Monday, December 24, 2012

Yeshua was beautifully weird (My favorite "Christian" movies--"Signs" and "Kung Fu Hustle")

As Christians, it is difficult to step outside our religious upbringing and see the beauty and weirdness of Yeshua (Jesus).  That is why I absolutely love "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Signs."  While one of the main characters in "Signs" is a priest who loses, and then regains, his faith; the sic-fi nature of the film allows the religious scales to fall from one's eyes and to see Jesus for the first time or, at least, through fresh eyes.  "Kung Fu Hustle" doesn't haven't any Christian characters--it is a sub-titled Kung Fu movie by Stephen Cho.  Yet, it is vastly more "Christian" than most overtly Christian movies.  I don't know whether Shymalan is a Christian, but he clearly understands Christianity.  Stephen Cho is not a Christian, but Chinese culture embraces the below-described Christian themes.

SPOILER ALERT--I WILL DISCUSS THE PLOT OF THESE MOVIES IN SOME DETAIL

By the way, both of the movies have hilarious moments, as well as violent and frightening moments.  Some of the scenes may be scary for young children and even some adults--my wife for instance.

Each of these movies illustrates three of the anti-religion, counter-cultural tenets of Christianity:  1)Grace, not law, is the only true change agent  (God is love);  2)Everything works together for good (God is sovereign);  and 3)Weakness triumphs over strength (God became weak (incarnate), then allowed Himself to be hung on a cross).  Each of these themes finds its home in non-religious Christianity.  Shymalan attended Catholic schools, where he obviously learned these principals.  As to Cho, his understanding of these themes is derived from his culture.  Since the Chinese culture is the world's oldest, it stands to reason that they might be able to view the "way that the world works."  The world "works,"  and "still exists," because of these tenets of Christianity and Taoism.  If you get the DVD version of "Kung Fu Hustle," listen to the interview of Cho after the movie.  If you replace "qi" with "holy spirit" in his description of how the world works, you have Christianity.

Grace, not Law

In Signs, Mel's priest character treats everyone with grace, not law.  His brother is welcomed into the family fold after failing in the big leagues since, while he could hit the ball a mile, he also was a strike-out king--"It just never felt right not to swing."  Mel also embraces the weirdness of his children--they are fascinated with aliens, and his daughter constantly leaves half-full glasses of water around the house.  Not big  issues, but I would be telling my kids that aliens aren't real and would be making sure the glasses were picked up.

In Kung Fu Hustle, the principal character is locked in a life and death struggle with the "world's greatest killer."  When he finally appears to have bested him, the "world's greatest killer" feigns surrender only to try and kill with a multi-bladed device like a stiletto.  The protagonist takes the weapon and turns it into a flower.  The killer falls to his knees and calls him "master."

Sovereignty

In Signs, Shymalan uses the death of Mel's wife to save the entire family from the aliens.  This is a recurrent theme in Shymalan's movies.  In "Wide Awake," the death of the boy's grandfather leads him to God.  In "Lady in the Water," the apartment manager's entire family had been killed.  So, he left his doctor's practice, became an apartment manager and was there to save "the lady in the water."

In Kung Fu Hustle, the protagonist literally goes from very near "death" to "life" and thereby goes from being a petty criminal (who wants to be a gangster) to a kung fu master.  The resurrection scene is remarkable.  He becomes a force for good and saves "Pig Sty Alley" (where he lives) from the true gangsters.

Strength in weakness

In Signs, this is one of the most beautiful themes.  The wife's death, the daughter's half-full glasses of water, the brother's being a "strike-out king," and the son's asthma (all negative things by worldly standards) are used to save the family.

In Kung Fu Hustle, the residents of Pig Sty Alley turn out to be Kung Fu masters, and use their gifts in protecting the residents of Pig Sty Alley from the gangsters.  However, each of these Kung Fu masters (except one--the resurrected one) is eventually defeated by the gangsters.  Only one (born of low repute), killed, then resurrected is finally able to deal with the "world's greatest killer," and he does it, in the end, with grace.

I can't help but think that, if more churches embraced the weirdness of Jesus rather than harping on the morality angle, then many, many more people would be drawn to Jesus.




Sunday, December 23, 2012

Shazam--Part 2--should the OT be part of the Bible?

"The holy-inspired, inerrant word of God."  When most preachers proclaim this, they have no idea why they're saying what they're saying.  In fact, I have heard this phrase misused, misexplained, and misapplied so many times over the years that I'm sick of hearing it.  What does it mean anyway?  What does it mean to say that the Bible is inerrant when the God of the OT is pictured as a blood-thirsty, genocidal maniac, and Jesus says: "turn the other cheek;  if someone takes your cloak, give him your other possessions."  What gives?  Is the God of the OT really the same as the God of the NT?  Were the church fathers correct when they included the Torah and the Tanech as part of the Bible?

