The Christian Imagination

When a friend of mine traveled to an African country where he didn’t speak the language, he told me that he came away with the impression that we rely too much on words for communication, and that words perhaps aren’t as necessary as we think they are.

In college, I learned terms like ‘active listening,’ which describe what it means to really listen to a person. I think we, as Christians, don’t listen well enough. For if we did, we would spend most of our time listening, then saying just a few words that actually are relevant to that person’s life. That’s what relevancy really is: connecting with a person’s needs and desires. Guess what? You can’t do that without taking the time to listen. And if you begin by talking at or preaching at a person, telling a person you don’t know and are not committed to, what they need to do in their life, chances are they won’t let down their guard and trust you enough to share their needs and desires. Maybe their heart will become apparent by what they say, or maybe by what they don’t say, but if you don’t slow down enough to be present, and, well, listen, you won’t hear. Why should they listen if you care to listen to them?

The artist who is a Christian, like any other Christian, is required to be in this world, but not of it. We are to be in this world as healers, as listeners, and as servants. In art we are once again able to do all the things we have forgotten; we are able to walk on water; we speak to the angels who call us; we move, unfettered, among the stars. We write, we make music, we draw pictures, because we are listening for meaning, feeling for healing. And during the writing of the story, or the painting, or the composing or singing or playing, we are returned to that open creativity which was ours when we were children. We cannot be mature artists if we have lost the ability to believe which we had as children. An artist at work is in a condition of complete and total faith. (L’Engle)

L’Engle, Madeleine. Walking on Water. New York: North Point Press. 1995.

The title is a quote from Phil Vischer, founder of Big Ideas productions and creator of the Veggietales series. With the release of his second feature film, The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie, Christianity Today interviewed Vischer.

Some Christian films have failed flat-out because their plot was their message when it should’ve been a subtext or a comment that a side character makes in passing. However, if your main character turns to the camera and delivers the truth of Jesus, you’ve probably lost nine-tenths of your audience in five words. It’s hard to accept that when you are a filmmaker who has decided God wants you to use filmmaking to share the gospel.

The Passion was such an anomaly, you really can’t use it to learn much of anything about the nature of film. You had the most popular film actor in the world making a deeply personal work of art about a religious story. What are the odds of that happening again?

The Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings are also tough test cases. How many Narnias are there? How easy is it to come up with another Lord of the Rings? It’s not. There’s Tolkien and Lewis and then everybody else. Besides, you couldn’t write Narnia today and have it accepted by the evangelical world because [of the magic] and because in its metaphor, it effectively has a non-Christian worldview.

Now, if we go to another fantasy world, we need to find Jesus there—literally. That is why the Harry Potter books are viewed to be straight from the pit. Even if Rowling says she’s enjoying Christian themes, forget it. How do you write a Christian fantasy today? I have no idea. I don’t know that you can. I think we’ve killed it. I think we are so concerned with how oppressed our worldview is and so defensive that we’ve painted ourselves into a corner. And thus, we can’t tell the kind of stories that Lewis or Chesterton would have told to share the gospel. It’s kind of depressing, frankly.

I think Vischer is right. What do you think?

Thanks to Think Christian for pointing out the article and the quote.

I moved to a new flat as of January 1st, which essentially means I’ve been in the process of moving the past few weeks. I’ve found that setting up a new place has quite an impact on my blogging. Thankfully, I am settled now. There are a few items to acquire, like a couch, kitchen chairs, etc. The house I’ve been in for the past 3 years is owned by my friend Mike, one of the best flatmates a guy could have. He’ll be married in a few months.

I’ve always had flatmates, and this by choice. I like living with people, having friends to chat with, whether deeply or just a few words. I feel ready to live alone now, though my hope is to not live alone too long. A wife within the next few years would be nice:)

The flat reflects me in many ways, and that really is the coolest part. There are pieces of New Zealand and photos I’ve taken to be found. The existing colors work really well, mostly earth tones of brown and green, with some white and, um, turquoise metal kitchen cabinets from the 50s. I’m trying to be aware of the visual experience a person has as they walk through my place. Atmosphere is important, after all. There was a time when these details wouldn’t have mattered to me, but now I see their place. My bathroom, for instance, has a tropical theme, with light green, light brown, and a little blue. It’s interesting how a small investment can turn the least exciting room in the apartment into something less ordinary.

I remember a story I heard about a missionary and the people they served. It is the local people who commented on how the missionaries’ house lacked color and beauty. We forget the power of beauty sometimes, don’t we?

I just read a great post about the Christian faith of former Washington Redskins coach, Joe Gibbs. The quotes in the article are fantastic. In this case, not because they won a championship (he didn’t, but has in the past), but because he’s thankful for the life he’s led, and in re-evaluating his priorities, he realizes that right now, family is more important.

From his personal website:

“Many times for me, I’ve had the wrong priorities in life,” he said. “Where should our profession be? I think it should be third in our life. First should be God and my relationship with him. Second should be my family and the influence I’m having on others. And that puts our profession where? Third. Many times for me, I’ve had it out of place where it shouldn’t be. For me, it’s been a struggle.”

When I was young, I didn’t watch sports, and wasn’t even sure of their place in a Christian’s life. Are they worldly? I had a conversation with someone last month who thinks so. Now, I don’t see any difference between working at a local business or being coach of the Redskins. It’s a job. Some jobs are more demanding than others though, and I have the deepest respect for Joe Gibbs’ humility as a Christian. They’ve dealt with quite a bit of adversity, and his leadership is part of what helped them stay together and finish strong. It’s more about what they accomplished together, as people, as a team, than the fact that they are football players.

I wonder how many people have been affected by Gibbs and his faith. He chose an unconventional path, and has remained faithful.