The Bible is a Weapon

 

The idea of the Bible as a weapon is played out in the science fiction film, The Book of Eli (2010).  The villain of the film is willing to resort to violence and murder to possess the book. He believes that, if he owns the book, he can have its power by using its words however he wishes. . Denzel Washington, the star of the film, says it is "a story about faith." Eli's mission is to protect the book and deliver it to a site out west. The film is seen by many as a caricature of real Christianity  I will let you watch the film and decide for yourself.

Some people call the Bible the Word of God, but John tells us that Jesus is the Word. The biblical understanding of the Bible as a weapon is more subtle. It is a sword, but it is not meant to kill. 

The Bible sometimes describes itself in military terms but it should never be weaponized against other people, backing them into corners, deriding them, manipulating them, forcing them to make decisions, abusing them, or attempting to silence them. We should never use it to "win." That spirit in a Christian is abusive and unhealthy, it is the sin of self.

See how Jesus reacted to the Rich Young Ruler.  He loved him and spoke the truth that the man needed to hear, even though that truth caused pain.

Mark 10:21; Ephesians 6:17; 2 Corinthians 6:7; Hebrews 4:12; James 4:11.

Dog Poop in the Flower Bed

 

Recently I was on my walk when I noticed something which  made me shake my head in wonderment. Someone had taken the time to pick up their dog's poop into a bag, tie the bag shut, and then, they threw the bag into someone's flower bed. I guess at least they used the bag! The standard of dog poop etiquette is to carry the poop with you and properly dispose of it. This is a hot-button issue in many neighborhoods.

What does this have to do with this blog? Well, this is just a small demonstration of the fallen nature of man. It exhibits self-centeredness, laziness, and a disrespect for others and their property. 

We are told in 1 Peter 2:17 to "show proper respect to everyone..." Since we are all made in the image of God, to disrespect another person is to disrespect God. Abusing someone else's property is tantamount to stealing their ownership of that property. The owner has the right to say how their property is to be used.

Some Christians would say we should not own private property since Jesus said to sell your possessions and give the money to the poor. They may be misreading what he was saying. 

In Exodus 20:17, notice that the property belongs to the neighbor, not the community or the government. Nowhere does Jesus condemn ownership of private property. What he was saying on several occasions is "own your property, do not let your property own you." Use your property to help the homeless and the poor, to glorify the Lord, and to advance his kingdom.

Film Comment: Doctor Strange (2017)

Doctor Strange (2017), seen merely as film, is very enjoyable and technically well made. It is equally funny, frightening, visually amazing, and thought provoking. The acting is top-level and the music perfectly fits the film.

The story is based on the comic book character created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko in     1963.  Doctor Strange is a brilliant but hideously arrogant neurosurgeon.  He is a totally unlikable man, and is verbally and emotionally abusive of everyone around him, even the fellow doctor who considers herself to be his girlfriend.  As an atheist, he derisively rejects any mention of God or the supernatural. Then, his smug life is totally shattered as his talented hands are mangled in an especially violent automobile crash.    

Stephen’s entire self-worth has been built around what he considers to be his obvious superiority to those around him. He cannot accept that his prior life is gone. He desperately spends his entire fortune on increasingly experimental and questionable medical procedures. He is still broken with no improvement in sight.

Eventually his search leads him to Kathmandu and a secretive school led by a mystic known as The Ancient One. She claims to be thousands of years old. The Ancient One opens Strange’s eyes to the unseen world surrounding him.

This is an origin story and Stephen eventually becomes a Master Sorcerer charged with protecting the world from supernatural threats from powerful otherworldly beings. He has become a full-fledged hero even though he still carries just a touch of his former arrogance.

Doctor Strange is directed by Scott Derrickson, a publicly self-acknowledged Christian, and, while the film is about personal redemption, it is not a Christian film. There is no mention of Jesus at all.

Christians are commanded to stay away from magic and the occult. Magic is essentially the quest to use knowledge of spells, objects, and rituals to cause the universe (read spirits, demons, Satan, and God) to react in specific ways. This is the way in which Stephen Strange becomes a sorcerer. He is merely a man who learns how to manipulate space and time and how to leave his physical body to move about as his spirit self.

The primary sin is to place oneself in the place of God. This is essentially what magic does, harnessing supernatural beings and forces to impose one’s will upon the universe. It has no place in true Christianity.

