A world without religion

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Directed by David Yates. Warner Brothers Pictures. Rated PG-13. Running Time: 2 hours 18 min.

Harry Potter and other Hogwarts students band together, calling themselves "Dumbledore's Army. © 2007 Warner Brothers PicturesJuly was a good month for Harry Potter fans, with the release of the last novel of the series following close upon the release of the film version of the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Harry and his friends are well into their teens, so their world is far more complicated than in the initial work when our hero was just entering Hogwarts School of Wizardry — and certainly more dangerous. Harry's archenemy, Lord Voldemort, is making a comeback in the flesh, but the Ministry of Magic refuses to recognize this, publicly labeling Harry a liar and troublemaker.

The film starts out with a rush, the dreaded Dementors attacking Harry and his odious cousin Dudley Dursley when they are walking home at night. Harry saves their lives by resorting to his defense-against-the-dark-arts magic. This lands him in trouble with wooden-headed Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, who charges him with violating the rule that no student will use magic in the presence of a Muggle. Not bothering to obtain an explanation from Harry, the minister hauls him up before an awesome tribunal, where, fortunately Prof. Albus Dumbledore, Harry's mentor and protector, mounts a successful defense, saving the boy from expulsion from Hogwarts.

Matters take a downward turn at the school, however, when Fudge sends his personal envoy, Dolores Umbridge, allegedly to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. Backed by the minister, she soon reveals that her mission is to take over the school. She exerts more power than the headmaster, issuing an endless series of decrees that restrict the freedom of the students. There is a humorous run of short scenes in which the student-hating caretaker, Argus Filch, delightedly nails up each new restriction in a frame. There are so many that he has to mount a ladder to place the latest high up on a wall.

Harry struggles with nightmares and the containment of his anger, the latter causing him sometimes to lash out against his friends. A cloud hovers over his head, the Minister of Magic branding him a liar for stating that the boy had seen and battled against Lord Voldemort in the flesh. Prof. Umbridge enjoys making Harry’s life a living hell with her punishments for refusing to recant his claims. Added to this is his desperate feeling of being abandoned by his mentor Dumbledore, because every time he tries to talk with the headmaster, the latter brushes him off. But Harry does have his first kiss, and he finds himself training some of his fellow students to defend themselves against the dark arts when Umbridge insists on teaching them only theory and not practical magic.

Perhaps the best of the five films, this is a good condensation of the over-700-page novel. The photography is dark, most of the scenes taking place at night or in rain. Hogwarts looks more sinister this time, rather than the glowing fairyland of the earlier pictures. There is no Quiddich match this time, Harry being far too troubled and beset by inner doubts to have time for sports. He is so doubt-ridden that even he asks his godfather, Sirius Black, if he could be turning bad like Lord Voldemort.

I was struck by the total secularity of author Rawling’s wonderfully crafted world in this movie. Christmas is celebrated, as in the earlier films, with a Christmas tree on display and presents exchanged, but never a carol or mention of Christ. Harry is almost overwhelmed by his sense of aloneness and self-doubt, and yet there never is a hint of a prayer or expressed need to seek strength from a higher power.

Whether due to author J.K. Rowling’s own lack of interest in religion or because of a desire to attract a wide range of readers across religious lines, the result is what theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer once called “a world without religion,” and he did not mean this in a derogatory way. This would be a good point to discuss with a group that has just seen the film. (What, you haven't taken your youth group yet to see it?)

Some Christians oppose the Harry Potter series for its lack of mention of God (and even more, of course, for, the positive affirmation of magic and witchcraft). What they fail to see is the great emphasis upon ethics and relationship that Rowlings has placed at the heart of each story, and which each film affirms. Neither the world of Harry Potter nor that of The Lord of the Rings is overtly religious, but each is grounded in the values that faith and church have avowed through the centuries.
—Ed McNulty

The Simpsons

Directed by David Silverman. 20th Century Fox. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1 hour, 27 min. 

