Thinking Christian

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We have waited a long time to have Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight hit out movie screens. And finally, it’s here! And dark it is — more violence, dark humour, and much darker moral complexity. The story opens with a bank robbery in progress and as it proceeds we realise that these bank robbers are ruthless and motivated by an intense greed. The moral darkness of the whole film is set as we see the bank robbers turning on each other. Even the "honour among thieves" code is broken. Finally, the perpetrator of the bank robbery is revealed. The Joker is the new criminal mastermind up against whom Batman is set to fight.

The moral fibre of Gotham City is stretched and torn and it would seem there is no good left. The moral protectors of society, the police force, seem completely impotent in their fight against crime. The good seems to be losing the battle over evil. Batman is their only hope. But how far will he go in his fight with The Joker? This is the central motif running through The Dark Knight – nothing good seems to work against The Joker. Batman needs to decide how far towards evil he is willing to travel in trying to overcome his enemy.

There is no doubt that The Dark Knight can be evaluated on a purely entertainment level. It has all the trappings of the modern Hollywood film — special effects, amazing stunts, romantic interests. But the narrative asks us to journey into deep ethical and moral territory as it confronts the problem of evil which seems so intractable against good action. For Batman to overcome The Joker, it seems he must descend into moral darkness himself. But the question is, can he remain pure, while using evil methods to overcome the evil.

Anyone even remotely aware of the current global ethical debates around the use of torture to fight the alleged "war on terror" can’t possibly miss the allusions to the argument of some that using unethical means, such as torture, is the only way to deal with the evil as terrorism.

In our contemporary world, where a moral tsunami seems to bear down on us, maybe — just maybe — it is necessary to use what we are fighting against in order to overcome the enemy. This moral conundrum is what lifts The Dark Knight above mere entertainment. Do we need heroes who are prepared to lose their own good reputation — their own moral character — in order to rescue our society from that very evil? Batman is not like Christ, who became human and took upon himself humanity’s sin without becoming corrupted himself. Batman is a human hero. And perhaps The Dark Knight brings home to us the necessity for a saviour who is beyond the human. The Dark Knight is compelling entertainment. But those who think about their movies will be provoked to consider more deeply about contemporary morality and whether it is possible or not to overcome such intractable evil in the world using only good means.

Heath Ledger’s performance is everything we were expecting and more! It is an intense evocation of profound evil without a conscience. The Joker’s physical scars reflect a deep emotional scarring. Throughout the story, he has multiple explanations for the way his face has been turned into a perpetual smile. And there will undoubtedly be people in every audience whose life experience will resonate with the dark horror of each of these explanations. The narrative twists and turns with the motivations on the side of good and evil unclear and messy. If we want it to, The Dark Knight can become a powerful meditation on good and evil, ethics and morality, and the uselessness of black-and-white thinking when it comes to resolving the problems of our society.

This is one Batman film where evil takes over the stage and shifts our attention away from the hero. The audience clearly identifies with the Joker as they laugh and cheer at the perpetrator of evil. He has our sympathies and those on the side of good seem so weak. The Joker presents a powerful irony. The audience begins to laugh at the evil perpetrated by the joker. He seems to be the powerful one and somehow his actions against the weak take on a dark humour. There is something in us that resonates with this combination of violent evil and humour. Is it because so many of us suffer in ways similar to The Joker and can identify with his desperation to let the pain express itself. To survive his suffering, he has moved beyond suffering to a disinterested evil.

Ultimately, The Dark Knight presents us a message of power in weakness. Jesus Christ was one of many teachers who have modeled an approach to evil which is more about weakness than strength. What is it that really overcomes evil? Is it Batman’s superior physical prowess? His superior science fiction technology? Is it about the self-sacrifice of one’s reputation and everything that one holds dear — even the very loss of one’s life?

Watching The Dark Knight as mere entertainment will lead to the loss of the power and depth of this contemporary fable — one which confronts us with the reality of evil in our world, the apparent inability to overcome it, and the possible options in dealing with it. If you see this movie, make sure you leave thinking about the deeper issues that Christians need to confront. We need to face the reality that simplistic responses to evil may never work. But how far are we prepared to go in overcoming it?

My Rating: **** (out of 5)

Positive Review
’Enthralling…An ambitious, full-bodied crime epic of gratifying scope and moral complexity, this is seriously brainy pop entertainment that satisfies every expectation raised by its hit predecessor and then some.’ - Justin Chang/Variety

Negative Review
’A handsome, accomplished piece of work, but it drove me from absorption to excruciation within 20 minutes, and then it went on for two hours more.’ - Michael Sragow/Baltimore Sun

AUS: M (frequent action violence)

USA: PG-13 (intense sequences of violence and some menace)

Most Christians are interested in the relationship between religion and science and an enormous amount has been written on the alleged war between the two. But I haven’t, until now, come across any fiction on the subject. Douglas Preston’s thriller Blasphemy is a fast-paced story where science and religion duel to a haunting conclusion that will leave you thinking for a long time.