Some commenters have said that director Scott Derrickson has used Doctor Strange’s eastern mystical roots to hint at a deeply Christian perspective on reality.  For example, the Ancient One teaches Strange that what we see around us is only a small part of reality. Paul says the same thing in the sixth chapter of Ephesians. Some commenters are much more troubled by the film’s roots and some denounce it.

In the film, The Ancient One is discovered to be a hypocrite in that, while fighting for Good, she is drawing much of her power and longevity from The Dark Dimension which is ruled by the utterly evil being known as Dormammu. Since she is their teacher, it must be assumed that the Ancient One’s students, including Stephen Strange, are also drawing power from the Dark Dimension. Surely he understands this once the revelation has been made and yet, he still uses the power.

Strange cannot possibly defeat a being as immensely powerful as Dormammu but he succeeds in outwitting the monster. Though Dormammu repeatedly and violently kills him, Doctor Strange has trapped Dormammu and himself in a repetitive time loop. The only way that Strange will release him from the loop is for the monster to agree to leave. Strange becomes a self-sacrificing savior who returns from the dead. This alone should be a massive red flag for Christians.

Littering

Beth Shelburne, whom I have never met, is a local television news anchor. On her Facebook page, she recently placed this post: 

"3 times in the last 24 hours I have witnessed someone throw trash out their car window and onto the street and each time I felt angry.

I had to ask myself, why does it bother me so much to see someone litter? 

My conclusion: littering is a hostile act and can be seen as a metaphor for all that's wrong in our world. Self-centered people not caring about what's around them and blatantly dumping their crap in undeserving places. Sadly, it's a recurring theme these days. 

I decided to replace my anger with a prayer for the litterbugs. They seem to need it."

Littering is the improper disposal of waste material, often paper or plastic. The plastic, especially, is not bio-degradable. The most littered item in the United States appears to be cigarette butts. That the problem is huge is evidenced by the fact that the United States spends about $11,500,000,000 a year for litter cleanup.

Ms. Shelburne is correct that littering is a hostile act. She has put her finger directly on the reality of the situation. It is a declaration that the litterer considers their own convenience to be more important than other people, than the law, and than the world's environment. The world belongs to its creator, so, in effect, the simple act of throwing a plastic cup out of one's car window onto the side of the highway is an insult toward God. It is a way of saying that the litterer's convenience is more important than God.

Selfishness and self-centeredness is the essence of sin. John Stott has defined it this way, "The essence of sin is man substituting himself for God."  Litterers certainly do need our prayers.

Spiritual but Not Religious

A current phrase I hear often is “I am spiritual but not religious.”  This is usually uttered in response to any mention of Jesus. I believe that these people are consciously or unconsciously trying to avoid having anything to do with organized religion.  I think that what they are actually trying to avoid are the demands that a real involvement with Jesus would place upon them. They would rather have a vague and shallow numinous feeling about the universe and the self-congratulatory feeling that since they feel “something” they are good people and that they are justified in living their lives in any way they wish. This is a rejection of God and the glorification of the Self.

Music Comment: Freebird

Freebird by the rock music band Lynyrd Skynyrd is one of the great classic songs in rock music history.  The extended dual guitar instrumental which ends the song is listed as number three on Guitar World’s list of the Greatest Guitar Solos in history.

Readers of this blog know that I comment on songs, books, and movies from a Christian perspective. Christian understandings can be seen in works of art, often with messages not clearly intended by the original artists.  This is sort of like using the work of art as a parable pr allegory to illustrate a deeper meaning.

Freebird is a hauntingly beautiful but ultimately very sad song.  It can be seen as a statement of self absorption.  The singer tells a woman who loves him that he has to move on because “there’s so many places I have to see.”  He tells her not to react “so badly” and that he just has to be free.  He admits that he has no intention to change.  (“Lord knows I can’t change.”) He never asks her if she would like to go with him.

Many people are frightened of, and even unable to make a commitment to another person.  They are emotionally shallow and ultimately concerned only with themselves.  A Christian understanding is that this is the very definition of the Human Problem: the elevation of Self above all else.

The extended guitar riff which ends Freebird can be seen from a Christian perspective as illustrating the world’s wildly distracting influences coming at the individual from all directions.  The distractions can seduce a person and pull them away into unknown territories.

The lyrics of Freebird are here.

 

About the Church of Satan

In a recent post, I reported on rumors that Alice Cooper, a rock musician who has been promoted as a "born-again Christian," has now publicly declared himself as a member of the Church of Satan.  This may all be some sort of publicity seeking April Fools prank.