After escaping from the Springfield mob, the Simpsons wind up in Alaska. © 2007 20th Century FoxDavid Silverman's The Simpsons has been such a popular fixture for so long on television that it comes as a surprise to some that this is the series' big-screen debut. And what a welcome one it is. The film maintains the same frantic pace of laughter and sassy attitude toward human and societal foibles as the series. Those inspired by Mark Pinsky's book The Gospel According to the Simpsons will find plenty of theological food for thought in the film.

As usual it is lunk-headed Homer Simpson who sets in motion a series of events that almost destroys his family and Springfield itself. He becomes enamored with the new pet pig that he wins at a church fair, while his daughter Lisa is leading an anti-pollution campaign. Homer has stored the pig waste in a huge tank, so when it is full, he dutifully goes to the recycling/waste center to dispose of the refuse. His fellow citizens also have joined in the campaign, the result being a long line of cars and trucks waiting to get in. Homer is in a hurry, so he leaves the line and drives to the lake where he dumps his load. This pollutes Springfield's water source so badly that the EPA is alerted. President Schwarzenegger (yes, there must have been a change in the U.S. Constitution) is advised that Springfield poses such a threat to the rest of the country that it must be quarantined. A huge plastic dome is lowered onto it, the citizens not allowed to leave or enter.

An angry mob seeks vengeance upon the Simpsons. Homer finds a way to escape, and so the family flees to Alaska, where Marge finally becomes so disgusted with her husband that she packs up the children and leaves. After further misadventures, Homer, as the Gospel of Luke might put it, “comes to himself,” and returns to Springfield, just in time for more misadventures and an opportunity to prevent the U.S. government from destroying it. Can you imagine, Homer a hero?

The gags are funny, with a few jibes aimed at the church and government. But there are poignant moments, too, such as when Bart sees what a good father church-going Ned Flanders is, and wishes that he could be part of such a family. When Ned takes him fishing and Bart drops a prized fishing rod in the lake, the boy recalls his own father's past reaction to his mistakes — Homer chokes him. Ned, however, reassures the boy that he still likes him and is glad that he is okay. The later reconciliation between Bart and Homer, as well as with Marge, is movingly depicted.

It is good to see such a popular series show the important role of the church in society, even if the church itself is in need of some gentle kidding and criticism (Ned, who is otherwise kind and generous in his treatment of the troubled Bart, states that there is a place in heaven only for those who believe as Ned does).

Church groups can have a great time laughing their way through the film (and should not leave at the beginning of the credits lest they miss some amusing moments), then gather to discuss some of the serious issues which it raises in such an entertaining way.
—Ed McNulty

Special effects and spiritual struggles

Spider-Man 3

Directed by Sam Raimi. Columbia Pictures. Rated PG. Running time: 2 hours 19 min.

In the new film Spider-Man encounters his dark or shadow side. © 2007 Columbia Pictures Spider-Man 2 was so good that it’s no surprise that the third film in the series fails to maintain its level. Maintaining the quality of a comic book story is not easy. Overly long, with so many subplots that at times it seems like a Robert Altman film on steroids (due to its special effects), Spider-Man 3 stands in danger of losing the attention of younger viewers. However, its spectacular special effects come along at regular-enough intervals to keep younger fans from fidgeting in their seats. And adults, especially church folk, will again find parallels with Christian symbolism and theology, though never as movingly as in the great runaway train rescue in the second film.

Life has improved a bit for Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire), though not for his girlfriend Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). Peter is keeping abreast of his studies, is happy with his contract job as a photographer at The Daily Bugle, and is able to attend the opening night of Mary Jane’s new musical play. The critics, however, pan her debut as a singer. Peter’s attempt to cheer her up, by telling her he knows how she feels, results in her interpreting his remarks as indicating that he is only thinking about himself. In a funny yet bittersweet scene (in which Bruce Campbell plays a delightfully snooty but sympathetic French head waiter) Peter’s romantic plan to propose to Mary Jane is aborted. His life then enters a tailspin that includes a change in character and costume, and a struggle against new villains, as well as dueling with the son of his dead nemesis.

