Culture Connections
The Alternative Gospel
The Alternative Christology of American Churches
Recently a friend gave me a copy of the book Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church, written by Michael Horton and published in America by Baker Books. The book is a scathing critique of the American Church, both liberal and evangelical. Horton believes that the American Church has deviated from "the faith once delivered to the saints" in a number of inter-related ways.
Firstly, he says that American preaching and practice indicate that American Christians are focused more on themselves than on God and his saving work for all believers. "It seems," he says, "that we come to church less to be transformed by the Good News than to celebrate our own transformation and to receive fresh marching orders for transforming ourselves and our world rather than being swept into God's new world."
Horton's concern is that the American church is getting dangerously close to the place in every day life where the Bible is "mined for relevant quotes but is largely irrelevant on its own terms."
Sin has been trivialised in this theology. It no longer refers to a wrong against God but only a wrong against ourselves for failing to achieve our potential to be happy and to feel good about ourselves. There is no place in this theology for Psalm 51:4-5 where the author acknowledges "Against you (God), you alone have I sinned".
When sin is trivialised in the way it is by this alternative gospel and God's love takes care of any alienation that might occur there is no longer any place or need for reconciliation or atonement.
The question then arises, what is it that Christ does? The answer seems to be that Jesus Christ is "just a coach with a good game plan for our victory rather than a saviour who has already achieved it for us." Jesus' life and death can no longer be understood as atonement for sin or as a mediator between us and God. The most we can say about him is that he was a great philosopher, teacher, example, adviser and partner in helping us to achieve our own aspirations but we are left to do the hard work of achieving our goals and doing whatever it is we are called to do. This is not good news and not the gospel which the New Testament sets forth and the Church has affirmed through the centuries. It is more like the heresy of Pelagianism which troubled the Church in the fifth century which asserted that we must share the task of achieving our salvation.
The second major heresy Horton finds widely spread in American Christianity is Gnosticism. This heresy was a major challenge to orthodoxy in the early church. Gnosticism minimized the witness of the apostles and the Scriptures and maximized the inner experience of the individual. Truth is no longer to be found in creeds and confessions but in being alone with God. The tendency is well illustrated by the old hymn, "I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses, and the voice I hear falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses". Certainly it is important that we should have a sense of God's presence through the Spirit but unless we have the highest respect for the historical witnesses there is no telling how we will end up.
These developments in American Christianity may seem to be of little relevance for us but with the constant flow of gurus from the USA we are bound to feel the influence of Christless Christianity here. Horton warns us to be wary.
I found the book very interesting, though not everywhere easy reading, but I would commend it to all Australian church leaders who are committed to the historic Christian teaching on the person and work of the Lord Jesus.
Gordon Dicker
Gordon Dicker is a past Moderator of the NSW Synod, and former Principal of UTC.
This review was first published in the Feburary 2012 edition of ACCatalyst.
Red Dog
Red Dog (PG, 2011)
Already out on DVD is the popular Australian film Red Dog. Any film about a dog is usually a winner (and it did win Best Film at the inaugural AACTA awards), but this film also appears to be a homage to Australian mining communities. The legend of Red Dog is now well-known. He was the companion or ‘common' dog for many in the mining community at Dampier in Western Australia during the 1970s. Much has been written about Red Dog and there is a seemingly never-ending range of bumper stickers and souvenirs, but this movie was based on Louis De Bernières 2001 book Red Dog. The dog colloquially known as The Pilbara Wanderer has a dedicated statue erected near the entrance to the town of Dampier.
Rio Tinto helped to finance the film and the film does have a public relations aspect about it, as the mining people are basically all warm good-hearted people.
US actor Josh Lucas plays John Grant, the person who is Red Dog's real master. The film combines elements and references from many Australian films, even in the techniques used one can see the influence of iconic films such as Wake in Fright, Mad Max, Crocodile Dundee through to The Castle, and even Hollywood films like Cats & Dogs.
John's love interest is Nancy (played by Rachael Taylor), the mining company secretary, and one all the miners have an interest in, but the American wins her heart.