Some information on the Church of Satan: first and foremost, this is not the baby-killing devil worshippers of the public imagination as depicted in such films as Rosemary's Baby, Race With the Devil, The Devil's Rain, or Michel Soavi's The Church. Members of the Church of Satan are emphatic that they do not worship or even believe in the Christian Devil.  Peter Gilmore, the current High Priest of the Church of Satan, has said, "My real feeling is that anybody who believes in supernatural entities on some level is insane. ... Satanism begins with atheism."

The Church of Satan was founded in the late 1960's by Anton Szandor LaVey (d. 1997) who wrote The Satanic Bible in 1969.

Satan is seen as the ultimate representation of the individual self.  This is not benign "rational self interest."  This is placing one's carnal self and will above everything else.  One's self is the only god that exists.

http://www.google.com/search?q=anton+szandor+lavey&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=3gduUdv7A5TU9AT8ioGgAw&sqi=2&ved=0CIsBEIke&biw=1202&bih=812

Our Need for Surgery

"The Church today is infected with worldliness and sin, and anemic from spiritual hemorrhage because we have not been willing to let God operate on us and cut away the things of self, the world and the flesh." M. R. DeHaan

Martin Ralph DeHaan (b. 1891, Michigan, USA - d. 1965) physician, radio preacher, author.

What Zombies Really Represent

Zombies are quite popular right now, appearing in numerous films, television series, and novels.  Originally seen as soulless bodies animated by the will of a master, zombies were sent out to perform tasks.  They were represented in films as slave laborers (White Zombie, 1932), as a murderer/kidnapper (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, 1919), and as a compliant, silent, and emotionless slave who will carry out any order by his master (I Walked With a Zombie, 1943).

Zombies have captured the imagination of the horror film community, with over 600 feature films and over 50 short films having been produced as of today.  One of the most highly regarded modern American television series is The Walking Dead.  One of the reasons for the success of the series is that, while it never flinches in showing gore and zombie violence, it is actually not about zombies.    The human characters of the series eventually come to realize that they, not the zombies, are the walking dead.

The concept of a zombie changed radically with the 1968 George Romero film, Night of the Living Dead.  Many consider this to be the first modern horror film.  The movie is not technically excellent, the acting is not of the best quality, and the low budget is very evident.  And, the movie is studied in every film school on Earth because it perfectly expresses the tensions and meaninglessness present in the modern world.   Some Christians have come to realize that zombies represent even more than that.

Numbers 19:11-22 declares dead bodies to be unclean; Romans 3:23 declares that everyone has sinned; and James 1:15 tells us that “sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”  Without the unmerited grace of God, we are unclean, we are dead, we are decaying, we are the walking dead.  Because Christians are covered by the Blood of Christ, when God looks at us, He sees Jesus.

Think of the parallels between the film zombies and the unredeemed world.  Non-Christians, those who do not know Jesus, are unclean, they are dead, they are decaying, they are the walking dead.  Most do not realize that they are dead. They are like the zombies in the 1978 George Romero film, Dawn of the Dead, who cram themselves into the local shopping mall and walk around in front of the stores.  They are “pretending to be alive.”

Like the zombies in the movies, if they get a really hard bite out of a person, that person becomes one of them.  They are insatiable and virtually unstoppable.  They represent raw hunger, the primal lust for blood, which is life (Leviticus 17:14).

They will kill anything and anyone who stands in the way of their obtaining what they want.  What you want, need, or think is unimportant to them.  They are your neighbors, friends, and even members of your family.

The film zombies can be seen as representing raw sin.  The essence of sin is self at the expense of all other considerations.  Sin wants more and more, it is relentless.  Sin will use others to get what it wants; others are merely food.  And sin ultimately causes decay of the sinner, dulling the perceptions.  Sin takes on a life of its own.

“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:1-10

Film Comment: Catch That Kid

Be very careful to screen the movies you let your children watch.  Just because a film is labeled as a “children’s movie” does not mean it is actually a fit film for them to see.  Children do ingest the ideas and worldviews of the things to which they are regularly exposed.  Just think of how quickly they pick up and begin to use “bad words” from adults.

Catch That Kid (2004) is a remake of the 2002 Danish film, Catch That Girl , and is an almost scene to scene copy of the original film.  Both are billed as “kid-friendly” thrillers.

