Next up? I'm speaking at the Northwest Christian Writers Association in Seattle.

Here are the details for my next speaking engagement...

From Christianity Today's review of "Through a Screen Darkly"

Many thanks to Eric Miller for this generous, thoughtful review in Christianity Today:

Overstreet's memoirist-as-mentor tack serves the "invitation" part of the book well, enabling him to address contentious issues from an intimate, personal vantage. Nudity, sex, violence, profanity, anti-Christian storylines: He approaches each in a seasoned, sometimes battle-weary way, still smarting from the e-mail shellackings he's received from hostile readers over the years. So in the form of a story — his own story — he responds, seeking to deepen the reader's notion of what art is and fashion a new framework for considering the vexing questions art invariably raises.

Overstreet is most convincing in his effort to show evangelical readers that their traditional approach to art tends to impede both a rich experience of the goodness of God and a profound understanding of this present darkness. "If I think that by withdrawing I can get away from sin's influence in the world, I forget that sin is active within my own walls and within my own heart," he writes. He urges readers instead to more daringly embrace good art, whether Christian or not, as a means of expanding vision and enlarging wisdom, accepting "the sensual pleasure of God's gifts" even as they take care to avoid the kind of exposure that may actually diminish their ability to taste goodness.

To this end, Overstreet gives layers of description of dozens of films, ranging from The Empire Strikes Back to Taxi Driver to Wings of Desire. It's a clinic in art criticism. Through his earnest and illuminating instruction, we learn much about genre, sacramentality, cinematography, and more. His quest to "apprehend beauty wherever I can find it" is clearly an impassioned romance, one he longs to usher us into as well.

...

Overstreet's achievement in this book is his winsome articulation of the magnificence of art and its irreplaceable part in a fully human life. With an enlarging vision of the story in which our art has unfolded, his criticism will cut through our enigmatic darkness with yet more light.

Help spread the word: Write your review of "Through a Screen Darkly"!

Do I ask you folks for favors very often?

I'm asking now!

If you like the book, post a brief review of Through a Screen Darkly here. Let Amazon customers know that the book will be worth their while!

Eugene Peterson's "Eat This Book" ... and moviegoing

I am finding Eugene Peterson's Eat This Book to be a particularly inspiring meditation on our need to read, taste, chew, and digest the Bible.

And along the way, I am thunderstruck by how often the points Peterson is making about how we should read scripture run parallel what I've tried to convey about how we should attend to art.

I've just read a section on the power and essentiality of storytelling. (p. 40)

Check this out:

Honest stories respect our freedom; they don't manipulate us, don't force us, don't distract us from life.

Great. Reminds me of the way I recognize a great movie.

And THEN he says:

Not all stories, of course, are honest. There are sentimentalizing stories that seduce us into escaping from life; there are propagandistic stories that attempt to enlist us in a cause or bully us into a stereotyped response; there are trivializing stories that represent life as merely cute or diverting.

Wow. He just said in one paragraph what I took pages to explore in my examination of different kinds of "dishonest" filmmaking.

Then he says:

The Christian life requires a form adequate to its content, a form that is at home in the Christian revelation and that respects each person's dignity and freedom with plenty of room for all our quirks and particularities.

There's a whole discussion waiting to happen, just from that quote. "A form adequate to its content." He's talking about the Christian life, but let me tell you... if more Christian artists came to understand that the form of their work is as important as the content, we would have a new rennaissance of artmaking.

I don't know how many times I've received emails in which someone has protested my critique of a mediocre "Christian movie" or "Christian music" saying, "But Jeff, your focus is in the wrong place. It doesn't matter how good the art is so long as the message is good."

Wrong. If we package the message in mediocrity, we show it disrespect, and worse, we make it unappealing to those we would desire as an audience.

The form and structure of the Bible is awe-inspiring. The forms and structure of God's creation... from the ocean to the human body to a hummingbird... are awe-inspiring, excellent, beautiful, and meaningful. In the same way, great art lasts and speaks to us because of its excellence. And there is no art more lasting and powerful than great art inspired by, and reflecting back, God's Word. In fact, the meaning of great art and the excellence of great art are inseparable. They are very much the same thing.

Blog sightings!

Mentions of Through a Screen Darkly are popping up online. I'm going to keep track of this, partly because I'm curious to see where the book lands, and what happens when it does. And, partly because... well... I wrote the book in hopes that it would inspire further conversation about the power of movies, the rewards of movies, and the dangers of movies, and if that conversation's gonna happen, I want to be there. (I especially want to be there if someone offers critique, because, well, I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go in this journey.)

Today's Through a Screen Darkly webtour takes us to:

• Matt Page's Bible Films blog.
• Matthew Winslow at Christian Realism.

