Evangelical Cinema and Culture
- Drucker
- Your Future our Drucker
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Re: Worst DVD Covers...ever! (Part 4)
There really is no actual association with the cross and Christmas, right? Cus he was born that day, not crucified, right?
- jindianajonz
- Jindiana Jonz Abrams
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- cantinflas
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- Drucker
- Your Future our Drucker
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Re: Worst DVD Covers...ever! (Part 4)
Well theoretically, Christmas is Christ's birthday, right?
- jindianajonz
- Jindiana Jonz Abrams
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Re: Worst DVD Covers...ever! (Part 4)
Yes, Christmas was created to celebrate Christ's birth, but very few scholars (secular or religious) believe that the December 25th date is at all accurate. I always thought of it as being similar to when you are a kid and you "create" a birthday for an adopted dog- you know the date probably isn't correct, but you still want your dog to have his day!
- dx23
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Re: Worst DVD Covers...ever! (Part 4)
I love the irony of Kirk Cameron fighting Christmas consumerism by selling us a Christmas movie to spread his message. By the way, his character is named Christian White and it represents the white Christians he believes are being persecuted in 'Merica. Cause ya'll know that there aint black Christians in the US.
- manicsounds
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Re: Worst DVD Covers...ever! (Part 4)
I assume then he's planning to kill Santa?
Will "Saving Easter" be next?
Will "Saving Easter" be next?
- jindianajonz
- Jindiana Jonz Abrams
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Re: Worst DVD Covers...ever! (Part 4)
I beg to differ!dx23 wrote:Cause ya'll know that there aint black Christians in the US.
- colinr0380
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Re: Worst DVD Covers...ever! (Part 4)
Please let the film be Kirk Cameron battling the Santa psycho from Christmas Evil!manicsounds wrote:I assume then he's planning to kill Santa?
I like the idea that in addition to trees, presents and candy canes the poster imagery for "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas" also includes an ascetic wooden cross and dollar bills floating throught air like confetti!
And that must be the first time I've seen the phrase "Limited Engagement" used since the George Bush era!
- R0lf
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Re: Worst DVD Covers...ever! (Part 4)
The 25th is chosen because of the solstice.jindianajonz wrote:Yes, Christmas was created to celebrate Christ's birth, but very few scholars (secular or religious) believe that the December 25th date is at all accurate. I always thought of it as being similar to when you are a kid and you "create" a birthday for an adopted dog- you know the date probably isn't correct, but you still want your dog to have his day!
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- Joined: Fri Jan 31, 2014 4:14 am
Re: Evangelical Cinema and Culture
I'm posting this here regarding God's Not Dead. I mean holy cow, I can see why this guy was cast in that movie.
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/08/28 ... rts-audio/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/08/28 ... rts-audio/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
- djproject
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Re: Evangelical Cinema and Culture
(Sorry for the much delayed response)solaris72 wrote:Your last point is pretty true, although I'll point to Malick (Anglican) and Dreyer (Lutheran) as two very fine Protestant filmmakers. In great part, however, I think that the poor quality of evangelical cinema comes more from the fundamentalist doctrine of cutting oneself off from secular culture than it does from iconoclasm. It's interesting, the emperor Julian the Apostate banned 4th century Christians from teaching pagan literature as a way of cutting them off from the general intellectual discourse and rendering them culturally irrelevant; fundamentalists have imposed this edict upon themselves.djproject wrote:As non-Catholics, their history - and therefore their practice - are inherently iconoclastic. Thus, by disowning art the way they did, they have no artistic tradition of their own. They do however have a strong polemic and pedantic tradition. Thus whatever they make comes off as either a Sunday School lesson, a tract or some sermon ... or all of the above.
Relatedly, ever notice that it's the Catholics/Orthodox and the non-Christians that make the better filmmakers, especially when it comes to films about morals?
Speaking as a Christian myself, it is very striking how these days the only good religious movies are made either by nonbelievers or in the case of Malick by believers who are completely irrelevant within mainstream religious culture.
You are right, though I'll also say those are the exceptions that prove the rule. For Malick, he has a deep interest in anything and everything (and I wouldn't be surprised if he had an interest in the Christian East as well ... after all, his family has some traces of it). For Dreyer, it's a similar situation though I think the Danes have always had an artistic sensibility even when it embraced Luther's theology.
Speaking of Luther, yes the Lutherans may be the exception in general to the iconoclastic rule. For starters, they never really had an issue with art used in worship per se (though I think preferred more austere and reserved rather than what can be seen as opulent and even decadent when in Rome). And Lutherans do try to engage with the culture. After all, Luther's hymns were just his theology set to beer drinking tunes. The exemplar Lutheran artist is Johann Sebastian Bach, though I also think his art runs much deeper than just 17th/18th century theological trends.
