Trifecta

Cinema is a form of entertainment. Many have attempted to use it for various kinds of propaganda, but it is always best used for entertainment. When cinema emerged, the church rejected it as vulgar and evil. That was a mistake. Cinema has proved to be a fundamental force in cultural change. The general absence of Christian influence has produced an imbalance which has shifted culture away from the church. Recently christian filmmakers have emerged to try to affect this shift, and many issues have arisen concerning technique and style.

I intended to evaluate changes in culture, specifically regarding attitudes toward spirituality, as they have been influenced through media, especially cinema. I write this as a film student and a person of faith. As a student of cinema, I recognize a serious drift between faith and film. Because christian preachers in the first half of the 20th century would condemn cinema for its lack of morality, people of faith refrained from the cinema and the cinema did not regard people of faith when generating or marketing material.

People of faith have responded only within the last decade or so. They have attempted to generate two types of films: those which appeal to other people of faith, and those which attempt to spread their message to the culture at large. Many of the first type suffer low production values, bad acting, and stories in which even most church-goers find no interest. The second type are generally cryptic and not understood for what they are, accomplishing nothing. What is needed is balance between these. This is the problem of the church in general, to be truthful to what it is and relevant to the culture. If a film is preachy or attacks ideals that people hold dear, it will not get funding, it will not get distribution, and it will not be watched by its intended audience. Conversely, a film which engages the culture, attracts a large budget, gets distribution and is seen by many, but betrays its worldview and its intent is meaningless.

I find it extremely important to analyze what it means to be a christian filmmaker. Do you choose to be a filmmaker who happens to be a christian, or a christian who happens to be a filmmaker? Where do you put the emphasis? I believe you cannot have the emphasis on one or you will betray the other, and neither is then effective.

What are the consequences of this cultural shift away from christian values, upon which our nation was built and has thrived for many generations? Sexuality is the big one. It's what people want freedom in and what will inspire hostility if you attempt to restrict. This includes promiscuity, divorce, and orientation, but is not restricted to these.

There are other bloggers concerned with this subject. Again, this subject has become of more interest to people of faith over the past ten years especially. The Road Less Traveled is a blog which addresses concerns relating to culture, faith, and cinema. It is written by a Christian who addresses the culture from his perspective; he goes beyond that and addresses his perspective as it has evolved in culture. He grew up in the faith, went to seminary, and had expectations about life and faith which have not always worked out and have consequently matured. This produces a balanced attitude toward faith as it regards culture, which is really not that common. Many who are concerned with culture either put so much emphasis on relating to it that they forget where they come from and are assimilated into it, or they treat culture as an enemy which should be feared and reviled. Neither of these attitudes is useful to a person of faith, but they are common, and so it is always good to find someone who is able to balance his attitude in order to remain true to his faith, and be useful outside of it.

The author, Aaron Saufley, posts a few times a week. When he discusses media, he posts a clip of that media and organizes it in a section called RLT (Road Less Traveled) Cinema. It is notable that he does not put up clips that support claims that he has made, neither does he attack things that he disagrees with. The purpose of RLT cinema is to process and analyze culture. One post that really embodies an interrogation of religious culture, examining it from an outside source is the post titled, “RLT Cinema: George Carlin’s 'Religion is B.S.'”

The clip is a direct attack on Christianity from the perspective of the late George Carlin, a former Catholic who despised and mocked his former faith. Saufley responds that, “He brings up some legit concerns with 'organized religion' that turn many people off.” He challenges people of faith to listen to what Carlin is saying rather than shut him out. This is a fresh alternative to the church simply condemning anyone in disagreement without regard to what reasoning they may have.

Saufley has also posted about a Toyota ad campaign for their Sienna minivan line. The ad campaign features a series of videos starring a family which promote the style of the minivan. It works really well, and the music video is a blast. Saufley's critique of the music video is the sense of consumerism, and how that is counter to his faith. He makes a valid point that is often made in America today, but he does it in a way to make the reader think about it, and not just to point fingers or lament. His statement is useful rather than irritable.

There is some interaction on this blog, though not a whole lot. Obviously it is a target to people who despise Christianity. The author does not denigrate these in debate, he does not blow them off, and he gives them respect, treating their concerns as legitimate.

There are many similarities between The Road Less Traveled and this blog. It is a blog concerned about the relationship between culture and religion. It is more broad, however, since this blog is more concerned with that relationship through media. The Road Less Traveled is a simple, easy to follow blog which raises interesting questions and critiques of modern culture and Christianity and sometimes, how they interact through media.


James Harleman is a pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. He writes a blog about cinema and theology that he calls cinemagogue. Cinemagogue is a combination of cinema and synagogue, a place of worship. As a pastor of a Christian church, his perspective is fairly clear. Like Saufley, he intends to examine the relationship between church and culture through cinema, and to explore not only how these affect each other, but considers an appropriate response.