Actually, one of the new villains is also from Peter’s past. Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), who was involved in the murder of Peter’s Uncle Ben, turns out to be not so much evil as obsessed with getting money for his sick daughter’s operation. While escaping from jail and being chased through a marshy area at the city’s edge, he falls into a large concrete-lined pit at the exact moment when scientists are conducting an atom-fusing experiment. Marko’s bombarded body is transformed into Sandman, who looks like a sandy Incredible Hulk and can dissolve into a sandstorm that flies through the canyons of the city.

The second new super villain starts out as Eddie Brock (Topher Grace), an ambitious photographer who becomes Peter’s professional rival at the newspaper. When he becomes captive to the same black, spider-like ooze that infected Spider-Man (Oh, did we forget to mention that a meteor crashes to earth, and out of its smoldering core the black globs crawl, somehow making their way to Peter’s apartment and forming into a black Spider-Man costume?), Brock becomes the super villain Venom, who teams up with Sandman.

Earlier in the film Spidey engages in a spectacular aerial battle with boyhood friend Harry Osborn (James Franco), who has invented a flying skateboard and gained superhuman, almost gravity-defying powers through his experiments. Harry, you might recall from the earlier films, blames Peter/Spider-Man for the death of his industrialist father, whose greed and ambition led him to become the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe). During the exciting battle above New York’s streets Harry hits his head and suffers partial amnesia (another cliché), resulting in his forgetting his obsession with getting even with Peter. Now the two are bosom buddies again — don’t ask if this will last.

The film’s treatment of Spider-Man’s shadowy side could have been an insightful excursion, but it is sidetracked by the hokey alien spidery gob brought to earth by the meteor, suggesting that evil comes solely from outside, rather than inside. The depiction of Peter basking in the public’s adulation should have been enough to fuel this episode, which could have been linked to Proverbs 16:18 and Romans 7:14–20, rather than attributing the change in character to an alien source.

Another theme worth group discussion is that of revenge and its bitter fruit. Not only are Harry Osborn and Eddie Brock consumed by the desire to get even with enemies, but when Peter discovers that Flint Marko was responsible for Uncle Ben’s death, he also becomes obsessed with vengeance. Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) again wisely counsels her nephew, sounding much like Abbé Faria in The Count of Monte Cristo: “Uncle Ben wouldn’t want us living with revenge in our hearts, it’s like a poison. It can take you over and turn us into something ugly.” Peter/Spider-Man’s struggle with his desire for vengeance takes place outside a large church, the shot closing with Spider-Man sitting near the top of the towering spire. Inside Eddie Brock is kneeling and crossing himself before a large wall crucifix, but his prayer is anything but Christian.

Even though it does not live up to all of the advance hype, Spider-Man 3 emphasizes relationships as much as special effects-enhanced action. Peter’s last comments about our ability to make choices could go well with a study of Deuteronomy 30:19.

The Spider-Man movies are like other comic book-based films in that the physics is bizarrely wacky, but the depiction of human relationships and ethics is laudably close to the gospel — well, most of the time.

—Edward McNulty

Watch Westminster John Knox’s The Thoughtful Christian for Edward McNulty’s curriculum piece on Spider-Man 3.

Crusader against slavery

Amazing Grace

(Rated PG. Directed by Michael Apted. Samuel Goldwyn Films/Roadside Attractions. Running time: 1 hour, 51 min.)

An interview with Ken Wales, one of the producers of Amazing Grace

Former slave Olaudah Equiano conducts William Wilberforce on a tour of a slave ship docked in London. Photo ©Samuel Goldwyn Films/Roadside AttractionsAmazing Grace, directed by Michael Apted (best known for directing Coal Miner’s Daughter and Gorillas in the Mist), is a first-class survey of the life of William Wilberforce, a man deeply involved in the movement to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Although most British citizens and some African Americans know of this great social reformer, most North Americans know nothing of him, a defect that this stirring film will rectify.

