December 5, 2005 8:08 AM
Dickens' Christmas Carol: What makes a story "Christian"?
Sophia and Madeleine - for the second year in a row, but with a different theater company - are privileged to be involved in a production of Dickens' Christmas Carol. They wrapped up three performances this weekend - with six more over the next two weeks at the Cramer Center Theater in Manassas.
Having children involved in theater when you are a Christian homeschooling family can make you a target of some misunderstanding and judgment. I think it's because sometimes Christians striving hard for righteousness tend to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Unless a story is overtly Christian they think it can't possibly have any merit.
This is not the case at all. In fact, artists whose agenda propels their craft limit their creativity. Their works come across as boring and pedantic. Whether the resulting writing/music/art/drama is driven by a Christian agenda, homosexual agenda, environmentalist agenda, the result is the same: it serves only to reinforce those who already think like the artist and to reinforce in others the idea that this agenda is repulsive.
Since the purpose of any kind of art is to move hearts, then what's the point? One of the saddest things to me about Christian writing/music/art/drama is that so much of it is limited to preaching to the choir - which is fine if that is the only thing the artist wants to do. But any agenda-driven writer/artist is kidding himself if he thinks that kind of effort will win anyone to his cause. In fact, I'd say it only hardens hearts.
Christians often aren't even aware how much they exclude those who might be attracted to what we have to offer by our exclusionary language and attitudes - and very poor witness when it comes to living out the principles of generosity. Chris Rice has blogged on this subject here.
Two observations:
*The book of Esther makes absolutely no mention of God.
*Jesus taught in stories that would resonate with people and time during which he taught. Although he referred to scriptures occasionally, it was only when it made absolute sense - he certainly didn't scatter shot it at his listeners.
An artist does not need to be self-conscious as he creates. His worldview will pervade what he writes or draws or paints or sculpts. C. S. Lewis understood this when he wrote of his Narnia series:
Some people seem to think that I began by asking myself how I could say something about Christianity to children; then fixed on the fairy tale as an instrument; then collected information about child-psychology and decided what age-group I'd write for; then drew up a list of basic Christian truths and hammered out 'allegories' to embody them. This is all pure moonshine. I couldn't write in that way at all. Everything began with images; a faun carrying an umbrella, a queen on a sledge, a magnificent lion. At first there wasn't even anything Christian about them; that element pushed itself in of its own accord. It was part of the bubbling.
As you evaluate books and art and music for your children, then, I would urge you to choose masterpieces that represent a Christian worldview rather than limiting your children's cultural heritage to overtly Christian material which is too agenda-driven to constitute good art. Note I didn't say never to use such material - every parent has an agenda to reinforce (which is why we end up with books like Heather has Two Mommies), but God's truth is bigger than we can imagine.
Which is why Dickens' Christmas Carol has been part of our family's Christmas tradition for many years -a great example of the fact that a story does not have to be overtly Christian to make a spiritual point - in this case to illustrate the possibility and power of redemption in an individual life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
P. S. See Barbara's Picks for my favorite version
Posted in Art, Books, Christmas, Culture | Permalink
Comments
R. Innocenti's illustrated version is my favorite, too !
I love Dicken's Christmas Carol. As a child, only familiar with modern store hours, etc., it was always curious to me how Scrooge could find some store open on Christmas morning to buy the goose for the Cratchits. : )
Posted by: floorplan | December 5, 2005 9:48 AM
Amen, Barbara! I think that what you have so eloquently articulated is why I get so disgusted every time I walk into a Christian bookstore. God is the Author of all that is true, beautiful, and worthy. Sometimes He speaks His truth through a pagan, and sometimes He uses a Christian writing in a "secular" milieu. That is why I cannot read Christian formula fiction...and why I never read overly-moralistic "Christian" books to my kids. And it is why we read Homer and Virgil, and Greek myths, and Shakespeare, and many other classics in our homeschool. Of course, these are used with great care, and within the context of our Christian worldview, and always held up to the scrutiny of Scripture.
I am of the unshakeable opinion that everything Christians do should be excellent...since the "chief end of man" is to glorify God. One way we can glorify Him is to mimic, as best we can, His excellence in all things, including His word. I loved your observations about Esther and Jesus.
And we will be reading Dickens once more this Christmas as well! :)
Posted by: Kathy | December 5, 2005 2:55 PM
I agree whole-heartedly with you and Kathy. You said what ive been 'feeling' for a long time.
Posted by: paige | December 5, 2005 3:55 PM
Thank you for this!
In my college prof days, I used to assign my freshmen studio art students (at a Christian college) Franky Shaeffer (Addicted to Mediocrity) and Madeleine L'Engle (A Circle of Quiet) readings at some time during the first semester. Otherwise we just studied and practiced art. The kids who ended up majoring in art really seemed to get it, and created wonderful work that could stand on its own out in the world.
Posted by: Allie | December 7, 2005 12:51 AM
I'm loving all this, post and comments alike. I think good art comes from the sub-conscious, or to quote Robert Olen Butler, "from where you dream."
But too many Christians are afraid of that place, because they don't trust God's regenerating process to work even among their doubts and fears and sorrows and intuitions. They're afraid to let things simply "bubble up."
That's a faith issue, isn't it?
Posted by: Katy | December 7, 2005 12:37 PM
