The question, from a slaver’s lips, opens Quinten Tarantion’s newest and most audacious film to date, Django Unchained. The film is shocking and divisive, mostly because of how starkly it portrays the evils of slavery, complete with liberal use of the “n-word” and Samuel L. Jackson’s controversial turn as head house-slave Stephen.
By showcasing the evils of slavery, Tarantino is forcing America to face our ugly past, to ask if we know who we really are.
Back in 2007, when discussing his previous film Inglorious Basterds, Tarantino said,
I want to do movies that deal with America’s horrible past with slavery and stuff but do them like spaghetti westerns, not like big issue movies. I want to do them like they’re genre films, but they deal with everything that America has never dealt with because it’s ashamed of it, and other countries don’t really deal with because they don’t feel they have the right to.
As films go, Django is a well-constructed, straightforward western, with no real surprises. Django’s Hero’s Journey is clear and enjoyable. The dialogue is sharp, hilarious and fast-paced. It’s Django‘s simplicity that allows Tarantino’s larger point to shine through so clearly.
From the beginning, Django Unchained is clearly not historical. Tarantino is giving us a revisionist history lesson. Continue Reading…
Vengeance was his and he gave me back my life!
Damned if I’ll live in the debt of a thief
Damned if I’ll yield at the end of the chase
I am the law and the law is not mocked.
– Javert, “Javert’s Soliloquy,” Les Miserables
Les Miserables is the newest theatrical version of the 1980 musical based on the 1862 novel. That alone should hint at how powerful the narrative is. Les Mis endures precisely because it so powerfully showcases basic human themes like grace, mercy and the crushing, relentless despair of law.
Javert, the policeman, represents the system of law, and by extension everyone who orders their lives according to Law. You don’t have to be a judge or a policeman to be a Javert. He is anyone who prioritizes right and wrong, justice, right living as the highest virtue in life. In fact, most of these people end up in churches.
Like Javert, Legalists believe they are following God’s will, that their ceaseless efforts to uphold Right give them special standing in God’s eyes. Continue Reading…
This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series Best of 2012
2012 is coming to a close, and as usual looking back over my to 10 posts is mostly an exercise in film reviews. But the few surprises are interesting indeed. Without further ado, here are my 10 most popular posts from the past year:
The most successful superhero film of all time was a huge treat. Fun, funny and intense. I argued that it’s bad news for single-hero films. And it looks like I may have been right, since Warner Brothers is launching their franchise with Justice League…
Though Kristen Stewart was predictably bad, that wasn’t the film’s biggest problem. That said, it’s still worth seeing for Charlize Theron’s performance.
Christmas is a showdown between two Ways: our sinful human way of Pride and Empire and God's peaceful, Lamb way.
From Series: "It's the End of the World As We Know It"
These days, we're obsessed with the End of the World. We should remember that when Jesus came the first time, it really was the End of the World, at least as we knew it. And the beginning of something much, much better. This Advent, we prepare ourselves to welcome Jesus' coming into the world by exploring the book of Revelation!
Luke establishes the birth of Jesus as a showdown between two kingdoms: God’s and Rome’s. By the time Jesus was born, Augustus had been ruling as the first Roman Emperor for over 20 years. He’d firmly established his trademark imperial policy, the Pax Romana, a Latin phrase that means “Peace of Rome”.
Augustus used the Peace of Rome to entice and threaten those Rome ruled into following Rome, into living Rome’s way. The Pax Romana policy essentially claimed that Rome brought peace to the Earth. The implied message was that if you follow Rome’s way, you get peace: safety and security, protection from your enemies. If you don’t follow Rome’s way, you’re the enemy, and Rome will crush you.
Augustus used the title “Savior” to describe how he brought the Peace of Rome to the world. Check out this inscription from a calendar that dates less than a decade before Jesus’ birth:
Providence… has given us Augustus, whom she filled with virtue that he might benefit humankind, sending him as a savior, both for us and for our descendants, that he might end war and arrange all things… The birthday of the god Augustus was the beginning of the good news for the world.
This is the language Rome used to describe its ruler. The Good News is that Augustus was born. Why is that good news? Because Augustus is the Savior. He protects Rome from her enemies and brings peace to the Earth.
And this Augustus decrees that a census should be taken, so a Galilean peasant and his pregnant fiancée head to Bethlehem, where she gives birth. This is the world into which Jesus is born. Now look at what Luke tells us happens next:
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior– yes, the Messiah, the Lord– has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
The angelic messenger tells the shepherds there’s a new king in town. Tonight is the birthday of a new savior. This is a Gospel message to oppose Caesar’s. But the angel isn’t finished:
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others– the armies of heaven– praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” – Luke 2:8-14 (NLT)
The angelic choir proclaims Pax to the Earth, using all the language Augustus used to describe himself.