He has a distinct voice in his blog that he develops out of his vision. As a blogger writing in the first person, he shares certain characteristics with other bloggers. Some of his voice is developed from his Christian perspective, while some simply comes from his personality. In his July 13, 2010 entry, he considers the Stanley Hotel in Colorado that inspired the 1980 Kubrick film, The Shining, and was the actual location of the 1997 miniseries.

The post opens with a recount of his recent vacation to the hotel with his wife. His second sentence paints the setting: the open road, a rented Mustang convertible, classic rock music. This is where he makes it personal, establishing that he got his music from his friend Dean, and though the music was “inspired” by the show Supernatural, it was not the Dean from the show that provided the music. So he says something about his intended audience, that they might know something about the show Supernatural. He is speaking to people who consume media, in this case television.

Staying at the supposedly haunted hotel, Harleman laments that he experienced nothing out of the ordinary. He supposes he might have had better luck if he had stayed in room 217, referencing the film. But Harleman introduces some thoughts about the spirituality of the media. He goes beyond that in order to discuss things that are immediately applicable in everyday life. He discusses Jack's identity as a writer and ties that in to how Jack went insane with how the reader might be impacted by their own identity. This is not the direction one might expect such a metaphysical subject to turn. But this is a very practical and useful direction, and a good choice.

Harleman uses imagery to expound upon his ideas of identity. He says that “Like everyone, Jack is seeking identity, but his spiritual ship is wrecked on the rocks due to his own course heading, false maps, and a beguiling siren song.” This materializes his point and creates something tangible, and it does so poetically. He completes that paragraph with, “the cursed trifecta of flesh, world and devil is illustrated quite succinctly through Torrance's torments.” His word choice and the order that he chooses is interesting and gives character to his voice.

He completes the post with very personal thoughts and experiences that led him to his current spiritual situation. He appreciates that he has been removed from his former confusion and that he can be astonished by such things as the Stanley Hotel, and not terrified by its supposed haunting, or any other thing that might terrify.

Cinema is entertainment. That is what it is good at, and that is what people want from it. Attempting to use it for propaganda will usually fail, especially in the West, where we are all pretty adept. Therefore a Christian filmmaker must be aware that the cinema is not a tool to convert people, but an art. It is an art that a person of conviction can express such conviction, and indeed must be used in that way by anyone.

Cinemawhat?

James Harleman is a pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. He writes a blog about cinema and theology that he calls cinemagogue. Cinemagogue is a combination of cinema and synagogue, a place of worship. As a pastor of a Christian church, his perspective is fairly straightforward. Like Saufley, he intends to examine the relationship between church and culture through cinema, and to explore not only how these affect each other, but considers an appropriate response.

He has a distinct voice in his blog that he develops out of his vision. As a blogger writing in the first person, he shares certain characteristics with other bloggers. Some of his voice is developed from his Christian perspective, while some simply comes from his personality. In his July 13, 2010 entry, he considers the Stanley Hotel in Colorado that inspired the 1980 Kubrick film, The Shining, and was the actual location to the 1997 miniseries.

The post opens with a recount of his recent vacation to the hotel with his wife. His second sentence paints the setting: the open road, a rented Mustang convertible, classic rock music. This is where he makes it personal, establishing that he got his music from his friend Dean, and though the music was “inspired” by the show Supernatural, it was not the Dean from the show that provided the music. So he says something about his intended audience, that they might know something about the show Supernatural.

Staying at the supposedly haunted hotel, Harleman laments that he experienced nothing out of the ordinary. He supposes he might have had better luck if he had stayed in room 217, a reference to the film. But Harleman introduces some thoughts about the spirituality of the media. He goes beyond that in order to discuss things that are immediately applicable in everyday life. He discusses Jack's identity as a writer and ties that in to how Jack went insane with how the reader might be impacted by their own identity. This is not the direction one might expect such a metaphysical subject to turn. But this is a very practical and useful direction, and a good choice.

Harleman uses imagery to expound upon his ideas of identity. He says that “Like everyone, Jack is seeking identity, but his spiritual ship is wrecked on the rocks due to his own course heading, false maps, and a beguiling siren song.” This materializes his point and creates something tangible, and it does so poetically. He completes that paragraph with, “the cursed trifecta of flesh, world and devil is illustrated quite succinctly through Torrance's torments.” His word choice and the order that he chooses is interesting and gives character to his voice.

He completes the post with very personal thoughts and experiences that led him to his current spiritual situation. He appreciates that he has been removed from his former confusion and that he can be astonished by such things as the Stanley Hotel, and not terrified by its supposed haunting, or any other thing that might terrify.