Musing about the joy of books.

I'm hearing from folks all over the country that their copies of Through a Screen Darkly are arriving in the mail.

Isn't it strange? You can write about anything on the Internet, and it can be read all over the world instantly. But if you put it on paper, and it takes days for it to arrive somewhere in the mail, suddenly everybody agrees that it's a reason to celebrate!

The Internet is great, but as far as I'm concerned... books are still the best mode of reading. When you hold the book, turn the page, and have the whole thing in a lasting package that can be handed on from one person to the next, one generation to the next... and you can mark things and highlight things... that's something special.

Not only that, but when you're online, you have the option of switching from subject to subject rapidly. And you are always aware of your own power to engage and respond.

With a book, you're required to be humble and patient... and to chew on what is served to you.

I took some time out from the computer today to read Eugene Peterson's Eat This Book, and I felt so refreshed. Part of that was the beauty and profundity of what Peterson has written. And part of it was the fact that I wasn't staring at a glowing screen, but looking at ink on paper and relaxing into the pleasure of the language.

And the Internet's got nothing on books when it comes to olfactory aspect. Peterson's Eat This Book makes me want to taste and digest good literature, but I keep holding the book up to my nose too, just to breathe that new-book smell...

Here they come! Copies of the book are on their way!

I'm told that the box full of books should arrive on my doorstep this week.

Some copies have already been delivered to book reviewers.

Almost as long as I've been able to write my name on paper, I've wondered what this moment would be like... to hold my first copy of my own published book. I'm so weary from all of the writing and editing I've done recently, I hope I can stand up straight and appreciate it. It's been a long strange trip.

Many, many thanks... not for the first time, and not for the last... to Alex Field and all of the people at Regal Books for making this happen. And to my agents, Lee Hough and Don Pape, for finding this project a home there. And to Marsha Marks, who had a wild idea one day and introduced me to Don Pape. This is all happening thanks to their enthusiasm, hard work, and grace.

Of course, I wouldn't have met them or been able to do any of this if the Divine Choreographer Himself hadn't brought us together. So, the greatest thanks of all to the Almighty.

And many thanks to you as well, for spending so much time in conversation with me about faith and art. Without those conversations, I wouldn't have had a book to write.

Anyway, while we're waiting for the book to arrive, you might enjoy perusing a collection of conversations I've been enjoying with various moviegoers, film critics, writers, and even one particular filmmaker. Check out Looking Closer's Twenty-Five Favorite Films of 2006.

The most meaningful movie moments you've ever seen.

Something very special is happening right now over at the Looking Closer Journal blog.

I'm enjoying the many comments of readers who are sharing their favorite movie moments of all time.

I'd love to know which moments stand out for you.

The last chapter of Through a Screen Darkly is devoted to celebrating moments in film that have meant the most to me and, in fact, changed my life. So I get rather worked up, even teary-eyed, when people start contributing to this discussion.

Are we cattle?

It's exciting when we see Christians engaging popular culture and demonstrating discernment.

We are called to "wise as serpents, and innocent as doves," right?

But when we start behaving like cattle... following whatever is marketed to us, going to see whatever our pastors have been convinced to promote, trusting advertising instead of using our heads... that's when cultural "engagement" becomes cultural enslavement.

Check out Peter T. Chattaway's latest post.

An update on "Through a Screen Darkly"

The book is finished!

Proofreading is done.

The front and back cover are complete.

I'm told that printed copies do, at long last, exist.

You'll be seeing them soon if you've ordered some copies (one for you, one for each of your movie-loving friends, so you can talk it over, of course).

What a long, strange trip it's been. I've learned a great deal. And now, we're shifting from the busy-ness of writing the book to the busy-ness of talking about it... in print, on the radio, online, and beyond.

This Friday, I'll be appearing on WordFM in Pittsburgh.

Next month, I'll be speaking at several events, including the Northwest Christian Writers Association, and at a special book release party in La Conner, Washington.

In April, I'll be addressing the Seattle chapter of the G.K. Chesterton Society about faith and film.

I'm also blogging a bit about the book and moviegoing over at the Amazon blog. This week, I'm inviting you to share your list of favorite films from 2006, as well as your favorite (and least favorite) sequels of all time. Come over and share your experiences!

Here's are some questions for you:

Do you have a favorite radio program, where you'd like to hear me talk about Through a Screen Darkly?

If so, email me at joverstreet [at] gmail [dot] com, and tell me the name of the station, the program, and the DJ (if you have that information). I'm currently charting out a calendar of radio interviews, so I can share with listeners who haven't yet discovered LookingCloser.org or Through a Screen Darkly.