Beneath a mountain in Arizona is the world’s biggest supercollider where scientists are trying to explore the moment of the Big Bang itself. If they are successful, the world will know, at last, what happened at the moment of creation. The chief scientist, Gregory North Hazelius, has built Isabella, a computer that will, when turned on, allow them to gaze into the depths of space — a black hole — for the first time. But not everyone is happy with the project which has been shrouded in secrecy. Reverend Don T Spates,a fundamentalist Christian, believes the project is a satanic plot to undermine the truth of Genesis.

Some rumours have surfaced about problems with the project. But what is the truth? Wyman Ford, an ex-monk and CIA operative, is employed by the US government to go undercover to find out what is really going on. While he is there, Isabella is turned on and what happens, if it gets out, will rock the world — religion and science will need to rethink everything it believes.

Blasphemy has, unsurprisingly, met with criticism — from some Christians and some scientists. Preston is accused of caricatured characters. They are allegedly too extreme. And some Christians have argued that Preston is anti-Christian and pro-science. But he has said, somewhere, that he is neither. He is against any form of fundamentalism or fanaticism whether it is from science or religion.

Blasphemy is a page turner that is thoughtful, provocative, and controversial — there is something to make everyone think twice about what they believe. Preston tackles the nature of religious belief, the philosophy of science, the nature of fundamentalist religion, politics, cultural hegemony, ethics, and much more — all embedded in a thriller that will leave you breathless but wanting more. At the heart of the book is the question: Why are we here? Don’t start reading this at night — you might not want to put it down!

Related Links

• Science and Religion: Conflicts and Occasional Agreements (Religous Tolerance)
• Relationship between religion and science (Wikipedia)
• Galileo vs. the Church
• Religion and Science (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
• Religion and Science Glossary

Ethical dilemmas only really occur when values that are held equally dearly come into conflict with each other and cannot be resolved by protecting both. For example, a mother is pregnant but continuing with the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother. If you believe that both mother and baby are equally human and have an equal right to life, what do you do? Do you terminate the pregnancy or allow the mother to die to save the child’s life? It is impossible to choose without having to undermine at least one equally held value. Ben Affleck, in his movie Gone Baby Gone, powerfully confronts us with a series of such ethical dilemmas.

When four-year-old Amanda McCready goes missing, Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan), two private investigators, are called in to help by the child’s aunt (Amy Madigan). She is worried that the police are not going to be successful in finding her niece and Patrick and Angie are experienced in finding missing people — at least, those who choose to go missing — not those who are kidnapped. As they investigate, they uncover a tangled web of crime that brings them into danger and challenges their morality to its core.

Gone Baby Gone is an intelligent crime/thriller that is, at times, difficult to watch. There is pervasive coarse language, high-level violence, and drug use. But somehow, all these fit with the context of the story. These are real people dealing with real moral dilemmas. Ben Affleck should be congratulated on producing a movie that is driven by these moral conundrums rather than special effects. Gone Baby Gone also ranges over other issues such as the nature of parenting and the role of child care services. Affleck has evoked excellent performances from his actors and the dialogue is tight and powerful.

The power of Gone Baby Gone is evidenced by the conversations that occurred following the cinema showing I attended as people discussed what they would do in the circumstances portrayed.

If you think you can handle the language and violence of this movie, then go see it. It will have you thinking for days after. So often, within Christian circles, we discuss moral decisions as if there is no question how we should decide. If that happens, then I would hazard to say that we are not living in the real world where morality is not so black and white. A moral dilemma is just that - a dilemma full of ambiguities. Trying to choose what is right when the choices are significant is never going to be easy. And given that, it is almost impossible to judge the choices of others.

My Rating: **** (out of 5)

Positive Review
’Though its procedural goes a little soft in the middle, Gone Baby Gone quietly accumulates in power, leading to one of the more subtly devastating final shots in recent memory.’ - Scott Tobias/The Onion (A.V. Club)

Negative Review
’Storytelling problems surface toward the overwrought climax, but the worst problem is the unrelenting grimness. It’s hard to like a movie that leaves you with no hope.’ - Joe Morgestern/Wall Street Journal

Content Advice
Violence, drug content and pervasive language

AUS: MA15+
USA: R

I became a fan of the band U2 last night. Until then, I knew of U2’s existence, popularity, and interest in social justice issues but hadn’t really sat down and listened to any of their music. Then the band’s new movie U2 3D arrived in my local cinema and I started reading very positive reviews. One was by a reviewer who was “into” classical music and opera singing. He said he went along to the movie and was “blown away” (my paraphrase). That intrigued me.

