Ok, so I'm a hypocrite.

A few weeks ago, I baulked.

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.

Sour grapes...or... we hate all that at which we suck..

Disclaimer: before I even begin, I need to make one point as clear as possible. During this blog, and probably in many to follow, I will be speaking in generalities. I will be focusing in on the unfortunate stereotype that has befallen "Christian" art. There are of course numerous major exceptions to this rule, and I will be addressing and championing them in later blogs. Thanks, now on with the rant... I mean blog.

Do a Google search for "christian films". Go ahead, I'll wait right here. Seriously. Google "christian films" and check out the first couple of links.

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I'm hoping you did it. What you found was, at best, mediocre websites promoting and pandering films that make the weekend monster movies on syfy (which I LOOOOVE, by the way...) look like sundance-award winning pieces of high art. This just cannot and will not do.

I'm not saying this to put down those websites, or to belittle the efforts of those involved. I am well aware that even this little website is a prime example of mediocrity at its finest. I am also absolutely convinced that every one of those films, etc. was a labor of love, and each of them has done some good in someone's life. But the fact of the matter is, we should be doing better. Better quality final products, better writing, better special effects, and one of my biggest pet peeves - better ACTING. We (we being the church as a whole) have been at this game for so long now, and every step of the way we've been at least 20 paces behind the rest of the world. Aren't we supposed to be doing all things for HIS glory? Why then do we continue to embarrass him when it comes to areas such as music, film, art and dance? I mean come on, no offence to him, if he ever reads this, but when Kirk Cameron is our champion of the cause, that's just not good.

You know that I have NEVER won a single game of bingo in my life? Never. None of the hundreds if not thousands of bingo cards I had placed in front of me ever produced a true "BINGO" win for me. there were a few false alarms, but never a true win. And truthfully, I have no ill will towards the game itself.

Are you seeing the parallel here? Getting the metaphor?

There was a time, eons ago, where the church itself was the major source of performance art, where the pulpit and the stage were one. Ironically, it was after the church had shut down the art for almost 300 years, from 500. The church was losing, yet again, and so like a spoiled brat who is loosing at checkers, it flipped the board, causing the game to end as if it had never begun. Is that what has to happen again to level the playing field so that the church can keep up? A world-wide do-over?

Thankfully, I don't think that could ever happen again. There's too little time, and too many lives at stake.

So what does have to happen?

The first thing: this addiction to mediocrity has got to end. Christian audiences have got to be as willing to express dissatisfaction with "Christian" films, music, etc as they are with any other. It is possible for a "Christian" film to suck - they have been for a loooong time! And actual constructive criticism, not just "that was bad," or, "I didn't like it." Some feedback to these artists that will help them either get better or quit would be nice. But if that's asking too much, at least to start with

The church has to up the ante. We have to erase all excuses, and do our art with a strive for quality that surpasses (read: is far better in quality and craftsmanship than) anything else out there. We have to become the invetors of special effects, of new trends and ideas and techniques, not just the implementers of others'. We have to have scripts and other projects that will entice good talent to them. We have to start casting the better talent for the parts, not the "better" Christians. I know this is nuts, but it may mean, occasionally.... hiring non-Christians to play roles!

Speaking of talent, we need to start growing our own. It is awesome when God pulls the like of Head Welch into His glory, and helps clear their lives of the poisons of drugs, etc., but you can't tell me that with a membership pool the size of the Christian churches throught this country, there aren't more people who are as gifted as Brian at what they do.

It seems as though every artist comes to the same fork in the road at some point in their lives where they have to decide if they want to make a living doing their art or do it for the church, which means for a vast majority of them doing something else for their living, and volunteering their time and art to the church for free. Hence, so many Christians end up not fulfilling their true potential, not doing what they were born (MADE, CREATED) to do - simply beacuse there's no stable industry to support them. It doesn't have to be that way, if we truly believe and act as if the Lord in which we serve is the source of all our needs.

Or, even more tragically, the decision is whether they want to do their art well, or do it for the church. Do their art in projects that will draw audiences week after week or church members on one Sunday night. That's why so many choose to go towards the secular world - they want their art to be seen, the work to make an impact. This is not a point of pride getting in the way - it's different for us, because without an audience our art is pointless. It doesn't have to be that way.

Who's fault is it then that things are the way they are? Not God's, obviously. Then it has to be ours. Which is a good thing, then because it means that we can do some thing about it. But this tanker has been going all ahead at full for a long time, and it's going to take some effort to slow it down, and turn it around. But can be done. It needs to be done.

After all, their audience is the world; isn't our audience the King of Kings?

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Cor. 10:31