Catch That Kid stars Kristen Stewart (b. 1990, California, USA) who was thirteen at the time the film was made.  Stewart is best known for her role as the young daughter in Panic Room (2002) and in the Twilight Saga films, as Bella Swan, a human teenager who falls in love with a vampire who was born in 1901 and made into a vampire in 1918.

The plot of Catch That Kid is actually quite simple.  Thirteen year-old Maddy (short for Madeline) is a talented young rock climber whose father suddenly needs a terribly expensive experimental surgery  for which the family has no resources.  She recruits two thirteen year-old eighth-grade boys (both of whom love her, of course) to help her rob an impregnable bank using their computer and mechanical skills.  The plot is thickened because Maddy must also babysit for her one year old brother on the night of the robbery.

The movie is touted as a fun “kid-friendly thriller” and it does have thrills and suspense.  It also has plot holes, logical inconsistencies, silly slapstick level humor, and glosses over or skips entirely legal consequences which would be caused by the events depicted.  It also contains a science fiction element with technology not yet available and especially not available in 2003.   What this all means is that the events in this film could not actually happen.  The children would have been captured, injured, or possibly killed.

Several of the reasons why this film is inappropriate for children include:

1.     Number one, the children rob a bank, committing a major crime.  One of the boys opines, “I wonder if we can finish the eighth grade in prison.”

2.     The children engage in mild profanity.

3.     The children lie to adults to manipulate them and obviously enjoy doing so.

4.     Maddy manipulates a bank executive to steal his access codes.  In doing so, she commits theft of intellectual property.

5.     Maddy lies to both of the boys to get them to help her.  She tells each of the boys that she loves him, manipulating his emotions.

6.     Maddy has to babysit her one year old brother on the night of the heist.  Since she cannot just leave him at the house, she takes him along on the robbery, thereby exposing an infant to great danger.

7.     Maddy’s mother lies to keep the three twelve year olds out of trouble.

The film seems to teach children that, as long as everything works out well in the end, it is acceptable and even smart to lie or to steal or to endanger an innocent.  What you want is more important than what is right.  The glorification of the self, the essence of this fallen world, the essence of sin.

What They Think Of Us: Thomas Paine

"My own mind is my own church." Thomas Paine (1737-1809)  This quotation is a foreshadowing of the  post-modernist philosophy which states that there is no objective reality, no absolute truth.  Truth is whatever each observer decides that it is and there may be multiple truths, all equally valid.

It Is All About Me

There will be untold millions, possibly billions of saints with the Lord throughout eternity (Hebrews 12:1 says that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses), but Luke 15:10 tells us that “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner” that repents. I believe that means that Jesus died for each one of us individually and would have willingly done so even if we were the only one.

Read the following verses aloud.  I have made one change to several of the verses.

“For I have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23

“ … the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for ME.” Matthew 20:28

“ … the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for ME.” Mark 10:45

“I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that if I believe in him I will not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

Film Comment: At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul

Jose Mojica Marins (b. 1936, Brazil) is a director/actor of what would be known in the United States as independent, non-studio films, and is credited with producing the first Brazilian horror films.  Marins’ entire life has revolved around films; his father ran a movie house in Sao Paulo and the family lived in an apartment above the theater.

Though he has made and appeared in many other films, Marins is almost exclusively known for one recurring character, Ze do Caixao (Coffin Joe), who is always portrayed by Marins.  The character is so popular that he has appeared in films, on television,  in comic books, and in documentaries.  Mentions of Coffin Joe occur in numerous songs, magazine articles, and film reference books.  He even has been parodied in the short film, The Blind Date of Coffin Joe. (2008)

Coffin Joe is the embodiment of the amoral man dedicated to one thing and one thing only, himself.  Joe first appears in the 1964 film,  A Meia-Noite Levarei Sua Alma (At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul).  The film will not be confused with Citizen  Kane but is undeniably powerful.

There is an almost constant stream of eerie background noises, including ominous music, screams, animal sounds, and echoes.  The feeling of the film is quite intense and aggressive, pushing itself at you.  Just like Coffin Joe himself.

You Tube appears to have blocked this video.  Try this link instead.

Coffin Joe is an undertaker in a small, very superstitious town in rural Brazil.  Joe is a sadistic and brutal man who believes in nothing and enjoys the fear, disgust, and open hatred shown to him by the townspeople.  He believes himself to be infinitely superior to  all of them, For him, they exist only for his pleasure and for the accomplishment of his desires.  They are his slaves and he brutalizes them to force their obedience to him.