So, last night, I decided to go and check out the movie. I, too, was “blown away”. U2 3D is a concert movie filmed as the band traveled on their 2006 “Vertigo” tour through South America. It is the first live-action movie to be filmed, edited, and shown entirely in 3D using the most number of cameras in any one 3D project. The result is a stunning 92 minutes of music showing just what the 3D medium is capable of.

U2 3D is pure concert — no interviews, no “behind-the-scenes”, no narration. From beginning to end I felt like I was actually at the concert and the 3D format is truly phenomenal as I traveled around the stage and up close with the musicians as they were playing. The views from the perspective of the massive audience really made me feel like was there. The cinematography is superb, the band and its music inspirational and exciting, and although the concert has been constructed from seven different concerts, it felt like I was only at one. U2’s lyrics are profound, ironic, and contemporary. There is a very powerful, intimate moment when Bono’s outstretched arm hovers over the audience (including the cinema) as the song, “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” becomes a call for world peace between Christians, Jews, and Muslims.

U2 3D is only being released in 3D and Imax cinemas so it may not be shown in your cinema if they do not have the technology. But if it comes near you, make sure you go to see it. Even if you are not into rock music, this movie is a must-see. Not only was it entertaining, but the message of the band about social justice hits home with immense power. This movie experience is one of the highlights of my movie year so far. It transcends anything done before. I’m rushing out to find some more of their music!

My Rating: ***** (out of 5)

Positive Review
’U2 3D takes the well-traveled concert film to exhilarating new heights.’ - Michael Rechtshaffen/The Hollywood Reporter

Negative Review
’What it brings to the filming of a rock concert other than novelty remains to be seen.’ Joel Selvin/San Francisco Chronicle

USA: G
AUS: G

Back in 1987, I came across an article in Christianity Today written by Neal Punt that radically altered my understanding of salvation. Neal’s article, All Are Saved Except introduced his understanding of what he then called biblical universalism. Now, 20 years later, after much dialogue, development, and a heresy trial, Neal Punt writes a definitive explanation of what he now calls evangelical inclusivism. I have travelled with him on this 20 years — not directly, but in reading all his published books on the topic and his online material. It has been worth the journey!

Punt’s starting point is to ask which of the following options is biblical:

1. All people are lost except those the Bible explicitly states are saved.
2. All people are saved except those the Bible explicitly states are lost.

Traditionally, the first of these has been the answer to the question of who is saved. Punt presents a compelling and persuasive argument that the Bible teaches the second.

On the surface, this shift may seem trivial. It is not. There are profound practical implications for our theology and spirituality. The best way of summarising Punt’s argument is to reproduce his statement of the argument in the introduction of his book:

EVANGELICAL INCLUSIVISM is the teaching that all persons are elect in Christ except those who the Bible expressly declares will be finally lost, namely, those who ultimately reject or remain indifferent to whatever revelation God has given of himself to them, whether in nature/conscience (Rom. 1 & 2) or in gospel presentation.

Evangelical inclusivism is based upon these four biblical facts:

1. The so-called “universalistic” texts speak of a certain-to-be-realized salvation as Calvinists have consistently maintained, and they do so in terms of all persons as Arminians have always affirmed [Punt includes a cross reference to the relevant chapter of his book which I have omitted here and following].
2. All persons, except Jesus Christ, are liable for and polluted by the imputed sin of Adam (inherited sin). However, the Scriptures neither teach nor imply that anyone is consigned to eternal damnation solely on the basis of their sin in Adam apart from actual, willful, persistent sin on the part of the person so consigned…
3. We must accept the so-called the so-called “universalistic” texts as written. We may allow only those exceptions that are necessarily imposed upon these passages from the broader context of the Scriptures as a whole…
4. Jesus “saved” sinners, once for all, by making the supreme sacrifice 2,000 years ago. We speak of this as “objective” salvation. The Bible means something altogether difference when it says Paul set out to “save some” (1 Cor. 9:22). The Holy Spirit “saves” sinners by using human agents to bring the gospel to them. We refer to this as “subjective” salvation. A great amount of confusion results when this distinction is lost sight of… [bold formatting is in the original]

When Punt’s perspective is adopted (and I believe it is absolutely biblical) then we immediately have some answers to some very profound questions that people ask. For example, What happens to children who die at birth? Will they be saved? What about people who never explicitly hear about Jesus Christ and don’t have the opportunity to become Christians? Are we saved by grace alone? or are we saved by grace plus works?

