So. About those opinions.
I find myself wondering sometimes, is the Church asking the wrong
questions?
I’ve seen it over and over: some book or movie sensation bursts on
the scene, sweeping a large portion of youth (or not so youthful, as the case
might be) with it. Christians take a glance or three, then begin the outcry:
this is wrong! This is bad! Harry Potter—it’s witchcraft. Twilight—vampires and
werewolves! The Hunger Games—children are pitted against children! Fifty Shades of
Grey—porn for women!
Does the outcry honestly keep people away from wrong?
The issues aside—yes, Harry Potter may be a bad role model
where respect for authority is concerned, and the relationship dynamics in
Twilight fit the pattern of classic victim mentality—I have to ask whether
Christians aren’t approaching this from the wrong angle. Do I believe in
absolute truth? Yes. Do I believe Christians should stand up for that?
Absolutely. But as a Christian who deals in story, I think we should take a
long, hard look at why certain books and movies have such appeal.
Let me say right up front, I’m not a fan of hype. I haven’t
yet read Harry Potter, barely watched the movies—did see Twilight and its first
sequel, but with lots of poking fun at the melodrama. My oldest son read the
book at age 20 or so, and engaged me in conversation about his take. I have no
intention of reading Fifty Shades of Grey. I did, however, read The Hunger Games
and its sequels, and the movie. Part of that was curiosity—what is it about
this story that causes such mania?
And I was surprised. I have some opinions about the story
itself—why the author wrote it, whether or not she was “successful” in terms of
conveying a moral message. While I wouldn’t call myself a fan, because there
are many things I don’t like about
the story, aspects of it resonate very strongly with me. And I’ll get to what
those are, and why.
In all the debates between those who see something
redemptive in the story and those who don’t, I see two issues at stake. One,
the author’s vision for the story, and whether the thing that anti-HG people
see as the biggest stumbling block—children pitted against children—is a valid
story device. Second, the question of whether being anti-HG (or anti-anything) really influences
anyone to the cause of Christ?
On the first, I did some digging around at one of my
favorite blogs to see what had already been said about The Hunger Games. (I’m
slow on this ... what can I say, busy mom of eight, and having three in college
doesn’t make for a calmer pace of life!) Just for reference, there are several
excellent articles on the subject, some of which discuss the question of
dystopian fiction overall, some of which address how Christians should be
responding not only to The Hunger Games, but to each other. Most of this could
apply to other debates as well—I recently saw a group of Christian women nearly
come to blows—who otherwise love each other fiercely—over Fifty Shades of Grey.
About the debate itself, this one says what I think about as
well as I could:
His command for us to go into all
the world and make disciples doesn’t come with an escape clause — I’ll go
everywhere, just not to people I don’t like. Nor does the command to speak the
truth in love come with the caveat that allows us to be mean to those who
disagree with us.
Who we are as followers of Jesus
Christ should make all the difference in how we respond to The Hunger Games.
However, I don’t think that means we all have to respond in the same way.
Someone with young, impressionable children would be justified in saying, this
movie is not for our family. Someone else with a teen keenly aware of the
plight of youth in the world — sex trafficking, children conscripted into
armies, sweat shops — might think there is benefit in viewing the movie and
discussing how such a society might come into being.
So the second important thing for
Christians to remember is that our opinions about the story are not definitive
for all other Christians.
Such a position can seem on the
surface like situational ethics, but we need to remember that God knows and
understands our uniqueness and does not treat us all the same, even as He
remains the same and His commands remain the same.
Consequently, the principles of
God’s word are firm, but whether a person is faithful to those principles by
going to see The Hunger Games or by staying away, is variable.
The most countercultural response to
that which shapes our culture actually is our response to one another.
Scripture calls us to unity, not to uniformity.
(from http://www.speculativefaith.com/2012/03/26/the-countercultural-response-to-culture/
... a big thank you to Becky Miller, for a calm, reasoned response, as always!)
Read the whole article. Then scroll down for the comments. I
tell you, this is one of the best sites for discussing story and Christianity
and all things “speculative” (as the blog title says) out there. It’s run by people who
have both the intelligence, spiritual depth, and mental energy to talk about
all the things I get exhausted just thinking about.
And this article, quoted by the above blog post, has some
interesting things to say about the author’s vision for the story.
I may post my thoughts later on whether Suzanne Collins
succeeds with her intended vision ...
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