In the wake of the notoriety of Brokeback Mountain at the Oscars (and failure at the box office), three options face the Faith Community.
1.Ignore. 2. Snicker. 3. Thoughtfully respond. I, for one, am not willing to concede the territory of cinema to the hawkers of films like Brokeback. As there already exists an intelligent, spiritual community which attempts to read the culture, explore the sentiments of Hollywood, and discern the drift of America, I think we need to join them. Why? As cinema goes, so goes most of our young, and so goes the country.
Sherri and I spent part of "Oscar evening" clicking back and forth between re-runs of Barney ( 1950's nostalgia) and snippets of the Oscars (2006 reality). I expect our experience parallels that of many believers. We yearn for our children to grow up with what we had in 1950, and we mourn leaving them alone with what they have in 2006.
For a truly cynical view of the Oscars, make sure you read Ann Coulter's recent article. Google it. It is enjoyable. But it does little to help us understand how a film such as Brokeback could enjoy such celebrity. Many Christian authors presently explore cinema, critiquing its persuasive power. These believers challenge the faith community to engage Hollywood and enter a conversation with culture that gives Christ a voice. In the first set of comments below I highlight some major resources for Faith and Film.
