ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY PREACH INTO MORDOR...

Briercrest Seminary recently issued another promotional magazine. Featured on the cover is this picture of Doug Doyle, our new MDiv coordinator. When Doug interviewed for the position some weeks ago, I was privileged to be a part of the student feedback committee. I must say, I am excited for him to be a part of our institution and I look forward to how he will spur us on toward greater faithfulness and effectiveness in serving the church in Canada. Furthermore, I was encouraged to see someone from a quite traditional Evangelical denomination (Christian & Missionary Alliance) who is influencing people to think in creative and progressive ways about what it means to be the church in the 21st century.


That said, every time I see one of those magazines lying around somewhere, I am reminded of the popular internet meme and I can't help thinking: "One does not simply preach into Mordor."

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BONHOEFFER: PASTOR, MARTYR, PROPHET, SPY

I recently finished reading Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas. I know, I know, all the cool kids are reading it. However, it's been on my reading list for quite some time now. I heard about this book back in August. I listed to a podcast in which the author spoke about his book and Bonhoeffer's life in general relating to the theme of turning mourning into dancing. (Another podcast episode is available here in which the author talks about his own life and faith journey.) Eric Metaxas intrigued me: here was this irrepressibly funny man who had been educated at Yale University and who at the same time was a sincere Christian who wanted his writing to point to Jesus. His talks were so interesting that it seemed a simple conclusion that he would be able to tell a good story. And in that I was not disappointed.


Now, to be fair, I know that this book will have critiques (and certainly valid ones) from the professional theologian. It's probably a fair criticism that Metaxas portrays Bonhoeffer as being more Evangelical than he actually was. I think there are a couple reason for this. One is that Metaxas is working very hard to show what a stark contrast Bonhoeffer really was to most other German clergymen and theologians of his day. Influenced by Karl Barth, he took the Bible seriously as God's revelation (even if not in the sense many American Evangelicals do with doctrines such as inerrancy). The other reason is that Metaxas is trying to defend Bonhoeffer against those who have championed a far-left interpretation on some of his more underdeveloped thought, particularly "religionless Christianity" (see pages 465-468). Metaxas quotes Bonhoeffer's best friend, Eberhard Bethge, as saying that much of this writing is fragmentary and incomplete and was written under duress during Bonhoeffer's incarceration. On top to that, there is also the fact that Bonhoeffer died prematurely and did not have the benefit of 40 more years of life which may have offered considerably more developed reflection on many of his earlier themes. At any rate, I don't think that Bonhoeffer has been made an American Evangelical nearly to the extent that C.S. Lewis has. At the end of the day, this book is not primarily about Bonhoeffer's theology per se, but about his life and his relevance.


A couple things in this book challenged me greatly.


#1. Christian faith is not an intramural sport. Metaxas shows again and again that for Bonhoeffer Christian faith must not be confined to one's own personal life or even to the sphere of the church. If Christian faith is real then it has implications and applications that affect life, culture, and society generally. This is what Bonhoeffer saw so clearly (and which few others saw at all) during the 1930's as the Third Reich was taking over the German church.  North American Christianity is often content just to live as a subculture. Of course, many people speak out vigourously on social issues such as abortion or poverty. Nonetheless, we often remain outsiders, having our own record labels, publishing houses, schools, even cruises! I'm not for a moment saying that we bin the whole works. However, we do need to critically and creatively evaluate how we engage with and influence the larger culture.


