One of the goals of Preaching Today—and one of the ever-increasing goals of this very blog—is to help the preacher engage in cultural exegesis. We agree with the likes of Tim Keller, Kevin Vanhoozer, and countless others: some pretty spectacular moments occur when the preacher allows some space for the biblical text at hand to interact appropriately with a cultural text (a movie, a television show, a song, or something that's become so normal that we've missed that fact that it's actually quite abnormal). such interaction should, at times, be contentious, while other times, playful or even supportive.
I just posted an article on the mother site about the elevation of the antihero in the world of television, especially in the spate of police and legal dramas that dance across our screens. Have you noticed how loyal we are to someone like Jack Bauer—and has it made you think twice about what it tells us about our listeners? And how might our current obsession create a meaningful doorway for Good News?
In my article I offer some initial reflections that have my own mind racing with preaching ideas. If you've got a moment, I invite you to go ahead and take a look.
I’ll use this blog to offer a few more reflections in the days ahead. Though I've first chosen to tackle this issue via the medium of police and legal dramas, I'm going to expand our discussion to other areas. You'll certainly find antiheroes in other types of television dramas (House and Rescue Me). You'll also find a few lurking about in the world of television comedy (The Office's Michael Scott or Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw). We often dismiss comedies as pointless-but-entertaining creatures, but they offer some of the more potent cultural texts of our times. And though I've chosen to tackle this issue via the medium of television in general, antiheroes have long taken up residence in every corner of the world of entertainment. From Hamlet to Holden Caulfield, literature has its share of off-color protagonists. We've been given three cinematic servings each of Michael Corleone and Captain Jack Sparrow. Perhaps we'll take a look there, also.
Whatever the medium, hopefully much of what I share in this article and the subsequent blog entries is easily transferable.
I’m looking forward to some fun interaction with you, so don’t hesitate to speak up in the comments sections of the posts.
Posted by Brian Lowery at 10:45 AM on September 19, 2008
Comments
To me this illustrates our culture's preference for success over virtue. We'd rather see a ruthless hero succeed than a noble character go down in honorable defeat.
We identify with the rule-breaking, obviously flawed character who can "get 'er done." It's harder for us to identify with the principled person who upholds standards of right-and-wrong even if it prevents success.
This makes the story of Jesus' temptations in the wilderness pretty countercultural these days. Refusing bread, power, and dominion because of an internal biblical compass--wow. Downright unAmerican.
I'm going to market a better bracelet: WWJBD. What would Jack Bauer Do? It's less limiting.
Posted by: Chad on September 22, 2008
Great thoughts, Chad. Thanks for sharing them. I think you're on to something special regarding the interplay between this cultural phenomenon and the temptation accounts of Christ. That could make for some fascinating sermons. I know that a great deal of Nouwen's writings would be of help in developing such a series.
Oh - and I especially enjoyed that last line of your comment.
Posted by: Brian Lowery on September 22, 2008