Pastoral Aesthetic Quotes- 10

"What is good Christian music? It is the combination of words that are biblically sound and music that is appropriate to the words and to their intended purpose. In authentically Christian songs the words and musical score work together to accomplish the one purpose God has for His church on earth: bringing glory to himself. If the music does not glorify God, it is not good church music."

--Robert C. Anderson (in The Effective Pastor, p.327)

Movie Review- Date Night

I saw this film a few weeks ago, but am just now getting around to posting the review. I aplogize for the delay.

This is a fun movie. I don't normally go to or even really like romantic comedies. But this one focuses more on the comedy than the romance. That said, it's still a good time. Here again, we are presented with a film that, on the surface, does not contain much theological content, but from which Gospel handles can be extracted or imported.

The film tells the story of Phil & Claire Foster, a typical suburban couple, who have fallen into a routine, or a rut. They decide to break out of their routine, and have their weekly date night in New York City. They attempt to get a table at a new, trendy restaurant, but find they cannot get a table. So, they decide to pose as another couple and take the reservation for the no-shows. A case of mistaken identity occurs, and rouble (plus hilarity) ensues.

As I said above, this is not much theological fodder. But, that doesn't mean there are no lessons to be gleaned. The first, and most obvious, is the necessity of a "date night" or it's equivalent. This is especially important in ministry. The temptation is very great to fall into a marital "routine" in the name of "doing ministry" or arguing that this is the way it has to be. True, the average date night will not have the hilarity depicted in the film, but doing something special on a regular (if weekly is impossible). And "something special" does not necessarily mean an expensive, trendy restaurant. It can mean just getting out of the house for a couple hours.

GOSPEL HANDLES

The Fosters constantly seek refuge and help from a former client of Claire's. He provides them with help. Similarly, we can go to our Heavenly Father for shelter and help. He will give aid no matter how annoying we might be.

CLERGY HANDLES

There are no depictions of clergy in the film.

Above, I discussed the need for ministry couples to have a "date night" of their own. This film would be a quality addition to that.

Pastoral Aesthetic Quotes- 9

"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested."

--Francis Bacon

Pastoral Aesthetic Quotes- 8

"Remember that many a devotional service, special-day program, Sunday or Weekday lesson, or for that matter Women's Club program has been redeemed from mediocrity through the intelligent use of great pictures, great stories, great poetry, and great music artistically interpreted."

--Cynthia Pearl Maus (in The Old Testament and the Fine Arts)

Movie Review- Crazy Heart

In another context, I might have enjoyed this film more than I did. Here's what I mean: I watched this film with really high hopes. All the reviews I heard, both from professional critics and laypersons alike, was that this film, as well as the performance by Jeff Bridges, was this year's The Wrestler. Had I not just recently see that film, I probably would have liked it better than I did, as I stated above. This is not to say the film was terrible, because it was actually quite good. It just wasn't what I needed or wanted at the time.

The film tells the story of Bad Blake (Bridges), a country music singer who has (to put it mildly) seen better days. He is just about broke and has taken to playing in bowling alleys and taverns. At an appearance in Santa Fe, NM he encounters a journalist, named Jean Craddock. They begin a romantic relationship. Without giving away too much of the plot, suffice it to say that things are wonderful for a while, then they go seriously awry.

The performance of Jeff Bridges is very good; enough to earn him an Academy Award. Outside of that, I was underwhelmed by the film. But, it was interesting to see Colin Farrell play a country music singer. I saw few, if any comparisons to The Wrestler, outside of a story about a man trying to come to grips with something.

All is not lost, however. I really enjoyed the soundtrack. It reminded just how much I love traditional country music. And I was impressed that the actors (Bridges and Farrell) did their own singing. The results are incredible. Not surprisingly the song "The Weary Kind" won an Academy Award as well.

GOSPEL HANDLES

This is a classic redemption story. One of the key moments in the film is when Bad loses his girlfriend's son in a shopping center. This essentially ends their relationship. Following the breakup and the ensuing heartache, he vows to (and does) become sober. This is a great example of repentance: not merely apologizing for a misdeed, but actually (literally) going the other way.

Further, the film highlights one more critical distinction. Or better, it offers a clarification: the nature of forgiveness. The secular world has, at times, a warped sense of Christian forgiveness. This film illustrates this quite well in a scene at the end. Bad have given up drinking and even changed his name from Bad, reverting back to his given name (Otis). He grants an interview to Jean, only to discover that she is engaged. The two are friendly, and seem genuinely happy to see each other. This is the clarification. Forgiveness does not mean there are no consequences, only that the offense (sin) is blotted out.

CLERGY HANDLES

There are no depictions of clergy in this film.

This film is worth seeing. However, I would wait until the DVD release. This film is appropriate for film discussion groups and sermon illustrations. Be advised that the profanity in the film will be off-putting to some church goers. Caution is advised when using video clips, but that's the standing rule for all illustrations using film.

Pastoral Aesthetic Quotes- 7

"If I am a romantic my parents bear no responsibility for it. Tennyson, indeed, my father liked, but it was the Tennyson of In Memoriam and Locksley Hall. I never heard from him of the Lotus Eaters or the Morte d'Arthur. My mother, I have been told, cared for no poetry at all."

--C.S. Lewis
(in "Surprised by Joy")

Book Review- Art and the Bible

I recently read Francis Schaeffer's collection of essays "Art and the Bible". (Do two essays constitute a "collection"?) If I'm being totally honest, and I am, I must confess to not having read much Schaeffer. I know he has a great many fans in Christendom, but I am not familiar enough with his work (yet) to be counted as one of them. Having established this, let me say that I enjoyed this little volume.