The Red Dog legend is told through flashbacks and stories as people gather in the pub while Red Dog is struggling in a room nearby to survive (he has been poisoned). Everyone has their own story to tell, and Red Dog appears as the quintessential companion, matchmaker, therapist and good mate.
While promoted as a family film, there are some scenes that need to be critiqued. There are no overt sex scenes, but the main couple end up in bed quickly. The scenes with the pub and drinking and partying are of course the most authentic, but there are some demeaning references to women and the fun attitude toward drunkenness and recovery is something that should never be accepted. Ironically there is not as much swearing as one would expect from this context. The one Christian scene reinforces religion in a traditional role.
Red Dog has themes of mateship and loyalty. It is also about people searching for life and truth in a hard world. While it may be stereotyped, at least it did not have the dog sacrificing its life for the town.
Peter Bentley is the Executive Consultant for the ACC.
The Iron Lady
The Iron Lady (M, 2011)
Most members will have heard the expression "The Iron Lady", and many of you may have thought of seeing the film. It is well worth viewing and will no doubt bring back a few memories for people familiar with the Margaret Thatcher era. Meryl Streep adds another excellent role to her portfolio of character portrayals that have garnered her many accolades over four decades. She plays Margaret Thatcher through the later years of her political life, weaving back and forth from the period of her political leadership to her "twilight years" as the present Baroness Thatcher. She is most effective as the elderly Baroness.
Alexandra Roach plays the younger Margaret Roberts in some typically well-cast period scenes, highlighting the move into politics accompanied by future husband Denis. They were married in 1951 and he died in 2003, and it is her memory of, and relationship to Denis that cements the film as almost a form of romantic drama, a love story that did not end with death.
Thatcher was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979-1990, and is often linked with the other significant leader of the period Ronald Reagan who was U.S. President during the 1980s as they were both highly profiled in the end times of the Soviet era. Thatcher's Prime Ministership had many significant events, including high-level disputes with Trade Unions, the Falklands War, continuing IRA matters including the Maze Prison hunger strikes, and the bombing of the Brighton Hotel during the 1984 Conservative Party Conference.
The film is not a straight historical drama, as the writer and director have chosen a psychological approach, with Baroness Thatcher reflecting on her life, mostly with Denis still around, giving input in sometimes odd and amusing ways which irritates her, but also clearly shows their terms of endearment. The film also illustrates present issues with dementia, and this is one of the aspects that has made it controversial-the other being that it is neither an apologia or left-wing critique for Thatcher's policies, thus satisfying neither party.
There are some excellent and memorable sayings that go to the heart of the psychodrama and they attempt to show how the Thatcher character was built.
"It used to be about trying to do something. Now it's about trying to be someone"... "Watch your thoughts for they become words. Watch your words for they become actions. Watch your actions for they become... habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny! What we think we become."
In 2007 Margaret Thatcher's statue in the Houses of Parliament was unveiled. In her brief speech she commented: "I might have preferred iron-but bronze will do ... It won't rust." This concluding comment brought to my mind many biblical references, and given Thatcher's Christian background and deeply held convictions, the lack of any direct Christian consideration within the film makes one wonder why some of these deeper spiritual and eternal questions were neglected.
Peter Bentley
Courageous Film
Courageous (M, 2011)
Integrity, Strength, Love, Forgiveness, Faith.
All the elements of previous Sherwood movies like Fireproof and Facing the Giants come to the fore in Courageous. Previously the characters were primarily concerned with their own occupations and lives, the characters in Courageous are often dominated by the lives of others; that is, until a tragedy impacts on them. Co-Writer and Director Alex Kendrick stars in the film as Sheriff Adam Mitchell.
He and three other officers are continually confronted by questions arising from their public service, and increasingly see the connections arising from a broken world in which teenagers move into gang-related and petty crime, with the gang leader often seemingly taking the role of the father they never had.
This will be a helpful and challenging movie for many people, and encouraging for men (who are fathers) to consider what it is to be a father, especially to their sons. How do you bring up boys today? How do we address a society in which many fathers have abnegated their responsibilities?
