Thursday, February 01, 2007
Movies on my Mind
The Movies
Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in 1879. Prior to that time, Americans slept 10 hours or more every night. Today, however, that number is down to 6.9 hours on weeknights and 7.5 hours on weekends. A third of the population goes to bed after midnight, and 40% are still in bed after 7 AM.
The issue is not merely electricity. No one is staying awake to watch an electric bulb shine. The light bulb became (by design, by the way, not by mutation and gradual change by natural forces) a vacuum tube that by design became a radio, which by design and forethought became a television. Edison’s claim to fame must include his moving pictures, which today is the most sophisticated method of conveying images and ideas ever imagined.
Buildings dedicated to selling popcorn and soft drinks, with multiple darkened auditoriums designed to present (in full-color and stereo sound) one film (one video story) every couple of hours throughout the day (every day), and people line up to get a seat. Love stories, comedy, drama, action, science fiction, fantasy, musicals, horror, you name it, we’ve got it, seven days a week.
Movie goers also watch movies on TV. They also patronize the video rental stores and watch movies at home on demand. Movie goers are likely to have cable, which adds news channels to the many movie channels.
I don’t plan to talk much about movies in this blog. Movies appear in the billboard ads outside the theaters without much warning, and they are displayed on the screens for various lengths of time, and then a new film takes its place. Some become well-known, but most do not. So to use any but the really big blockbusters as an illustration of anything is not wise. People will not remember the lesser known films, and the illustration will be lost of them. I find that many if not most people do not remember much even from the hugely successful films like Star Wars; and the truth of the matter is, not everyone saw even a single episode of Star Wars in the theater; and the impact is simply not there on the TV screens below 42 inches, and many have not seen an episode even in that format.
Interesting, but so what?
First, God spoke and had the Spirit to see that His verbal message and historical actions were recorded in writing (not in video), capable of being preserved with a high degree of reliability, something to read and re-read, something to be heard by the illiterate, something to be remembered through the ages. Video is a wonderful medium, but God chose writing at least because it is not bound to only one century in human history.
Second, writing has the unique ability to cause your mind (the mind of the reader or the hearer) to envision the events. Each reader translates the message in a personal way. There are limits as to what a text can mean, but once a movie is made or a picture is painted, the visual imagery overwhelms the understanding, and our minds tend to follow the visual.
Third, a presentation beyond the verbal translation will often be a misrepresentation of the events. At the nativity, for example, were Magi and Shepherds there at the same time? Most think so because of Christmas card art, not because of anything in the Bible. Did the shepherds see the star? Were the Magi riding camels? Were there three Magi? Were there only three? Our assurance on the right answers to these questions comes from Christmas pageants, popular sermons, and other presentations of the familiar story. None of these matters are specifically addressed in the biblical text (which alone is the infallible Word of God).
Was the cross on a hill (far away), and was it rugged? The Bible does not say. Was Mary tiny or fat? Was Jesus muscular or thin? Did Jesus have a soft voice? Did he know how to swim? When did he gain full understanding of his divine nature? When performing a miracle, hid he wave his hands like a modern stage magician? Did his feet splash the water when he was walking on the lake?
It is far better simply to read and reread the biblical stories, seeking deeper insight, than to take someone else’s mental picture of the events, the tone of voice of the presenter, the emotional intensity of the moment, and let that be your understanding of the biblical event. God has spoken clearly and sufficiently. We do not need a movie of the Bible. The story of Noah is not funny in the Bible, but it almost always is when presented via actors and edited video.
Fourth, God speaks through dreams, but dreams are at best interactive visions between you and God. Dreams are not constructed realities produced by writers and directors and camera people. Not all dreams are from God, but they are all personal. Movies are the same (frame by frame, scene by scene) for everyone who is paying attention every time the see the movie. In a similar way, Scripture does not change either except where there may be interpretive nuances. But the unchanging text of the Bible is not the same as the unchanging imagery of a movie. A movie can be remastered and re-edited, the scenes can be rearranged, and the stories retold. The Bible is not rightfully subject to such editing. This is what modern criticism tries to do, but modern criticism fails at every point.
Popular culture has much to teach us if we study it generically. God is still at work in the world. The world is the home of popular culture. From the world we gain ways of understanding those to whom we speak our gospel message. We defend that message in light of the many questions that the world raises. Truth need never fear. Jesus said God’s word is truth.
L. Russ Bush
Director, Center for Faith and Culture
Box 1889
Wake Forest, NC 27588
DirectorCFC@sebts.edu
Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in 1879. Prior to that time, Americans slept 10 hours or more every night. Today, however, that number is down to 6.9 hours on weeknights and 7.5 hours on weekends. A third of the population goes to bed after midnight, and 40% are still in bed after 7 AM.