Also, if you can think of a magazine that might be interested in reviewing the book, or publishing an excerpt, or printing an interview, now is the time to tell me about it. We're in a flurry of activity setting these things up.

What an adventure.

The perilous road of engaging our culture...

On Friday, I spoke to a class of English literature students at Seattle Pacific University. I told them about my life at the movies, about the varoius warnings I've heard from Christians over the years about the dangers of movies like... oh... The Empire Strikes Back, Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, and The Story of the Weeping Camel.

My primary goal in sharing my experiences with them was to encourage them to bravely venture forth into the art of popular culture, as a way of learning the way that our neighbors see the world, but also to venture into the art of other cultures, as a way of learning to understand and love people who see the world very differently than us.

But many of us, growing up in Christian communities, are taught something very different. We are taught to fear our own culture, and foreign cultures are portrayed as especially dangerous. We are often given the impression that contact with, and exposure to, people with different values and belief will contaminate us in some way. Thus, we end up cultivating a culture that is insulated, defensive, naive, and and fearful.

But virtue grows through exercise, testing, and maturity. Christ set the example, hanging out in his local pubs with tax collectors and prostitutes and swindlers and failures and deceivers and dangerous men. He didn't let their foolishness influence him, but he was, yes, tempted. Scripture tells us so. There, in their midst, he set a different example of love, compassion, listening, caring. He paid attention. His behavior was such that everyone wanted to be in his presence, whereas in our culture it seems that the church has become a place most people are trying to escape.

The instructor informed me that I was going to be talking to a tough crowd. Apparently, some of the students are convinced that the Bible wants them to separate themselves from their culture, and that engaging with the world beyond the church is too dangerous.

He told me that my presentation brought to mind a quote by one of my favorite poets, John Milton. I haven't seen these words in a long time, but they do ring true.

From Milton’s Areopagitica, in which he defends freedom of the press:

I cannot praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue, unexercised and unbreathed, that never sallies out and sees her adversary, but slinks out of the race where that immortal garland is to be run for, not without dust and heat. Assuredly we bring not innocence into the world, we bring impurity much rather; that which purifies us is trail, and trial is by what is contrary. That virtue therefore which is but a youngling in the contemplation of evil, and knows not the utmost that vice promises to her followers,. and rejects it, is but a blank virtue, not a pure…

What does Publisher's Weekly say about "Through a Screen Darkly"?

Publisher's Weekly has given Through a Screen Darkly a starred review.

You can read it here.

They give it two thumbs up. Really. See for yourself!

Today, I wrap it up!

Today is the last day of editing for me on Through a Screen Darkly. I'll get to check the final proof in a few weeks, but this is my last day to make any changes.

What a week it has been. I can't go into details, but let's just say we suffered a significant setback in our process this week that required a great deal of attention to the text. As I am also halfway into writing a new novel, AND I'm working on edits for the first novel, Auralia's Colors, it's an understatement to say that I'm exhausted. And I still have another day of editing on this book left.

I sat at the computer from 10AM until midnight yesterday, reading the book out loud and addressing the problems that had suddenly come to light, and that was Day Five of this particular edit. I'm ready for a long vacation.

The book is fine, don't worry. Suffice it to say that something beyond our control suddenly meant we had to go back and re-shape some things. But the good news is that the book is stronger for it, and even better news... by tonight, it will be finished.

Re-reading it, I'm overcome with gratitude for having the opportunity to tell these stories and share so many of my favorites with you.

What's the toughest thing about closing the book? Easy. I have just seen a handful of GREAT films... new films that have made my head spin. And now I want to write about those. Drat. I guess there will have to be a revised and exapanded edition someday... or perhaps a sequel.

Want to play a part in the release of "Through a Screen Darkly"?

Well, I'm so glad you asked!

There are plenty of things you can do to help!

First of all, you can pre-order the book at Amazon. Then, you can pre-order more copies as Christmas presents for anyone in your family who is interested in movies. What? It won't arrive in time for Christmas? It'll be just a few weeks late... give them a card that let's them know it will arrive in their mailbox as soon as they're done reading the other books they got for Christmas.

Wait, there's more...

If you write for a magazine or newspaper, contact me at joverstreet [at] gmail [dot] com. I can set you up with a review copy, if you're willing to write a review, or know someone who will.

If you work for a radio station, I'll be doing interviews. Contact me.

If you work at a Christian university or school and would like me to come talk about the adventures of a Christian film critic, let's talk.

And then there's always this: I've been encouraged to start a blog on the Amazon page for Through a Screen Darkly.

I know, I know... I already have too many blogs. But this is a place to encourage conversations that will inspire some interest in the book.

So, I've gone and done it.

