
manipulates our opinion.
Kairos research director Dr Kam Weng warns us that this
image-driven culture can have negative impact on our education and spiritual
health. TV, i-Pads and video games may over-stimulate children with fast paced
sights and sounds. If we are not careful, it can stifle their ability to
sustain attention on their own, to read patiently and use language actively. They
just can’t sit still: Here we are now, entertain us!
CDPC Puchong has a library ministry that seeks to inspire
children to be a lifelong reader. Why? Well, reading a book allows you to
control the pace of information input. It invites you to think over and connect
the words printed on the page. You can sit down and pause to explore this imaginary
world of wonder, beauty and adventure that the author describes. Real learning needs
patience, careful reflection.
After getting married, having a son and working on projects
at the office, I can hardly find the time to watch a lot of movies these days.
So I need to choose carefully which movies to watch so time/money are not
wasted. One way to do this is to find out what is the genre of that movie: Is
it a romantic comedy? Is it an action thriller? Is it a ‘slasher movie’ like I know what you did last summer? If it
is a slasher movie, it is usually about a mysterious
psychopath on the loose killing a lot people in all sorts of interesting ways
until the final girl (it’s always a girl, don’t ask me why?) defeat him or
escaped. Once I know the genre, I have some idea what is the formula of
the story and I’d say: No, thank you. And that’s just me.
There are also solid online Christian resources that can help
us make such decisions. They give you a good summary of what to expect,
background info about the production and biblical evaluation of its major
themes. Sometimes I would browse around and pick one or two recommended ones
2nd
Approach: Dare to say yes! (Dialogue and Engagement)
Having said all that,
we cannot totally abandon the movie world that modern folks are already
immersed in. Otherwise, we will only let this conversation be dominated by
other voices and lose our ability to take part and influence it.
We need to talk about the movies we watch in order to
celebrate what is good and perhaps clarify our own position on many of life’s
questions. This means that we need to "train" our eye to understand the
language of movies and not just offer knee jerk response like just counting how
many curse words are spoken in it.
In fact, there are many
movies that can be watched “redemptively” – when we enter into a conversation
with the film on its own terms. As we listen to the story, to ourselves and to
God, we may leave the cinema with fresh insights and new inspiration. But to do
that, as with any work of art, we need to lay aside our preconceived ideas and
biases and listen fairly to what the film has to say. We must first allow
another point of view to enter in, to interact and dialogue with our own view before
making any judgment. Theological analysis should come AFTER (not before) the
aesthetic experience of appreciating a movie. It’s a kind of open minded/suspend-judgment
approach that says: “I hear what you say, but I don’t have to believe all you
say”.
When we do that, we may be
surprised by some “A-ha” moments that enrich our outlook on life. I’m sure many
of you have encountered magical movie moments like that before.
But let me share with you a
real story how the movie Awakenings (1990)
can impact the life of young man named Yoke Yeow. It appeared at that time of his life when, as a pre-U, he worked hard to
get good grades but he has no idea what to do with his life! In this movie Awakenings, Robin Williams plays Dr.
Malcolm Sayer, a neurologist who ends up devoting his life to victims of a coma
caused by degeneration of nerve cells. He accidentally discovered a wonder drug
that brings these coma patients back to life! They have a short but exciting
timeframe to recapturing their lost youth. But unfortunately the effect is not
permanent. They are doomed to slip back into a prison of catatonia again:
living zombies, trapped behind frozen, empty stares.
Struggling
through the tragedy, Dr Sayer says: "We can hide behind the veil of
science,.. but reality is we don't know what went wrong anymore than we know
what went right. What we do know is as the chemical window closed, another
awakening took place. The human spirit is more powerful than any drug and that
is what needs to be nourished."
That movie
changed Yoke Yeow’s life. He cried bitterly as he felt for the patients’
suffering and inspired by Dr Sayer’s passion for his work. Unknown to him, a vocation
was being defined: to involve himself passionately in the lives of suffering
patients and share in their struggle to keep alive their God-breathed identity.
He has found his calling to be scientist, healer and friend.
Good movies can serve as
vehicles of common grace and touch our lives just like that. He who has eyes,
let him see.
Of course, the fun part of a
movie is not only in finding some hidden spiritual message hidden inside. But
many films actually explore and confront us with themes that relate to faith,
relationships and important social issues. They convey our society’s myths,
symbols and fundamental beliefs about the meaning of human experience. So we
are invited to enter into a dialogue over these overlapping themes where the
Bible and film meet together. We need to watch with eyes wide open to
appreciate them. Here is just a short
sample of such films.
Abortion
(Cider House Rules)
Death
punishment (The Green Mile, Dead Man Walking)
Biotechnology/eugenics
(Gattaca)
Faith and
Reason (Life of Pi / Contact)
Freewill/consciousness/Artificial
intelligence (I, Robot/The Matrix/Minority Report)
Environment/consumerism
(The Lorax, Wall-E )
Conflict
diamond trade/child soldiers (Blood Diamond)
Social
control/Media ethics (The Truman Show)
Nuclear war
(The Sum of All Fears, Terminator 2)
Slavery
(Amazing Grace, Amistad)
The Holocaust
(Schindler’s List, Life is beautiful)
So as parents and Christian
leaders, we can wisely select and use some of them to guide and explore such
issues with our children or cell groups for group conversation. A movie study
may keep more people interested than a book study, right?
To do this effectively, we need to ask the right questions.
