This entry is a sort of preface to a series I’ll be beginning next week: My Unabashedly Biased Top Ten Spiritually Significant Films of the Past Two Decades.
While I was writing about the first film on the list, the video (at the bottom of the post) of Mark Driscoll’s comments on “Avatar” during a sermon came to my attention. Instead of spending much time criticizing it, I’ll just present it below and add that, based on Driscoll’s criteria for accusing “Avatar” of being demonic, “The Lord of the Rings” series should be seen as an equally pagan, modernist-industry bashing movie that hooked audiences through special effects. Hopefully the absurdity here is evident. Especially since it seems to go against some of Driscoll’s own comments concerning cultural engagement.
Though he may not appreciate the category, Mark Driscoll is, here in this one video clip, a poignant example of someone who is taking a “Worldview Approach” to cultural engagement. He sees the world as a battleground between competing worldviews. One convinces another to become a Christian by pointing out the flaws in their worldview and demonstrating the reasonableness of their own. Part of a pastor’s job is to attack worldviews that may be influencing his flock.
Another typical evangelical method of engaging culture is known as the “Market-Driven Approach,” or also the “attractional model.” In this method, one sees what is culturally popular and attempts to use that as bait to draw people in. For example, there is (was?) a church in Chicago that regularly has a raffle for cash prizes (with the “Price is Right” music playing in the background, nonetheless) during services in order to attract people to attend their church. There’s nothing more popular than money, and as long as it gets people in the door…
The last method I wish to highlight is what New Wine tries to espouse, however unsuccessfully, the “Incarnational Approach.” The Incarnational Approach (also known as missional), looks to build relationships in the community. While hopefully also showing the reasonableness and attractiveness of the faith, one simply loves other people in word (and so verbal evangelism is not left behind) and in deed. Despite the fact that this seems to more closely resemble Jesus’ and the apostles’ ministry, people are rarely argued into a different position anyway (especially emotionally laden beliefs like religion or politics), and rarely stick around when the “raffle” is over.
I hope the following series will be an imperfect example of how the church can engage the arts, and specifically films, in an incarnational way. I hope it shows how each of these films get at profound questions that the gospel is dying to answer.
Well, if we follow that “world-view approach, then there goes Star Wars (Buddhist philosophy), Lord of the Rings (Pagan Mythology), The Wizard of Oz (blatant witchcraft), etc. I saw Avatar and I loved it! The fact that dude would even go so far as to defend the exploitive and ethno-centric nature of the “advanced culture” is really pretty wild (to be honest, a little scary). Now I have no interest in jumping into that whole “dominant, world-view, cage-match”, so I’ll just affirm your assessment.
An “incarnational” approach to the gospel is concerned with truth and error, but the nature of engagement requires one to be discerning and not simply reactionary. Did I discern some of the animism and paganism inherent in Avatar, Star Wars, etc.? Of course I did. Did I also discern the critique on unbridled greed and ethno-centric arrogance? Absolutely.
The over-arching message of Avatar was was entirely positive: stewardship of creation, sacrifice for others (even those who are different), humility (might does not make right).
It would appear that our Seattle friend is so concerned with people being duped by the “pagan conspiracy” to lead us into mindless tree worshiping, that he failed to consider our legacy as those who engage the culture to advance the Gospel. I’m thinking of the apostle Paul who was fluent enough in the Greek culture of his day to quote the popular poets in his defense of the Gospel. Another case of a little bath-water leading to the tragic death of a healthy baby.
Thanks for filling in some of the gaps, Chris. Put it better than I did.
Great post!
I look forward with great anticipation, but I hope Avatar is not in your top 10.
Great post! I think it should be noted that Mark Driscoll is not against cultural engagement but in fact quite the opposite. One of the mission’s of Mars Hill Church is to point to Christ in our culture. I think, somewhat in Driscoll’s defense, he may have been leaning on the more to the side of this enlightening people towards a Pantheistic concept of God. Most Christians who see the film will go “It’s a movie. It’s obviously pagan. I’m not persuaded by it’s religious message.” But if a Christian walks away from Avatar thinking that we don’t have a problem with sin, but just diconnection from God and nature, that’s a gnostic view and is counter to what the bible teachers about humanity. In this regard Driscoll is correct.
The problem with that assumption is that I don’t think most Christians found the film “enlightening” for it’s “spiritual content.” It was enlightening because it really makes you think about human rights (or Na’vi rights, really), foreign affairs, war, and American greed in today’s society. The visual effects are also mind blowing and I do not see Avatar as any more “pagan” than any other “spiritual” film Hollywood has produced.
In this regard, Driscoll appears to contradict his own message of cultural engagement and his comment here needs some serious clarification. If it is indeed his view that Avatar is nothing but demonic garbage and should not be promoted by Christians because the message is not a “Christian” message, then he’s advocating legalism. If he is however pointing out that the film is representative of pagan religion and we as Christians should not buy into that, than I think he’s right. The problem with that is, I don’t think Christians thought of it that way at all and I think Driscoll is making claims that aren’t true but are simply just his own ramblings.
I’ve revised the post so that it is hopefully more clear regarding the points Jeremy has made…
My problem is, I get so worked up, I just become speechless and my heart starts racing. So. That said. I need a breather. But thank you for posting that. I now know what I think about Mark Driscoll’s theology of “cultural engagement”. Now I’m not saying it’s positive or negative, I just now know where I stand. 🙂 I will comment in full later after I’ve mulled things over a bit.
Maybe Mark Driscoll thought he was going to see a Christian movie when he bought his ticket to see Avatar. I bet he didn’t see it in 3D, if so he’d be singing a different song.