If you want to help out, visit THAT blog today and if you feel moved to respond with comments on any of the posts there, I'd be grateful to see them.

The more interesting that Amazon page becomes, the more people will get curious about the book. And if you like what happens at Looking Closer.org, well, Through a Screen Darkly is all about the convictions and ideas on which LookingCloser.org has been built... so why not pitch in and help draw some attention to it?

Thanks for your support. The more interesting this book release becomes, the more opportunities it will give me to make LookingCloser.org more interesting for you...

The secret location of the big release party...

Anybody recognize this place?

This is where the big book release party for Through a Screen Darkly will be held.

Food, wine, music, a reading, and some time for everybody to ask questions and talk about movies.

It'll be a grand time, if this current deluge doesn't wash away the bookstore first.

So... who'll be the first to Name That Bookstore?

Another director likes what he's reading!

What does Darren Aronofsky, director of Pi, Requiem for a Dream, and The Fountain think of Through a Screen Darkly?

After reading the first several chapters, he says:

"Inspirational.... Sometimes all of us forget that love for movies, that internal spark inside us that movies lit, and your book is going to remind many of us about it."

Would you like a sneak-peek at the book?

The book is almost ready for prime-time. I'll be making one more pass for proofreading this week. But review copies are now available for those who are interested in reading and reviewing Through a Screen Darkly for a publication or a Web site. And I'll be available for interviews if anyone would like to discuss the project.

If you're interested in a review copy or an interview, contact me at joverstreet [at] gmail [dot] com.

Ralph Winter: Producer of Blockbuster movies. "Gladiator" fan. Comic-book movie expert. Christian.

"Hollywood."

In the media... especially in the Christian media... the word "Hollywood" gets thrown around a lot.

"Hollywood is anti-Christian. It is always producing projects that lampoon, criticize, and ridicule Christians."

"We need to clean up Hollywood."

"Christians should not have anything to do with what comes out of Hollywood."

Meanwhile, in the middle of Hollywood, you'll find Christians are working hard to create good films, to deliver excellent performances, to write superlative scripts. And they're not necessarily stuffing the gospel message into their stories. They're just trying to do what they do with excellence.

One of those guys is Ralph Winter.

Last year, on assignment for Christianity Today, I interviewed Mr. Winter about his work, which has included playing a part in films like Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, X-Men and X-Men 2: X-Men United, and Fantastic Four.

Ralph is working on a wide variety of projects within Hollywood, some of them deliberately crafted to provide a "Christian message," some of them crafted to be merely entertaining. Whether or not you're a fan of his films. I suspect that you'll find his perspective challenging.

I'm learning a lot from folks like Ralph, and I share some of those lessons that I've learned in Through a Screen Darkly. I'm learning not to use the word "Hollywood" lightly, or to say it with a sneer. There are good people working in Hollywood. There is good work coming from Hollywood. There is even rich, meaningful, beautiful work coming from people who don't know the source of their talent, or the profundity of their stories.

So take a deep breath before you use the word "Hollywood." Remember... Ralph Winter is included in that population. It's a community, not an entity single-mindedly working to crush the church.

Director Scott Derrickson is a Hollywood player as well. He's the director of the #1 box office hit The Exorcism of Emily Rose, a thoughtful filmmaker and a Christian. Derrickson shares his perspective on one of his favorite films, one of his favorite filmmakers, and some thoughts on the potential of horror movies to reveal the glory of God, in Through a Screen Darkly.

If you have comments, send them to me at joverstreet [at] gmail-dot-com.

Know this: I may post some of those responses here, on this blog. But I promise not to include your name unless you specifically give me permission to do so.

Still trying to figure out... what is a "Christian movie"?

"Christian."

What is it?

Is it an adjective?

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Is "a Christian" someone who prayed a prayer asking Jesus into their heart? What if that person forgets about that prayer, and strays?

Is it someone who continues in a dedicated fashion to pursue and develop a relationship with Christ?

The word began as a label that others put upon the disciples of Christ, a teasing sort of label: "Little Christs." And the name stuck. It was, whether intended that way or not, rather spectacular flattery.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

But let's stop talking about the people for a moment. Does the word "Christian" extend beyond people to apply to their works?

Can a movie become "Christian" by the insertion of a particular element?

What if a non-Christian makes that movie, and includes that "Christian" element? Is the movie a "Christian" movie, or is it disqualified because he is an unbeliever?

Is a "Christian movie" somehow more appropriate for Christians to watch than a "non-Christian movie"?

What makes a movie "Christian"?

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Or should we perhaps avoid using that term as an adjective?

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Is Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol a "Christian" story? It's full of ghosts and curses, so....

Is it a non-Christian story? It teaches a moral lesson, and it "keeps the Christ in Christmas," so....