Courageous had a limited commercial release in Australia in November 2011, following the American release in late September, where it performed well at the US box office, being the highest grossing new film release and fourth overall on its opening weekend. The film has had substantial media contact, including help from the now well-known Duggar family, some of whom were extras in the 5km race.
I have mentioned before that the acting in Sherwood films is mainly non-professional, and there are some parts in Courageous which illustrate the limitations of this approach. A tighter script and editing down to about 100 minutes (approximately 130) would help this to reach a broader audience (especially if it appears on cable or TV). The Christian theology presented by Sherwood Pictures is conservative, and no doubt there will be questions over the occasional male headship reference. It does not centre on this, and is similar to the first film Flywheel, which is referenced in Courageous in a minor way, as Adam Mitchell's pickup truck carries a Jay Austin Motors license plate. Alex Kendrick played Jay Austin, the Zacchaeus like used-car dealer.
The theme of fatherhood, and the questions that this often raises can be challenging. There are some scenes and comments which for some people may be emotionally confronting. If you have a group see the film, it would be worth ensuring there are some members available for counselling. A related group of resources has been produced, based around the resolution that the men in Courageous agree to jointly take and hold themselves accountable to. Overall, Courageous wants to call men, and particularly fathers to take their part in the raising of children, and hopefully to raise a new generation which respects women, and themselves.
Put an End to Big Porn Inc
Big Porn Inc: Exposing the harms of the global pornography industry
Melinda Tankard Reist and Abigail Bray (Eds), Spinifex Press, 2011. RRP: $36.95 (310 pages)
I found it difficult to finish this book, not because it is boring, but because some of the chapters are very difficult to read. I often went to the local coffee shop to read, so I would not be distracted by emails and the phone. This book needs your full attention and consideration.
It is a collection of articles and essays, some written for the volume, some revised from previous articles, and others edited from unpublished writings and material in order to bring together all the areas that encompass the tentacles of the reach of pornography. Together it presents a wealth of material showing the links between the different parts of our sexualised culture, highlighting the increasing abuse of women and children through exploitation and sex-trafficking. The sections of the book focus on:
• The culture of pornography
• The industries which make up pornography
• Harm to children (these are extremely difficult chapters)
• Pornography and the state
• Movements and opposition to pornography.
It is sobering to see the various industries that are either helping or benefitting from the spread of pornography, including pharmaceutical groups and of course mobile phone and internet companies. The chapters on the development of the pornography industries in South Africa and India are among many illuminating and fundamentally disturbing studies. There is a helpful discussion through several pieces about the nature of ‘free speech', the concept of fair speech and the reality of censorship in society.
I especially recommend the article by Helen Pringle ‘A Studied Indifference to Harm: Defending Pornography in The Porn Report." This is very helpful, given the prominent coverage in October to The Porn Report and so-called popular pornography courtesy of the Fairfax media group through the publication in The Good Weekend of an article that actually confirms the whole thesis of this book. As well as academic material, the book is intertwined with personal story and real situations. Big Porn Inc. delivers a knock-out blow to those who trade on the idea that pornography is a harmless pastime.
It has substantial footnoting, and references, partly I believe to categorically place this book at the level it needs to be in terms of input into policy and government. I realise that given the themes and the academic nature, this is not a book that everyone will read or want to. However, perhaps you should consider how you can be involved in helping to stop the development of a pornified world. Many people say ‘this issue', or ‘that issue' is the great moral issue of our day, but I want to put this one on top, as it has growing implications for less-developed countries as well as the ‘technically sophisticated'. The exploitation of women and children has no boundary in terms of country, or indeed in terms of what is done to them in the name of profit and gain.
I encourage churches to consider buying a copy for your minister, or lay leader, and asking them to present a summary at a meeting to raise awareness, especially for parents and grandparents who may not even be aware of current issues among teenagers such as ‘sexting'. I also suggest publication of a suitably revised edition that is aimed at a wider audience, especially school students, which could include perhaps a page from each chapter. Another thought was the revision and publication of the 'Introduction' as a small booklet. The fifteen pages here represent one of the most helpful introductions to an edited work I have read. The final chapters in the book provide a helpful way forward for people to become involved in opposing pornography, and also help one not to feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the information provided, and also the depths of depravity that need to be exposed.
