Beware of Living in an Image-based World - Part 1

What I’m going to write about in today’s blog will come as no surprise to any of you. No great insight or revelations. And I’m sure most of you will agree with the overall concept.

Today, we no longer live in a word-based society. We have transformed into an image-based society over the last few decades, and this has enormous implications for all of us. The world we live in today focuses on the headlines, the sound bite, and, at best, perhaps a paragraph. You remember the old saying, a picture is worth a thousand words?, Perhaps today a picture is worth 10,000, 20,000 or 100,000 words. This new reality that we all must deal with is, in part, due to a rapid development in technology that has led to an explosion of Internet usage, which is primarily an image-based medium.

Images projected on video screens can be found in every aspect of life. The end result is we now have much shorter attention spans thanks to the expansion to an image-based society. We cannot concentrate on any one thing for any length of time. Today’s news and sports channels are crowded with multiple layers of information. Why? Because that’s what’s required to keep our attention.

I have witnessed this firsthand. Working with high school and college age students for the past 25 years, I have seen a significant decrease in the ability to focus and pay attention. I can’t count the times I have talked to students while at the same time they were playing around with their mobile media devices. It’s as if an entire generation has been infected with some sort of virus.

Another casualty and perhaps the greatest tragedy is that reading is rapidly declining. Newspapers are practically dead thanks to the Internet. The National Endowment for the Arts reports that young people between the ages of 15 to 24 read only 7 minutes a day. Seventy percent of 13 year olds do not read daily. Their conclusion is the obvious that young people are reading less.

Focusing on images or pictures and reading a headline or two means you will only skim the surface of any issue or current affairs. We live in an increasingly complex society. Without reading and thinking, we will not be able to have the perspective, insight or knowledge to make informed decisions.

Friday Part 2

Act One's Terence Berry talks about content and the idea of Christian and mainstream films

Act One's Terence Berry talks about content and the idea of Christian and mainstream films from Media Missionary School on Vimeo.

Upon Further Review

Now that Christmas is over, and you have unwrapped all of your gifts, I hope you got all the DVDs and Blu-Rays you were looking for. Between November and December is the best time of the year for movie lovers because most of the major summer movies are released on DVD.

Perhaps, you didn’t get all the titles you were hoping for. Here are my thoughts on a few films that you might want to consider for purchase or rental. Based on a five-point system—5 for excellent, 4 for very good, 3 for good, 2 for average and 1 for bad.

One of the best films in my opinion for 2010 is Inception. It’s innovative, thought-provoking and features an excellent storyline. The special effects are first rate.Unlike most popcorn movies, Inception is about something.That something will be up to each viewer to discover and decipher.The bottom line is that if you are looking for a highly entertaining and visually striking film that will keep you guessing, you will do no better than this film.  It is a must own, and I give it a solid 5. 

The folks over at Pixar are in a class all by themselves. Do they ever make a movie that is nothing short of excellent. I thought going to the well for the third time may have been a mistake. But, Toy Story 3 is as good as anything that Pixar has ever released. This is the perfect bookend to the original Toy Story. It completes the story. I give this one a 5.

It has been the year of sequels. Sometimes they work, but most times they are simply a cheap rip-off. In the case of Wall Street, Money Never Sleeps, I could only hope it would not dash my expectations. Gordon Gekko has to be one of the most interesting characters to grace the big screen. Thankfully, this film delivers the goods. With the recent financial crisis, Money Never Sleeps is right in step with the times. I give it a 4.

It’s also been a year for remakes. Maybe Hollywood is running out of new ideas. To be honest, I didn’t have many expectations for Karate Kid. I sorta liked the original, but I wasn’t a big fan. But this new version is a home run. From locations, to exceptional acting, to fantastic fight scenes, you can’t go wrong. The storyline is surprisingly solid. I give this one a 4.

Will somebody please give Tom Cruise a break? It seems fashionable today to make Cruise a target and to pile it on. He may not be the best actor, but he knows how to have a good time in Knight and Day. This film is a blast from start to finish. Just enjoy the ride. So, forget the critics. If you are looking for an action film that doesn’t take itself seriously, this one’s for you. It get a solid 3.5.

Continuing with remakes, A-Team made an appearance last year. Hey, I was a big fan of the 1980 series, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. A-Team is big on action and is absolutely outrageous. But isn’t that what you expect from the A-Team? I’m not sure why it wasn’t a bigger hit. It is certainly a cut above your average action flick. It gets a solid 3.

