Some thoughts on Christians and Film...

Much like other emerging issues that the church faces today, this issue does not have the luxury of a clear, Scriptural answer to the question “What Would Jesus Do?” Jesus is never recorded outside the local theater—neither holding a picket sign, nor buying a ticket. Clearly, the issue can be, and is, argued by Christians to numerous conclusions. As is true in most of life, those who fail to think through their view of culture often fall prey to either ignorance or indoctrination. As Brian Godawa describes, the two glaring extremes in this instance are “cultural gluttons” and “cultural anoxerics”. His book “Hollywood Worldviews: Watching Film with Wisdom and Discernment” outlines the dangers of both camps before going on to reveal the vast infrastructure of worldviews beneath Hollywood’s glimmering surface. First, Godawa argues that the so-called “Anorexics” endanger their very humanity. He references the image of God bestowed on Adam in Genesis 1. The human inclination towards creativity and expression, he says, is reflective of the ‘imago dei’; thus, to ignore or shun the creation of art is to rebel from part of what made God declare that man was ‘very good’. The end results of this error are irrelevance and estrangement from the people of the culture. Certainly, the church today is feeling these effects. Second, Godawa explains the “cultural glutton”. The key attribute of this type of
person is a tendency to engage the arts in a passive manner. They are taken in by the art, but they fail to discriminate in light of their Christianity. Their main concern is to be entertained, and the value they place on particular works display this. In this instance, the common refrains are, “I liked it”, or “I hated it”. And when asked why, the response is “I don’t know. I just did”. This response to the arts is no more adequate than the first, and this approach often results in moral desensitization and the loss of a wonderful opportunity to interact with the people of the culture on honest terms.
Christians must find an acceptable middle ground on which to stand. Film, as a market, continues to grow in its size and power. As a cultural stimulus, film has seized the opportunity afforded by our increasingly visual culture. If Christians fail to understand film as a genre, and the individual films that make up that genre, the church will go on being self-focused in spite of a sizable opportunity to dialogue with an ailing culture. Simultaneously, if Christians indulge in the culture without pausing to remember the significance of “Christ, and him crucified”, we still forfeit the possibility for dialogue, but we also increase the risk of being drawn downward and deceived by the various forms of enticement.


Why is film (specifically film) so special in its ability to communicate the culture?
--Film is a large portion of the popular arts, and, as many have said, the popular arts of a time period both reflect and form that era’s values and prejudices. Film is one of the most accessible forms of popular culture and as such, it must be utilized as a point of comprehension and a point of conversation.
And, the power of film, as a genre, is a force that has been unseen to date in any culture. The combination of story, music, acting, and photography incorporates a variety of already powerful mediums into one giant. The playwrights of all ages would salivate at the options that lay before the directors of today’s blockbusters.
Because of movies’ massive ability to influence, the writers of movies hold an immense power to persuade or to convey a particular idea with bravado. Often, movies are told from a perspective that automatically gives them a particular partiality in one direction. These biases are very often the unconscious result of a writer’s worldview, but, in some cases, they are clear-minded, voluntary advertisements for a particular ideology or conviction.
This aspect of film’s power is yet another reason that it is imperative that Christians develop and implement a healthy approach to film. The picture of Christians going to the theaters and checking their Christianity at the door is as troubling as the idea of Christians outside the theaters, picketing away a chance to reach weary souls.
(for more reading on Christians interacting with the Popular Arts, read Eyes Wide Open: Looking for God in Popular Culture by William D. Romanowski)
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This undertaking is intended to offer a healthy, vibrant, constructive approach for Christians to employ in regards to popular culture, and more specifically, in regards to film.
First steps: What are the questions that must be answered in trying to develop a solid methodology for interacting with film?
n What is Film?
n What are the benefits of engaging and understanding Film?
n What are the drawbacks?
n What is the relationship between moral compromise and cultural relevance?


--Film is one branch of the popular arts that relates a story using the medium of theaters, whether home theaters or otherwise.