Without the benefit of Jesus, most persons interpreted their relationship with God to be based upon what they brought to the equation, to be based upon living "good" lives.  There were a few that realized that our relationship to God is grace-based, not works-based.  Typically, they were so few that they were called the "remnant."  (Even today, with the benefit of Jesus, most of us interpret our relationship with God in this way.  In fact, Scofield compares the true, invisible church to the "remnant."  For that matter, for many more years than not, the visible church has placed its emphasis on the works of man, rather than the grace of God.)  The Jews also believed that, if God was on their side, then He would destroy their enemies.  These two profound misunderstandings were dispatched by Jesus.

Jesus told us that, if we were going to get to God based upon our works (as the Pharisees were trying to do), then we must be perfect, letting us know that we can never get to God through our own efforts.  Our response is to give up, fall on our knees, say "Uncle," and then simply receive the love of God.  This is referred to as grace--God's disposition towards man is to always be gracious.  Jesus also let us know that God wasn't about killing our enemies.  Jesus told us to "love our enemies."  That is completely antithetical to what the Jews believed.  As I mentioned in a prior blog, it is the fact that Jesus broke with the teachings of Moses that resulted in Him being placed on The Cross.

So, were the Jews errant when they wrote the books of the OT?  Were the books of the OT "holy-inspired" or not?  Given that Jesus referred time and time again to the books of the OT, we must give careful attention to the OT.  If we do, we see that the Jews got it, but didn't get it entirely.  They got it to the degree that God wanted them to get it.  It is Jesus' life and teachings, juxtaposed against the legalism of the religion into which He was born, that gives Christianity its remarkable vitality and insight into the nature of man and the love of God.

First, God told Abraham to be perfect.  So, the standard was the same.  However, it appears that most Jews interpreted the Ten Commandments as legalistic requirements that could be fulfilled, rather than a mirror to reveal our imperfections and turn us to God's grace.  Yet, the stories of the OT are filled with stories of broken people being loved and rescued by God--Abraham (tried to give Sarah to the Pharaoh for sex;  seriously considered sacrificing his son, only to be stopped at the last minute by God);  David (adulterer and murderer);  Sampson (and Delilah);  and it goes on and on.  It appears to have been God's plan for the Jews to be legalistic so that Jesus' advent and teachings (that He came to satisfy the Law) would be that much more radical, that much more glorifying to God, and that much more life-changing for us.  The same is true of the visible church today--it's legalism (and corresponding hypocrisy) is a foil for true Christianity--which is comprised of sinners living solely by the grace of God.  In other words, if Jesus had simply been a foil for an immoral religion, His teachings would have lacked profundity.  Instead, Jesus was a foil for a religion based upon morality.  He was, and is, the most radical person to have ever lived.  His love, for the sinners and outcasts, is the most radical love ever expressed.  His love for man is the same love that we see reflected in the OT.

Second, the Jews lived in a violent age.  It was natural for them to view success in battle as a blessing from God.  Sometimes, as a people, we have no choice but to fight.  In our age, World War II was such a situation.  If you view the events of World War II, and the miraculous resolution of the European Theater and the Asian Theater, it sure appears that a divine hand was at work for good in the world.  So, maybe the Jews weren't mistaken that God was fighting their battles.  Interpreted in this light, Jesus is teaching that, deep down, we are really no different from our enemies.  So, we should be loathe to institute violence.  We may need to respond to violence in a violent fashion, but the violent response should be our last recourse, not our first.

So, maybe now, I can quit wincing when I hear the phrase--the "holy-inspired, inerrant word of God."  Maybe I can exult in this phrase--I sure have come to exult in the stories (and the metanarrative) of the Bible.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Shazam!--For unto you a Child is born.

I recently saw twice "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" put on by Birmingham Park Players--a community acting group.  It produced many laughs, but also a renewed appreciation for the wonder of the Christ's advent.  It involved the transformation of the typical church Christmas play from a "ho hum" matter into one with real Gospel significance.  The Heardman kids--"the worst kids in town"--bullied their way into the chief acting parts--Mary, Joseph, the wise men, and the Angel--only to become overwhelmed by the Christmas story.  Their awe over "baby Jesus" was best expressed by the Angel speaking to the shepherds:  "Shazam--for unto you a Child is born."

Jesus' advent was a "shazam" moment in time.  I have written before about the continuity of man's understanding of God from the Old Testament to the New Testament with God being:  a)gracious to sinners,  b)in control, and c)working through the weakness of men.  But there is also a huge discontinuity between the OT and the NT--How do you square the God who sent the Jews into the Promised Land to take it by force with the God who:  a)said "turn the other cheek;"  b)said: "whosoever calls another man a fool has committed murder;"  and c)submitted to death on the Cross.  As Paul Zahl has said:  "You may can find the ethic of a first-strike war in the OT, but certainly not in the NT."  So, why this discontinuity?