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Many Christians are praising the movie Facing the Giants because of its "Christian elements." Does that make it a better movie... the fact that the characters openly testify to faith in Christ?

Is it a Christian movie because the Christian characters who demonstrate faith in Christ end up winning games?

At the Internet Movie Database today, a reporter writes:

Facing the Giants is the third uplifting football movie released this month, although this one may be more faith-based than the others. And therein lies a problem: how can the outcome of the movie be otherwise than imagined since God figures so intrinsically in the plot? Jeff Strickler, writing for the McClatchy newspaper chain puts it this way: "The religious proselytizing in this football movie is about as subtle as a blind-side hit by a 300-pound defensive tackle."

I haven't seen the movie, so I don't have an opinion about it. But it does raise the question again: Since non-believers look at this film and sense an agenda to present the gospel in a persuasive manner, does that make this film a "Christian" movie?

Is a "Christian" movie one in which the Christians pray and win the football game? The reporter writes that it's hard for him to imagine a "faith-based" movie in which the faith-based team loses a game. Why? Don't Christians ever lose games? Do we need to be assured that faith will lead us to victories in the world's sense of winning games and getting satisfaction?

Could the team lose, and it still be a "faith-based" movie? Would it somehow be a strike against the Christian team if they lost the game?

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

What about The Nativity Story, the upcoming film from a secular movie studio, written by a Christian, starring non-Christians, that tells the story of Christ's birth. Is that a "Christian" movie?

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

What about the home movie I made the other night with my digital camera, in which I let the camera gaze long and hard at the glory of the setting sun. What would make that a "Christian movie"?

Must I recite a verse aloud, so you can hear that while you watch what God is doing?

Is it a "Christian movie" because I, believing in Christ, filmed it?

Or would it be "Christian" if Joe Pagan walked down to the beach and filmed the same thing in the same way?

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

What is this adjective... "Christian"... that we put before things like movies and music?

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Amy Grant sang a lot of songs to God. Then she sang a song of love to her husband, and many Christians complained that she had stopped singing "Christian music."

It is not "Christian" to sing a song of love to one's spouse, the way that Solomon sang love songs to his sexy lovers?

What if a non-Christian sings a song of devotion and love to their spouse? Is that "Christian"?

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Perhaps "Christian" isn't a very good adjective.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Perhaps we shouldn't worry about dividing art into "Christian" and "secular." Perhaps we should investigate whether God can speak through all kinds of art, and whether all kinds of artists are capable of really tacky art even if they believed in Christ all along the way.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

My wife Anne once spoke at a poetry conference. A woman came to her with a stack of poems and asked Anne to tell her who would publish them. Anne asked if she could read them. The woman said, "Yes. God gave them to me. I prayed and prayed, and he gave me these poems. They need to be published." Anne read them. They were poorly written. They were, basically, prayers on paper. They were not really poetry. They did not invite us to investigate what they meant, or give us anything to wrestle with. They did not show much deliberation over particular words. But they did, in fact, make it very clear that the writer believed in God. They also showed that the writer had invested a lot of her own money in binding these poems together with a handsome, exquisitely decorated cover.

Was that Christian poetry?

Should it, indeed, be published... because the woman had so much faith and had volunteered so much of her own money to bring its message to others?

Or should she be told, "I'm sorry. I know you care about this. But this isn't really poetry. Or, if it is, any accomplished poet will tell you that it is mediocre poetry, or worse. You need to take some classes. You need to learn the art of metaphor, meter, and concentrating your language. If you want to glorify God, you need to do more than give it a positive message. You need to make it a beautiful work of language. You need to make it excellent." ?

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Once, when my friend Martin and I were talking with T-Bone Burnett, we were talking about the difference between "sacred" art and "secular" art, between Christian muic and non-Christian music. When asked what advice he would give to Christian musicians, trying to live Christian lives, and navigate their way through the Christian and the mainstream music industries, he suddenly asked us why we needed to worry so much about the word "Christian."

"Why can't we just be people?" he asked.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Why can't we just live as people, testifying that we believe in Christ, and let other people decide whether our behavior demonstrates any kind of Christ-likeness. Why must we always use this word to divide our work into "Christian" and "secular"?

Are "Christian books" just for Christians? I hope not. Then why must they bear such a label, which immediately turns so many potential readers away from them... readers who might enjoy them?

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Perhaps we should avoid labeling things like this, and let what we do speak for itself in its truthfulness, its excellence, and its beauty.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

In Through a Screen Darkly, I've written a bit about the apallingly bad art I've encountered that has been labeled as "Christian," and the transcendent, profound art that has led me into deeper relationship with God... art that was made by unbelievers for their own agendas.