William Wilberforce stood less than 5 ½ feet tall, yet he towered over most of his fellow members of Parliament (except, of course, for his good friend who became prime minister, William Pitt the Younger). A gifted orator, elected to Parliament at the unheard-of age of 21, Wilberforce became one of the founders of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a reformer of prisons and of the treatment of children, and an activist on a host of other social concerns. Steven Knight’s screenplay does a pretty good job of touching on some of the highlights of this man’s complex life, while simplifying matters by combining some characters and telescoping some of the events and time span. (For more details of this great man’s life, see the book by Eric Metaxas described briefly at the end of this review.)

The film opens in 1797 with the 34-year-old Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd) traveling by coach to the country estate of his cousins Henry and Marianne Thornton. Wilberforce is wracked with pain from colitis and exhausted by all of his battles in Parliament, but the devoted couple give him the tender loving care he needs. They take him to Bath for the curative waters that attract so many people that the city rivals London as a center of high society. The Thorntons attempt to match their bachelor cousin with the attractive Barbara Spooner (Romola Garai), but both refuse the first time, Later Spooner visits Wilberforce and induces him to recount his fight to seek the abolition of slavery. Thus the film becomes a series of scenes jumping back and forth between the present and the past. In the present scenes the two become so close that they marry, with children following thereafter.

John Newton, left, advises William Wilberforce to stay in politics. Photo ©Samuel Goldwyn Films/Roadside AttractionsWe are given just a glimpse of Wilberforce’s conversion from the bland rationalist philosophy of the Enlightenment, favored by his mother and most of the upper class of society, to the heart-felt faith of the evangelicals, influenced by the preaching of George Whitfield and John and Charles Wesley. Unless you know of this background, the film might lead you to think that Wilberforce was drawn to God by the beauties of nature. We are shown little of the long process that influenced him: conversations with a close friend, study of the Scriptures inspired by reading a book by Philip Doddridge and evangelical preaching.

In the film Wilberforce is in a garden when he expresses his reawakened faith to a faithful servant. He believes that as a Christian he should give up politics because of all the maneuvering and compromises required to move any bill through Parliament. So he seeks out the counsel of the man who had once influenced him as a boy — John Newton, an ex-slave trader turned minister (and author of the hymn “Amazing Grace”).

Albert Finney makes a wonderfully captivating John Newton, except for the ridiculous, ragged monk’s robe the filmmakers dress him in when Wilberforce comes calling. The two talk of the old days, and then the older man suggests to his protégé that Parliament is exactly where he as a Christian should be. “You have work to do!” the old sea captain tells him.

Given a new spirit and impetus, Wilberforce throws himself into the abolitionist cause. A close-knit cadre of men and women reformers gathers around him, most notably Thomas Clarkson (Rufus Sewell), James Stephen (Stephen Campbell Moore) and Olaudah Equiano (Youssou N'Dour). The latter had been a slave in the West Indies, and when brought to England, was able to earn enough money to buy his freedom. He wrote a book about his slave experience that became a best seller, thus helping to raise public awareness of the brutal nature of the slave trade. He and others provide Wilberforce with an education in the misery of slavery, taking him on a tour of the docks and a slave ship. What he saw was to haunt the dreams of Wilberforce for years, his conscience never giving him rest as long as the slave trade existed.

It was in 1787, seven years after entering Parliament and about three years after his quiet embrace of Christianity, that the small man took up the cause of the abolition of the slave trade. Although opposed to the institution of slavery, the abolitionists wisely thought that it would be easier to abolish the slave traffic before tackling slavery itself. However, slavery and the trade were so embedded in the life of the Empire that few, except the Quakers and John Wesley, had questioned it. Wilberforce soon found this out, with the angry members of Parliament offering a myriad of reasons why abolition would “destroy the Empire.” The first vote on his bill was a disaster, with only a handful of members voting in favor.

After 20 years of pleading, educating, demonstrating and maneuvering, William Wilberforce emerged victorious — in 1807, making this year the Bicentennial of the abolition of the slave trade. A year after the great man’s death (in 1833), all the slaves of the Empire were declared to be free (Wilberforce did live to see Parliament enact the bill of abolition). It took almost 30 years before they would be set free in the United States, and more than 50 years in Brazil.

