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theology

The Truth Behind Your Favorite Christmas Songs

December 16, 2022 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

your sunday drive podcast christmas

Have you ever noticed the deep theological truths that often appear in popular Christmas song lyrics? We have! Have you ever wondered about the people and history behind these songs? We have!

In the final Your Sunday Drive podcast episode of 2022, we take a deep(ish) dive into some familiar songs of the season. Plus we dig into related issues of sacred vs secular music, possible trends in worship music over the years, do some general Christmas-related chatting, etc.

Thanks to any and everyone who’s listened to an episode this year or any of our other FOUR YEARS of podcasting!! Merry Christmas and a blessed 2023 to you!

Come along for Your Sunday Drive – quick conversation about current events, politics, pop culture and more, from the perspective of a couple of guys trying to follow Jesus.

Hosts: Matt Hill and Nate Polzin. Presented by the Church in Drive of Saginaw, MI, as often as possible. Please visit churchindrive.com and facebook.com/thechurchindrive

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: christian podcast, Christmas, church, drive, hill, Jesus, politics, polzin, pop culture, songs, theology, trends, worship

Asking the Tough Questions: SCENES FROM AN EMPTY CHURCH

June 30, 2021 by Austin Vashaw Leave a Comment

Coming off of its recent world premiere at Chattanooga Film Festival, MPI’s Scenes From an Empty Church will arrive on VOD and in theaters July 2nd.

The Covid-19 pandemic has unquestionably had a massive impact on the film industry, shutting down productions, bankrupting theaters, and perhaps irreversibly hastening the adoption of streaming services and VOD over the traditional communal, theatrical viewing experience.

What largely remains to be seen is the narrative and creative impact it will have going forward. Will interrupted film productions and TV series set in a fictional version of our present acknowledge the hiatus, or the pandemic itself? What kind of stories will emerge as we return to normalcy? What will the “new normal” even look like? For many, watching movies has been a form of escapism, especially in lockdown. Will audiences want to watch, much less embrace, “pandemic movies”?

Set in New York City, one of the most dangerous and heavily quarantined metropolitan zones impacted by the outbreak, Scenes From an Empty Church uses the pandemic as a raw backdrop for a story exploring theology, spiritual connection, and what it means to be human.

The film is directed by NYC filmmaker Onur Tukel, who cowote with Andrew Shemin. It is, so far as I’ve seen, the greatest meditative piece of art to directly emerge out of the pandemic.

The film centers on two depressed Catholic priests dwelling in the silent emptiness of their locked-down church. Like everyone, they’re feeling the anxiety of the situation, scared and disconnected. Their doors remain closed, their ministry halted and their mission uncertain. An unexpected visit from his old friend Paul (Max Casella) reignites Father Andrew (Kevin Corrigan)’s hunger for connection, and he convinces apathetic Father James (Thomas Jay Ryan) to begin to slowly allow the church to resume its work – albeit in a very limited fashion.

Though he’s not a Christian, Paul also hangs around. He’s on a spiritual search, and enjoying the company of the priests and their deep, lively conversations.

As parishioners return for prayers and confessions, the Fathers are reinvigorated in their mission, but also confronted with deep questions about their faith as they encounter different people with varied experiences and backgrounds. The film isn’t shy about asking these difficult questions, as characters grapple and debate in earnest over some of the biggest quandaries and criticisms of Christianity and Catholicism. Would modern day Christians recognize and believe in Jesus if we encountered him performing miracles today, or write him off as a charlatan? Is a priest’s ministry less valid because he set out on that path for the wrong reasons? Or if he has homosexual urges? Is a child molester who has accepted Christ more deserving of God’s mercy than an atheist who leads a righteous life?

One of the film’s saddest critiques is the response of the priests when a stranger comes into the church eager to be saved and baptized. Rather than being equipped with the gospel and ready to engage his plea, they stammer about how busy they are and hide behind protocol, more annoyed by his interruption than joyous at the spiritual rebirth of a new believer.

Another great conversation, and perhaps the most “real” in the film, finds Father Andrew, who is Jewish, getting back in touch with this estranged dad (Paul Reiser): the cause of their rift was his conversion to Catholicism. In still another discussion, Andrew explains how believing in Christ isn’t antithetical to his Jewish roots, but complementary: he embraces Jesus as the very fulfillment the Old Testament.

These conversations and engagements are the heart of the story, which clearly portray the priests as fallible, human beings trying and sometimes failing to honor God. There’s not really any deeper plot; the film is more interested in how we engage and connect. It’s sometimes sad, sometimes hilarious, always thoughtful, and ultimately hopeful. The big questions are left unanswered, leaving them for the audience to consider.

