I haven't written in quite a while, but sometimes you've got to force yourself to create instead of consume. In any case, in my normal habit, this entry is not a fluff piece. It may very well sound harsh, so brace yourselves.
Tonight I made what I am sad to say always tends to be a mistake: I watched a "Christian" movie. Before you think I'm renouncing my faith or something, I'm not. But while I applaud people trying to bring faith conversations to the forefront, I have a few bones to pick with what kinds of images we're putting out there and what kinds of conversations we're starting.
Around the office where I work, there's a constant battle between good and evil--that is, the urgent debate over whether we should order donuts or bagels for our once-a-month office breakfast. As you must know (unless you've been seduced by the dark side), the donut people are pure evil. Okay, maybe they aren't evil, but I do have a point to make and also enjoy being dramatic. As you can tell, I am a bagel person. The argument I always make in defense of my position is this: donuts are useless. I mean, you eat one (which has more calories than anything that small should have) and you're still hungry. So you eat another, maybe even three. You're consuming and may even get "full" for a little while--but your body is left starving for real nutrients it needs. You'll be hungry again not long after, hungry and sad and probably a little nauseated.
Bagels are not the poster children of nutrition either, but they don't give you the sugar spike and crash. Sometimes they're even made with whole grains, seeds, maybe even veggies. Add a little cream cheese and you've also got protein--you stay more full with less food. However, probably a better example for comparison purposes in our breakfast analogy is oatmeal. My parents used to make it for us on winter mornings because it "sticks to your ribs." It has substance. It actually fills you up and nourishes your body. In conclusion, if you want to be happy, healthy, and full--skip the donuts and reach for the oatmeal.
Unfortunately, faith-based movies are the donuts of the film industry. Donuts are cute. They're sweet, fluffy, flashy, and indulgent. We crave them. But I'm not sure they do us any good. In fact, more often than not, they leave us with a spiritual tummy ache.
Christian cinema spends way too much time patting itself on the back, demonizing non-believers, and conking people on the head with shallow/clunky generalizations to ever really impact an unbelieving world. It discourages deep-thinking, doubt, and honesty- the things you struggle with in any relationship that has depth. It ties everything in a neat little bow at the end- and leaves no mark on our souls. Non-believers walk away with a joke on their lips. Believers walk out with the thought of "oh what a wholesome treat that was" and don't grow.
The acting is generally bad. The script is generally trite. The situations are forced at best. There's no craft in it. There's no passion for art or subtlety or provoking thought. It's like a caricature of itself. It makes the mistake of trying to answer questions instead of asking them. The fact is, there are questions we can't answer. Faith can't be illustrated like a "drug free's the way to be!" slogan in an after-school special. It comes from wrestling, from fighting tooth-and-nail--with the world around you, with your own nature, with God.
We have to do more than throw together some platitudes and put them on camera. Some of the completely secular movies and shows I've watched have made me think more about God than faith-based films ever have. They've inspired some of the best conversations of my life.
Art changes people. Real art is not something a person can force. It has to be inspired. From what I've seen, the Spirit isn't inspiring what we're churning out these days. People are trying to smash together those concepts they personally consider compelling. It isn't enough. We have to have the substance that comes from pouring our God-given talents into the things we are called to do, not just cramming ourselves into the boxes where we want to reside.
I don't know how we do that. I don't have all the answers. Shoot, I'm definitely not the best example of Christian virtue and love. I fail every day. Maybe the only thing I AM good at is showing my true self (which is unfortunately not always pleasant). But I'm begging you- Christians in the film industry, with any voice in the media, or simply with any ability to talk to the people around you- pass the oatmeal.