The Bible represents the divinely inspired efforts of man to understand the relationship between himself and the Creator of the universe, which necessarily involves efforts to understand God's character.  The significant discontinuity in the theme of violence results from man's further understanding of God's character which was manifested in Christ.  Christ's advent was momentous in more ways than one, but certainly this new understanding of the ethic of non-violence illustrates a real shift in man's understanding of God's character and man's nature.  If one is to respond with non-violence, it means several things:  1)human life is so very precious to God;  2)we all are sinners--rarely does one of us actually have the "moral high ground;"  and  3)violence towards another doesn't change that other person's heart.  It is man's heart which God is after.

The discontinuity of Christ also applies to our daily relations with others, not just with the question of war.  In the OT, violence and control were used to achieve "God's plan."  One was able to actualize one's desires or needs by exerting control over others--at least this is one way to read parts of the OT.  Christ's life makes it clear that we are not to use violence, or any other means, to subjugate other's to our will--whether we think it is God's will or not.  As a spouse and parent, it is not okay for me to force, bend, or cajole my wife or children to my will, regardless of whether I think it is God's will.  Once I realized this, it transformed my marriage and family.  In the OT, the exercise of control by the patriarch rarely worked out.  Indeed, the OT is a study of the harsh results of man's exercise of his will.  So, actually the OT is a confirmation that Christ's laying down of control is the only way to life.

So, thank you God for further revealing yourself in your Son that we might better understand Your character, our nature, and thereby be able to relate to one another in a way that brings life to
relationships, not death.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

"You Can't Do Anything Wrong"--Love God

Two of my favorite preachers--Paul Zahl and Tullian Tchividjian--are criticized from both sides of the aisle.  Some criticize them for focusing too much on the gracious nature of God.  Others criticize them for focusing too much on the sinful nature of man.  Some critics say:  "God isn't all grace.  If we don't live in a pious/correct fashion, God will be punish us or, at a minimum, be disappointed in us.  We will lose His favor."  (Just think about all of the people who want America to turn from its sins so that we can receive God's blessing.)  Other critics say: "Man isn't totally depraved.  Once we are saved by trusting in Christ, we are a new being."  The fact that they are criticized by both sides of the aisle--by the so-called conservative arm of the church and by the so-called liberal wing of the church--means that they are on to something.  This something is the Gospel.

From Genesis onward, the picture revealed in the Scripture is that of sinful man.  Adam and Eve (whether literal or emblematic) couldn't keep even one law.  They weren't asked to keep ten laws.  (Moses)  They weren't told that they had committed murder when they thought ill of their brother.  (Jesus)  They were asked to keep only one law.  The fact that mankind is pictured from Day One as being incapable of keeping even one law is entirely consistent with Jesus' proclamation that we are too be perfect--the standard (apart from faith in God) is perfection.  So, even after one believes in Christ (and we become a new being in terms of being better able to love others), one remains a sinner.  One is totally depraved in the sense that every area of our lives is sinful.  Are we as bad as we could be?  Thankfully no.  But we do remain sinful until we die.  Just think about all of the times that you have screwed up in parenting or in trying to love your parents or siblings.  If this doesn't reveal your sinful nature, then you're lying to yourself.

Thankfully, we aren't called to get it right the next time.  How many resolutions have you made that you won't screw it up when given another chance?  How many times have you failed in this regard?  When you fail, you don't incur God's ire, wrath, or even displeasure.  God isn't looking down upon you and frowning.  Because when God looks down upon you, He doesn't see you and your sin.  He sees His Son living in you.  His disposition towards us is that of a gracious father.  How do we know this?  Just follow the trail of sinners in the Bible, and God's gracious treatment of them.

Abraham (tried to give his wife to Pharoah for sex to save his own life).  Yet God promised that he would make Abraham the father of many nations.

Isaac (committed the same sin as his father).  Yet God gave Isaac two sons--one of whom would be the father of Israel).

Jacob ("the trickster"--cheated his brother out of his birthright--fled his family to live with pagans--married a pagan).  Yet God blessed Him with twelve children, and God graciously renamed him Israel.

Joseph (a huge braggart--to the extent that his brothers wanted to kill him).  He was used by God to save the Egyptian people and his own family, and thereby created the nation of Israel.

Judah (denied his daughter-in-law the marriage with his third son, and then impregnated her himself).  He was blessed by Israel on his death bed.  From the tribe of Judah came David and Jesus.

Moses (murderer)  Led the Jews out of Israel to form a nation that was to proclaim YHWH to all nations.

David (murder and adulterer)  The greatest king of Israel--a "man after God's own heart."

The list goes on and on, but you get the idea.  "You can't do anything wrong."--Love God.