The one thing that Joe wants above all else is immortality, to be remembered forever.  Since he does not believe in God or the Devil and knows that he will eventually die, Joe decides that his name must live forever; in order to ensure “the continuity of blood” he decides that he must have a son, a perfect son.

To produce a perfect son, Joe is willing to commit murder, rape, torture, or any other brutality.  He is the totality of everything which is evil about the self.

The Christian view is that the self is the problem.  The Bible assumes that everyone loves themselves and it never says that we should hate ourselves.  What it does say is that we should love others as we love ourselves.  Romans 13:9-10, John 13:34-35, Colossians 3:12, Philippians 2:3, 1 Peter 5:5, James 3:13-18, 4:7.

Instead of prosperity (the heretical doctrine of the Prosperity Gospel), the Bible promises that we can expect opposition even from our own families and sometimes, persecution.  Matthew 10:34, 16:24-25.

Film Comment: Beauty and the Beast

La belle et la bête (1946, Beauty and the Beast) is a black and white film created in France by the poet Jean Cocteau.  This is a truly beautiful film which shares its title with the children’s story but is decidedly for adults.

To save her father from the imposition of a death sentence by a frightening werewolf-like beast , a beautiful young woman must agree to substitute herself as the beast’s victim.  When she gets to know him, she realizes that the beast is actually not beast-like at all; he is a sensitive caring being.

Unlike the Disney studios version, this 1946 fairy tale film was never intended for viewing by children.  The visual and poetic beauty of the film cannot obscure  the fact that it deals with many adult themes such as familial duty, longing, frustration,  the real possibility of sudden deadly violence, and a strong undercurrent of repressed sexuality.  The film also has as one of its main characters an animal.

We may not like to acknowledge it, but, biologically, we are animals.  The lesser animals are innocent in their selfishness, but we are not.  We are a mixture of the Law of the Jungle, survival of the fittest, and of our higher impulses.  By our own power, we cannot overcome our self-centered natures (the true essence of sin and separation from God).

In the film, the Beast is redeemed by the pure self-sacrificing love of the Belle.  We are redeemed by accepting the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice and sanctified by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;   And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;   And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24

Notes on the film:

Some of the very creepy visual effects may be frightening for children.  Some more conservative viewers may object when they learn that the beast (Jean Marais) and the film’s director, (Jean Cocteau), were longtime homosexual lovers.

Other films:

Beauty and the Beast (1987)  The pilot film for the same named romantic fantasy television series.

Beauty and the Beast (1991)  The animated musical version made by the Disney studios. 

1000 Hours of Staring

The multimedia artist, Tom Friedman , has unwittingly produced what I believe to be the ultimate statement of modern Western popular culture; his artwork, “1000 Hours of Staring .”  The concept is that the work, a 32 inch square of white paper, creates “the history of an object.”  It expresses intense concentration and mental activity.

Personally, I believe that, like the films Video Fireplace  and Video Aquarium, “1000 Hours of Staring” expresses the total vacuity and emptiness of much of modern popular culture.  The modern culture pursues fame, money, fun, and “self-realization.”  The underlying constant is SELF.

The Christian realizes that the true meaning of life is the expression of the GLORY OF GOD .

Film Comment: Race With the Devil

Race With the Devil is a low budget 1975 film produced during an era when numerous films were being made about Satanists and Satanism.  The idea (think of Rosemary’s Baby) is that you really don’t know if the nice couple next door are really a nice couple or if, in the dark, they kill and eat babies while worshipping the Dark Lord.

The plot of Race With the Devil: two couples (portrayed by veteran B-movie actors Peter Fonda, Warren Oates, Loretta Swit, and Lara Parker) are travelling from Texas to Colorado in their SUV (sport utility vehicle).  While parked overnight in the desert, the four witness a group of nude people ritually murdering a woman.  To complicate matters, the murderers quickly realize that they are being watched and the chase is on.

As the couples run, it becomes increasingly obvious that everyone in the area, including the police, are members of the cult.   Unable to trust anyone, the couples go into survival mode.  The film becomes intense at that point with car chases, gunfights, animal mutilation, and increasingly sinister events.  The couples come to see their SUV as the only safe place and their only means of escape.  From a Christian viewpoint, I think that the SUV can be seen as the people’s attempt to save themselves under their own power.  Many people cling to the belief that they are strong and can handle life on their own with no need for “some God.”  They put their faith in themselves, politics, money, education, their ethnicity, their weapons, tradition, non-Christian works-based religions, or some other vague “spirituality.”

