By: Curtis Baker
C. S. Lewis once wrote a great critique of the modern obsession with sexuality. He asked his readers to imagine a theatre full of people. On stage, under the illumination of a single spotlight is a small table with a covered silver dish.. At an appropriate time, someone comes to lift the dish, revealing a deliciously prepared meal. As the cover is slowly pulled off with a clear purpose to entice, the crowd’s attention is drawn in. The payoff comes when the full meal is exposed, allowing the alluring scent to make their way through the auditorium.
This would obviously be a silly scene, but C. S. Lewis points out if someone were to come from another country and see the residents of this foreign land engaged in such strange practices there is no doubt the person would observe that the appetite for food had gone seriously wrong.
The obvious allusion is to what has happened with the modern preoccupation with sex.
There is no doubt that sex sells, and with the opening numbers of this weekend’s Fifty Shades of Grey blockbuster, one can easily see how Lewis’ analogy applies to the big screen. However, what has been fascinating to me is the outcry that has come from the evangelical community about this movie, while almost complete silence about movies that exult other such vices (and ones that C. S. Lewis would argue are far more dangerous to the human soul).
Take for example another recently controversial movie, American Sniper. There has been no lack of criticism based on this movie’s portrayal of Chris Kyle, a sniper who claims the highest amount of known kills in U.S. history, but very little (if any) of that criticism has come from the church. As a matter of fact, I don’t think it would be an understatement to say that the evangelical community has largely driven the sales of this movie. But which movie is more morally subversive to your soul?
Hands down, I think American Sniper wins the award, and here is why. If a person was to go see Fifty Shades of Grey with their spouse, two things are likely to happen. First, you are going to see a movie that is clearly fiction, and presents itself as such. Anyone with a healthy mind knows the story line of an innocent young girl overcoming the addictions of a sexually abusive man only happens in the gilded screens of Hollywood. A person will likely be turned on by what they see, and will be reminded that their bodies are a sensual wonderland when explored, but for the most part, other than a robust loving making session with their spouse later that evening, very little is likely to come of it. That is assuming of course, that a person is happily married and not sexually addicted or abused. That would be a different story altogether. Wisdom is needed here.
But what happens when you watch American Sniper? Rather than being clearly fictive, as Fifty Shades of Grey is, American Sniper presents itself as a true story, based on supposed facts, and is clearly made with the agenda of making you feel a certain way. How will you feel coming out of American Sniper? I would suggest several things. First, you will feel anger toward Iraqis and other Arabs who have killed and maimed our fellow soldiers over there, without any understanding of the complexity of why they are fighting back. Then you will feel an intensive emotion of pride, as your jingoism is provoked in a militaristic sort of nationalism. Add to that the reinforced false ideas that the invasion of Iraq had anything to do with 9-11, and the “if we don’t fight them there, we will have to fight them here” mentality, a person will walk out of American Sniper with anger, pride, and mistaken ideas deeply provoked.
That mentality, unless purposively countered, will not fade easily. C. S. Lewis makes another important observation here. Pride and anger are the truly dangerous sins. Sexual sins have consequences, and they should not be played down…but never the destructive effects of pride and anger, especially when combined with nationalism. Have we forgotten the lessons of World War II?
So when you put the two side by side, which is more corruptive to the soul? It seems obvious to me…and yet the church is overwhelmingly loud against one, and eerily silent about the other. Which movie should you see? Probably neither…but if you have to choose one, see Fifty Shades of Grey and enjoy a good love making session with your spouse. The lowered blood pressure will do you a world of more good than the provocation and anger of American Sniper.
curtisbaker@hotmail.com)
Write to: P.O. Box 157, Slaton, TX 79364
I have yet to see either movie but I don’t quite see your point of view on Fifty Shades. You state that husbands and wives should go see it together. The reality of it is that 68% of movie goers are women and not many are going with their spouses if they are married. 32% are men and many are not going with their spouses if they are married. This is a movie about people’s preoccupation with sex. With that also comes much moral subversion to people’s souls. This is why pornography is in such high demand. There are also sex crimes such as rape and abortion that result from sexual focus. Promiscuity seems to be ok in our society. That’s why the Christian community is upset about it. On the other hand, the reason you hear more about the movie, American Sniper, is purely political driven by main stream media. You will always hear about Republicans versus Democrats and conservatives versus liberals. So I guess it’s where you stand on both movie issues, religiously or politically, will determine where you stand on either movie.
I can’t help but wonder if you might be offering advice based upon some bad assumptions about the content of Fifty Shades. Fifty Shades isn’t about sex – it’s about abuse. It isn’t even about kinky or edgy sex, but rather about non-consensual sexual abuse facilitated by substance abuse that even the BDSM community’s talking heads reject.
Thank you, though, for calling us to question why we rant against one sin and embrace another. We don’t have to choose between two evils, and should instead stick with Saint Paul’s advice:
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
http://biblehub.com/philippians/4-8.htm
Joseph,
Thanks for your reply. I am sorry I only saw it now. The admonition to go see Fifty Shades is tongue-in-cheek. At the end of the article I say, “which one should you see? Probably neither…but if you have to choose one…” That is the tongue-in-cheek part; you obviously don’t have to choose one. I using it in a provocative way to point to something that is going mostly unseen among Christians, which is a rise in nationalism. This is not only happening here, but around the world: Ukraine, Russia, Greece, Europe, and in various ways in the Middle East. This is a great danger that few are paying attention to, at least not in a vocal public sort of way (other than politico types). As a matter of fact, many Christians are being pulled right into it. Sex is a fairly easy target (and of course, one we should pay attention to). But the devil always masquerades as an angel of light. 50 Shades of Grey is obvious darkness. It doesn’t take much moral sense to see that. But Europe wasn’t flattened twice in the 20th century of promiscuity. It was nationalistic pride–especially one that too easily combines God and Country. It takes a more careful moral reasoning to see the same things are alive and well today, including here. This is simply an article to try in my own little way to say, “pay attention to what is happening.” Not all sins are happening below the waist.