Very encouraging. Thanks for sharing. This is how to win the culture war, with a story, not a sword.
E On Sep 7, 2011, at 10:03 AM, [email protected] wrote: > > from the site : Philosophical Fragments > > A Movement of “Courageous” Culture-Making Churches? > > By Timothy Dalrymple, September 5, 2011 > Here are a few paragraphs from what I wrote for the “Religion Notebook” in > the next issue of World Magazine: > > The new movie Courageous played before a packed house in its red-carpet > premiere in Atlanta on August 26th. It tells the story of a group of male > friends who remember the importance of fatherhood and commit themselves, in > the midst of personal tragedies and professional struggles, to be the > husbands and fathers God calls them to be. It’s the fourth film from Sherwood > Pictures, the filmmaking ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, > Georgia. > > Stephen Kendrick, who is both pastor over Sherwood’s prayer ministry and > writer and producer of the film, explained after the premiere that the series > of films is a reflection of the unity and purpose that God gave Sherwood > Baptist > > to reach the world from their little town. After the congregation saw their > first effort, Flywheel, 500 volunteers stepped forward for Facing the Giants. > The number grew with the highly successful Fireproof, and over 1,500 > congregants helped produce Courageous. The church has used the profits to > plant other churches and to fund missions and community outreach. As Kendrick > told me, “We encourage other churches who are considering making films: Don’t > despise small beginnings. An avalanche can start with a single stone.” > It was once common, of course, for churches to commission sculptures and > frescoes, portraits and plays. There has been no greater patron of the arts > in the past two millennia than the Christian Church. Yet this is less > frequent today, when art is commonly seen as a secular pursuit. So there are > at least two points worth celebrating, according to Andy Crouch, author of > Culture-Making, in the efforts of Sherwood Films. Whatever the artistic > merits of the movies themselves, he told me, “it’s better to create something > worth criticizing than to criticize and create nothing,” and the movies “open > the door to a cultural creativity the church should never have lost in the > first place.” Talented young Christians may watch the movies, “get the > sacred-secular dichotomy knocked out of them,” and find the inspiration to > invest the time and training that are needed to create enduring and > redemptive works of art. > > As the article goes on to explain, other churches have begun to follow > Sherwood’s example, producing films like The Grace Card, The Glass Window and > To Save a Life. > > > When I went to see the Courageous premiere, of course, I was not expecting > anything avant-garde. I had not seen any of their previous movies, but I > understood that Sherwood Pictures is not out to push the envelope of > filmmaking. Does that mean it’s not “art” in the strict sense of the term? > When Curtis Chang asked Daniel Siedell, a Christian professor of art history, > whether Thomas Kinkade paintings were works of art, Siedell responded that > art “should force us to rethink our beliefs about the world.” Kinkade’s > work, however, “only reconfirms and solidifies what we [Christians] already > think about the world.” > While it’s certainly true that nothing in Courageous will cause Christians to > question their view about the world, art can serve a variety of purposes. > Most generically, I agree with Martin Heidegger’s view: art discloses truth. > Art cuts through our socialized, lazy, comfortable, distracted ways of seeing > the world, and shows us truths that we often forget or want to forget or > perhaps have never known before. What challenges “our” views about the world > may not challenge the views of, say, secularists, and conversely what > confirms our views may challenge the views of a secularist. Churches like > Sherwood Baptist are honing their craft, refining their product, and putting > into the marketplace of ideas a cultural artifact that can disclose certain > truths and call people to love what is true and good and beautiful. > > To be clear, I hope that Christian films will continue to raise their > standards in screenwriting, cinematography, acting, and the like. There is > an important witness to be given the world in the commitment to excellence, > to thoughtfulness, to the freedom and well, courage to penetrate the most > profound and painful aspects of human experience. How astounding it would be > if Christians could be known — again — for supporting and producing the very > best works of art. Courageous explores the ways in which men fail their > wives and children, the ways they find strength in friendship to do the right > thing and hold one another accountable, and the ways in which men suffer and > seek the strength of God in the midst of pain and loss. These are worthy > things — and it sounds a lot like art to me. > > Is the movie preachy? It ends with a five minute sermon promoting a > pro-fatherhood movement. Is it any more preachy than, say, Milk or Green > Zone or The Fountain? I would say not. And, given the devastating > consequences of fatherlessness across American society, consequences that are > explored throughout the film, it has an important message. Art often does > have a message, a change it seeks to promote in society, a movement it seeks > to awaken. > > Yet what I find so fascinating here, and so encouraging in the example of > Sherwood Films, is the very concept that churches — and not merely > individuals — can be culture-makers. The church as the filmmaker. The > church as the artist. There’s interesting biblical precedent. The > scriptures tell us that the ancient Hebrews not only brought their treasures > for the tabernacle and the Temple, but that craftsmen of all kinds gave their > talents and expertise. Perhaps churches can marshal their resources as well > as their people and all their gifts to create world-changing works of art. > If highbrow Christians are sometimes embarrassed at the dialogue or the > predictability of the script, then perhaps they can lend their talents and > make them better. > > Will the day ever come when a church produces a film that wins an Academy > Award? Or a musical that wins a Tony? Or a collection of poems or short > stories that wins a Pulitzer? I pray that day will come. But the point, of > course, is to change the world and not to win its applause. For believers, > there is always an audience of One, and that One is pleased when we honor him > with the best of our talents and efforts and also when we participate in the > redemption and re-creation of all things. > > I believe Sherwood Films is being faithful to its calling. They are crafting > works of culture that exercise a redeeming influence upon society. And I > believe that young Christian actor or writer or director who follows after > them, with work that is more complex or daring or refined, will be following > her calling as well. Rather than casting aspersions on high culture > Christians or low culture Christians, we should celebrate our unity in the > Spirit and our cooperation in advancing the work of the kingdom in many > spheres at once. > > > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community > <[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
