The Lion King: A Wolf

In my previous post I suggested a method for evaluating culture. We are going to begin with an evaluation of the beloved Disney film, The Lion King
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. Evaluation The first question is, "What does this communicate about God?" The Lion King communicates very little about God. Actually, there is no sense of the divine. New Age philosophy is rampant where the created order is governed by the "circle of life". As beings pass from life to death they become disembodied spirits and act as overseers. There is a mystical Ape shaman who provides insight for Simba throughout his adventure. The second question is, "What does this communicate about man?" The Lion King communicates much about man. It presents a picture of humanity as having little meaning or purpose. The main characters go through life seeking to find their actualized potential. This is done through their good deeds or works. But, there is no overarching purpose, for at the end of the day they will be claimed by the "circle of life". The Lion King also implicitly teaches a Hindu caste system. Where those born to significance and power retain that role based on birth. One cannot escape his caste. Finally, there is a clear and overriding fatalism that pervades the film's characters. The third question, "What does this communicate about man’s greatest problem?" Man's greatest problem in the Lion Kings is other men. The lead characters must fight against the antagonists. Why? Because the antagonists are trying to escape their caste and live above themselves. The antagonists are lower level beasts seeking to rise above their place. The fourth question, "What is the proposed solution for man’s greatest problem?" The proposed solution is works. Simba and the rest of his protagonist friends must do good to overcome their enemies and put down their attempt to leave their caste. The other side of the coin is that Simba must give in to fate and embrace his place in the highest caste, thus perpetuating the "circle of life". This "circle of life" can apparently be shut down by those in the lower caste rising above themselves. Summary As you can see there are great problems with this film. It misses the mark regarding God and the divine. God is a personal and engaged being who sacrificially loves. Man is created in the divine image and their future is not sealed by caste or fate; but by their choices and responsiveness to their Creator. Each man will eventually receive exactly what they want. Man's greatest problem is not other men, but sin. The broken relationship between themselves and their God. This cannot be solved or repaired by man's good works but by the sacrificial working of God alone. The solution to man's problem is monergistic and is accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Are there any redemptive aspects to this film? Yes, one. The key one being the role that community plays. It is through community and relationship that Simba is able to "overcome". Conclusion The Lion King is a film that is deeply embedded with a faulty worldview. It embraces new age and Hindu philosophy. I would consider this film to be one that, while, whimsical, fun, musically good, and entertaining communicates a very dangerous worldview. The messages communicated will require a good follow up conversation with your children if they watch it.

Baseball. Redemption, and a Hospital Room (re-post from May 29,2009)

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Today I have a little procedure to deal with some scar tissue in my esophagus.  It is no big deal.  Last summer though our family dealt with a big deal medically.  I won't be writing a new post today but I thought that this was a timely one to re-post (it just so happens that the first Tigers telecast of the season is today). This post is from May 29, 2009. A week ago yesterday my bride received a phone call. It was one of those calls that you dread. Her dad, Dennis, was in the hospital due to a stroke. It was "minor" but for a man like Dennis and for a family like ours it is major. Dennis is an athlete (at times becoming a scratch golfer!).  Dennis is the life of the party.  Dennis is the picture of the entrepreneurial spirit.  Dennis is the kind of man that other men want to be.  This is seen in the respect that his four son-in-laws have for him and the tender love that he bestows on his four daughters. Amy left Detroit early last Thursday morning and drove (I am sure more quickly than she cares to admit) directly to the hospital room in Evansville, IN where Dennis was beginning his recovery. But wait, that's not the whole backstory. The beloved St. Louis Cardinals were about to finish their three game homestand against the hated Chicago Cubs.  The Cards had won the first two games of the series and were in position to sweep and return to first place in the division. In business like fashion they dispatched the Cubs and welcomed to town their cross state rivals, the Royals for a weekend set. Every single day there was baseball. Every single day there was time spent in a hospital room. Every single daay there was a conversation over lunch or dinner that took place between Amy and Dennis about the Cards. You see baseball was the beginning of healing. It was normalcy brought into an abnormal situation.  It was the pastoral balm that allowed father and daughter to sit and talk and be. Baseball. Not doctors. Not a golden tongued preacher. Not a good book. Baseball. It was the context.  The rhythm of life that never stops.  It's six on, one off created rhythm that touches us deep. Some say the season is too long. Some say the games are too long. Some say it's boring. Some say it's day in and day out grind take away from it. I could not disagree more. It is redemptive.  It is ongoing.  It is always with you. It provides passion, joy, pain, sorrow, elation. Most of all, it provides time.  Time for a father and daughter to be together.  Time for them to get lost together and forget that they are in a hospital room. Time for them to be transported to that place they both love.  That place where the buzz of the crowd, the warmth of the sun, and smell of the hot dog fill you. Baseball. Redemption. A Hospital Room. Beautiful.