That is quite an entrance. God is throwing down the gauntlet. God is directly challenging Caesar’s claim to bring peace to the earth. According to Luke’s Christmas story, Caesar is a false god, making false promises and offering a false peace. And the good news is that the true king has come. The good news is that in the birth of Jesus, God is bringing true peace to the Earth.
I finally watched the truly outstanding film Of Gods and Men last night. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. I was blown away.
The film is about a group of French Trapist monks living in Algeria in 1996 when the Civil War breaks out. They refuse to leave, even though their lives are threatened by Islamic fundamentalists. Seven of the monks are taken captive and killed. But the film ends with this beautiful, haunting statement from the head father, Christian.
I thought it especially beautiful and appropriate this week:
Should it ever befall me, and it could happen today, to be a victim of the terrorism swallowing up all foreigners here, I would like my community, my church, my family, to remember that my life was given to God and to this country.
The the Unique Master of all life was no stranger to this brutal departure. And that my death is the same as so many other violent ones, consigned to the apathy of oblivion.
I’ve lived enough to know that I am complicit in the evil that, alas, prevails over the world and the evil that will smite me blindly. I could never desire such a death. I could never feel gladdened that these people I love be accused randomly of my murder.
I know the contempt felt for the people here, indiscriminately. And I know how Islam is distorted by a certain Islamism. This country, and Islam, for me are something different. They’re a body and a soul.
My death, of course, will quickly vindicate those who called me naive, or idealistic, but they must know that I will be freed of a burning curiosity and, God willing, will immerse my gaze in the Father’s and contemplate with him his children of Islam as he sees them.
This thank-you which encompasses my entire life includes you, of course, friends of yesterday and today, and you too, friend of the last minute, who knew not what you were doing.
Yes, to you as well I address this thank-you and this farewell which you envisaged. May we meet again, happy thieves in Paradise, if it pleases God, the Father of us both. Amen.
That last line ruins me. May we meet again, happy thieves in Paradise. Wow.
We think of Christmas as happy times by the fire, but on the first Christmas, God came into the darkness. As his followers, we too are called to be lights in that darkness, to announce the Good News of Jesus' coming to the world!
From Series: "It's the End of the World As We Know It"
These days, we're obsessed with the End of the World. We should remember that when Jesus came the first time, it really was the End of the World, at least as we knew it. And the beginning of something much, much better. This Advent, we prepare ourselves to welcome Jesus' coming into the world by exploring the book of Revelation!
There’s a scene that pretty much every Christmas movie includes at some point (usually toward the end of Act II). The protagonist is down on his or her luck, and has just stumbled upon a window. They look inside and see a perfectly happy family, tall, perfect Christmas tree in the corner, a big, crackling fireplace, a big pile of gifts and plenty of laughter.
And the protagonist stands outside, looking in. Separated from all the warmth, laughter and love. Of course this usually happens at the low point in the story, when the hero is about to learn some valuable lesson that will enable them to save Christmas and rejoin their loved ones at their own fireplace scene.
Because the message is that Christmas is happening inside, where the fire is so delightful. Not outside where the weather is frightful.
This understanding of Christmas, as the warm places full of love and cheer, runs deep, so that even our nativity scenes look so peaceful and serene.
We forget that the first Christmas was anything but warm and peaceful. We forget that everyone around the manger is an outsider. That the nativity scene is filled with people who didn’t belong anywhere else. People who’d been left standing outside in the cold.
We forget – or maybe never actually thought about – the fact that when God came to the World, he didn’t come to the cozy fireplaces. He came to the outsiders, to the left-out. Jesus is outside. Continue Reading…
For anyone who’s ever tried seriously to read the Bible, the gap between our 21st century American culture and the ancient world of the Scriptures has proven to be very challenging, if not outright impossible. Plenty of earnest Christians have tried to understand the Scriptures only to be thwarted by the Levirate Law or unspoken rules of Honor and Shame.
Bible teachers know: there’s no easy bridge across the cultural divide. But finally there’s an excellent, accessible book that at least gives us some climbing rope.
Okay, you know what? Forget the whole chasm metaphor and just go get a copy of Misreading Scripture With Western Eyes by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien. As the authors state early in the book,
The most powerful cultural values are those that go without being said. It is very hard to know what goes without being said in another culture. But often we are not even aware of what goes without being said in our own culture. This is why misunderstanding and misinterpretation happen…
Our goal is to raise this question: if our cultural context and assumptions can cause us to overlook a famine, what else do we fail to notice? [emphasis original]
It’s hard to overstate how important this statement is. Some of the worst (and most influential) theological systems in the West right now are built on supposedly ‘objective’ readings of the Bible that uphold a ‘plain reading’ of Scriptures. Randy and Brandon deftly expose how foolish such statements are.