Maybe it's not up to us to label these things. Maybe God likes to remind us that he can speak through the most unexpected, "un-Christian" things. Maybe he likes to humble us Christians when we start declaring that our own works are somehow divinely inspired and superior just because we've put Jesus' name on them.

As the Scriptures say, many will come before God and say, "Lord, Lord, look at the things we did in your name!" And he will say, "Depart from me, I never knew you."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Art is a way of exploring, studying, and investigating God. It is a way of practicing the work of incarnation -- giving things shape, discovering the reflection of God in those things, and then sharing them with others. It is a way of finding that God is present even in the work of those who don't believe in him -- because, whether they like it or not, they are made in his image.

Are we approaching art in that way?

Or are we more concerned with creating codes by which we can judge the works of others and, as a result, judge them?

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Jesus sometimes told his disciples not to go into a community declaring that the Son of God was coming. Sometimes, he wanted his work to speak for itself, and let people start asking questions until they came to that conclusion on their own.

People don't like it when other people start shoving answers down their throat when they haven't even asked a question. But when they ask the question, investigate, and discover it on their own... then, it is theirs. It is personal. It sticks.

So why label these things? Why put a flashing banner on it that says, "Christian! Christian! Christian" before they even experience the work itself?

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

This is the kind of path my mind takes on a Saturday afternoon, when I'm not trying to get projects done at work.

Perhaps I need a long vacation.

If you have comments, send them to me at joverstreet [at] gmail-dot-com.

Know this: I may post some of those responses here, on this blog. But I promise not to include your name unless you specifically give me permission to do so.

Why my faith is not "FoxFaith," and great art is not necessarily "Christian art"

When I saw a promotional video for the arrival of FoxFaith, a special library of movies that "Christians and families can enjoy," I had a flashback.

As I perused the titles of films being included in that label, I felt the walls closing in, trapping me in a familiar world of art that consisted of:

A) Nice, gentle, comfortable entertainment
B) American nostalgia
C) Bible stories.

About ten years ago, I decided that I couldn't take living in such a small world anymore.

I was no longer content to believe what I was being taught within the culture of the churches I'd attended and the Christian school in which I studied.

No, it wasn't Christianity that I questioned. What I saw in the world around me only affirmed my belief that this world is in trouble, and that Christ is our only hope.

But the limitations being set on what television, movies, music, literature, and art were acceptable for my attention... it just didn't match up with what I was coming to understand about the challenges Christ has given to his church. I accepted the New Testament's declaration that all things in the culture around me are lawful for me, and I am free to move about the country.

But there's more that passage. It says that "Not all things are profitable." There's the rub. I wanted to be free, but I also wanted to learn to discern what works of art were profitable... what works of art were, to borrow some words from Philippians, excellent, of good repute, and worthy of praise.

I could no longer buy the idea that, when it comes to art, Christians should only pay attention to:

• whatever is clean;
• whatever is free of anything that could possibly offend;
• whatever is cute;
• whatever portrays America as blameless;
• whatever assures us that the good guys always win;
• whatever is safe for six-year-olds and simplistic enough for them to understand;
• and whatever openly proclaims the name of Jesus.

For me, these qualifications confined me to a sort of wish-fulfillment art. It limited me to a particular corner of Christian culture in which we dreamed about what we wanted the world to look like... a sort of Thomas Kincaid vision of the world... not art that challenged me to grapple with the dark, complicated world I live in, where answers don't come easy. It was art designed to make me comfortable, not art designed to challenge my mind and test me.

As I began to read and study classic literature in high school and at Seattle Pacific University, I was challenged by visionary Christian instructors to ask myself why it was culturally "okay" for Christians to read classic literature, which reflects the messy realities of the past, but it wasn't considered okay for Christians to engage with contemporary art, which reflects the messy realities of the present.

I began turning my attention to Great Art instead of "Christian art," I found that there is much more to be enjoyed, discovered, and learned from beauty, excellence, and truth, than the stuff being labeled as "Christian art" in the aisles of Christian supply stores.

While I did find occasional examples of "Christian art" that were challenging, like the music of Mark Heard, Leslie Phillips, and Steve Taylor, these were exceptions to the rule. Their music was honest, provocative. They wrestled with the tough questions and the doubts. Thus, when they offered praise or affirmed their faith, it was that much more powerful. They had integrity. Meanwhile, the other "Christian" expressions felt, for the most part, like people going through the motions, like mere repetition of familiar scriptures and ideas instead of expressions from those who had been out in the world and learned through the testing of their faith.

Great heroes of the faith were not people who made themselves comfortable in a "Christian" subculture and sat around singing praises. They were people who went out into the world and put their faith to the test.