Why Lost

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There are few TV shows that capture the imagination.  There are many that are entertaining.  There are many that make you laugh.  Occasionally one might make you think. However, I can't think of many that actually capture the imagination. ABC's Lost is just that.  It captures your imagination. It's the uncomfortable balance between what is, what could be, and what needs to be. It has characters that are real and unreal.  It asks you to suspend reality and also invites into reality. But what about it catches the imagination? I think you can sum it up in one word: Redemption. There are two articles floating around the internet that catch onto this reality. One was written recently by Jeff Jensen over at EW and the other was from Mikal Gilmore over at Rolling Stone. Both of these articles were sent to me by my friend Kristin. To me the greatest insight into this show comes from Carlton Cuse one of the producers:
"The focus on redemption," says Cuse, "is something that is endlessly fascinating to both Damon and me — the fact that we are all sort of imperfect as people. Our characters are in extreme circumstances. They've confronted on the island various manifestations of the exact issues that they struggled with as people their whole lives. We feel there's an incredible universality to that. It's the human journey. Redemption is something that everyone seeks, and that's something we try to hold out in the show. If we acknowledge our imperfection, and if we ask for forgiveness for our imperfection, are we able to actually reset the clock?"
This is what captures our imagination.  Can we find redemption? Is it possible? I think that Jensen is on to something when we hits on the theme of the book of Luke: Lost. He points out that the number sequence in Lost, 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42 (the last chapter of Luke is 24 which is an inversion of 42) all correlate to passages in Luke's narrative that hit on lostness. In particular I want to touch on Luke 15 which is the most popular of the Luke "lost" passages. The lost theme in Luke 15 is counteracted by the searching theme.  The woman, the shepherd, and father all are in search for what it is that they lost.  These  people that we meet in Lost, these stories that we encounter all point to the brokenness of individuals which leads to a collective brokenness. They are all lost.  Not simply because they crashed on an island that nobody can find but they are lost because their lives are broken.  The crash seems arbitrary but those that begin to see that it was not begin to find this elusive redemption.  It is as if there is someone looking for them. I think that we get the clearest hint of this in the story of Desmond and Penny.  The Luke 15 connections here are endless.  However, it is in the relationship that we have some closure.  We have a sense that Desmond has found his Penny.  He celebrates.  He rejoices.  He also realizes that he still has a role to play in helping others find their redemption. He does reluctantly but he helps even after his redemption is found. Lost captures the imagination because it captures our longing for redemption.  Redemption. Have you found what you're looking for?

Baseball, Redemption, and a Hospital Room

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A week ago yesterday my bride received a phone call. It was one of those calls that you dread. Her dad, Dennis, was in the hospital due to a stroke. It was "minor" but for a man like Dennis and for a family like ours it is major. Dennis is an athlete (at times becoming a scratch golfer!).  Dennis is the life of the party.  Dennis is the picture of the entrepreneurial spirit.  Dennis is the kind of man that other men want to be.  This is seen in the respect that his four son-in-laws have for him and the tender love that he bestows on his four daughters. Amy left Detroit early last Thursday morning and drove (I am sure more quickly than she cares to admit) directly to the hospital room in Evansville, IN where Dennis was beginning his recovery. But wait, that's not the whole backstory. The beloved St. Louis Cardinals were about to finish their three game homestand against the hated Chicago Cubs.  The Cards had won the first two games of the series and were in position to sweep and return to first place in the division. In business like fashion they dispatched the Cubs and welcomed to town their cross state rivals, the Royals for a weekend set. Every single day there was baseball. Every single day there was time spent in a hospital room. Every single daay there was a conversation over lunch or dinner that took place between Amy and Dennis about the Cards. You see baseball was the beginning of healing. It was normalcy brought into an abnormal situation.  It was the pastoral balm that allowed father and daughter to sit and talk and be. Baseball. Not doctors. Not a golden tongued preacher. Not a good book. Baseball. It was the context.  The rhythm of life that never stops.  It's six on, one off created rhythm that touches us deep. Some say the season is too long. Some say the games are too long. Some say it's boring. Some say it's day in and day out grind take away from it. I could not disagree more. It is redemptive.  It is ongoing.  It is always with you. It provides passion, joy, pain, sorrow, elation. Most of all, it provides time.  Time for a father and daughter to be together.  Time for them to get lost together and forget that they are in a hospital room. Time for them to be transported to that place they both love.  That place where the buzz of the crowd, the warmth of the sun, and smell of the hot dog fill you. Baseball. Redemption. A Hospital Room. Beautiful.