I love espionage movies. So I had high expectations for Salt. Most of the critics dismissed it as preposterous and unworthy of your time. I disagree. Sure, the plot has holes. And no one can survive the action sequences that Evelyn Salt seems to master with ease. But with that in mind, I still highly recommend the film. It kept me guessing because we still don’t know who Evelyn Salt is, which is the main premise of the movie. And Angelina Jolie gives a solid performance. So it gets a solid 3. I suspect we will find that out in future sequels.

Iron Man was an exceptional film, so the expectations for Iron Man 2 were high. Perhaps that was the problem. When our expectations are too high, no film, no matter how good it is will be able to deliver the goods. But, taken on its own merits, Iron Man 2 is a workable, comic book, action flick. It has all the elements you are looking for. I give it a 2.5.

Maybe I just don’t understand comedy these days. I like to think I have a sense of humor. But I just didn’t get most of the jokes in The Other Guys. I liked the premise because it was original. Instead of focusing on the alpha male action heroes, this movie features the other guys who are part of the background in the squad room. It had a great setup, but it never delivered the goods. It’s one thing to be crude and obnoxious, but at least be funny while you are doing it. This movie failed on all accounts. I give it a 1.5.

Now to the worst movie of the year. Grown Ups has to be the biggest disappointment I’ve seen in quite some time. An exceptional cast featuring Adam Sandler along with a bunch of other funny guys, somehow manage two hours of being completely unfunny. How do you do that? What a waste of talent. Everyone involved in this movie had to realize at some point they were in a turkey. Enough said. I give it a 1.

Can Christianity Find It’s Way in the New Roman Empire? - Part 3

The article continues to make a point that Christianity as a result of the cultural revolution now defines it’s mission primarily in terms of conflict with the culture and expresses itself almost exclusively in the language of loss, disappointment, anger, resentment and a desire for conquest. They contend that Christianity is not competing with rival faiths but is now dealing with a host of pseudo-Christian spiritualities where the ideas of a single religious truth seem increasingly passé.

For committed Christians, this is a painful truth. Could the Faith be undermined from within? The authors have failed to see that Christianity through the influence of the mass media culture now reflects the same values and philosophies that are communicated through today’s media culture. In some ways, the market-driven church is helping to spread a new form of Christianity which could be in conflict with traditional Biblical values. By doing so, perhaps some Christians may be indirectly helping to change the culture into something that can undermine the authentic authority of the Christian faith.

And, finally, Douthat argues that Christianity needs to find a way to thrive in a society that looks less and less like any sort of Christendom and must now deal with a more diverse and complicated society and culture of the Roman Empire where the seeds of Christianity began to flourish some 2,000 years ago. But I say, if that’s going to happen, we are going to have to find our way in this new Roman Empire. And forget about battling the culture or even the media culture. We must first examine what we believe and why we believe it. We are not going to change the world until we are willing to change ourselves. That means coming to terms with the seeds of the cultural revolution, political and religious conservatism, and the pseudo-Christian spiritualities that seem to be spreading from within.

Can Christianity Find It’s Way in the New Roman Empire? - Part 2

The writers argue that this cul-de-sac mentality is a direct result of the cultural revolution of the 1960s and the two aftershocks that followed. The first aftershock is a backlash or reaction to the counterculture which led to the rise of religious conservatism and political action. The second aftershock that we are now living through is an backlash to the first backlash, which is a revolt against the association between Christian faith and conservative politics. Puttman and Campbell argue that millions of younger Americans may be abandoning organized Christianity altogether. These are painful conclusions, but the facts would indicate they are correct.

But, once again, the column fails to completely understand the situation. I’m amazed that no one seems to understand or not willing to recognize the role that media has played in shaping culture as well as how it has influenced organized Christianity. First, let’s go back to the cultural revolution and counterculture of the 1960s that so many people believe is the source of today’s problems.

The parents of baby boomers in the late 1940s and 1950s embraced a new form of consumerism which led to a new level of materialism not seen before in America. I argue that it was influenced and controlled by the new emerging media culture fed by the new technology of television. Instead of addressing issues such as racism and poverty, America entered into a self-serving society. Baby boomers by the 1960s were looking for meaning and purpose, especially the children of privilege. There had to be something more to life than just material things. They found hope in the new young president, John F. Kennedy, who talked about service and a call to action to serve mankind.

Two events clearly opened the door to the coming social revolution. And what the writers did not take into account was that the television and the media culture played a significant role. The first was the loss of hope when John F. Kennedy was assonated. His presidency played out on television from the start to the very end. Those events viewed on televison had an enormous influence on the psyche of America’s young people.