Benefits: / Goals:
A) More accurate understanding of the culture:
1) Detweiler’s Relevant article-- “We must see the world as it is before we start trying to fix it.”…Difference between ‘Descriptive’ and ‘Prescriptive’ truth.
B) If “A)”, then we are more suited to bringing a clear, accessible, and understandable message to fellow film consumers…which is a great percentage of those with whom we live. (80% of Christians who attend church almost weekly said they also attend the movies .)
C). Film is one of the best ways to develop discernment regarding the various worldviews and ideologies that make up our cultural landscape. More often than not, Christians cannot relate to the foundations from which people come. As in most art, film both shapes and represents the culture, and Christians should utilize film to develop a keener eye.
D) Interpretive Communities: (Romanowski 32) The opportunity to form a fellowship with others that is geared toward a joint goal of engaging popular art. (As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another… Prov. 27:17) Because the medium of film is entertaining, this provides an ideal situation for forming deeper, more meaningful relationships. This can be true between both Christians and non-Christians.

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Drawbacks:
A) ‘Stumbling’—the interaction with film causes a personal failure in regards to the personal walk with God. Moral hindrances. (Including sexual addictions, pornography, lust, infatuation with romance, infatuation with evil/violence)
B) Distractions: Often movies can successfully remove a person’s focus from the things that rightly deserve attention and place them elsewhere. This coincides with the ability of film to transport the viewer into a separate reality, and can disrupt personal devotion to following Christ.

A healthy approach to Film will certainly begin with a consideration of all the possible benefits and drawbacks, and after a careful study of the ramifications of engaging film, we should attempt to emphasize the positives and work against the negative aspects. The following is an example of what it could look like to implement an approach to film that utilizes beneficial aspects of engaging film and safeguards against the snags. For this narrative example, I will call the Engager, “Eddy”.
Eddy is a devoted Christian, and his first priority is his relationship to Jesus Christ. This is the pivotal commitment of his life. He enjoys film, but he also believes that there is much potential for film to deepen his relationship to Jesus. There are a number of points that Eddy would do well to remember as he begins his quest to fully appreciate and use the genre of film. First, Eddy needs to remember the cultural landscape from which most films hail. The Christian heritage that Eddy believes is the true understanding of reality is not appreciated by most of the industry that produces the majority of films. The implications of this insight are complex, and contain both positive and negative effects. Eddy must realize there will be content in this area which could be potentially damaging to his pursuit of God. As he interacts with pictures of reality painted by people outside Christianity’s moral code, he must be on guard against what can be a minefield of temptation and distraction. Simultaneously, Eddy realizes that a Christianity turned in on itself is really no Christianity at all. He must use the opportunity to more fully understand the people, the culture, and the ways which they function. Returning to the problem of his moral compromise, it would be unwise for Eddy to approach the potential minefield by himself. This can be a great way for him to build relationships that will keep Eddy accountable, not only in this arena, but throughout all areas of his life. Just as Christianity focused in on itself is no true Christianity, neither is a private, individual Christianity. Eddy can pave the way for deeper, more meaningful relationships through a shared interest in the area of film. This surely can true both inside and outside the reach of Christendom. He will realize that, as with all good art, truth shines forth in good film that stimulates discussion and thought.
With this first mention of ‘truth’, we must discuss with Eddy a critical distinction in the pursuit of truth. There is an important dichotomy in the usage of the word truth, especially when referring to the world of art. Eddy should take a look at Craig Detweiler’s Relevant Magazine article May/June 2005. He writes, “The artistic community deals primarily with descriptive truth. Artists attempt to hold up a mirror, to reveal the human condition as is, quirks and all…Great art describes life as we know it.” For instance, when Eddy watches a movie, and the majority of characters end up dead as a result of drug use and drug trafficking, he should remember that the writer, producer, and director are probably not encouraging Eddy to get his feet wet in drug use. They are more likely describing the life that often coincides the drug scene. Or, given this example, it may be possible that a vivid description has the intention of discouraging drug use.
This is a good opportunity to deal with another important aspect of the Eddy’s engagement of film. If Eddy has struggled, or does struggle, with drug addiction with drug use, then the scenario certainly changes. He must recognize that, for him, this is an area of weakness and likely temptation. Once again, it seems important that Eddy involves others in his quest to engage movies. Being human, Eddy will face personal temptations that he must deal with, but these need not be magnified by his film watching. With support and involvement of his friends, he can use film to establish healthy habits and boundaries in all of life.