You can find out more about the issues and order the book at: http://www.melindatankardreist.com
Peter Bentley
The Grandfathers - new hearts
The Grandfathers (2011, PG)
For those who saw the first documentary in this trilogy, this will be a must-see film. Beyond the Gates of Splendor (2002 documentary) was followed by the End of the Spear (2005 dramatised version). These films are based around the murders of five missionaries, Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, and Roger Youderian in 1956 by men from the Waodani (or Huaorani) people, who live in the Amazonian rainforest area of east Ecuador. The Waodani and their neighbours were characterised as one of the most violent peoples in recorded history. The first documentary told the story from the viewpoint of those who went to live with the Waodani people after the murders, including Steve Saint, the son of Nate, and his family. I have always found it to be a profoundly moving and challenging story of reconciliation.
The Grandfathers continues this theme, but focuses on Steve's son Jesse, as he works through his time with the Waodani people, learning subtly about the events that took place in the 1950s, which formed his father and have now formed him as a man, and have led him to continue a ministry in his own right.
The film itself is a cultural study and testament to Jesse's generation, and also different forms of film-making as it is part conventional documentary, part Terrence Malick style of personal reflection, and even part music video (how can one not like a documentary that has the Eurhythmics singing Missionary Man in the background?). The style may actually be difficult at times for some people to watch, but there are many fascinating parts, and it links well with the first documentary, often using references and even jokes, albeit with Jesse's comments, rather than his father's.
It is sobering to witness the next generation simply being with the people who had killed your own grandfather and his friends, but for Jesse he cannot contemplate being without his new relations, summing up the Christian gospel: ‘Same man, - different heart.'
Available nationally through all Christian retail outlets or Heritage HM: http://www.movieschangepeople.com/home
Peter Bentley, August 2011 (ACCatalyst)
The Good Book (of Eli)
The Book of Eli (2010, MA)
Sometimes Hollywood surprises you with a film with religion at its centre. This sometimes erratic and quite violent film (be warned, many characters are dispatched to meet their creator), centres on a ‘book' carried by Eli, a contemporary road warrior played by Academy Award winner Denzel Washington. He is on a mission in a post-apocalyptic world to deposit this book at a remaining civilised centre for safe-keeping. One person asks Eli what was the world like before (the apocalypse). He replies simply "People had more than they needed. We had no idea what was precious and what wasn't. We threw away things people kill each other for now."
The film is summed up by one poster "Some will kill to have it. He will kill to protect it." Eli is an enigmatic survivor in this post-apocalyptic world (much like the film The Road). Throughout the film he consistently refuses the temptations and rewards, including sexual advances he is offered. He acknowledges God's provision. "Dear Lord, thank you for giving me the strength and the conviction to complete the task you entrusted to me. Thank you for guiding me straight and true through the many obstacles in my path. And for keeping me resolute when all around seemed lost. Thank you for your protection and your many signs along the way. Thank you for any good that I may have done, I'm so sorry about the bad. Thank you for the friend I made. Please watch over her as you watched over me."
He is depicted as a moral and upright person, perhaps like an Old Testament prophet, who also provides swift judgement on the immorality around him. What is this book? Aptly for this contemporary period, it is a copy of the King James Bible.
He has one person as his nemesis: Carnegie, a ruthless local war lord figure who tries to seduce Eli into joining him, because he wants this book at all costs. He knows the book. He says "I grew up with that book, I know its power." Further that it is "A weapon aimed right at the hearts and minds of the weak and the desperate. It will give us control of them.... People will come from all over; they'll do exactly what I tell 'em if the words are from the book. It's happened before and it'll happen again. All we need is that book." The film certainly highlights that words and this book have power, and significant parts of Eli's dialogue are quotes and references from the bible.
Eli of course completes his mission. The KJV bible is put in place with other religious works, the curator seemingly implying that it is the lost piece that the world needs, an integral work of culture and a future help in terms of the re-civilisation of the world. The role of the bible is clearly pointed to in the past, as it will be in the future, though we know it as more than a cultural work.
