MattGlover.com

My interns and I study Jesus (Christology) by looking at how he has been portrayed in the movies over the last 100 years or so, comparing the movie portrayals with our own idea of who he is. This practice often reveals our own prejudices about who he is and what he did and forces us to once again go back to the gospels. And that’s a good thing.

Anyway, over the last few years a new thing has emerged. From about the time of Mel’s The Passion of the Christ movies began to be marketed directly to the Christian community, as studios recognised the amount of money that could be made through movies with the right message. In that time, I personally have received posters, previews, study kits and the like for Luther and the more recent Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I’ve never asked to receive them - it is a direct marketing approach that seems to assume that if they can get the Pastor hooked, the congregation will follow!

My fear is that for the next little while, movies like the Last Temptation of Christ, Jesus of Montreal, Jesus Christ Superstar, the Book of Life and the like will be swamped in a sea of shallow, white-boy Jesus movies that aim to make me feel good about my idea of Jesus rather than challenge me to make it more real.

Yesterday, an interesting comment on this phenomenon was released on the internet by Rik Swartzwelder called The McPassion. Basically it is a funny take on what would happen if a corporate giant began to market directly to the Christian community in the same way as the movie studios are now doing. It’s a four minute movie that is available to watch for free for the 40(ish) days of Lent.

Watch The McPassion here.

Read director Benjamin Hershleder’s blog entries here and here.

I must admit that I laughed at a lot of it. But on reflection, found myself a little scared that something like this might actually happen! And if it does, how on earth would real mission ever be taken seriously in the western culture?

Rik has a great Q&A section on his website. His answer to “Why make this movie?” I have pasted below:

For the record, I’m a fan of both Christ himself and of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. Our short film is in no way intended as a parody of either Jesus or the brutal blockbuster that detailed his final hours. It’s important to say this because, even though The McPassion is only four minutes long, it’s already caused more division in my creative life than any other project I’ve ever worked on.

I openly confess: I’m a believer, man. Nowadays, of course, the label “Christian” is used by a lot of divisive factions that I may not agree with so I always get a little nervous when tossing my faith out there without the chance to clarify; so, in short, I fully embrace the redemption uniquely offered by the atoning sacrifice made by the Lamb of God and his message of love for the whole world. Further, I don’t think there is anything at all funny about his teachings, the beating he took, or the sins of humanity (past, present, and future) that gave, and continue to give, that beating purpose. As for Gibson’s remarkable film, I was shaken to my core and left the theatre after watching it with a far deeper appreciation of the text, ìby his stripes we’re healed.î I’m proud of the risk Gibson took in making that film and have incredible respect for him as an artist and storyteller.

All that said, I do believe that the increasing amount of church-directed marketing for entertainment products is fair game for parody and satire. Companies now exist for the sole purpose of telling Hollywood how to market their films to the “church crowd” and church members are routinely told by church leaders that it is their “Christian responsibility” to buy a particular inspirational or entertainment or both product (and that’s what we’re talking about here, products; many of which are generating big, big dollars). And it doesn’t matter if we’re talking traditional, mainline churches or hip, emergent, post-modern ones with ancient-future liturgy; it’s the same deal, only the pitch and packaging are different.
Rik has his point with the film. For me, first, it was an opportunity to make something funny. Very often comedy comes from the incongruous combination of elements; and smashing together fast food kiddie meals with The Passion of the Christ is about as incongruous as it gets.

Secondly, it was an opportunity to comment on commercialism. Companies of every kind go to great lengths to promote their products. In addition to cross-promotional tie-ins, like The McPassion parodies, there’s increased product placement in films and on television; plus there’s viral, guerrilla, and direct marketing, to name just a few. There’s nothing wrong with any of that, but the film raises the question, “When does marketing cross the line?”

Look, I’m no theologian, but whatever “the Gospel” is, I know this much – it’s free. No one ever has to buy another anything to get closer to God. Everywhere we turn these days, someone is selling us something. And as I understand it, the primary purpose of coming together as believers is to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed. Isn’t Jesus, in a sense, the product to end all products? Why can’t at least some of our gathering times be a sanctuary from commerce? Why can’t the church be the one place lost and hurting people can go to heal and seek shelter from financial exploitation? From being told their lives will remain incomplete without buying this book, this pill, this…one…more…thing? Sure, filmmakers will always have to advertise and shamelessly self-promote their works (like I’m painfully doing on this web site); it comes with the territory. But can’t we keep the P.T. Barnum in all of us where he belongs, on billboards and in TV commercials and out of sacraments and doxologies?

Watch it when you can and let me know what you think…