RLT

The Road Less Traveled is a blog which addresses concerns relating to culture, faith, and cinema. It is written by a Christian who addresses the culture from his perspective; he goes beyond that and addresses his perspective as it has evolved in culture. He grew up in the faith, went to seminary, and had expectations about life and faith which have not always worked out and have consequently matured. This produces a balanced attitude toward faith as it regards culture, which is really not that common. Many who are concerned with culture either put so much emphasis on relating to it that they forget where they come from and are assimilated into it, or they treat culture as an enemy which should be feared and reviled. Neither of these attitudes is useful to a person of faith, but they are common, and so it is always good to find someone who is able to balance his attitude in order to remain true to his faith, and be useful outside of it.

The author, Aaron Saufley, posts a few times a week. When he discusses media, he posts a clip from that media and organizes it in a section called RLT (Road Less Traveled) Cinema. It is notable that he does not put up clips that support claims that he has made, neither does he attack things that he disagrees with. The purpose of RLT cinema is to process and analyze culture. One post that really embodies an interrogation of religious culture, examining it from an outside source is the post titled, “RLT Cinema: George Carlin’s 'Religion is B.S.'” 

The clip is a direct attack on Christianity from the perspective of George Carlin, a former Catholic who at the time of the clip despised and mocked his former faith. Saufley responds that,

“He brings up some legit concerns with 'organized religion' that turn many people off.”

He challenges people of faith to listen to what Carlin is saying rather than shut him out. This is a fresh alternative to the church simply condemning anyone in disagreement without regard to what reasoning they may have.

Saufley has also posted about a Toyota ad campaign for their Sienna minivan line. The ad campaign features a series of videos starring a family which promote the style of the minivan. It works really well, and the music video is a blast. Saufley's critique of the music video is the sense of consumerism, and how that is counter to his faith. He makes a valid point that is often made in America today, but he does it in a way to make the reader think about it, and not just to point fingers or lament. His statement is useful rather than irritable.

There is some interaction on this blog, though not a whole lot. Obviously it is a target to people who despise Christianity. The author does not denigrate these in debate, he does not blow them off, and he gives them respect, treating their concerns as legitimate.

There are many similarities between The Road Less Traveled and this blog. It is a blog concerned about the relationship between culture and religion. It is more broad, however, since this blog is more concerned with that relationship through media. The Road Less Traveled is a simple, easy to follow blog which raises interesting questions and critiques of modern culture and Christianity and sometimes, how they interact through media.

Hello, world

Well, hello there. You have come across a forum intended to evaluate changes in culture, specifically regarding attitudes toward spirituality, as they have been influenced through media, especially cinema. I write this blog as a film student and a person of faith and will use it to develop thoughts and ideas about the relationship of these.

As a student of cinema, I recognize a serious drift between faith and film. This began nearly at the inception of cinema when christian preachers would condemn cinema for its lack of morality. Consequently, people of faith refrained from the cinema and the cinema did not regard people of faith when generating or marketing material. The cinema, however, became a significant cultural force, and without any direct influence of christian values, has shaped the culture away from christian values.

People of faith have responded only within the last decade or so. They have attempted to generate two types of films: those which appeal to other people of faith, and those which attempt to spread their message to the culture at large. Many of the first type suffer low production values, bad acting, and stories in which even most church-goers find no interest. The second type are generally cryptic and not understood for what they are, accomplishing nothing. What is needed is balance between these. This is the problem of the church in general, to be truthful to what it is and relevant to the culture. If a film is preachy or attacks ideals that people hold dear, it will not get funding, it will not get distribution, and it will not be watched by its intended audience. Conversely, a film which engages the culture, attracts a large budget, gets distribution and is seen by many, but betrays its worldview and its intent is meaningless.

I find it extremely important to analyze what it means to be a christian filmmaker. Do you choose to be a filmmaker who happens to be a christian, or a christian who happens to be a filmmaker? Where do you put the emphasis? I believe you cannot have the emphasis on one or you will betray the other, and neither is then effective.

Finally, what are the consequences of this cultural shift away from christian values, upon which our nation was built and has thrived for many generations? Sexuality is the big one. It's what people want freedom in and what will inspire hostility if you attempt to restrict. This includes promiscuity, divorce, and orientation, but is not restricted to these. This is perhaps the most valid reason for me to use a pseudonym. I do not intend to offend people, but I speak freely out of my conscience and my belief and quite frankly, I do not care if that offends you. I am above all concerned with truth and accuracy, and I may come to a different conclusion than you, but that's the great thing about the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The Pseudonym, as you may have recognized, is a combination of the name of a famous director and an order of knights assigned to protect the temple in Jerusalem during the crusades. I know, it's clever.