by Jelani Greenidge, Urban Faith Contributing Writer | Jun 3, 2014 | Entertainment, Jelani Greenidge |
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.'”
— Matthew 16:24-25, New International Version
“And why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour? For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you. And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those people of Ephesus—if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, ‘Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!'”
— 1 Corinthians 15:30-32, New Living Translation
“I hope tomorrow will bring / a better you, a better me”
— Siedah Garrett (lyricist), Tomorrow (A Better You, Better Me)
Thanks to the good people at Klout, I attended an advance screening of the Tom Cruise / Emily Blunt sci-fi action film “Edge of Tomorrow,” and what I found surprised me.
First, it was good. Like, really good. Plenty of good old-fashioned action, but smartly paced and edited, moderated by a delicious time-travel premise, and magnified by two AAA-grade performances by Blunt and Cruise. If “Groundhog Day” and “District 9″* ever hooked up, had a child, and then hired F. Gary Gray’s “Italian Job” remake to babysit on the weekends, that film would grow up to be “Edge of Tomorrow.”
So yes, I was surprised by how good it was. Mostly because prior to this film I had no experience watching Emily Blunt, and I haven’t been interested in Tom Cruise as an action hero since 2006’s “Mission Impossible III.”
What really surprised me, though, were the numerous spiritual parallels I picked up on as I watched the film. Not since “The Matrix” during my college years have I been so pleasantly surprised about the ways in which a film like this could underscore spiritual principles that are central to the Christian faith.
Now I recognize that there’s some confirmation bias here, that because being a Christian is such a pivotal part of my identity and it underscores everything that I do, that it’s not hard for me to find examples of belief in pieces of art or film-making where no such belief is intended, especially since some of these themes are not particularly exclusive to Christianity. Given that the film was adapted from the Japanese novel All You Need Is Kill, the more cynical among us might filter my interpretation through the popular axiom, “when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
So really, I get it. This is not a Christian film.
But man oh man, if the Apostle Paul was reviewing this film for Variety, his Rotten Tomatoes pull-quote would probably be something like, “I couldn’t have written it any better myself.”
More than any film I’ve seen in years, this action flick illustrates the difficult Christian principle of dying to self — first articulated by Jesus himself at the end of Matthew 16, then expounded upon by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15.
See, when we first meet the film’s protagonist, he’s in — forgive the pun — cruise control. Major Bill Cage is an officer in the United Defense Force, but he’s mostly just a glorified PR rep, doing interviews on major news stations describing the bravery and heroism of the soldiers battling against a fierce, alien menace. This persona is vintage Tom Cruise, cocky and charming, and he’s happy to serve as the mouthpiece of the battle — that is, until he’s asked to actually serve in the battle.
“On your feet, maggot.”
As a punishment for insubordination, Cage is sent into the front lines to fight, armed with a giant, bulky mechanical suit that he knows nothing about operating. And so, quite naturally, he dies.
Again, and again, and again.
See, upon dying on the battlefield, Cage wakes up again at the start of his day, and has to endure his unceremonious recruitment into the ragtag J squad all over again. Over and over, he keeps reliving the same day. Eventually he encounters Emily Blunt’s mysterious warrior character, who ends up explaining his predicament and guiding him through his quixotic journey. Eventually she trains him to kick enough ass for them to team up and save the world. (I’d say more, but y’know… spoilers.)
Now, the “save the world” part is the part we know and love in these kinds of action movies, but the soul of this film is in the training, in the living and dying and repeating, as the film’s tagline says. As a regular viewer of normal popcorn action fare, I found it delightful to see Tom Cruise eschew his normal unflinching action hero persona to play a guy who freaks the hell out at the sight of actual combat. Part of the pleasure that unfolds is seeing his gradual progression from frightened neophyte to hardened badass, one grisly demise at a time.
And yet, as I watched, I couldn’t help but feel a few dreaded pangs of conviction.
One of the things this film illustrates is that for some, there is a wide gulf of reality between simply talking about something and actually doing it. Cage was an expert at spouting cliches about heroism and bravery, but when it came time to actually strapping in and being brave, he was a grade-A noob.
As for me, I’m a worship leader by trade. It’s my job to stand onstage and lead, with words spoken, sung and accompanied by music, into the throne room of worship. It’s my job to know what to say, what to sing, and how to sing it or say it.
But how much am I living this thing out? How often am I singing worship songs outside of worship planning? How often do my heart and my actions lag behind my words and intentions?