Again and again, they demonstrating how huge are the gaps between what went without being said then and what goes without being said now.
Our different cultural assumptions can make reading the Bible intimidating.
Drawing on both personal and professional experiences in other cultures and as students of the Scriptures, Rand and Brandon move through three layers of cultural assumptions:
“Surface” Differences: obvious problematic differences such as mores, ethnicity and language barriers.
“Just Below the Surface”: less obvious cultural assumptions like individualism vs. collectivism, honor/shame vs. right/wrong and how we conceive of time.
“Deep” Differences: assumptions so deeply embedded in our culture we can hardly imagine anyone thinking differently: the priority of relationships over rules, what counts as a vice or virtue, and the idea that the scriptures are mainly about me.
Each section is clear, concise and loaded with examples both from lived experiences and from the Scriptures.
One of the best tips? The Bible was never intended to be read alone!
The greatest strength of the book is that each chapter ends with practical ways to begin to overcome reading “with Western eyes*”. Though the authors are quick to warn that there’re no shortcuts, they offer guidelines that can and should become part and parcel of any serious student’s reading strategy.
As a teacher, I’ve often found myself struggling to explain how differently non-Western cultures see the world, and how differently we ought to be reading the Scriptures accordingly. Misreading Scripture With Western Eyes has already become my go-to teaching tool, and I’ve given out several copies to friends.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be a better student of the Bible. You don’t have to be be a bible scholar to enjoy this book, or to apply what you’ll learn. Misreading Scripture With Western Eyesis an indispensable tool in the interpreter’s utility belt!
Bottom Line: Anyone serious about reading and understanding the Bible should get this book and read it immediately. Even better, read it with a friend or five.
YOUR TURN: What are your biggest struggles in reading the Bible? What cultural assumptions have you uncovered in your own life?
*I would be remiss to mention that the authors take great care to acknowledge how inherently problematic the term “Western Eyes” is. They deserve to be commended for unpacking it as well as they do.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free for review purposes from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
This is a condensed, blog-friendly version of my sermon from yesterday. Listen to it here.
The so-called “War on Christmas” has been beaten nearly to death. On one side, many Christians believe that using words like X-mas and wishing someone “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” are the mildest forms of a more-or-less systematic attack on Christmas (and by extension, the Christian foundations of American culture). This camp believes – and rightly so – that you cannot and should not take the Christ out of Christmas. (by the way, go read this)
On the other side, many recognize that America is becoming increasingly pluralistic, and in an effort to welcome other faiths and cultures into the dominant culture, are removing the most explicitly religious elements of Christmas celebrations. This camp believes – and rightly so – that there’s a lot you can do around the holidays that doesn’t have to involve Jesus.
I’m not interested in taking a side in the War on Christmas (though as usual, Jon Stewart is pretty spot-on). I’m more interested in how those who call themselves Christians are fighting this “War”.
Christians are taking the Christ out of Christmas by the way we treat our enemies in this “War”. Continue Reading…
When I was in high school, I worked for a gas station called QuikTrip. It was pretty much the best high school job a guy could want. QuikTrip is open 24/7/365, which means it’s one of the only places open on Christmas Day. My family always got up really early to celebrate Christmas, and by 10 am, we were all just sort of sitting around for the day.
So the last couple of years I was at home, I volunteered to work on Christmas Day at a gas station. Continue Reading…
Unless you are Amish, you are probably aware that zombies are way in right now. Which is at least slightly weird since zombies aren’t even a little bit sexy. I mean, there’s not much you can do to glamorize the zombie apocalypse.
But Walking Dead is the biggest show on TV. The number of zombie novels might be outpacing teen vampire romance novels. (Also, that those are a thing? Truly horrifying.) Zombies are even getting attention from scholars.
Which begs the question, Why are zombies so “in” right now? Continue Reading…
I'm a Teaching Pastor in Dayton, Ohio with my wife Amanda. I do the #StoryMen podcast with Matt Mikalatos and Clay Morgan. I love stories of all kinds. So what's yours?
I want to do movies that deal with America’s horrible past with slavery and stuff but do them like spaghetti westerns, not like big issue movies. I want to do them like they’re genre films, but they deal with everything that America has never dealt with because it’s ashamed of it, and other countries don’t really deal with because they don’t feel they have the right to.