This film is fit tribute to William Wilberforce and the cause to which he was so dedicated, as well as to the circle of friends who inspired and supported him in his cause. I am especially impressed that the producers are tying the film to a campaign promoting the abolition of modern slavery.

A longer review of Amazing Grace, with discussion questions, is available on the Visual Parables website.

—Edward McNulty

For more background on Wilberforce and slavery:

Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery

by Eric Metaxas (Harper San Francisco, 2007; 283 pages; $21.95, hardcover)

This well-written book will greatly enhance enjoyment of the film by filling in the many gaps in the history of the times and of the development of Wilberforce’s character over the years. Readers will be amazed that God packed so many gifts into Wilberforce’s small and sickly body and surrounded him with devoted friends. The account of the religious revival led by George Whitfield and the Wesley brothers are of special interest. The author notes that the dying John Wesley’s last known letter was written to Wilberforce, encouraging him to fight on against the slave trade.

Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade—and How We Can Fight It

by David Batstone (Harper San Francisco, 2007; 306 pages; $14.95, paper)

It might come as a shock to learn that in this bicentennial year of the official ending of the slave trade in the British Empire, there are still at least 27 million slaves worldwide. The author, a professor of ethics at San Francisco University, documents his accounts of the slave trade in Asia, Africa, South America, Europe, and the United States (yes, here too!) with footnotes citing such sources as the U.S. Department of State. The stories of specific persons enslaved are counterbalanced by accounts of leaders who are fighting against the traffic. This is a book of hope, offering specific suggestions as to how readers can be involved, and listing more than 30 websites for further information. The book would make an excellent study resource for congregations.

The power of imagination

Bridge to Terabithia

(Rated PG. Directed by Gabor Csupo. Walt Disney and Walden Media Films. Running time: 1 hour, 35 min.)

An Interview with Bridge to Terabithia author Katherine Paterson.

The Bridge to Terabithia movie poster. Graphic art courtesy of Walt Disney and Walden Media. © 2007 Walt Disney and Walden Media.

Jesse Aaron lives with his three sisters and parents on a Vermont farm not productive enough to support a family. His father Jack (Robert Patrick) has to work in town to make ends meet — and they barely do. The boy is embarrassed by having to wear his older sister’s hand-me-down gym shoes on the first day of the new school term. Jesse is not popular, so he takes refuge in drawing in a large notebook and running. As he heads for school, he hopes to fulfill his dream of becoming the fastest runner in the fifth grade. But then he loses a race to determine the fastest. Of all things, he loses to the new kid who has moved to the farmhouse next to theirs, a girl at that — Leslie Burke. After the race she tries to become friends, but the disappointed boy rebuffs her.

In Bridge to Terabithia Jesse is fearful about swinging on the rope but his adventurous neighbor, Leslie, is eager to try it out. Graphic art courtesy of Walt Disney and Walden Media. © 2007 Walt Disney and Walden Media.

Through the power of imagination Leslie leads Jesse in creating a magical kingdom in the woods, reachable by swinging on an old rope across a small stream. Leslie names their imaginary kingdom Terabithia. It is a land where they find refuge from a school bully, and more important, inspiration as to how they can stand up to the bully.

With its themes of friendship, loss and grief, and even grace and reconciliation, Bridge to Terabithia is a better family film even than last year’s Narnia. Indeed, I have to go back to Stephen Spielberg’s magnificent E.T. to find a family film that compares to this one in terms of gospel values and themes embedded in a mesmerizing story.

I have always loved the question put to Presbyterian elders and deacons at their ordination and installation: “Will you seek to serve the people with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love?” This film shows the liberating power of imagination and confirms the wisdom of our church in including imagination in an ordination vow.