This isn’t exactly Sunday School material – there’s a smattering of profanity, mostly by priests, and a small bit of sexuality and nudity – but the film is an earnest and incredibly thoughtful exploration of both faith and the human experience. Highly recommended viewing.

Scenes From an Empty Church will arrive on VOD and in theaters July 2nd, with a DVD planned to follow in August.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Catholicism, Faith, Kevin Corrigan, Max Casella, New York City, Onur Tukel, Scenes From an Empty Church, theology, Thomas Jay Ryan

A Wrinkle in Time: Madeleine L’Engle’s Wrinkled Theology

March 14, 2018 by Mark Sommer 2 Comments

One of my biggest regrets is I did not read more “classic novels” when I was growing up. I was well into my adulthood before I read such books as Of Mice and Men and Watership Down. My first reading of A Wrinkle in Time was in 2009 when I was spearheading Hollywood Jesus’ LOST Library. The television show, LOST (remember the plane that crashed on an island and the enigmatic happenings there?), often alluded to novels and other literature, and there was an interest in those books on the internet because of this.

Madeleine L’Engle’s “theology” – especially her purported “universalism” – is just as controversial today as it was in 1962 when the book was first published. As I wrote in my review, “Love Covers All Wrinkles,”

A Wrinkle in Time was so controversial when it was completed in 1960 that it was rejected by over twenty publishers before it was published in 1962. Her belief in Christian Universalism resulted in her works being banned from certain Christian bookstores and schools. However, A Wrinkle in Time became Madeleine L’Engle’s most recognized and awarded work, and is the first of a series in her Time Quintet. I do not agree with her Universalism, but found the book profitable nonetheless.

It is easy to be critical. Disney’s new adaptation of the book is currently being lambasted by the press, garnering a “rotten” rating by critics on RottenTomatoes.com, and only a 37% audience rating. I have not seen the movie yet, so I cannot comment on how good it is. But I have a hint, from what I have read on the internet, I would be more approving than a former colleague who concluded,  “…the message it hammers you with is not only disheartening, but could truly prove to be quite confusing to younger viewers.”

It must be remembered that the movie, as well as the book, are meant for “younger” audiences. So, I am not too disappointed that on a second reading nine years later I find Wrinkle a bit shallow.  I was also surprised what a quick read it is. But these can be positive things which recommend the book for an audience of a certain age. The theme of love conquering the darkness may not be presented with much nuance or sophistication, but sometimes the obvious is what children (and often adults) need.

What I do find profound is L’Engle’s presentation of what Evil is. She could have shown a society torn by war. That, indeed, can result from Evil. She could have portrayed a world perverted by greed and vice. But she chose to show a world which is profoundly compliant – everyone doing exactly what they are “supposed to do” – to an extreme. It is the perfect Camazotz—a word I take to be a play on King Arthur’s Camelot. A world where all strife and differences are being eliminated. How could that be so bad?

Meg, the young protagonist, has an epiphany after she, in order to resist IT, recites the Preamble of the Declaration of Independence, including the words, “all men are created equal.”

As she cried out the words she felt a mind moving in on her own, felt IT seizing, squeezing her brain. Then she realized that Charles Wallace was speaking, or being spoken through by IT. “But that’s exactly what we have on Camazotz. Complete equality. Everybody exactly alike.” For a moment her brain reeled with confusion. Then came a moment of blazing truth. “No!” she cried triumphantly. “Like and equal are not the same thing at all!” [L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time (A Wrinkle in Time Quintet Book 1) (pp. 153-154). Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). Kindle Edition.]

God created us equal, but He didn’t create us all alike. He relishes diversity. Just look at his creation around you! The Apostle Paul put it this way:

Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity. [Romans 12: 2 J.B. Phillips New Testament]

The method of governments, and often religion, is to put outward pressure on us to get us to conform. To all be the same – to all be alike. God wants to change our hearts from the inside, recognizing the diverse way He has made us, conquering the darkness – not by intimidation and fear, but through love. Let that wrinkle your theology a bit. (Please. Let it.)

