Wednesday, May 31, 2006
I confess...
I once vowed not to see any more blockbuster movies. The movie that put me over the edge was the “prequel” to Star Wars that decided to replace creativity with CGI animation in the form of a green “Rodger the rabbit” imitation. It was disappointing and about all I could take so I didn’t go back for many years. Even though I work in the computer industry, I have to admit that computers have ruined movies forever the same way that television (MTV) killed rock and roll.
In the last year I’ve actually been back to a couple of movies and this weekend I went to see the Da Vinci Code. It was not a very good movie, but I felt good about supporting something that had the nerve to stand up to traditional Christian theology even if it was obviously fiction.
I think the reason that the Da Vinci Code is so popular is that most people (including Christians) realize that something smells fishy with traditional Christian theology. Even worse smelling is the odor of Church history that is lined with deception, blood-thirsty power, and just plain bad science. We all know deep down that something is rotten but we are afraid to say it out loud. It just doesn’t add up. I’m glad that someone finally put it on the big screen even if it is woven into a fictional story that turned out to be a bit disappointing. The particular conspiracies that are portrayed in the Da Vinci Code probably never happened but it does bring to our attention that conspiracies are plentiful in our theological history and our elevation of the Bible to a divine status is destructive and lowers Christianity to the same levels as ancient pagan religions that still cling to mythological poems as if they were historical events.
I don’t think there is any question that the power of the traditional church is fading, but the real question is if anyone will bother to reconstruct some type of Christian theology that can survive in the post-modern world after it is gone. I think the Da Vinci code has paved the way for more public conversations about truth and religion. That is more important than an over-priced movie with a corny ending.
3 comments:
Well, the good news is... the next flick you see in the theatre will be a bit more redeeming... Clerks2 hits theatres July 21st.
Can we say office fieldtrip? ;)
"...the real question is if anyone will bother to reconstruct some type of Christian theology that can survive in the post-modern world after it is gone."
I think that theology is being reconstructed every day, Mike, by people like Borg and Crossan and Brueggeman and the many other scholars who are doing it so publicly, and people like you and me, who are doing it on a more personal level. Think of all the copies of books by those authors and others that have sold during this decade alone. There are a lot of people out there searching, who have realized that something is wrong. And I think we will all find a better theology, with time.
I believe we're in a very dark period in history right now, especially considering our national leadership and the political decisions that have been made in this country since 9/11. But the pendulum will swing the other way eventually. It always does.
Christianity has been around a long time, and I think it will continue to be around for a long time to come. And hopefully, as we grow in our understanding of the Bible and the facts surrounding it and the times in which it was written, the message of Jesus will eventually "evolve back" (I know, a strange way to say it) to what Jesus' message actually was.
I recently read "Church History: An Essential Guide" by Justo Gonzalez, which gives a very brief summary of the history of the Chrisitan Church. It's been a very long time since I took world history, and I had actually forgotten how much death and mayhem has occurred thoughout history by people using the name of Christ. So it really should be no surprise that people today continue to use his name for their own agendas, or that wars are still being fought under his flag.
It's easy to become discouraged by the profanity that occurs every day by people claiming they are followers of Jesus. But I believe his message is eternal, and some how, some way, I believe those that truly hear will see his kingdom come to pass. Maybe not in our life time, but I believe it will happen one day.
And in the meantime, all any of us can do is continue to show kindness to one another whenever possible, and fight the Empire in whatever ways we can find, even if only by our words on blogs that might cause another to open his/her eyes...or to at least blink.
The DaVinci Code was horribly, horribly boring- my date and I left after one hour.
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