I also write for a living. But how often do I read the Scripture aside from the next blog post or magazine article? How often do I feed myself from God’s living Word just because I need it, not because I need to show it to someone else?
These are the questions I would rather ignore, but unfortunately — and also, fortunately — they can’t be drowned out by THX sound design and the sound of crunching popcorn.
The central point of clarity for me came around the beginning of the second act, after Cage meets Emily Blunt’s super soldier Rita Vrataski. Cage, Vrataski and molecular biophysicist Dr. Carter (Noah Taylor) are holed in a room. Rita and Dr. Carter have just explained the situation to Cage, and, in an attempt to infuse a modicum of hope, tell him that he has the opportunity to change his situation and rid humanity of the alien infestation once and for all. All smiles, Cage says something along the lines of, “so how does this work?”
“You have to die,” she says, with neither compassion nor pity. (After all, she is Emily Blunt.)
Cage blanches immediately. Even before he recites his next line, you can see it all over his face. This is not what I signed up for. Waitaminute, I didn’t even sign up! I was unfairly railroaded into this! Why should I have to die so that others can live?
This is the crux of my predicament, day in and day out. And I know I’m not alone here.
As a Christian, dying to self is not simply a handy metaphor that references Christ’s death and resurrection. It is a daily call to yield our very lives in service to the One who gave up His on our behalf. It’s a challenge to walk, sometimes with blind, stumbling gait, into situations that often make us feel like we’re horribly mismatched, outgunned, and overwhelmed. It’s a willingness to fail repeatedly, sometimes even spectacularly, out of a sense of trust in a divine redeemer and friend whose love overcomes our desire for self-preservation.
It’s in realizing, like Paul Schneider in Lars and the Real Girl did, that taking his brother’s condition seriously and walking with him means that “people are going to make fun of him.”
“And you,” the therapist adds.
“Wait, what?”
This is what it means to die to yourself. So when you say yes to Jesus, this is what you’re saying yes to. This sounds like bad news, but in reality, it’s the best news ever.
It means that we don’t have to keep up with the rat race of success, we don’t have to strive 24/7 to be harder, better, faster, stronger — our success can instead be redefined into simply doing our best to follow Jesus wherever he leads. And it’s not that our dreams and goals are meaningless, but rather, precisely because they are so meaningful, we get to trust in the providence of the one who planted them in the first place.
Not only that, but as we endure difficult trials, we not only obtain a baseline level of wisdom that comes from experience, but we — like our heroes Bill and Rita — get the benefit of walking alongside a comfortable, trusted friend who provides guidance and direction. And when we fail and repent, we get to wake up the next day with a totally clean slate and a fresh well of mercy from which to draw.
So take heart and be of good cheer. And if you’re ready for a good time at the movies, go check out “Edge of Tomorrow,” which opens June 6th in theaters nationwide. Because its lesson is one we should all take to heart:
When it comes to the Christian life, dying is the only way to really live.
*I’ve found that most reviewers, when describing the mashup of style and tone go with “Starship Troopers” but that film had like zero gravitas, and it spent way too much time fetishizing the aliens.
by UrbanFaith Staff | Apr 7, 2014 | Entertainment, Feature |
c. 2014 Religion News Service
(RNS) The new “Noah” movie has everything you’d expect in a biblical blockbuster.
Big Hollywood stars. Extravagant special effects. An apocalyptic flood. There’s even a few rock monsters for good measure.
But the Rev. Wil Gafney sees something missing: a hint of ethnic diversity.
“In this version of Noah, black people do not exist,” she said.
While much of the conversation about the “Noah” film has focused on theology and the degree to which it strays from the biblical text, few people seem to notice the all-white cast, said Gafney, an Episcopal priest and associate professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.
That’s worrisome, she said, especially at a time when the United States is becoming more and more multiethic.
“I hoped that at least there would be some beige people in the movie,” she said. “But there was no one visibly of color.”
Add to that the so-called “Curse of Ham,” a troubling Bible passage from Genesis. It tells how Noah settled down after the flood and planted a vineyard. One night he got drunk and his son Ham saw him naked, a taboo in the ancient world.
Noah curses his son Ham, and Ham’s descendants, including his son Canaan. That Bible passage, also known as the “Curse of Canaan,” was originally understood to justify the subjection of the Canaanites to the Israelites. In later centuries, the narrative was interpreted as an explanation for black skin, and in the United States, as a biblical justification for slavery. White Christian slaveholders argued that Africans were descendants of Ham, and therefore cursed by God.