I became convinced that any art that

• is true;
• that is beautiful;
• that is excellent;
• that is honest;
• that represents evil as bearing consequences;
• that represents love as light in darkness;
• that steers our attention away from ourselves and toward something greater;

... this is the art capable of revealing God's truth to us.

It is art that affirms hope and design and order and the possibility of redemption even in the midst of ugliness, sin, chaos, and failure.

"Christian" or otherwise... no art will be perfect. That's because art, even art made by Christians, is a work of human minds and hands. And human minds and hands are flawed and fumbling, even at their best

But the best art will endure because it will capture and reflect something of excellence and beauty. Excellence and beauty cannot help but reflect the glory of God.

This means that great art, art that opens us to the possibility of inspiration and encounters with the Sublime, may very likely come from the imaginations of unbelievers, who do not realize that the materials of their work speak volumes beyond what the artist intends... and that's just the way God intended it.

Woody Allen's movies have brought me closer to God. That would make him furious, but his movies about running from God show me a vision of hell, and show me what we give up when we lose our faith. Steven Spielberg's films have enhanced my faith by rekindling within me a childlike sense of wonder as I watch. And the more I have explored the vast geography of filmmaking, the more I find startling affirmations of God's grace, and revelations of his power, in unexpected places... like the films of Kieslowski, Tarkovsky, and Bresson; Haneke, the Coen Brothers, and the Andersons (Paul Thomas and Wes).

In a letter, C.S. Lewis wrote:

‘Creation’ as applied to human authorship seems to me to be an entirely misleading term. We re-arrange elements He has provided. And that is surely why our works never mean to others quite what we intended; because we are recombining elements made by Him and already containing His meanings. Because of those divine meanings in our materials it is impossible that we should ever know the whole meaning of our works and the meaning we never intended may be the best and truest one.

This means that we simply cannot create a category called "Christian art" and identify it by the faith-affiliation of its artist, or any clear and identifying "Christian message."

All art by Christians will be characterized, to some extent, by flaws and misconceptions and limitations.

And all art by non-Christians will, to some extent, exhibit God's glory, even if they artists strive to contradict that.

I don't limit myself or fence myself into the corral of "Christian music" or "Christian movies." Out in the vast expanse of art, I have been nourished by works created by some of the most reckless and irresponsible individuals (some of whom are as prone to error as myself). And I have been insulted and even sickened by the self-righteousness, emptiness, derivative nature, "sanitized" quality, and laziness of much that is labeled as "Christian art."

Someone is sure to challenge me with examples of excellence that have been produced within those confines, and I don't deny that they exist. But they are few and far between. Many celebrated as achievements of surpassing excellence will, when held up against artistic achievement beyond those wall, look cheap, derivative, and disposable by comparison.

***

In an interview with Mary Kenagy, managing editor of Image journal, I asked her about the new fiction collection called The Best Christian Short Stories. I asked her what distinguished these stories, including one of her own, from what we usually find in the "Christian fiction" section. What sets this anthology apart?

She said:

Well, pain, of course. The Christian story – the central Christian story, I mean, Jesus coming to earth and dying and all that – doesn’t shy away from pain. But since Christians are often nice people, gentle people, we get this mistaken idea that they should be reading some special kind of kinder, gentler fiction than every one else, an idea that is doing nobody any favors.

And then from there, once you have Christian fiction in a ghetto, in a smaller pool, whatever is rising to the top won’t be as good – in terms of its talent and craft and discipline -- as what rises in the open sea of contemporary literature at large.

I like my story, but I am not as good a writer as Marilynne Robinson and Alice Munro and Joy Williams and people whose work is not in the Christian section.

So why have an anthology like this one? I think this collection can work as a bridge for readers who think they only want to look at books in the Christian section. What I hope happens is that it could coax those readers out onto the open sea. Because a lot of the writers in the anthology are visible both on the sea and on the pond, if I can just drive that metaphor in the ground.

I want to sail the open sea.

Great art will not merely show us what is pleasing to the eye. It will sometimes reflect horrifying, dismaying, ugly truths about sin and the fallen state of the world. It will reflect what is lovely and appealing, but it will also reflect the folly of human behavior. It will move us to humility, not arrogance; Godliness, not nationalism; an authentic encounter with the truth rather than an emotional encounter with nostalgia and sentimentality.

***

Thus, it was with great dismay that I encountered this promotional video from Fox.

The studio announced a whole new label... a whole new branch of entertainment.

It's called "FoxFaith".

What will you see on the FoxFaith network?

"Family and Christian films everyone can enjoy."

Huh. Okay, what qualifies as a film for "FoxFaith"?

Well, at first glance I see a whole lot more evidence of mediocrity than excellence.