A second catalyst was the Vietnam war which, once again, was played out each night in the living rooms of America. My contention is that these events made the social revolution of the 1960s possible.

Can Christianity Find It’s Way in the New Roman Empire? - Part 1

Ross Douthat is a columnist and blogger for the New York Times. His articles appear in newspapers across the country. I find him insightful, and I make a point to read his daily column. One of his recent columns peeked my attention. It’s titled, “Christianity Struggles with a Changing Culture”. The article is based on two recently published books. The first is American Grace written by Harvard’s Robert Puttnam and Notre Dame’s David Campbell. The other book, To Change the World, is from a University of Virginia sociologist, James Davison Hunter, who coined the term, cultural war.

The conclusions of the two books is something that most committed Christians who take their faith seriously would probably agree with—that Christianity is not doing a very good job competing in an ever-changing culture. The column points to Christianity in general has been a good thing for the advancement of society as a whole. But, in recent years, the winds of change have led to a decrease in the influence of Christianity. Some argue that Christianity is no longer relevant or capable of impacting modern society. In other words, Christianity is under siege.

These events have led Christianity into what Hunter calls a cul-de-sac mentality or what others might call a bunker mentality. I would have to agree because I have seen it firsthand. A significant part of the body of Christ now lives in what I call a Christian subculture. We now have Christian schools, clubs, movies, music, books, and theme parks. And a significant part of the homeschool movement is also Christian-based. What the article fails to understand is that Christians have created a self-fulfilling prophecy. Christian young people who are raised up in this environment lack the ability to interact or communicate with, understand, and influence today’s society and culture. They have lost their missional focus and, with that, dies the ability to spread the Gospel. We have gotten off the boat and have become fearful of the mainstream culture that we feel will overwhelm our young people and turn them away from Christ.

Inception

Inception is the rarest of all Hollywood movies—a truly original idea or concept. In an increasing age of remakes, retreads and sequels, Inception is indeed a breath of fresh air. It was released this past summer and was a shock to most industry insiders. Inception does not fit the profile of the typical summer blockbuster, which often offers nonstop action, explosions, and special effects. Don’t get me wrong. This film does contain it’s share of these elements; however, what separates Inception from most typical Hollywood formula movies is that it is smart, intelligent and though-provoking. Yes, it will require you pay attention and to think, a lot.

Unlike most popcorn movies, Inception is about something. That something will be up to each viewer to discover and decipher. Frankly, it’s quite surprising that a film of this nature would ever be released during the summer months. Warner Brothers Pictures took a huge gamble with a budget approaching $160 million in play. Having Leonardo DiCaprio and director Christopher Nolan on board probably helped to ease the anxiety of the executives over at Warner. The end result was a smash hit. To date, Inception has grossed over $290 million domestically in North America. Let’s hope other studios will take Warner Brothers lead in offering more original content.

Without giving too much of the story away, Inception takes place in a world where technology makes it possible to access the subconscious and invade an individual’s dreams. Dominick Cobb, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, has been hired by Mr. Saito, a Japanese businessman played by Ken Watanabe. Cobb engages in corporate espionage for a fee. Cobb and his team are contracted to implant a thought into the subconscious mind of Saito’s competitor, Robert Fischer, without his knowledge. The catch is Fischer must believe the thought originated in his own mind.

The only way this can be accomplished is by accessing a dream within a dream that is within a dream. It involves going down several levels of the subconscious to access the hidden parts of the mind. Along the way, Cobb and his team will face an array of obstacles because within our dreams are also our fears and painful memories that get in our way and must be reconciled. As I said, this is complicated stuff.

Some critics have argued that Inception isn’t really that original—that it’s all been done before in other movies. I think they have missed the point completely. Inception contains truth that is applicable to our present reality. Whether the filmmakers intended to say this or not, it is a reflection of the modern society in which we live. First, it suggests that we are all controllable. Second, there are forces or individuals that for their own means and purposes wish to control us. Third, for the most part, we are unaware of this. And, finally, as the title, Inception, suggests, an idea or concept can be planted into the subconscious and influence us. And on another level, the movie suggests what we have buried deep in our subconscious ultimately will control our actions, and we are unaware of it. On a spiritual level, I’m convinced that a case can be made that today’s media is engaging in the same activity that’s portrayed in the film.

Inception proves that there is an audience for intelligent films. Inception will challenge you to question what you really think is true about what you believe and which reality is true. The bottom line is that if you are looking for a highly entertaining and visually striking film that will keep you guessing, you will do no better than this film. It is currently available both on Blu-Ray and DVD.