Allow me to expound.
I teach Drama at a local high school, and we had a production of A Streetcar Named Desire that was about to open. The campus pastor at my church had offered to promote our show times on slides before and after our Sunday service, and I had quickly agreed, desperate for more and more marketing.
My enthusiasm for their support came to a screeching halt when I saw the slide up on the screen the Sunday before our opening night. Suddenly every moment, every nuance, every syllable of an utterance that could possibly be found offensive by someone in our congregation came racing to the front of my mind, and I freaked.
If you've seen Streetcar, you know what I mean. The main male protagonist, Stanley, rapes his wife's sister. There's drinking and cursing throughout, peppered with not-to-subtle comments of racism for heat.
Don't get me wrong, we had "toned down" a lot of the show to make it more appropriate for a high school audience, and for high schoolers to perform, but in these politically sensitive times, I could see the emails and hear the voice mails of protest in my mind.
I ran to the back of the church, and started half advising, half urging, half pleading him to take the slide down. I re-warned him of the content, and found myself exaggerating how "bad" the show was.
On the inside the whole time I was thinking "HYPOCRITE!" What are you doing? Have you forgotten everything you've been preaching, even blogging about?!?
Thank God for open minded pastors - yes, there are some out there. Chris told me that he was confident in my directing ability, and that it was fine that we had the slide up there.
When he went up to do announcements, he asked people to come out and support our efforts, and gave a little warning that there were some "adult situations" in the show, and that it would best not be viewed by young audiences.
It was then that I exhaled.
Rape, blasphemy, murder, incest, hedonism, the list goes on - all part of the story that is our (my) Bible. The story would be incomplete without them.
Now, again, please understand, putting these things on stage or in books or films or sculptures or paintings just for the sake of them being there, or for "shock value", or (God forbid) to glorify them is not ok in my book. But at the same time, neither ignoring them or trying to delete them from a character. Whoever plays Goliath has to be ok with Goliath enjoying tearing people apart. Whoever plays Pottifer's wife will have to show definitive desire for Joseph. I think that's why Al Pacino's portrayal of Satan in The Devil's Advocate ranks among the best I've ever seen - it's non-judgemental; it's honest.
I hold that the reason that many people find this or that offensive is because it hits a little to colse to home. Funny how honesty tends to make people squirm.
So I guess that's the reason for this post - I can honestly say I was a hypocrite.
Confession done.
