You wrote a great essay on the ideals that have been pushed through the stage into our culture! Sure, a lot of people have missed the point of some of these plays (your point about Enemy was fascinating); it's the classic case of people only hearing what they want, lol. I love that you followed it with a call to action for Christians to get some good stuff on the stage.
Why is it that we (Christians) are consistently floundering when it comes to putting out stuff that is good without being hokey? I love to find eternal themes in movies and plays, but for some reason, when they are intentionally placed there, they end up being ... I don't know ... too on the nose, maybe (e.g., anything with Kirk Cameron). The movie Warm Bodies is a zombie version of Romeo and Juliet, however, there are so many Christian themes in there that it's almost a replica of the Gospel. But that certainly was not the intent the writers had when they wrote it. And, admittedly, I'm probably just as bad as the folks misinterpreting Enemy in your essay. Maybe I just hear what I want, lol.
Thank you Leland! Your question about Christians floundering in the arts is the question of our time (or a huge one, at least).
For anyone interested in reading more about that, or in finding writers/creators who have flourished in the Christian tradition outside of Lewis / Tolkien (nothing wrong with them), Gene Veith's 'Reading Between the Lines' is a great primer. Flannery O'Connor also tackles Christian themes in bizarre, unexpected ways. As for finding themes in work by non-Christians, I think Alfonso Cuaron's 'Children of Men' is a high watermark.
That being said, there's a ton of Christians rushing into fiction, film, etc. right now and that's exciting. Give it time and give people space to experiment and hone their craft, and who knows?
Anyone reading this -- what else would you recommend in terms of well-made work by Christians or with strong Christian themes?
You wrote a great essay on the ideals that have been pushed through the stage into our culture! Sure, a lot of people have missed the point of some of these plays (your point about Enemy was fascinating); it's the classic case of people only hearing what they want, lol. I love that you followed it with a call to action for Christians to get some good stuff on the stage.
Why is it that we (Christians) are consistently floundering when it comes to putting out stuff that is good without being hokey? I love to find eternal themes in movies and plays, but for some reason, when they are intentionally placed there, they end up being ... I don't know ... too on the nose, maybe (e.g., anything with Kirk Cameron). The movie Warm Bodies is a zombie version of Romeo and Juliet, however, there are so many Christian themes in there that it's almost a replica of the Gospel. But that certainly was not the intent the writers had when they wrote it. And, admittedly, I'm probably just as bad as the folks misinterpreting Enemy in your essay. Maybe I just hear what I want, lol.
Thank you Leland! Your question about Christians floundering in the arts is the question of our time (or a huge one, at least).
For anyone interested in reading more about that, or in finding writers/creators who have flourished in the Christian tradition outside of Lewis / Tolkien (nothing wrong with them), Gene Veith's 'Reading Between the Lines' is a great primer. Flannery O'Connor also tackles Christian themes in bizarre, unexpected ways. As for finding themes in work by non-Christians, I think Alfonso Cuaron's 'Children of Men' is a high watermark.
That being said, there's a ton of Christians rushing into fiction, film, etc. right now and that's exciting. Give it time and give people space to experiment and hone their craft, and who knows?
Anyone reading this -- what else would you recommend in terms of well-made work by Christians or with strong Christian themes?