Category Archives: Related articles

The Artist as Missionary

Do you have a story from your life that you share often?  One of those personal life experience kind of stories that eventually becomes so much a part of you it seems it’s no longer merely a story you tell others… it’s something far more mystical and magical; it’s a story that is actually telling you, shaping you, guiding you

This is one of my stories; one that has a hold on me like that.  I tell it a lot, but I’ve never written it down.  The events are true, I was there… and I haven’t been the same since.

After the screening of one of my films at a Christian college in the Midwest, a young student with tears in her eyes approached me.  She told me how she believed God was calling her to be an actress.  I’m sometimes skeptical at statements like this… but she was convincing. I listened.  She shared with great detail and passion her desire to honor God through the craft of acting and then her voice faltered, disappearing into a whisper.

“But,” she said.

“Stop,” I interrupted.  “Let me guess… your parents…”  She nodded.  “They told you not to go into acting because there’s no money it.”  Her eyes widened as she nodded again.  “They also told you that Hollywood is a dark and evil place and if you go there something bad might happen to you.”  She nodded one last time and lowered her head.

I wasn’t being prophetic; it’s just that I’d already heard all the arguments against the entertainment industry.  A hundred times.  But this moment was different.  With her hopeful eyes looking to me for some kind of answer and my own words still echoing all around me… it happened.  Epiphany.  Clarity.  God opened my eyes to the obvious.

The artist as missionary.

What if, hundreds of years ago, the church had told potential missionaries, “Don’t do it.  There’s no money in it.  Besides, you might have to go to far away places where bad things might happen to you.”  What a tragic loss that would have been.  Yes, many died penniless.  Yes, some even died tragic deaths in far away places.  And the world was changed because of them.  Is the cause of Christ no longer worth the risk?  What is His story telling… how is His story shaping… where is His story guiding?

We are all missionaries, in a sense.  And the truth remains, the only safe place to be is where Christ calls; it doesn’t matter if you’re a nurse, preacher, tentmaker, writer, or even… an actor.

– Rik

* An edited version of this blog post originally appeared in The Columbia Union Visitor in December 2007.

 

Fifty Shades of Mixed Messages

fiftyshadesdaughter

Just a quick observation for today…

It seems that Dakota Johnson, the daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, might be causing a little bit of conflict in her family with her role as Anastasia Steele in the upcoming film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey.

According to The Express, Dakota’s mom is upset that her family isn’t supporting her daughter in her high-profile and potentially breakout role.

“Melanie is bitterly upset that she is the only one standing alongside her daughter. She’s told both Don and Tippi [Hedren] that Dakota really can’t look at roles and wonder what her dad and grandma are going to think. She believes Dakota was right to seize her opportunity in what will almost certainly become a major international blockbuster.”

But.

In another related article in Indiewire, Griffith acknowledges that it’s unlikely she’ll ever actually see the film she is so proud of her daughter for starring in:

I have not seen “50 Shades of Grey.” I don’t think I’m going to see it…[Dakota] was like, “You guys cannot come. There’s no way.” So we’re not going. I did go visit for a couple of days when they were shooting just normal stuff. I did see the Room of Pain — I did go in there and check it out.

It’s all a little confusing.

If I was doing something professionally that I wouldn’t want my family, friends, or loved ones to see… should I be doing it?

Further, this is another curious example of the contemporary twist in defining “unconditional love” as blind, unquestioning, non-challenging support for almost any choice or action whatsoever.

Maybe, just maybe, there are some things we shouldn’t encourage… some things that are not worthy of applause.

Personally, I think it’s rather obvious that you can love others “unconditionally” and yet also challenge them and, in some cases, even withhold support if a person’s choices or actions could actually end up hurting that person or someone else.

For if we applaud and encourage someone toward things that could indeed lead to real and lasting damage—even if those things make them millions of dollars or give them great careers or win them the appearance of success—aren’t we, at least in part, responsible for that damage?

Not saying this is easy or uncomplicated.  And I definitely don’t mean to imply in the slightest that any person, bad choice, or well-intentioned yet misplaced support is beyond God’s redemptive reach.

All the same, just something to think about…

– Rik

 

Christian Singles, Marriage, and the Danger of Sexual Atheism

sexualatheism

There is an article that is making the rounds right now that has a lot of people talking about singles in the church, sex, and the erosion of biblical standards.

Clearly, this is Old Fashioned territory…

Author Kenny Luck really goes after what he calls “sexual atheism” among many self-described Christian singles today and begins by including this little tidbit:

In a recent study conducted by ChristianMingle.com, Christian singles between the ages of 18 to 59 were asked, “Would you have sex before marriage?” The response? Sixty-three percent of the single Christian respondents indicated yes.

63%.  Does this surprise you?

It does me.  Or it did.  Now that we are having some advance sneak peek screenings of Old Fashioned and I’m being involved in lots of conversations about this issue… I’m hearing more and more evidence to back up the stats from the study quoted by Luck.

I fully expected to get some push-back to the God-honoring approach to love and romance that we take in Old Fashioned (which includes, among many other things, the idea that sex is sacred and meant for marriage).  I just didn’t expect to get so much push-back from others who claim the same faith and yet don’t share the belief that physical intimacy is exclusively for marriage alone.