The filmmakers teeter on the verge of ruining the book by using CGI special effects to transform a squirrel and birds into attack creatures so that we viewers see what Leslie and Jesse conjure up. Fortunately, only about 10 minutes of screen time is given over to these special effects. And I must say that the final CGI-enhanced scene involving Jesse and his little sister May Belle, which gives the film its title, really is a beautiful moment. Every parent, teacher and pastor would do well not only to see this film themselves, but to take individual children and classes to a matinee showing and talk about it afterward. (A longer review with questions and Scriptures suitable for family and class discussion is available on the Visual Parables web site.)

Go Ahead — Laugh

Thou Shalt Laugh

directed by Phil Cooke; produced by Jonathan Bock and Hunt Lowry. Warner Home Video, $19.97. Running time: 93 minutes.

Too often Christians are pictured in Hollywood films as humorless party spoilers who laugh only at the thought of sinners going to you-know-where. This new video of a program of seven Christian comedians performing at a large California church could help to change that picture.

Hosted by Patricia Heaton of Everybody Loves Raymond, Thou Shalt Laugh is a joy to behold—and no commandment need be invoked to elicit laughter. Just try to keep it in when Michael Jr. relates his answer to a question he says was put to him, "Are you pro gay?" "No, I'm no amateur gay, either. I didn't know they had a league." This is as risqué as anything said by the seven stand-up comics during the fast-paced evening, and although spoken in what seems to have been a mega-church auditorium, everyone seemed to appreciate the joke.

The other performers include Taylor Mason, Thor Ramsey, Teresa Roberts Logan, Gilbert Esquivel, Joby Saad and Jeff Allen. The latter would have hit it off with Mark Twain, remarking, "I believe that teenagers are God's revenge on mankind!” (an observation that many a harassed parent might concur with at times). This and most of the other observations are derived not from church life, as one might expect (though there is church-related humor), but from the family and everyday lives of the performers.

Thor Ramsey speaks of his family (everyone will laugh knowingly at his description of the difficulties of trying to remove his daughter's doll from its package!) and a trip to North Dakota, a state so cold that he suggests it be depopulated and turned into a true "state penitentiary" for all those being held in our prisons. He reports that when a police car stopped a speeder, it was so cold that neither the cop nor the driver would get out of their cars.

Taylor Mason effectively uses puppets to put his witty observations across, while Teresa Roberts Logan has fun with such hymns as "Amazing Grace" by singing the words to the tune of Gilligan's Island and the old Coke song.

For those wanting to laugh without blushing at occasional smut employed by comics used to performing in night clubs, this is a tailor-made disk, one that can be played even with the most prim and proper acquaintance present. Heaton introduces the show as one made up of all Christians, which raises the question, "Is there really such a thing as Christian comedy, or is there only comedy based on wry observations of the human condition?” A family or church group could have some fun discussing this after watching and listening to Thou Shalt Laugh.

—Edward  McNulty

DVD study series on Jesus

Saving Jesus

by Jeff Procter-Murphy and David Felten of livingthequestions.com, LLC (12 week series, 2006; $295; the Living Questions web site)

Just call this resource Living the Questions: The Sequel. It’s essentially a follow up to the popular progressive Christian study series designed to introduce (and update) people to the best and brightest Christian theology taught in seminaries today. In other words, it’s an Alpha series for the liberal church.

Saving Jesus offers 12 video segments of 20 minutes each for viewing by small groups that are facilitated by someone who has a study guide to help lead discussion. These video segments feature big-name academics who know the historical Jesus as well as the Christ of faith inside and out — people like Marcus Borg (Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time), John Shelby Spong (Why Christianity Must Change or Die), Sister Helen Prejean (Dead Man Walking), Matthew Fox (Original Blessing) and many more. Topics covered include “Who was Jesus?” “Teachings of Jesus: The Wisdom Tradition,” and two parts on “Killing Jesus,” which tackles the controversial subject of atonement.

The segments are mostly talking heads, but the visuals aren’t the reason you’d purchase this resource for your church or presbytery. It’s the ideas and the well-thought-out presentation. Saving Jesus won’t answer a lot of your questions. Just like Living the Questions, it will spur you to stay engaged in the faith-filled struggle.

—Teresa Blythe