While Hollywood Flops in its Treatment of Religion, Christian Films Aim High

NPR looks at how Hollywood is getting religion wrong National Public Radio’s David D’Arcy reports on a spate of recent films with spiritual overtones, including Chocolat, Battlefield Earth, The Legend of Bagger Vance, and The Family Man (apparently spirituality isn’t doing too well at the box office—none of these were blockbusters, and several are considered major flops). “Neither the youth audience these new films target nor the filmmakers themselves seem to know much about religious history or practice, or even about Hollywood’s epic approach to the Bible,” D’Arcy says. “Today’s filmmakers are trying to give spirituality to today’s icons.” Loyola University film historian and Jesuit priest Gene Phillips agrees, saying the message of the films “is therapy rather than faith or spiritual enlightenment.” Or, as Phillips says, “the brotherhood of man without the fatherhood of God.” D’Arcy also talks to James Twitchell (who’s very critical of religion) and Stanley Crouch (who’s less concerned with charges of racism in Bagger Vance than he is with gangsta rap). (Listen at 14.4 or 28.8 kbps if you have the RealPlayer.)

More on films:

Left Behind: The Movie

At the movies: LeftBehind | “This is B-movie pap, a weak proselytizing device masquerading as a movie” (Associated Press)
Faith can mount movies | Christian filmmakers Peter and Paul Lalonde are taking a page from Hollywood’s bible — their $17.4-million picture Left Behind has explosions and gunplay, but also a strong religious message (National Post)
Putting fear of God in film | Bring popcorn and leave the Bible at home, say the makers of Left Behind (New York Post)
‘Rapture’ believers back ‘End Times’ film | Friday’s theater release of Left Behind: The Movie will be a second coming of sorts, although nothing like the Second Coming trumpeted in its plot. (Cincinnati Post)
Christian filmmakers fill niche | Left Behind part of effort to broaden Christian films’ themes and raise production values to reach a bigger audience (Associated Press)

Other Christian films:

Christian comedy aimed at youth | “This isn’t your father’s Christian movie,” says spokesman for Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s World Wide Pictures. “We’ve got motorcycle gangs and car chases and ’72 Cadillacs flying through the air and muscle cars … there are things in here you wouldn’t expect from Billy Graham.” (Associated Press)
Billy Graham backs comedy movie (Associated Press)
Kid Vid: ‘3, 2, 1, Penguins’ The creators of the “VeggieTales” series presents a new children’s animated series full of fun, faith and flightless birds. (The Hartford Courant)

Christian music:

Steven Curtis Chapman gets Christian music nods (Associated Press)
Dove awards nominees (Official Dove Awards site)
Monk rockers play on | Best-selling Greek Orthodox monks defy order to return to “monastic tradition” (The Guardian)
Earlier: Church tells rocking monks to stop rolling (Kathimerini, Athens)
Earlier: Church pulls plug on pop’s monastic musicians (Associated Press)
Still on rise, successful Christian band Clear calls it quits (Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Pipe organs blend music with religion | Ohio company restores, builds church instruments (Associated Press/The [Baltimore] Sun)

Death-metal murder lawsuit:

‘He asked if I’d be down for sacrificing a virgin. I said, whatever’ | Their lyrics celebrate ‘gleaming blades’ and ‘flowing blood’ but no one could take the death-metal band Slayer seriously, could they? David and Lisanne Pahler do. They believe the group inspired three teenagers to kill their daughter. And they think they can prove it. (The Guardian, London)
Did ‘death metal’ music incite murder? | Lawsuit against band, distributors could overcome First Amendment hurdle (The Washington Post)
Slayer lawsuit thrown out | But case isn’t closed (Wall of Sound)
Slayer, label liable for murder? | Judge demands more evidence (MTV.com)
Confirming all the simmering resentments of adolescent angst (The Scotsman, Edinburgh)

Television:

Violence finds a niche in children’s cartoons | The success of the “Pokemon” cartoon show has paved the way for more violent cartoons intended for children. (The New York Times)
Some sponsors can’t accept racy reality show | “Temptation Island” may be a ratings hit. But some advertisers are dumping it anyway because of skittishness about the show’s content. (The New York Times)

Indian politician resigns after calling earthquake God’s judgment The minister of state for civil aviation and infrastructure development in the southern Indian state of Karnataka resigned from his position after a national furor over his comments that the earthquake in Gujarat was divine retribution. “The catastrophe that has befallen Gujarat is God’s punishment to the people there for ill-treating Christians and minorities,” he said at a televised event organized by the Christian organization Good News Society for Global Peace. “Injustice was done to our people. Churches were destroyed. For this God has punished them.” He later issued a statement saying, “I regret this issue. … I am sacrificing my post to ensure that my utterances are not exploited politically or incite people.” And he later told The Times of India, “My only intention was to make the people have faith in God.”

More on religious freedom abroad:

Evangelical leader fears Sharon will pass anti-missionary laws (The Jerusalem Post)
Critics fear French cult law could turn missionaries into criminals (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Looking for a miracle | Across Indonesia, violence against Christians is on the rise. Is it any wonder they’re searching for hope in apparitions? (Time Asia)
Conversion crusade rends Spice Islands | Hundreds of Christians, including children and pregnant women, have been forcibly circumcised as part of an Islamic campaign (The [Melbourne, Australia] Age)
Shari’ah opposition persists as Zamfara state marks anniversary (Panafrican News Agency)
No end to Christian-Muslim tension in Nigeria | One year on there is no sign that enthusiasm for Shari’ah law is waning (BBC)
Tougher sanctions sought for Sudan | U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom makes its first recommendation to the new administration (Associated Press)
Nepal: The case against jailed Norwegian missionary opens | The court proceedings in the case against the jailed Norwegian missionary Trond Berg begin on Wednesday. (The Norway Post)
Indian Christians protest over inaction (The Times of India)

Religion and politics:

Some religions not invited to Kentucky’s interfaith prayer breakfast | Catholic and Jewish leaders complain, but organizers say there’s no official invitations and that all are invited. (Associated Press)
Kentucky governor sorry over prayer breakfast | Catholic and Jewish leaders had complained they weren’t invited (Associated Press)
Report sees vast benefit for charities in a Bush tax proposal | Plan to extend the deduction for charitable contributions to taxpayers who do not itemize could bring an additional $14.6 billion a year in donations to charity (The New York Times)
Out-of-state activists depart church protest | Pastors from elsewhere had come to lend support as Baptist Temple awaits seizure to satisfy tax debt (The Indianapolis Star)

Bush’s faith-based initiatives:

Religious leaders cautious on Bush plan | Some concerned about maintaining freedom (The Washington Post)
Religious groups not ready to put faith in Bush’s plan | Need for funds exists, but church agencies still fear interference (Chicago Tribune)
Faith-based charity plan gets bipartisan backing (The Washington Times)
A great leap for faith, but don’t oversell it | If Bush believes money can go to faith-based groups without the funds being used to promote religion, why doesn’t he also believe money can go to overseas family planning groups without the funds being used to promote abortion? (Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune)
Jay Leno: “President Bush announced his new faith-based funding for Americans in need. The way faith-based funding works is, if you’re poor and you need help, then you pray the Republicans don’t cut the program.”

Religion in schools:

Dundee suspends student for speech | Teen talked about God, but school says the topic wasn’t the problem (The Toledo Blade)
Clergy suit sent back to lower court | Federal appeals court overturns ruling that “Clergy in the Schools” counseling program violated First Amendment (Associated Press/Houston Chronicle)
Clergy in schools divides appeals court (The Beaumont Enterprise)
Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision | Doe v. Beaumont Independent School District