In almost any movie, the story of the main character(s) is an argument for a way
of living or a world view in the form of a drama. Something is lost and needs
redemption: But, how? As the hero changes his attitude or assumptions about the
world through his experiences in the ‘reel’ world, so we see what the
filmmakers are trying to persuade us about how we see the real world.
When watching a movie, ask
yourself,
·
“What is the
character flaw or problems of the hero at the beginning?”
·
“What makes him
change his mind in the story about the way he sees the world?”
·
“What does he
learn about the way life ought or ought not
be lived?”
·
“What is
different about the way he sees the world at the end from the way he sees it at
the beginning?” (Brian Godawa, “Hollywood Worldviews”)
This could be a good way to start a conversation. Asking such questions and offering answers biblically
help us to apply and connect our Christian beliefs both in the ‘reel’ world as
well as the real world.
3rd
approach: Divine encounter
A lot of people experience a sense of awe and wonder when
they are confronted with something heart-stoppingly beautiful – whether it is
listening to an orchestra playing Handel’s Messiah, or gazing at a masterpiece
painting in a museum or even scuba diving on a breath-taking coral reef. People
often come way from encountering beauty with a small glimpse of the divine.
Have you experienced something similar? In the movie
American Beauty, a broken young man from a dysfunctional family came across a
plastic bag swirling around in the wind. It was just dancing around, like a
little kid begging him to play with it. And he stood there and video taped the
whole thing for fifteen minutes. He said:
“That's the
day I realized there was this entire life behind things, and this incredibly
benevolent force, that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid,
ever. Sometimes there is so much... beauty... in the world, I feel like I can't
take it, and my heart is just going to cave in.” It may seem like a
mundane event but that encounter with a graceful dancing plastic bag gave him a
sense of transcendence.
So it is with a well made film like any great work of art…
It can be an opportunity for a burning bush experience if we watch with our
hearts open. Common grace is everywhere, ready to burst forth when we least
expect it.
Now, let us try
to apply these three broad Christian approaches and see how they work with a
Steven Spielberg war film “Saving Private Ryan”. Then you can compare and see
which one(s) works for you. This is a story of 8 soldiers who were given a
mission to rescue one man Private James Ryan from behind enemy lines. Why is he
so important? Because his three brothers have all recently been killed in
action; leaving him as the only child of a single mother. So the military
leaders want him to be brought back alive. At one point, Captain Miller (the
Tom Hanks character) says, “This Ryan had better be worth it. He’d better go
home, cure some disease or invent the longer lasting light bulb or something.”
And it turns out that the rescue mission claims the lives of all these eight
soldiers, one after another. At the final battle scene, as the Captain himself
dies, his last words to Private Ryan were: “Earn this – earn it”. In other
words, look at the sacrifice we have made to save your life. You must earn it.
Live a life that is worthy of our sacrifice.
Fifty years
pass, and in the closing shots of the film, we see an elderly Ryan returning to
the Captain’s grave with his wife, children and grandchildren. He kneels, and
as tears fill his eyes, he says: “My family is with me today… Every day I think
about what you said to me that day. I’ve tried to live my life the best I
could. I hope that was enough. I hope at least in your eyes I’ve earned what
all of you have done for me”. Then he turns to his wife and asks anxiously,
“Tell me I’ve led a good life… Tell me I’m a good man”. He has lived his entire
life with the last words of his savior ringing in his ears. Earn it.
How should
we respond? Some Christians may choose to avoid
this R-rated film because of the graphic, violent battle on the beach of
Normandy at the opening sequence. Or they may be offended by the soldiers’ foul
language. That’s one possible response.
But others
may recognize that this is a realistic description of World War II. They may be
cautious about excessive violence,
but they will seek a dialogue on the
theme of war. Can war ever be just? Or is war always evil for everyone
involved? The discussion becomes less abstract as you ‘see’ the concrete messiness
of war. Or we may engage the human
values of self-sacrifice and courage portrayed by Captain Miller and his men? How
would you feel? How would you live differently if someone really gave away his
own life so you may live yours?
Perhaps,
some may even be drawn to a divine encounter though it is not be the director’s
intention. Jesus says: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down
one’s life for one’s friends. My command is this: Love each other as I
have loved you. You are my friends if you do what I command.” The fact is,
Someone has already died for us and gave His life on the cross so that we might
live to the full. And if we really get it, emotionally and personally, how can
we live in the same old way again? It’s going to change everything. Your life
is not your own. You have been bought with a precious price. How can we not
love and sacrifice for others? How can we not live in a way worthy of the
gospel? But there is a big difference: The Savior’s last words were not “Earn
it. Earn my love”. His last words were: “It is finished!” It is done. The price
has been paid. I have earned it for you. My love is costly and yet it is free.
As we talk about the movies we have experienced, we
celebrate what is good and reject what is evil. It can serve as a bridge to connect
with others who otherwise would never walk into a church or talk openly about
their beliefs. Imagine your small group or family coming together to watch a
good movie and then discuss and pray about them together. Wouldn’t that be
interesting?
Movie, like art and culture, is a wonderful thing. It’s a
gift immersed with general revelation and at the same time, tainted by sin. So
we must be good stewards of it.
Sometimes that means having the courage to say no. Other
times, it means we need the courage to engage and have a meaningful
conversation. On some rare and sacred occasions, they can even be the humble
tools by which the Spirit of God works to change and enlighten us. Or perhaps
for some of you gifted young people seated here - you may consider film-making
as a calling from God.
Phillipians
4:8 – Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.
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