Now what film do you think Mark Driscoll is referencing with these words?

Well, if you have seen it and perceived some of the perspectives therein, you might just be thinking about this moving picture right now!

Okay, enough of the guessing games… Driscoll is referring to the movie… AVATAR!

CT Entertainment blog further underscores Driscoll’s perspective with the following words from the mouth of Mark…

Driscoll denounced its “demonic paganism” and its portrayal of a “false Jesus” and a “false heaven.” He also took issue with the film’s depiction of “connecting, literally, with trees and animals and beasts and birds.” Driscoll also said, “That any Christian could watch that without seeing the overt demonism is beyond me.”

Man of Spin is in a position to be somewhat informed as he has viewed this movie… and in 3D!

In light of this, are the previous reflections on this movie by Driscoll warranted with the reality as it is depicted in this Movie?  Mmmm, such is a good question, and while I appreciate you asking, I hope you can say the same thing as I am about to offer up to you, dear reader, my answer!

My simple answer is to say that the analysis of Driscoll’s, in the sense that there is a clearly Pantheistic worldview perspective that grounds the trajectories in this film, which posits a false story-line, is on the Mark!  One of my good friends, who initiated seeing this film at the 3D studio, which was located in the “Capital“… of New Zealand, some two hours from our home, who was also watching it for his second time, made such an affirmation, moments after leaving the Theatre!

Therefore, in light of this, I do not find those words and these following words, to be anything from left field… “That any Christian could watch that without seeing the overt demonism is beyond me.”…

Okay, so they are strong in their rhetoric, and some might want to question the use of “overt” in this context, however, if such is not “demonic” in origin, where is such a narrative sourced from?

And to further exemplify this, the following is a pretty sound theological exegesis of the meta-narrative in the film, Avatar, in contradistinction to the meta-narrative of the Bible (from his sermon which encouraged this brouhaha, which can be found… HERE).

And if you don’t believe me, go see Avatar, the most demonic, satanic film I’ve ever seen. That any Christian could watch that without seeing the overt demonism is beyond me. I logged on to christianitytoday.com and the review was reflective of Christianity today, very disappointing. See, in that movie, it is a completely false ideology, it’s a sermon preached. It’s the most popular movie ever made, and it tells you that the creation mandate, the cultural mandate is bad, that we shouldn’t, we shouldn’t develop culture, that’s a bad thing.

Primitive is good and advanced is bad and that we’re not sinners, we’re just disconnected from the divine lifeforce, just classic, classic, classic paganism, that human beings are to connect, literally, with trees and animals and beasts and birds and that there’s this spiritual connection that we’re all a part of, that we’re all a part of the divine. It presents a false mediator with a witch. It presents false worship of created things rather than Creator God in absolute antithesis to Romans 1:25, which gives that as the essence of paganism. It has a false incarnation where a man comes in to be among a people group and to assume their identity. It’s a false Jesus.  We have a false resurrection. We have a false savior. We have a false heaven. The whole thing is new age, satanic, demonic paganism, and people are just stunned by the visuals. Well, the visuals are amazing because Satan wants you to emotionally connect with a lie.

I really do perceive these words of Driscoll to be much ado about nothing!   Yes, and again, the rhetoric may be Over the Top for some, and the way that this is framed is in a more bombastic manner, may cause some to cringe… however, the substance of what Driscoll is affirming as he deconstructs the storyline, is generally fine with me!  Yes, some might want to clarify more over paganism vs pantheism… however, if one thinks about what this Movie is explicitly affirming, and thereby denying, then one can not help but think through the application of 1 John 2:22 as it relates to this context, which should cause all those who are jealous for the Fame of our God’s Name to resent anything that seeks to usurp the truth as narrated and proclaimed in the Word of God!  The challenge of any theology is how this is lived out in the land of praxis (practice), and such is where the mad skillz can not be set aside!

Was this a skillful presentation by Driscoll?

With all this in mind, in some contexts, Driscoll’s words have gone down like a hot-air balloon (think about it)!  However, as I look at some of the more savvy critiques, it seems that if the categories of critique were clearer, there would be less wood and more trees!  From what I can perceive, Driscoll is not saying that believers should run from this movie like the plague.  Nor would I think he would be saying that we should not redeem this opportunity and use it as a critique of a cultural narrative, in contradistinction to the Biblical narrative, as they are wont to do such things at Mars Hill.  Again, is meaning being obscured by the intensity of rhetoric?  You be the judge!

However, to illuminate where I believe the actual issue resides, let’s think through what takes place when we look for themes, moments, or narratives that encourage our redeeming those moments in a given film?

What do we do at such times?  We look for structures of thought, a given reality, or a presented worldview, to name a few (plus one), which in some respects, mimic/ contrast with how the Bible represents such truth, which we can then “use”, “redeem”, or “integrate”, as a vehicle for disseminating what is truly true.  I have been known to be rather long-winded in such a pursuit, which you can find… HERE! However, such vehicles are generally not righteous in and of them self, which is why we use these to illuminate, encourage, or point to something grander.  Even these pursuits that we use, which we may want to label as “good”, in the end, fall short of the mark, as they seek something less than the glory of our God.  Therefore, those who wish to make serious claims about Driscoll’s critique, would seem to be committing a form of a category error, the error that intrepid interpreters can easily make when dealing with the genres of the Bible, and what seems to be taking place with those who wish to take Driscoll on with their words, seemingly talk past the man, and don’t deal with his statements on the same grounds with which they were made, and instead challenge him for MORE not making much of this opportunity, when his purpose is to identify the errors in the film, and not a secondary purpose, which is to affirm how they illuminate truth.

Does this have to be an either/ or reality?

Critics will still be put off by the intensity of the rhetoric, and may accuse the culturally savvy Driscoll of a fall from His Savvy Standing, as one Evangelical’s most recognised promulgator’s in this tradition, however, while such may have warrant, Man of Spin believes such misses the context of his comments, and does not acknowledge the generalised truth in his words!

Avatar on 3D was a massive spectacle to behold, and the skill and ability of those to piece together such an undertaking is certainly something to behold, and I am glad to have viewed it… even with the damage to the wallet!  Such a film can provide an opportunity for the conversation of cosmic redemption, and where it can be truly sought and found, however, while this is true, this movie presents a meta-narrative that is antithetical to that proclaimed in God’s Word… and Driscoll said so, however unflatteringly those who critique his coverage claim it to be!

If you would like to read some of these critiques for yourself, see the already referenced ChristianityToday Entertainment blog, the Seattle PI blog, one of the Houston Belief blogs, “Iconia”, and the best of those that have taken Driscoll to task, from the Children’s Ministry and Culture blog!

Finally, to help you further think through the different trajectories of thought involved, watch this video from the Southern Baptist Seminary, who have a panel discussion on Avatar

For the Fame of His Name

Man of Spin