We live in a culture that has officially joined the ranks of total depravity and carnality when it comes to relationships. Every relationship depicted in the movie represented a complete disregard for biblical morals (the only exception to this involved a young boy in 5th grade and his mother that serves in the army).
I realize that this is nothing new. I did not suddenly see something yesterday in the movie that was "on the big screen" for the first time. Rather I was alarmed that there was not even an attempt to present thematically a higher moralistic option. It was as if the movie was communicating that none exists! Has that part of our meta-thinking as a society completely evaporated? I thought there were at least some small morsels of it remaining? Not according to the how-could-you-be-so-educated-and-stupid-at-the-same-time writers and producers of this movie!
Brokenness and relational pain will continue to get worse the more our world discards the established truth of God and replaces it with immature, cheaply imitated, self-generated, narcissistically based, pathetic examples of relationships. How bad does the pain need to get for us to admit we are wrong and God is right?
If you want to see a good example of what is acutely foul in our messed up world's understanding of relationships, go see the movie. If you want to remain enlightened and focused on God's love and truth, spend your money on something else.
I wish we had.
Rob
Ok, so these are just my initial thoughts. Blogs are usually great forums for open dialogue, however I was a little wary to post on the church blog so as not to be “divisive.” So please take these comments simply as honest discourse and not as any sort of entrenched moralizing. Perhaps there is
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, my personal opinion is that these sort of social critiques of our “culture” simply aren’t very productive. Knowing Rob, I believe the original post came from a place of humility and an ache for sinking people he sees around him, however, I tend to think that the effects of these sorts of critiques are typically two-fold. One, they push away the “culture” we are supposed to reach, and two, they place us on a pedestal of supposed piety. My first thought was of Paul addressing Rome by searching for commonalities such as the unnamed god. What commonalties may we find in this film? What does the film show us about our inherent need for love?
Secondly, I believe we often forget that we are both a part of the culture we critique (particularly in a democratic society) and the cause of it. Our current American society, which does often view love as painful and fleeting through a narcissistic lens, holds to the paradigm of love it does because of the example we, the socially Christian culture, have set for so long. This is not “the world’s” fault. It is ours. The representations of “love” that our American society has had for so long are facades—socially constructed masks of love that ignore the pain and passion of love, deny struggles and obstacles inherent in relationships, and are dishonest about the inevitable fallibility of a relationship involving two imperfect human beings, whether or not they are striving to adhere to a more Godly paradigm of love. In the past, socially Christian culture has been the prominent voice in the forming of American culture, so how can we blame the reactionary response of our current culture to view love in this way, given the examples we provided. I believe we will see no change in society until we truly begin to be humble, honest, and open about our own shortcomings in adhering to a better definition of love. What movies like this do show us is that our culture needs love, craves it, and is searching for it. Let’s give them an honest answer.
On a side note, if you want to see a good film that really does address both the “human” side of love (a desire to passionately and instinctively connect to another human being) and how that may come into conflict with a love for and duty to our God, rent The End of the Affair. Or, better yet, read Graham Greene’s novel. You may not always agree with the situations and/or answers, but it is an honest exploration.
Thank you so much for this thoughtful response. This is not divisive at all. This is why I am doing this blog. It is a perfect venue to engage in the critique of the Church, our society, human nature, etc...I sincerely appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that let me respond to a few of your observations. I used to agree with you. In fact for the last 20 years I have prided myself on being a studier of pop culture through the lens of film. I understand the thematic nature of film and have often found myself promoting a film that most Christians thought were bad or evil but in reality they just did not know how to "get" a film's message.
However, during that time I found myself "hiding behind" this wrong notion that went a little something like this: "i need to be a nice christian who is willing to hear all the junk and crap of the world and not get upset by it; i need to not state an actual conviction because it might repel someone away from Christ; if i do that it might come across as if i think i am holy and mighty; etc.."
The problem with this thinking is two-fold. First, I have discovered after 20 years that the very goal i had in mind (don't repel people but draw them in) is not effective at all. It may make us feel better and the people we are talking with feel better but it does nothing for the Kingdom of God. In fact the majority of time it leaves the other person simply thinking that we are affirming them not challenging them. I am not suggesting that we ignore the culture in sharing Christ (as Paul did in Athens) but rather that we actually display a moral and biblical "backbone." Paul is characterized much more in Scripture as one who debates than one who dialogues.
And secondly, not only is that approach ineffective, but it does not line up with what Christ modeled for us. Let's take the example of the woman caught in adultery. Yes, Jesus said "he who is without sin cast the first stone." But he also told the woman, "go and sin no more." Jesus actually called her behavior sin. What if Jesus had the kind of thinking you are suggesting above, "I better not let her know that what she is doing is sinful because if i critique the culture and lifestyle she is leading it might repel her from me and make me look like i am not humble!) I think you see my line of thinking here.
Because of these two reasons, I am going through a season of change in my life right now that both engages the culture by observing and hearing but also challenges a transformation of the culture in Christ. I hope that I am able to state convictions in a loving way. Our culture seems to automatically pull out the "trump card" of "bigot, unloving, hateful, etc.." whenever someone has an opinion (unless, of course, the opinion reflects the liberal intelligentia mindset and agenda of the day) that is anchored in orthodoxy.
With regard to your second point, I agree that the nominal, "Christian machinery" influence in our society has helped develop the problems of our society. I see that more as a critique of how the Church has conducted itself historically. I do not see how that presently has anything to do with our ability to critique and offer our own honest exploration of relationships.
I will check out the film and book you have recommended. I wish Valentine's Day movie had offered something (anything) that would have even given "a nod" towards biblical morality. But the ignoring of that as a viable option is a worse narrow-mindedness than any critique I might offer.