Sure, they've got a classic or two, including The Grapes of Wrath and The Passion of the Christ.

But they've also included: My Friend Flicka. Cheaper by the Dozen (the lame Steve Martin remake.) Oklahoma.

And something that loooks like a sign of the apocalypse: Strawberry Shortcake: Adventures On Ice Cream.

And, of course... Garfield The Movie.

I am not making this up. (More info in this L.A. Times article.)

In other words, the films they recommend for Christians and families are often works that are innocuous, mediocre, and merely nostalgic, providing us with little or no challenge whatsoever.

They also primarily reflect the values of white, American, middle-class, 20th-century culture. Not a foreign film in the bunch.

At last, a collection to keep us safe and warm, to prevent us from growing and changing, to save us from the unsettling influence of visionary art.

South Pacific?

This is a list containing a lot of art crafted for the lowest common denominator, not art that presents us with exemplary craftsmanship and galvanizing visions of the truth.

Oh, sure there are a couple of titles in there that can be applauded for some level of artistic achievement... but most of those those are bathed in the glow of sentimentality and Americana. Yes, there are even a couple there that were produced by a friend of mine, but they're not his finest works, and if I were him, I wouldn't want my work to be pigeonholed in a collection that looks like it was chosen by people who spend their evenings watching the Hallmark Channel.

So it was with relief and a hearty "hear hear!!" that I read Jason Morehead's response to the very same endeavor at his blog, Opus. Jason writes:

Christianity is not "family safe", nor should "Christian" art be passed off only as such. Of course, "Christian" art needs to focus on whatever is good and true and lovely. But at the same time, it also needs to take an honest accounting of human brokenness, evil, injustice, and all of the other nasty things that permeate this life. But somehow I doubt that such art will be coming from the gates of FoxFaith, though I would love to be proven wrong.

I, too, hope FoxFaith has much more exciting recommendations on its calendar.

***

When the Christian film buffs and movie critics over at Arts and Faith voted on what they consider the Top 100 spiritually significant films ever made, the list came out looking very different. We were voting on the films that challenge us with superlative, exemplary artistry, and with stories that nourish the spirit.

You can read that list here.

And I can assure you, Hangman's Curse and South Pacific and Garfield the Movie aren't anywhere near it. Spiritually significant art is not designed to make us comfortable. But there are plenty of films on this list that people of all ages can enjoy.

***

S0... what are some of the films that have challenged my faith, inspired me to consider the mysteries of God, and nourished me? For every viewer it will be a little different. In Through a Screen Darkly, I've written about how my life was deeply enriched by films like:

Chariots of Fire
Babette's Feast
The Mission
The Story of the Weeping Camel
Wings of Desire
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Amadeus
The Fisher King
Dead Man Walking
Don't Come Knocking
Saved!
Les Fils (The Son)
Taxi Driver
Magnolia
Punch-drunk Love
Code Unknown
Gosford Park
Ordet
Au Hasard Balthazar
Three Colors: Blue
The New World

In fact, the book includes a list of almost 200 titles recommended for moviegoers to watch and discuss the themes and spiritual explorations taking place there.

Few of these films announce themselves as "Christian," and many of them would be inappropriate viewing for young children. (There are, however, several titles that I would be happy to show to children, to give them examples of excellence rather than sentimentality, art rather than mere entertainment. And these would be much more challenging, much more excellent than any of those "family-friendly features" on the FoxFaith list.)

If Christians would spend less time protesting movies that offend them (The DaVinci Code), and less time celebrating not-so-sensational films as the pinnacle of art (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe), they might begin to discover that films are not defined by the way they are marketed, or the labels attached to them.

There are profoundly inspring, challenging, true, and beautiful films coming from all corners of the world, from all eras of filmmaking, and from both sides of the political divide. We need to stop looking for those that come to town wearing badges that say "Christian-friendly" or "processed for easy family consumption." We need to be "transformed by the renewing of our minds," so that we can recognize how excellence reflects God far more powerfully than blatant preachiness.

I hope you'll find Through a Screen Darkly to be a conversation-starter. And that it will loosen the stifling restraints of Christian culture, offering some perspective that will help liberate us further to find glimmers of christ in a wide range of art.

There is a lot of beauty out there. A lot of truth. Discerning minds will find it wherever they go, in rare and wonderful expressions.

FoxFaith is probably only the beginning of the industry's move toward branding and selling movies to Christians. Let's not fall for it. Let's resist conforming to the patterns of popular culture and marketing. Let's demonstrate discernment by embracing truth and excellence wherever it can be found, and not judge DVDs by the labels slapped on their covers.

TO COMMENT, write to joverstreet [at] gmail.com.