The main complaint by conservative Christians through the years, however, has been the assertion L’Engle’s work promotes relativism. Because Jesus and Buddha are mentioned in the same passage as those who fought “the darkness,” many critics have gotten bent out of shape. It reminds me somewhat of the controversy over Ben Barnes’ statements during an interview in 2010. Barnes (who portrayed Prince Caspian in the second and third Narnia movies) was misrepresented by Britain’s MailOnline as saying Aslan “is also based on other religious leaders [besides Jesus Christ] such as Mohammed and Buddha.” What he actually said in that interview has been recorded elsewhere, including a report I did for HJ’s Narnia News:

Aslan symbolises a Christ-like figure but he also symbolises for me Mohammed, Buddha and all the great spiritual leaders and prophets over the centuries. That’s who Aslan stands for as well as a mentor figure for kids – that’s what he means for me. [Emphasis added. …]

Barnes knew where C.S. Lewis got the idea for Aslan. He was merely stating his own personal reflections. We Christians, especially those of us who write on such websites as Screenfish.net, often appropriate Christian ideas from films which the writers and producers did not intend. I obviously don’t have a problem with that, and I’m just as willing to let those of other faiths do the same with materials that have a Christian bent.

After discussing the “Emeth passage” from the last book of the Narnia series, I concluded Lewis was not a universalist, but that he would not deprecate an honest seeker who disagreed with him. “I don’t think that Lewis would be shattered because Neeson sees Mohammed and Buddha in Aslan. If Neeson finds other spiritual leaders besides Christ in Aslan, then perhaps it is because he sees something of Christ in them and someday will find what he is truly seeking.” (See my December 2010 article here.)

Barnes may well believe in relativism, but our hope should ever be the truth proclaimed, by however flawed the messenger, would be sifted by the Holy Spirit, eventually leading him to Him who is the Truth. But what about L’Engle? What did she mean by including Buddha and others in a list beginning with Jesus? Let’s try to understand by looking at the passage where this is found.

“And we’re not alone, you know, children,” came Mrs Whatsit, the comforter. “All through the universe it’s being fought, all through the cosmos, and my, but it’s a grand and exciting battle. I know it’s hard for you to understand about size, how there’s very little difference in the size of the tiniest microbe and the greatest galaxy. You think about that, and maybe it won’t seem strange to you that some of our very best fighters have come right from your own planet, and it’s a little planet, dears, out on the edge of a little galaxy. You can be proud that it’s done so well.” “Who have our fighters been?” Calvin asked. “Oh, you must know them, dear,” Mrs Whatsit said. Mrs Who’s spectacles shone out at them triumphantly, “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” “Jesus!” Charles Wallace said. “Why of course, Jesus!” “Of course!” Mrs Whatsit said. “Go on, Charles, love. There were others. All your great artists. They’ve been lights for us to see by.”
“Leonardo da Vinci?” Calvin suggested tentatively. “And Michelangelo?” “And Shakespeare,” Charles Wallace called out, “and Bach! And Pasteur and Madame Curie and Einstein!” Now Calvin’s voice rang with confidence. “And Schweitzer and Gandhi and Buddha and Beethoven and Rembrandt and St. Francis!” “Now you, Meg,” Mrs Whatsit ordered. “Oh, Euclid, I suppose. …And Copernicus.” [L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time (A Wrinkle in Time Quintet Book 1) (pp. 84-85). Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). Kindle Edition.]

It is often said, “All truth is God’s truth.” This is not a relativistic statement that anything claiming to be the truth is just as valid as any other claim. It is the belief that whenever anything is found to be true, it is true because God has made it to be true. This has ever been affirmed throughout Christianity as early as Augustine, who said, “…let every good and true Christian understand that wherever truth may be found, it belongs to his Master…” [On Christian Doctrine, II.18] It is evident from the passage above this is one point the author was trying to make. Light is not only shed by religious leaders, but through science. God has used the enlightenment of science to bring us out of many dark places. Until very recently in modern history, scientific advancement was generally, with few exceptions, promoted by the Church.

With the exception of Gandhi and Buddha, the entire list of people mentioned as fighting the darkness are either scientists,* Christian ministers, or artists. Certainly the arts have moved many with a vision of beauty and the glory of God. And Gandhi and Buddha’s ideas certainly have brought a measure of enlightenment to their followers. No one mentioned – with the exception of Jesus – was perfect. But neither were Meg and Calvin and Charles. Yet they were enlisted in the fight.

And so are we.

Perhaps it is high time we learned to fight the darkness with love instead of fighting those we do not think are worthy of joining the fight.

Now John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.”
Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 
For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” [Luke 9:49-55 NKJV]

____________________
*If A Wrinkle in Time were being written today, I am sure the list would include Stephen Hawking, who died yesterday. Whatever else you may think of him, he indeed added light to our understanding of the universe. You may be interested in a piece I wrote in 2009 about his A Brief History of Time. You can read it here.

Filed Under: Books, Film, OtherFish Tagged With: A Wrinkle in Time, Disney, Madeleine L’Engle, theology

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