I still stand by my description of iconoclasm to describe those groups who are only now engaging in the culture but had really no artistic tradition other than perhaps music. If you've ruled out art as a means of worship, you lose "how to speak" through art. And if you pick it up again, it comes off as both primitive (lacking sophistication in its presentation and form) and very pedantic (basically you visualize your Sunday School lessons). While there is certainly a pedagogic function to say ikons in the Eastern tradition, I don't think of them as just teaching tools.
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In general, what bothers me the most about evangelical culture is its isolation from everyone else leads to a kind of "holy fascism". (And yes, I know that word is overused to the point where it's meaningless. But I really think it works here when you look at what Fascism strove to be.) Essentially, if something is not known through Family Bookstores, it's not worth your time. And even if you were able to bring in something like The Tree of Life or La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, I wouldn't be surprised if the response was obtuse and bemusement. This is not to say that everyone who shops there or has shopped there (*raises hand*) is not open-minded nor are they oblivious to other expressions of deep and profound faith. But then again ... =\
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Oh yeah, as amusing they can be just on how distant they are from any sort of reality, Chick tracts are not art. Yes, they are executed by talented artists. But it doesn't make it art. It's a polemic with strawmen as characters.
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Re: Evangelical Cinema and Culture
Yes. To sort of paraphrase Pauline Kael, the potential is there for that most dangerous of things- an evangelical politician with an MBA.djproject wrote:In general, what bothers me the most about evangelical culture is its isolation from everyone else leads to a kind of "holy fascism".
- Lost Highway
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Re: Evangelical Cinema and Culture
One film which I find very interesting in terms of Evangelical Cinema is Michael Tolkin's The Rapture. It almost plays like one of these Evangelical Christian films and then, at the end, it pulls the rug out from under your feet. Underrated film with a fantastic performance by Mimi Rogers. The film is slightly let down by the fact that Tolkin is a better writer than a director and some of the effects during the climax are a little hokey due to a limited budget, but these flaws make the film look more like an Evangelical film, which ultimately it isn't.
- CSM126
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- Gregory
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Re: Evangelical Cinema and Culture
Apparently Godwin's Law applies to films by American Christians with persecution complexes, because it was probably just about inevitable that that trailer would end up making comparisons to Nazi Germany.
- Gregory
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm
Re: Evangelical Cinema and Culture
Ninja Turtles are evangelizing our children with "another gospel," and teaching them to be violent sociopaths! Other offenders include Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer, Michael Jackson chocolate bars, Fun Fruit snacks shaped like musical instruments, and a white fluffy thing that the guy at 0:07 is fascinated with. Even though I remember that era well, these guys are so preposterous that it just seems like it almost has to be a parody ("outright Hinduism"?!).
Last edited by Gregory on Tue Dec 08, 2015 6:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Drucker
- Your Future our Drucker
- Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 9:37 am
Re: Evangelical Cinema and Culture
Donatello personally attended my 5th birthday party and I can assure you now, as a grown man, I have become everything this man described.
Also big ups to the person using "you heard it here first" in the most incorrect way imaginable. (:33 in)
Also big ups to the person using "you heard it here first" in the most incorrect way imaginable. (:33 in)
- Gregory
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm
Re: Evangelical Cinema and Culture
Was that fifth birthday party before or after two five-year-olds claiming to be "ninja turtles who had run amok" destroyed that nursery school in South Africa?
- Drucker
- Your Future our Drucker
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Re: Evangelical Cinema and Culture
It appears I've said too much.
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
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Re: Evangelical Cinema and Culture
The one guy looks like Ben Affleck in Argo, this is amazing. Where's the whole video?!
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
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- mfunk9786
- Under Chris' Protection
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- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
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Re: Passages
I may not have agreed with literally anything in his world view, but he's given me hours of entertainment at his expense and for that due respect: I am sad I won't have more of his amazing tracts to enjoy
- The Elegant Dandy Fop
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Re: Passages
Anyone who's taken the public rail system in Los Angeles has seen Chick Tracts a million times on seats, ticket stations and in the trash.
Comic book artist, Johnny Ryan, did perfect parodies of these by whiting out the cover art and redrawing new parts. Here are two of my favorite ones that are safe for work.
Comic book artist, Johnny Ryan, did perfect parodies of these by whiting out the cover art and redrawing new parts. Here are two of my favorite ones that are safe for work.