Today, I heard Dr. Craig Detweiler, the author of A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in Popular Culture. He said that at its best, pop culture can be our current wisdom literature that gives us a clear picture of the state of our world. As communicators of the Gospel, we can interpret our culture in light of the truth of the Bible by searching for God’s fingerprints. If you look at the top 50 movies of the 21st century, you can see that they can be broken down to 4 categories:
FILM NOIR
These are movies about gangsters, murders, and backstreets that reveal the destruction of original sin. The best example of this might be the film of the 90s: Pulp Fiction. Many times, they ask the questions, “Who am I?” “Where did I come from?” They deal with the way we are divided against ourselves and our ability to deceive even ourselves. Today, people are looking for a real picture of evil. The Joker in the new Batman movie is a picture of chaos and evil.
ENSEMBLE DRAMAS
These movies are about our need for community. They point out our difference and how we can live together and relate to each other and even those who don’t like us. Little Miss Sunshine, Mystic River, United 93, Hotel Rwanda and Crash are examples of ensemble movies. They ask questions about how we need each other and can get along despite our differences.
HISTORY (beyond Nostalgia)
These are movies that help us deal with our past, process our pain, rebuild what’s broken down and imagine a new future. Examples include Gladiator,
Cinderella Man, The Pianist, and The Lives of Others.
FANTASY
These movies explore myths, legends, other worlds, looking for a better place, and tell stories about an eternal cosmic drama. Some good examples are
Pirates of the Carribean, Big Fish, and Pan’s Labyrinth
Where does the Gospel fit into all this?
- Our identity comes from God (Genesis 3)
- We’ve been made for community (Genesis 4)
- Our future is sure (Revelation 21-22)
Too often, we aren’t telling the stories in the Bible of the beginning and the end that are now captivating the imaginations of our culture. We concentrate on what’s in-between, let’s look at the big epic story from beginning to end.