Race With the Devil has over the years generated much internet discussion including this statement at Better Geek Than Never (profanity alert!): 

“I also like how even though they are running away from murderers, and that is absolutely the right thing to do, but our main characters seem to believe that as long as they are in their RV, then they don’t really have to believe anything else that’s going on. Their vehicle is supposed to protect them from all outside influences, including belief systems that don’t fit into their specific worldviews. This conceit is proven wrong time and time again, yet they still cling to it like a life preserver. Sound familiar to anyone? Perhaps in some ways, we all have our own big ass RV that we use to shield us from things we don’t like to look at or think can’t possibly happen.”

About the Satanists.  While there are people who do worship the traditional Devil of the Bible, most modern Satanists would tell you that to do so means to acknowledge the reality of the Christian God, whom they reject. The modern Church of Satan, founded by Anton Szandor LaVey, is really worship of the self as the ultimate deity.  I believe that the modern Satanists are wrong and that the biblical Satan is a very  real being.  Jesus said that he was real.

The good news for spirit-filled Christians is that we have the Mind of Christ.  If, in the name of Christ, we resist the Devil, he will turn and run (James 4:7).

Dependence on God

"God will often give you more than you can handle so you can learn to depend on him rather than on yourself." Craig Groeschel in Weird.

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13

Our Deepest Desire

"When our deepest desire is not the things of God, or a favor from God, but God Himself, we cross a threshold." Max Lucado

Film Comment: The Magic Christian

The Magic Christian (1969) is Terry Southern's sarcastic and nihilist bite at hypocrisy, self-righteousness, and pretensions of altruism.  This satire of the modern consumer culture skewers the rich, lawyers, social snobs, the church and just about everyone else.  An underlying theme during the film is that the hypocrites are running about doing their lives while social unrest burns around them, totally unnoticed by them.  The novel (also titled The Magic Christian) on which the film is based was considered by many to be obscene and was banned in several countries.  Think of Monty Python with a knife.

Sir Guy Grand (Peter Sellers) is a multi-bazillionare ("I have enough for everyone.") One day, on a whim, Sir Guy adopts a smelly and unkempt vagrant (Ringo Starr, of the Beatles) whom he meets in the park, and names him Youngman, Youngman Grand.  "It's grand to be Grand."

Sir Guy takes Youngman out into the world to teach him the ultimate truth; Everyone has a price, everyone can be bought.  Spreading around his fortune with wild abandon, Sir Guy stages absurd situations to expose snobbery and greed and everyone responds exactly as he predicted they would.  Youngman gets into the spirit of his lessons, becoming ever more cynical by the second.

The Magic Christian of the title is a luxury ocean liner which caters only to the ultra-ultra-rich.  Sir Guy arranges for the only available food on the ship to be potatoes.

Unless you are a Peter Sellers completist, this is not a film you probably wish to see.  It is more sarcastic and angry than funny.  When I say angry, I mean bitter.  The bitterness comes to full fruition in the ending of the film.

THIS IS A SPOILER!  DO NOT READ THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU PLAN TO SEE THIS FILM!  SKIP TO THE ENDING OF THIS POST!  The film ends with an iconic but disgusting scene in which Sir Guy drives home his point.  He hires a waste disposal company to fill a large swimming pool with animal blood, urine, and feces and then, while wearing a gas mask, scatters millions of pounds (this is a British film) into the pool.  He and Youngman then stand back as all the men in expensive suits dive in to grab up as much money as they can.  Everyone can be bought, everyone has a price.  The love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10) because it is actually the love of self, the glorification of self, the root sin.

Christians may not realize it but they also have a price.  Instead of allowing themselves to be bought by the world, they belong to Christ.  Their love is of Christ who is of inestimable value.

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:" Galatians 3:13

"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Corinthians 6:20.  

 The price was the life of Jesus, who is fully human and fully God.  How much is God worth?  

Biblical Sources of Phrases in Common Use: Money is the Root of All Evil

"Money is the root of all evil." Actually that's not what the Bible said.  Read it again.

This phrase is one of the often misquoted Bible phrases which have entered into common usage.

"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." 1 Timothy 6:10


The love of money is actually a love of self, because money can give power to the self.  Money itself is just a tool, which can be used for good or for evil.