The new film strays from the Genesis account of the confrontation between Ham and Noah, said Gafney, so there’s no curse.
Instead, she said, the movie simply erases people of color from the story.
Efrem Smith, president of Los Angeles-based World Impact, a Christian nonprofit, and author of “The Post-Black and Post-White Church,” sees “Noah” as part of a pattern.
In the past, biblical epics such as the 1956 classic “The Ten Commandments” featured white actors playing Moses and Pharaoh. Smith said that he’d hoped for something more authentic in this movie.
“When it come to films on Bible stories and biblical figures, we are going back to the days of Charlton Heston,” he said.
Smith said he respects pastors that encourage people to see the film. But he wished they’d been a bit more critical of it, especially on the issue of race.
The Bible, he said, is the most multicultural piece of literature that most people will ever read. So a film about the Bible should reflect that diversity, he said.
But recent films about Bible characters, such as “Noah,” “Son of God,” and a planned version of the Exodus story starring Christian Bale, star white actors in leading roles.
Smith finds that disappointing.
“We need sensitivity from our evangelical brothers and sisters about how white images of Bible figures have impacted people of color in the past,” he said. “We are too comfortable with a white biblical narrative.”
Nashville, Tenn.-based writer and speaker Trillia Newbell, author of “United: Captured by God’s Vision for Diversity,” also was concerned about the lack of diversity in “Noah.”
Seeing Jesus or Noah or other biblical characters portrayed by white actors has consequences.
“It shapes how you read the Bible,” she said. “Every time you pick up the Bible, those are the images you see.”
The Rev. Enoch Fuzz of Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, said too many Christians don’t pay attention when it comes to diversity. It’s like a blind spot, he said.
“We want heaven to be a place of diversity — and then we don’t see it when it is missing here on earth,” said Fuzz.
Some of his pastor friends had encouraged him to see “Noah,” in hopes of getting people to talk about the Bible. But he’d decided to skip it, because of the lack of diversity in the cast.
Anthea Butler, a blogger and associate professor of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania, said the filmmakers seemed to treat the story of Noah more like a science fiction story such as “The Lord of the Rings” than a retelling of a biblical tale.
That may explain why the cast doesn’t fit the movie’s setting in the Middle East, she said.
But their casting decisions send a troubling message, she said.
“It’s a world where only white people get saved,” Butler said. “This doesn’t look like the world that God created.”
Butler suspects that filmmakers may have made a major marketing error.
A new report from the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture found that African-Americans are the most likely to read the Bible. So they care about Bible stories and may be turned off by this new “Noah” movie.
“Black women carry their Bibles around and read them all the time,” she said. “And they cannot see themselves in this movie.”
She had some advice for Hollywood producers looking for the next biblical blockbuster.
“If someone wants to make a ton of money right now, they should go out and remake ‘The Queen of Sheba.’”
Copyright 2014 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be reproduced without written permission.
by Nicole Symmonds, Urban Faith Contributing Writer | Mar 13, 2014 | Entertainment, Feature, Headline News |
Yesterday afternoon I reached out to one of our contributing writers, Alisha Gordon, to see if she was planning to see Tyler Perry’s latest film, “The Single Moms Club.” “Not with my own money,” she replied. I expected this response. Gordon is a single mother and a graduate student who is increasingly weary of how Tyler Perry tells women’s stories. Her and I continued to talk about why she wouldn’t be paying to see the movie and I came to the realization that Perry might have missed out on a big marketing opportunity in not explicitly targeting single mothers. Not marketing that increases their consumption by way of paying for his movie, but marketing that shows his concern for the plight of many single moms by sponsoring a “Single Moms Night Out.” After all, Perry stands to make plenty of money from the story of single mothers, so why shouldn’t some of the proceeds go toward actual single mothers by way of giving them a space to release and celebrate just as the characters in his movie will inevitably do?
Given this I scoured Perry’s Twitter feed and the Internet to see if he was already on top of it. Alas no theatres were rented out and no contest was launched to celebrate single moms in a tangible way. Perry speaks of honoring the lives of single moms but what about honoring the daily lived experience of single moms? The single moms who want to see his movie but can’t afford it? Or the ones who have been struggling in isolation with raising a child because her community has cast her to the margins? How could a man benefit from the story of single mothers–including the single mother who raised him–without tangibly giving back to that very community? With that I said to the writer, “I wonder if Perry would consider paying for single mothers to see it.” She challenged me to tweet Tyler Perry and we hope that the rest will be social media history.