The questions go on and on. These and other questions are resolved by adopting Punt’s approach.

Personally, I don’t like any of the terms for this view that Punt has come up with so far. The latest one is evangelical inclusivism. The problem with the word evangelical is that it has connotations associated with a particular group of Christians. That might be ok for some, but it does come with considerable baggage in my opinion. My preference would be for biblical inclusivism. Whatever the term, Punt’s book is essential reading for anyone and everyone who has an interest in who will be saved and lost — and isn’t that all of us?

If you want to develop a theology of salvation which is truly based on grace, then A Theology of Inclusivism is an essential book.

Related Links

• Evangelical Inclusivism
• Evangelical Inclusivism and Unlimited Atonement
• An Evangelical Inclusivist Defends Evangelical Inclusivism
• Misconceptions About Evangelical Inclusivism

Note: I tried to find some extended online arguments against evangelical inclusivism but was unsuccessful. If anyone knows of any, please let me know and I will add them to this post.

Amanda Gefter asks an interesting question in her blog for New Scientist: ’Would you take $1.6 million from an organisation whose motives you didn’t agree with?’ Entitled, The ethics of mixing science and religion, she discusses the nature of the Templeton Prize and whether it is justifiable that scientists accept money when they may not necessarily agree with the agenda of the Templeton Foundation. It’s worth a read — brief but thought-provoking.

The loss of passion for something we love is a deeply disturbing journey to travel. Unfortunately, we often become burned out doing the things that are most meaningful to us so that we just can’t seem to continue any longer. As it is in Heaven takes us on one man’s journey to recover his lost joy.

Daniel Dareus (Michael Nyqvist) is a famous orchestral conductor who has always dreamed of opening people’s hearts with music. Daniel experiences a heart attack, physically and spiritually, and he retires to his childhood town in the far north of Sweden where he was bullied as a child. He buys the old school house and sets up his home.

The small town has a church choir made up of the usual motley normality of people. When they discover that Daniel has arrived, they immediately invite him along to hear their choir - just to listen and maybe offer some helpful advice. Daniel visits and it becomes obvious that the choir wants a bit more from him - they’d like him to be their director and conductor.

Daniel accepts the challenge and, as he entices the group to create music that speaks to the heart, he rediscovers the joy of music that he has lost. This joy comes at a price. As he develops relationships with the people in the choir, one of whom becomes a love interest, he has to deal with those who misunderstand his intentions - the priest whose power is challenged; members who falsely accuse him of trying to use the choir for his own "evil" purposes; issues of choir members whose personal struggles spill over into choir practice; the oppression of "true" religion. And most of all, Daniel struggles with his own heart as he is confronted by the grace he experiences from the people he comes to know and love.

As it is in Heaven is an absolutely wonderful, moving, heart-changing, inspiring story that was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 77th Academy Awards. When the film ran in Australia at the independent Cremorn Orpheum cinema in Sydney, it became the longest running film in Australia. I understand that it ran in Sweden for 52 weeks! The films success has been primarily by word of mouth.

The title of the film, As it is in Heaven, is a fascinating one which I have mulled over since seeing the movie. Obviously, it is a reference to the phrase in the Lord’s prayer, ’Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven’. The challenge is to tease out the reason for this title for this story.

Heaven as a place is never really mentioned in the film. Daniel’s journey towards the healing of his "heart" is full of pain, mistakes, difficult relationships, and emotional hurt. The same is true of every one of the people in the choir - they are struggling with hurt, abuse from those they love, oppressive religious "righteousness", misunderstandings. But when the grace of unconditional love and acceptance grips them, inspired by the transcendence experienced as they enter fully into singing and music, they are transformed - not from the outside in, but from the inside out.

The choir is a metaphor for heaven. Made up of flawed people who accept one another for who they are, the commit themselves to loving each other and lovingly serving others by sharing their passion for music. As they perform they transform the lives of others - not by imposing a false religiosity; not by demanding that certain rules be kept - but by allowing the grace they have experienced to flow through their lives and wrap itself around those who hear them. By experiencing their full humanity and the grace of others who accept them as they are they can’t help but pass this on to others - unforced, inspiring, and life-changing.

