How to Watch Movies

The last couple of weeks we've been challenged to know what we believe and why...and to be aware of outside influences on us through entertainment and media that could challenge and undermine the truth. Though we Americans are probably over saturated with entertainment and could stand to dial it down, we are still going to view a LOT over the next few years. So instead of being passive receptors of whatever values and worldview (what I call little 't' theology) those storytellers have, we as Christians should consciously interact with it to 1) strengthen and fill out our own beliefs, 2) resist untruthful messages and influences, and 3) be discerning about what we subject ourselves and our family to.

I've compiled a list of suggestions and questions to ask below to help us in this endeavor. your homework is to run a movie/book/TV show through these things this week to try to flesh out the theology of a given story. I've suggested we could all do it with Star Wars (any of the episodes, but especially 4, 5 and 6 since I'm a geezer) and discuss in class this Sunday. I have since thought of a better idea...The Matrix! Either way, the goal is just to interact with the story and have some good discussion about either set of movies (or anything you want to apply it to).

‘Theology’, in the context of a story (movies, books, TV, etc.), is best understood in a more general sense as a philosophy, set of values, or particular perspective on reality rather than a proper Christian belief system. But we want to compare the theology in these stories with our (hopefully) orthodox Christian theology.

Look for explicit as well as implicit theology in a story. This will be necessarily subjective to some degree (different people might see different things, and we are many times guessing the author’s intention).

Look for intentional and unintentional parallels with orthodox Christian theology, in addition to contrasts and contradictions. Unintentional parallels are a result of the fact that the Christian view is the one based in reality, and since it is a reality and common to everyone including unbelievers, parts of it will show up in competing theologies sometimes unintentionally.

Here are the questions I suggest asking as a starter to try to figure out what the theology of a particular story might be. Of course there can be many more based on the individual story you are interacting with. Additionally, some of these questions might not make much sense in one story, but give you a lot to think about in another story.

· How does the story portray God (or its version of God)? If the story does not portray God at all that is still very significant. Does it assume God does not exist, or if He does that He is just not important or relevant? How does that impact the story?
· What is the significance or meaning of any supernatural events in the story…or lack of them?
· How does the story portray human nature, purpose and destiny?
· Compare and contrast the hero/heroine with Christ…stories love messiahs. Values, actions, words, etc. If there is not a clear hero, are there implications of that?
· Analyze the values and characteristics of the ‘bad guy(s)’. What makes them ‘bad’ from the viewpoint of the story teller?
· What in or about the story are you supposed to find funny (if anything)?
· What is it that you are supposed to really like about the story overall? (Some common things in movies are good looking people, cool/hip style, violence, etc.) What is the Christian view of those things?
· How does the story address the following themes: sin, forgiveness, evil, death and afterlife, religion, suffering, rebirth, etc?
· Overall, what characteristics or concepts does the story celebrate versus condemn? (Perhaps none are being either celebrated or condemned…what does this say? A very commonly celebrated concept is ‘romantic love’, for example. Though not necessarily bad and even good in some contexts, our culture tends to idolize it and props it up as the ideal or source of happiness...a position that only God should have.)

Often times, many of the celebrated and condemned values will line up in accordance with Christian belief due to a common understanding of morality (love is good, greed is bad, etc.).
However a very subtle, yet crucial, departure from Christian belief will be present in how the story portrays human nature, potential, and morality.

Train yourself to see life (and stories) through the glasses of the gospel…the understanding of which is based in theology!!!