As I stated above, there are two essays in the book. The first essay is the one titled "Art and the Bible". In this section Schaeffer disputes the belief that art has no place in the life of the Christian. Rather, he argues, that art should be in the life of the follower of Jesus. In fact, the Scriptures are replete with examples of not only God-pleasing art, by art mandates by God himself simply for beauty. Examples that Schaeffer uses to support this thesis are the tabernacle and the Temple descriptions and directives found in the Old Testament.

Quite helpful in the section is his discussion of "graven images"; those things which are expressly forbidden by God in the 10 Commandments (depending on which numbering system you employ). This particular commandment, Schaeffer notes, is the first one to which those who argue against art in the life of believers point in support of their position. Schaeffer argues, convincingly I think, that God does not specify "Thou shalt not make representational art". Rather, the prohibition is on worshipping the art that is made.

The second essay, "Some perspectives on Art" is helpful as well. Here Schaeffer lays out what constitutes art, good art, and Christian art. To be sure this is not a detailed excursus on art theory. But, it does provide some introductory material for those looking to see how the arts can fit into their Christian faith and life. Further, it helps in clarifying the distinction between Christian art and "religious art". In other words, Schaeffer argues, again, convincingly I think, that a work of art may be considered Christian, even if it does not deal with or depict Jesus or any other traditional Christian icon. Schaeffer argues, that it is not so much content which makes a work or art Christian, but rather the worldview of the artist.

Schaeffer cautions against trying to determine an artist's worldview, or at least the totality of it in one painting. This, he says, is futile. He places the work of art in the context of the artist's entire body of work.

I would recommend this book for anyone who is looking to explore all dimensions of their walk with Christ. By this, I mean, art and aesthetics are often judged in Christian circles by their content and/or message and then deemed "bad" or "good", which are often synonyms for "appropriate" and "inappropriate". Both sets of terms have their place, but the distinction should be made.

There are any number of art theory and textbooks on aesthetics which expand on the principles Schaeffer puts forth in his essays.But, this read, as I said, is good for beginners and explorers.

One minor flaw in this book is that Schaeffer omits any discussion of film as an art form. This is easily remedied by applying his principles to film study and viewing.

Review- "American VI: Ain't No Grave" by Johnny Cash

So, I was pleasantly surprised to find the sixth and (I'm told) final album in the American recordings series by Johnny Cash available for purchase. Like my friend Nik, everything I had heard and read said the album was dropping on Friday (2-26-10). He suggested that maybe someone broke the street date, and as we all know, when one does it, everybody does it. Regardless, I purchased it on the spot, then gave it a listen on my way home.

In the interest of fairness, let me make one thing clear. As my regular readers know, I am the first to admit my biases. And this post is no exception. I am big fan of Johnny cash. I was a fan since my days of first getting into country music in high school. Despite that being the era when the American Recordings were first released, I did not come across them until a few years later.

That said, I had sky-high expectations for this release. And really, how could I not? When you are a fan, especially of a legend like Johnny Cash and the American Recordings, you pretty much demand and expect excellence. The drawback, of course, is that with such lofty expectations, you can really set yourself up for colossal letdown.

The previous sentence probably gives you an idea where this is going. And, you would be right. I don't if this is the case, but this is my impression. The album sounds like they had some tracks leftover from the American V sessions and decided not to let them go to waste. rather than put out a boxed set with these tracks included, they whittled down what they had into a new album. Again, I don't know if that was the intent. But that's what it sounds like to me.

Taken individually, each track is great. Taken together, the whole album just seems forced, superfluous, and unnecessary. I CANNOT believe I just used those words to describe a Johnny Cash album. But, that's my impression. And, that's not to take away anything from Johnny himself, or his musical legacy.

Three of the first four tracks are really the strength of the album. The first one, the title track, spotlights a dying Christian's certain belief in the Resurrection of the dead ( great illustration for a sermon on those texts which mention it or the Third Article of the Creed). The second, a cover of Sheryl Crow's "Redemption Day", is a masterwork. It has the same effect as his cover of Trent Reznor's "Hurt". Though not as epic as "Hurt", this one has the feeling that he means it. By that,I mean, comparing the Crow version with this version would produce two entirely different impressions and interpretations, based on both the age and belief system of the two artists. The fourth track, titled 1 Corinthians 15:55, reiterates Cash's belief in where he will go after his biological death. Beyond these tracks, the rest of the album just feels thrown together. Or, as much as an album of great individual tracks can feel that way.

I am curious as to why the tracks were picked. The album ends with Cash's cover of "Aloha Oe". Trust me, you'll recognize it when you hear it.

In all honesty, I wish that those responsible for producing this album had done this instead: Take tracks 7 and 8 off of American 5, and replaced them with tracks 1,2, and 4 from this one. That would have been pretty much the perfect Johnny Cash album. But I don't make those decisions.

Pastors, you can feel comfortable recommending this album to your congregations, adding certain tracks to your library, and even preaching from those tracks.

Pastoral Aesthetic Quotes- 6

"Ideas are the greatest resource a successful person could ever have. And when you surround yourself with creative people, you're never at a loss for inspiring ideas."

--John C. Maxwell (in "Mentoring 101")

Pastoral Aesthetic Quotes- 5

"Not since John the Baptist has there been a voice like that crying in the wilderness. The most male voice in Christendom. Every man knows he is a sissy compared to Johnny Cash."

--Bono
(liner notes: "The Essential Johnny Cash")