Eli concludes the film, depicted as the faithful servant, "I'm so very tired, but I go now to my rest at peace. Knowing that I have done right with my time on this earth. I fought the good fight, I finished the race, I kept the faith."
Peter Bentley
Snowtown - No redemption?
Snowtown - No redemption here? A study in evil (2011, MA)
I have occasionally mentioned a film that I have not recommended for viewing. Snowtown fits into that category - it is certainly compelling, but I believe it is not for most people. It is a brutal and disturbing film, but then that is the story itself. It has already received substantial coverage, especially in South Australia, and this will continue over the next twelve months, as it is likely to receive many awards.
If you have not heard of Snowtown, I can only presume you were overseas for all of 1999. This event dominated news reporting for several months and this then continued during the trails of the perpetrators. Sadly the small country town in mid-North South Australia is now known more for its infamy as the place with ‘the bodies in the barrels', even though only one person was actually killed in the town itself.
This film, the first feature for director Justin Kurzel, is a dark, and worrisome story of manipulation and the development of evil. I will not mention the names of those who were involved in the killings - God knows who they are. They are more than dysfunctional, they live and breathe disorder, and the main leader is clearly a psychopath. This is a film that a survivor of any form of abuse would have a difficult time sitting through. The viewer is spared seeing all the murders, though your imagination can easily fill in the gaps in the escalating chaos. The people are simply vehicles for the depraved to enjoy.
In one sense there is no defined order to the film, but that is the nature of this story and the form of film-work - almost documentary style in its manner. The acting by the two main characters is so chillingly real that one could almost forget this is actually a film and that these were people considered by others to be simple working class ordinary Australians. In one scene, children are shown riding past on their bikes while a killing is being conducted inside the ordinary suburban house. Even ‘the church' makes an appearance, as the main family are shown at a local community church service. The singing and community focus of the church stand in vivid contrast to what really goes on in their life. When asked to share something - the mother simply stammers how much she loves her family and the boys.
Some critics have felt the film has no redeeming qualities, but then why should there be any? Watching a film like this is confirmation for me of the limited value of liberal theology today. It does not understand sin, and simply cannot deal with the depths of total depravity that humans can sink to. No amount of moral re-education can deal ultimately with evil - only the one true living Lord Jesus Christ.
Peter Bentley
Hereafter - more than human love
Hereafter (Rated M)
Clint Eastwood's Hereafter is not one of his best, though given the theme, it is certainly one of the most interesting. Many of his films in the last two decades have vividly explored the themes of death, including his masterpiece Unforgiven, but this one takes us to the question of what happens after death.
The opening scene sets the tone and is as dramatic an opening as one could find in recent films, resonating with a contemporary audience who often ask the question - why was that not me? Interestingly the film was removed from many cinemas in the wake of the recent disasters in Japan.
We live in a time where spiritual mediums have become superstars and command large amounts of money and have their own television shows. I am not inclined to mention their names for fear of giving them even more recognition. Due to the experiences of one survivor, the film explores the world of the hereafter and the often documented ‘near-death' experiences of people and the searching that people undertake because they want to communicate with their lost loved ones.
The main character, George (played by Matt Damon) has the ‘gift', but also the ‘curse'. He can relay messages to the living from their loved ones simply by touching their hands. It had become so burdensome that he gave up his ‘business' and took a labouring job. Circumstances though draw him and the other leading characters together and offer a picture about how Eastwood and the writer Peter Morgan view life, death and the afterlife. One would have to say they have a cynical view about the afterlife. Eastwood himself is a non-believer. One scene shows one of the other characters at a spiritual meeting where the woman is clearly exposed as a charlatan to the film audience. Many forms of spiritual searching are shown and each is found wanting. It is worth commenting that a young boy's first foray into exploring a spiritual connection is via the World Wide Web. Web-searching he comes across a Christian preacher who gives a simple message of who to trust at these times of loss - Jesus Christ. The look on the boy's face makes it plain that he sees this person as someone who is no help at all.