What is it like to have heaven on earth? Heaven is not about bringing about some pure, perfect, idyllic state where nothing "bad" happens and where we all behave perfectly. Heaven is about grace through and through. Heaven occurs wherever real people, who struggle with what it means to be truly human, experience the gracious, unconditional acceptance of the God who has reconciled himself to all people whoever we are, whatever we are.

The priest in the film is an arrogant, self-righteous, puritanical, controlling goody-goody. In a climactic clash between him and his wife who is a member of the choir the priest tells his wife to ask for God’s forgiveness. In one of the most powerful and memorable lines in the movie, his wife shoots back the line, "God doesn’t forgive; He has never condemned.’ The director, Pollak, has said that, to understand the film, we need to realise that the entire message of the movie is in this one line - "The idea that absolute, complete love doesn’t condemn." (quoted by Amanda Wilson, Sydney Morning Herald) Now, that really reframes God’s love! And when this love is experienced it transforms our lives and we truly experience heaven on earth.

Don’t miss this movie. Turn your video stores inside out to find it. Then watch it and let it work its gracious power on you - let God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven - God’s deep desire to love you unconditionally and for you to be transformed to love God and others, no matter how flawed, in the way that God has loves us.

At the end of the movie, one of the characters in the story sings a solo. One of the lines is ’I want to feel that I have lived my life.’ This, surely, is the yearning that most of us have. Grace is the only way to feel as though we have lived our lives.

My Rating: ****1/2 (out of 5)

You can purchase As it is in Heaven by clicking here. (This link is to a PAL (non-USA) version, but other formats are available at Amazon.)

Sometimes humour is the best way to expose poor thinking. Here is a wonderful segment by The Long Johns on a TV show called The Last Laugh where I began to understand the poor thinking that led to the Subprime Collapse in the US. It’s hilarious but oh so scary!

It is difficult, living in our world today, not to be aware of the many examples of religion turning evil — particularly in the acts of violence perpetrated against others whether they be by Islamic extremists (terrorism) or Christian fundamentalists (blowing up abortion clinics). There are many subtle (and not so subtle) ways that religion can become evil. Charles Kimball, in his book When Religion Becomes Evil: Five Warning Signs suggests five signs, any one of which indicates the corruption of religion.

Kimball is a professor of religion and an ordained Baptist minister who has spent much of his life travelling in the Middle East and is a specialist in Islamic studies. In this book, he draws on his wide experience and provides examples from Christianity, Judaism, and Islam to illustrate each of the warning signs he discusses. They are:

1. Absolute truth claims — the idea that an individual or group has access to absolute truth and that all others are wrong;
2. Blind obedience — the requiring of unquestioning conformity to a set of rules, practices, or commands;
3. Establishing the “Ideal” time — the belief that an individual or group has been raised up by God to bring to an end the current era and introduce a new one that conforms to an ideal.
4. The end justifies any means — when individuals or groups use methods that their religion actually prohibits to gain power over others or to bring about radical changed believed to be supported by God, e.g., extremists who use violence to bring about “peace” or remove what is perceived to be evil.
5. Declaring holy war — the use of just war theories or declarations of holy war to justify attacking individuals or groups who are alleged to be against one’s religion or to purify the world of evil.

Kimball deals with each of these signs in a separate chapter bracketed by a discussion of whether religion is inherently the problem and an exploration of genuine religion which he describes as ’an inclusive faith rooted in a tradition’.

When Religion Becomes Evil is a very important book and demands consideration even if we imagine that our own religions or denominations don’t engage in religion corrupted by evil. It seems to me that many Christian denominations may fall into the danger of the first two warning signs. And these may be subtle rather than overt.

It is essential that we consider the possibility that our approach to religion is free of arrogance and coercion (#1 and #2). And groups that take an apocalyptic perspective might find it useful to examine the possibility that elements of #3 might have crept in to ones worldview. #4 deals with the issue of integrity — are we living out the principles of our beliefs as we seek to persuade others that they are worth believing? And, finally, do we approach evangelism and its associated activity as though we are engaging in a war with others (#5)?

For those of us within mainstream religions, it might be difficult to admit that elements of these warning signs exist in our communities. But given the world in which we live, we cannot afford to put our heads in the sand, believing that we are free from these tendencies. Kimball affirms the positive side of religion, but he also reminds us that there is a very dangerous dark side. Love is a core teaching of all the major religions. We need to call on God to give us the willingness and the ability to eradicate hatred from within our ranks and to love all as God has loved us. Love — genuine deep love as taught by the majority of Christians, Jews, and Muslims - must be the golden compass (to use a phrase from a popular movie) that guides us in our relationships and dealings with our fellow human beings.

Click on this link to buy: When Religion Becomes Evil: Five Warning Signs