The issue is not merely electricity. No one is staying awake to watch an electric bulb shine. The light bulb became (by design, by the way, not by mutation and gradual change by natural forces) a vacuum tube that by design became a radio, which by design and forethought became a television. Edison’s claim to fame must include his moving pictures, which today is the most sophisticated method of conveying images and ideas ever imagined.
Buildings dedicated to selling popcorn and soft drinks, with multiple darkened auditoriums designed to present (in full-color and stereo sound) one film (one video story) every couple of hours throughout the day (every day), and people line up to get a seat. Love stories, comedy, drama, action, science fiction, fantasy, musicals, horror, you name it, we’ve got it, seven days a week.
Movie goers also watch movies on TV. They also patronize the video rental stores and watch movies at home on demand. Movie goers are likely to have cable, which adds news channels to the many movie channels.
I don’t plan to talk much about movies in this blog. Movies appear in the billboard ads outside the theaters without much warning, and they are displayed on the screens for various lengths of time, and then a new film takes its place. Some become well-known, but most do not. So to use any but the really big blockbusters as an illustration of anything is not wise. People will not remember the lesser known films, and the illustration will be lost of them. I find that many if not most people do not remember much even from the hugely successful films like Star Wars; and the truth of the matter is, not everyone saw even a single episode of Star Wars in the theater; and the impact is simply not there on the TV screens below 42 inches, and many have not seen an episode even in that format.
Interesting, but so what?
First, God spoke and had the Spirit to see that His verbal message and historical actions were recorded in writing (not in video), capable of being preserved with a high degree of reliability, something to read and re-read, something to be heard by the illiterate, something to be remembered through the ages. Video is a wonderful medium, but God chose writing at least because it is not bound to only one century in human history.
Second, writing has the unique ability to cause your mind (the mind of the reader or the hearer) to envision the events. Each reader translates the message in a personal way. There are limits as to what a text can mean, but once a movie is made or a picture is painted, the visual imagery overwhelms the understanding, and our minds tend to follow the visual.
Third, a presentation beyond the verbal translation will often be a misrepresentation of the events. At the nativity, for example, were Magi and Shepherds there at the same time? Most think so because of Christmas card art, not because of anything in the Bible. Did the shepherds see the star? Were the Magi riding camels? Were there three Magi? Were there only three? Our assurance on the right answers to these questions comes from Christmas pageants, popular sermons, and other presentations of the familiar story. None of these matters are specifically addressed in the biblical text (which alone is the infallible Word of God).
Was the cross on a hill (far away), and was it rugged? The Bible does not say. Was Mary tiny or fat? Was Jesus muscular or thin? Did Jesus have a soft voice? Did he know how to swim? When did he gain full understanding of his divine nature? When performing a miracle, hid he wave his hands like a modern stage magician? Did his feet splash the water when he was walking on the lake?
It is far better simply to read and reread the biblical stories, seeking deeper insight, than to take someone else’s mental picture of the events, the tone of voice of the presenter, the emotional intensity of the moment, and let that be your understanding of the biblical event. God has spoken clearly and sufficiently. We do not need a movie of the Bible. The story of Noah is not funny in the Bible, but it almost always is when presented via actors and edited video.
Fourth, God speaks through dreams, but dreams are at best interactive visions between you and God. Dreams are not constructed realities produced by writers and directors and camera people. Not all dreams are from God, but they are all personal. Movies are the same (frame by frame, scene by scene) for everyone who is paying attention every time the see the movie. In a similar way, Scripture does not change either except where there may be interpretive nuances. But the unchanging text of the Bible is not the same as the unchanging imagery of a movie. A movie can be remastered and re-edited, the scenes can be rearranged, and the stories retold. The Bible is not rightfully subject to such editing. This is what modern criticism tries to do, but modern criticism fails at every point.
Popular culture has much to teach us if we study it generically. God is still at work in the world. The world is the home of popular culture. From the world we gain ways of understanding those to whom we speak our gospel message. We defend that message in light of the many questions that the world raises. Truth need never fear. Jesus said God’s word is truth.
L. Russ Bush
Director, Center for Faith and Culture
Box 1889
Wake Forest, NC 27588
DirectorCFC@sebts.edu
# posted by burningbush @ 3:38 PM 
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Dr. Bush, thank you for such relevant insight into applying ourselves to study God's word. Your words are an inspiration.
This is right-on (to use a 70s anachronistic phrase--"spot on" would be the term de jour). You have highlighted exactly why I am opposed to powerpoint presentations in worship services. I'm not opposed to pp presentations per se--it's useful for conveying words, displaying maps, showing artifacts--but when the medium overwhelms the message, as it inevitably does, we all lose the Word.
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