While the film's theme is the Hereafter, the actual meaning is revealed at the end. It is basically a love story and is about finding a ‘soul-mate'. For Eastwood and Morgan, spiritual connections are primarily human affairs, meaning you need to make the most of the present world. I could not help but be reminded of the ruin and ultimate death that searching after false spiritual connections can bring. What you involve yourself with does not have a neutral quality. "Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.' (Leviticus 19: 3,NIV)
Peter Bentley, ACC Executive Consultant
The Social Phenomenon
The Social Network has already gathered several awards and is considered by many critics to be the film of the year (2010). If you are not aware what it is about then you are probably not connected to the internet, and are certainly not involved with on-line social networking. With Facebook you allow ‘friends', ‘friends of friends' (or the whole world) to interact with you by a form of instant messaging, sharing information, photos and basically keeping in touch 24 hours a day, in nearly any country or area in the world. A growing trend with teenagers with internet enabled phones and mobile Facebook is the tendency to have less sleep as one needs to continually respond to comments on Facebook.
Facebook developed from a website Facemash based at Harvard University in 2003, becoming The Facebook in 2004, and moving quickly to the open Facebook site in 2006. Since the early ‘open' phase there has been phenomenal growth reaching 500 million members in March 2010. A point which illustrates the influence of the network was Time magazine's naming as Person of the Year for 2010, the key developer and public face of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg (born in 1984). There are now an estimated 600 million members (January 2011). You need to be over 13 years of age and are required to use your real life details (though this is of course reliant on people being honest in their details).
Of course not all members are active or spending substantial time on Facebook, but given it is the number 1 website now (more than Google), it is a social phenomenon in a league of its own. In Australia about 1/3 of people are members, and yes I include myself, though I am far from an active user, and my Facebook photo is when I was a much cuter three year old.
I certainly don't believe The Social Network is the best film for the last year, as there are some melodramatic and I thought unconvincing scenes. In an odd way it reminded me of the National Lampoon film Animal House, which was a fairly low comedic satire of college life and behaviour that resonated with people of my generation. The Social Network is a bit like that movie for the current generation in terms of simple identification with youthful college scenes and life, though there are also some very perceptive social comments which other commentators have remarked much further on. If you would like a fuller discussion of the issues raised in this film see the excellent article by Zadie Smith in The New York Review:
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/nov/25/generation-why/?pagination=false
I believe one of the other reasons for The Social Network's popularity is that it has touched a nerve in contemporary Western society, and has certainly encouraged wide-ranging social discussion about the nature of friendship and communication and the impact of the new social media. Political and wider social usage is clearly very important as people have analysed the role and influence of Facebook in the last US presidential election and in other countries such as Iran where it has been used by opposition elements.
This film helps one to understand the depth of this social revolution, a network born in seemingly ‘nerdy computer land', but nurtured in the partying and hedonistic environment of university life, which has seemingly little regard for privacy and gentlemanly conduct. There is also consideration of the legal dimensions which have arisen (and continue with the latest lawsuit) with questions about who contributed to Facebook's birth and development, and continuing questions about privacy arrangements and access, though the responsibility for the latter is clearly placed with individuals.
Essentially I see this film as a drama about human relationships, and what can go wrong. Here is the irony, as the film is a personal face to face encounter, and often displays a one to one context where you see real emotions and responses. This is intriguing given the lack of social skills that Mark Zuckerberg is shown to have, and the base for Facebook which allows one to show what you want to show (unless of course someone else is showing something about you). There is a certain amount of public arrogance associated with the portrayal of Zuckerberg, (who is very well played by Jesse Eisenberg), which in itself points toward the clear orientation of Facebook - allowing everyone to have 15 seconds (actually probably less) of fame.
Now, I know you are wondering, yes, ACC does have a Facebook page. You can share news and become a ‘fan' or as it now known ‘like' our page, though of course you have to be a Facebook member first. Fortunately we have some members who are more active Facebookers than myself and help to keep this part going and provide a clear and consistent message of the ministry and love shown by Jesus Christ through the confessing movement.
Peter Bentley