You can't communicate with a culture when you don't speak its language, and the language of our culture is film- Dr. Chad Burns.
I enjoyed a visit from my mother today, as her birthday was Friday, and we had not yet had a chance to celebrate. After a wonderful sermon from Pastor Deneff at College Wesleyan, we had lunch and went to see a movie. The only thing that could have made the experience more enjoyable was Dad being there, but alas, he was out of town on business.
The movie we saw was Contagion, a disaster/suspense thriller about a disease that is difficult to cure. Aside from normal movie problems, (Language, Immodesty Etc.) there were a few overarching themes that were disturbing. The attitude towards death in the film was disconcerting to me. There is a natural human fear of death as the unknown, but throughout the entire film, no spiritual references were made to the deceased in any context. The only "religious" references made in the film were shots of empty churches and mosques, indicating that faith had no power over the disease.
We know that life after death does exist, and that God is the master of it. While it would be unrealistic to expect Hollywood to portray the hope that we have in Christ as being a true hope, there was no message whatsoever in the film that life continued after death. If you are currently alive, you will someday be dead. It may not be pleasant for most people, even most Christians, to dwell on, but it is a fact of life. For the Christian, death is not a terror to be feared, but an old friend, who our Lord has already beaten.
Our Lord's triumph over sin makes death a moment that is bittersweet. Joy that the departed friend or loved one is with the Lord is tempered by natural feelings of grief and loss. In a world that is dark enough, let us enter our final moments with the hope of heaven.
Overall, the movie was poor. Many secular messages such as the condoning of adultery, teenage rebellion, and lying, in my opinion, make the redeeming elements, primarily self-sacrifice, not worth the cost. More and more, I find myself agreeing with one of my dear cousins, when she said, "If we have the opportunity not to watch these films, why do we(as believers) chose to subject ourselves to them?"
Guten Abend, meine Blog-Leser.
"If we have the opportunity not to watch these films, why do we (as believers) chose to subject ourselves to them?"
ReplyDeleteAmen.
There is a fine line between being aware of the things that are warring against Christ, and intentionally indulging our flesh. From experience, defining this line is often difficult. However, it is a task that must be done.
I have enjoyed your reading through your posts. It is great to see another young Christian who understands that the knowledge of history is key to understanding the present.
Grace be with you.