The Golden Compass: Controversy and Opportunity
November 29th, 2007 Posted in General | 2 Comments »A few years ago I fell in love with stories. It started in elementary school when a local theater would put on a matinee performance especially for children. Once a year our school would travel across town to watch a production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Although far from Broadway, the production made a tremendous impression on me, especially the story of Scrooge’s reversal. The story of how his life is transformed in a single night is powerful and well known, and it helped shape my own story in some ways. As a child I couldn’t have articulated it, but now I know that it gave me hope that, by grace, people can be changed—and there is only One power in the world that can do that.
This is why I love stories, because they help shape our lives. So, as a pastor and a dad, I look for good stories in films, plays, books and poems, in conversation and in music. Good stories form and train the imagination and, you could say, shape the way we live, the way we see the world and the way we treat others. Perhaps best of all, stories are a great way to reach the mind and hearts of children.
That is why many within the Christian community and beyond have expressed concern about a movie called The Golden Compass, which is to open December 7. This movie is the first of three planned films based on a trilogy of children’s novels called His Dark Materials (a reference to Milton’s Paradise Lost) by avowed atheist Philip Pullman. The trouble with Mr. Pullman’s books (which have sold 15 million copies), and the film, is that the story presents the Church as evil, which is not so original, but the twist is that in the end the books are, as one reviewer quoted Pullman saying, “about killing God.” The books and the movie are intended for children.
I must say that I have not seen the film nor read the books. In this instance I haven’t had to in order to get the full concept of what Mr. Pullman intends. There has been enough written about both that readers and moviegoers can be well informed. Some have wondered, and rightfully so, how the church should respond? There are all sorts of ideas ranging from boycotting to simply ignoring all of Mr. Pullman’s materials. Personally, as a pastor and a dad, I think this is too good an opportunity to pass up.
What I mean is that the sort of thing Mr. Pullman writes about actually opens up opportunities for the truth to be made clearer in many respects. It also provides a great opportunity for me to talk to my own children about how some people view God and try to dismiss the biblical worldview. It can open up opportunities for us to have conversations with our neighbors and coworkers. It requires us as Christ’s followers to be well informed as well as equipped.
In light of these considerations, Trinity’s Family Ministry is working alongside of Dr. Drew Trotter to think of ways we could help inform and equip the students and parents of our church. We believe that stories impact and shape us as well as our culture. It is often in film that the stories of our time are told, and the worldviews behind those stories can be subtle but nonetheless forming. In order to help our students and parents navigate this better, we are in the planning stages of a retreat (for students) and a lecture (for parents) that we hope will help them.
If you would like to be a part of this retreat or the lecture please let us know by contacting us at family@trinitycville.org.
Other Resources
- http://www.highspringsherald.com/articles/2007/11/01/editorial/editorial02.txt
- http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/print/200712/religious-movies
- http://mhadigital.org/
By: Mark A. Hutton
Pastor for Families
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