#2. Devotion and Courage. We often think of these heroes of the faith as supermen who were just more awesome than everyone else. However, Metaxas points out that Bonhoeffer's courage in the face of dark times was something he cultivated. One thing that blew me away was the incredible courage and selflessness that Bonhoeffer displayed upon first being arrested. He wrote to his parents, "The only thing that bothers me or would bother me is the thought that you are being tormented by anxiety about me, and are not sleeping or eating properly" (440). He ends the letter by saying, "Here in the prison yard there is a thrush which sings beautifully in the morning and now in the evening too. One is grateful for little things, and that is surely a gain" (440). However, just prior to this letter, Metaxas comments, "From the beginning of his time [in prison] until the end, Bonhoeffer maintained the daily discipline of scriptural meditation and prayer he had been practicing for more than a decade. Each morning he meditated for at least half an hour on a verse of  Scripture. And he interceded for his friends and relatives..." (438). In other words, the courage to face prison and even execution with dignity and faithfulness was not something that just zapped him on the head. It came from his deep devotion, which was something that he had been consciously incorporating into his life for years. This challenged me. Challenged me in the sense of confronting me with my own lack and also in the sense of inspiring me toward greater faithfulness.


The end was very moving. Metaxas quotes the words of the doctor at Flossenburg who oversaw the executions. "Through the half open door in one room of the huts I saw Pastor Bonhoeffer, before taking off his prison garb, kneeling on the floor praying fervently to his God. I was most deeply moved by the way this lovable man prayed, so devout and so certain that God heard his prayer. At the place of execution, he again said a short prayer and then climbed the steps to the gallows, braced and composed. His death ensued after a few seconds. In the almost fifty years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God" (532). Something in this hit me rather hard: being stripped naked before execution, climbing up to the gallows, testimony from the man supervising the proceedings. It would seem that, in the end, Bonhoeffer indeed, knew Christ and the power of his resurrection, shared his sufferings, and became like him in his death (Philippians 3:10, ESV).


*I had hoped to post this on Monday (April 9), marking the anniversary of Bonhoeffer's death, but alas, I am a bit late.

THE ARTIST

I went to see "The Artist" on Saturday. As usual, I can't say that I keep very current in things like movies. Until a week or two before the Oscars, I didn't even know what was nominated. My ignorance was somewhat relived by a podcast which I regularly listen to called "The Kindlings Muse." The folks there do a special episode dedicated to the movies nominated for Academy Awards each year in which they discuss not only the movies artistic merit but also larger themes with theological implications. The general consensus was that this silent film called "The Artist" was the outlying favourite for the win. And, of course, at the Oscars they were proved correct when the film ran away with not only best picture, but best actor, best director, and a couple others to boot.


I noticed shortly after the Academy Awards that the Galaxy Cinemas in Moose Jaw was going to be showing "The Artist" and so I decided that I should go and check it out. As was to be expected, the good people of Moose Jaw were not exactly flocking to this film in droves. I was the first person in the theatre, and for quite some time I entertained the thought that I might have my own private screening. However, perhaps a dozen people showed up in total. (Two walked out part way through, thought I think they were just going to get more popcorn).


Now, "The Artist" does take a bit of effort to watch - if for no other reason that the fact that it is all watching. "The Artist" is not only about the silent film era, it is actually a silent film. In some films you can daydream or whisper to your neighbour while still taking in the dialogue. Not so here. In the style of classic silent cinema, there are periodical captions which appear on the screen at crucial moments, but for the most part the plot is carried forward simply on the strength on the actors' (Jean Dujardin as "George Valentine" and Berenice Bejo as "Peppy Miller") body language and facial expressions. 


Of course, this is basically what you would get in any classic silent movie from the 1920's. The stereotype of villain with the curly moustache tying the girl to the railroad tracks is an unfortunate one, as some of these films were actually quite brilliant. ("City Lights" starring Charlie Chaplin, for instance). With "The Artist" we get something quite unique. It's not a remake of a silent film or a parody of one. It's a re-imagining of the silent film and the silent film era. George Valentine's unemployment (partly due to the stock market crash in 1929) is certainly relevant for many today given the economic troubles in many parts of the world. The movie strikes an incredible balance: telling a modern story while keeping in enough of the classic (often cheesy) bits that are the bread and butter of silent films. There's that sequence with the main characters dancing on opposite sides of the screen, Peppy putting her arm through the sleeve of George's jacket as it hangs on the coat tree, and pretty much anything that Uggie the Dog does. 


Top marks for creativity, for physical acting, and for remaking a classic genre for a modern audience. This is entertainment that earns its dues.