It’s been an interesting, eye-opening experience to say the least.  I was clearly naïve and not fully informed.  Luck continues:

To say that professing or self-described Christians are becoming more liberal means that their reference point for assessing and practicing sexuality is more cultural and personal rather than biblical or spiritual. It means that they possess a low view of God and Scripture and a high view of self and culture as the key drivers of their moral and sexual behavior.

But why?  Why such a seismic shift within the church?

Culture is indeed key here, I think.  America has shifted… and it’s never easy to resist or stand against any avalanche of social change.  Bottom line is that a majority of Americans no longer believe that sex—in nearly any fashion or expression—has anything to do with morality.  It doesn’t mean we don’t still look to judge things as “good” (eco-friendly living, healthy diets) or “bad” (bigotry, racism)… we just don’t much include sex in that context (good/bad) anymore.

Ironically, it hasn’t made folks less judgmental at all… just judgmental about different things.

I personally know of a progressive, socially conscious pastor who refused to confront his worship leader—who was living with his girlfriend—because he didn’t feel it was his place to judge.  Maybe you can relate to a similar situation in your own life with a family member or friend.

But, what if that worship leader (or family member or friend) was an outspoken racist… and yet claimed to be a Christ follower?  Would that pastor, or you, hesitate to challenge or question that person?

Of course not.  In fact, you might think it your duty to do so and it possibly a sin to not say something.

There’s no denying it, when it comes to chastity or purity or sex in general, I think a lot of us are very hesitant to take any kind of stand (about anything in any way) because we don’t want to appear judgmental and/or we don’t want to end up as a punchline on The Daily Show.

And over time, that slowly affects not only the way we think… but eventually our actions.

That is how good a job American culture as a whole (politics, entertainment, and social media) has done in repositioning the sexual discussion as it relates to morality, etc.

And the how it happened, why it happened, when it happened no longer matters.  It happened.

I say this because I have great empathy for Christian singles today.  It is not easy.  In some ways, it’s never been harder.

But even with culture at large making a mockery of virtue… and often times confusing, conflicting messages coming from different branches of the Christian faith… the call of God on our lives remains the same.

Be still.  Listen.  Follow.

Check out Luck’s article in its entirety at Charisma Magazine.

– Rik

 

Science proves benefits of nice, boring guys

GoodDatesGoodMates

Before I sat down to write the very first draft of the screenplay that, many years later, would become Old Fashioned, I interviewed a wide variety of women…

Some single and never married, some divorced, some married… some younger, some older… some devoutly religious, some not…

I asked them all the same two questions.

First, I asked, “Describe to me your perfect date.”

The answers I got back were remarkably similar… he needs to be romantic and handsome, a good sense of humor is a plus, he better make me feel like a princess, it helps if he drives a nice car… even better if he has a good sound system in that car…

Nearly all of the answers revolved around idealistic romantic fantasy and some surprisingly superficial qualities in many ways.  Then, I asked the follow up:

“Describe to me your perfect mate.”

Again, the answers were remarkably similar… I want someone who is honest, faithful, good with children, good with money…

The two lists of responses to those two questions could not have been less similar.  And it really hit me like a ton of Valentine’s candy that, indeed—at least in American culture—we are much better trained to be good “dates” than good “mates.”

Movies and music and pop culture have deftly schooled us in how to be romantic, how to create a mood, how to woo and seduce and pose… we are experts at that stuff.  We are much less educated in how to prepare ourselves to be good life partners for another or even how to discern the qualities in another that would make for a good life partner for us.

That reality very much helped shape the story of Old Fashioned and the odd and curious character of Clay Walsh, especially… the kind of guy that could easily be passed over today for being a little too—in a word—boring.

Well, according to some recent scientific research, it now turns out that guys like that might not only lead to greater happiness in marriage, but also more successful careers!

No, I’m not making this up.

In a recent article in The Washington Post, Elahe Izadi boldly stakes the claim: Want to get ahead in your career?  Marry a dork.

Based on a new five-year study in Australia, it seems like our cultural over-emphasis on physical chemistry, personal charm and charisma, and/or our conditioning to be drawn to the “bad boy” or the “bad girl” may, in fact, not be the best recipe for relational bliss…

The study’s findings may have broader implications when it comes to picking partners, said Joshua Jackson, an assistant professor at Washington University.

“This might be something to suggest that people maybe should be attuned to these conscientious, more dorky, not-as-lively-or-exciting-because-they’re-rule-following people,” said Jackson, the study’s lead author. “There’s something to say in terms of the characteristics you should look for in a mate. This might not be the most obvious, but it’s important.”

Izadi half-jokingly ends the piece…

So, look, next time you’re on a date, don’t write off the boring rule-follower so quickly. You may be writing off career advancement, too.

All joking aside, whether or not it leads to career advancement or making more money, when it comes to romance… it makes sense to take the time to look more closely than just the surface.

As it says in Proverbs, “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting…”

Learn more about the study here.

– Rik