I want every single mom on Twitter to tweet @tylerperry and ask him to sponsor a single moms night out to see this movie.
This yielded Gordon, others who are single moms, and even a couple of men who aren’t even single parents sending tweets to Tyler Perry asking him to sponsor a “Single Moms Night Out.” Gordon also sent a widely shared open status message to Tyler Perry on Facebook that read as follows,
Hi, Tyler Perry!
I was wondering: what if you sponsored single moms to see your film #SingleMomsClub this weekend? It would be quite the gesture. I mean, you ARE telling OUR story, right?
Most single moms I know are on a fixed income and spending $15 at the movie theater (plus $ for a baby sitter) is far-fetched and hard to come by.
Yet, you stand to earn millions of dollars off of the stories of women who are often marginalized and ostracized in society.
Single moms live and find rest in the margins — margins that limit and oppress and restrict and constantly remind you of your decision to carry and birth a life you may or may not have been prepared to care for.
In those same margins, the community comes to offer support and guidance as we collectively raise sons and daughters.
You are telling some version of this story (and getting paid well to do so.) Of course, a comp movie ticket to your local theater isn’t justification nor does it placate the need for more in-depth conversation about single parenthood.
[But what it does is not call for the marginalized women whose story you are attempting to tell PAY INTO seeing their story told.]
So, what say you, Tyler? Got a little room to offer your biggest supporters the opportunity to see their story told sans reaching into their pocketbooks?
This post is public, so I’m looking forward to getting the “like” notification from you soon!
Sincerely,
Alisha Gordon
In doing this, our hope is that many single moms and supporters of single moms will flood Tyler Perry’s Twitter feed and Facebook feed with requests to sponsor a “Single Moms Night Out.” We hope that it will create a groundswell that he can’t deny and it will force him to truly honor the women whose stories he dares to tell and to profit from. We know that there are certainly other and better ways Perry can help through programming and advocacy that supports single mothers, but that is another post for another day.
So what do you think, should Tyler Perry sponsor a #singlemomsnightout so that real single moms can see his new film “Single Moms Club?” If so, join the campaign and tweet @tylerperry to encourage him to do so. If not, tell us why. Either way, we hope you’ll join the discussion.
by Nicole Symmonds, Urban Faith Contributing Writer | Mar 10, 2014 | Entertainment, Feature, Headline News |
Here we are, not even a week into Lent, and we are already being faced with the mysterious reality of resurrection, faith and doubt. This is what ABC led many to with the Sunday premiere of “Resurrection.” Based on the debut novel “The Returned” by Jason Mott, Resurrection is about the dead returning to life. This is no, “And on the third day he rose again,” story though. The people on Resurrection, such as 8-year-old Jacob—the first to be resurrected, have been gone for a long time. Jacob was dead for 32 years before coming back to life in a rice paddy in China and finding his way to his aging parents doorstep with the help of immigration office J. Martin Bellamy—played by Omar Epps. The locus of these resurrection stories is Arcadia, Missouri, a town that at once seems small and sleepy but is really full of secrets and sadness. We don’t know why Jacob and others are coming back to life—rest assured this is also not a zombie apocalypse story—nor do we know who is responsible for these resurrections—there is no hint that it’s a God thing, but what we discover is resurrection changes everything and creates questions.
A moment of contemplating the possibility of resurrection is shattered when loved ones are faced with the full-bodied presence of their loved ones. Existential questions may remain but empirical evidence requires their full attention. When the un-aged Jacob lands on his parent’s doorstep and asks his father Henry Langston, “What’s red and green and goes a million miles an hour?” “A frog in a blender,” his father answers without a second thought and in an instant he is hit by the realization that this could really be his son standing before him. Yet and still the question of whether this is truly possibly is thick in the air. One of the most emotional moments of the show was when Jacob’s mother reached out to touch her son for the first time. With slightly trembling hands hovering over Jacob’s head, Lucille Langston stood as one in disbelief until she touched him. She was an embodiment of Thomas the disciple who didn’t want to believe Jesus had risen unless, “I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side” (John 20:25). My comparing Jacob’s mother to doubting Thomas is probably just the occupational hazard of a former seminarian and forever theology nerd but the show offers up other moments of explicit theological and philosophical reflections.
Jacob’s story connects to several people in Arcadia including Pastor Tom Hale who was his childhood friend. As you can imagine, Jacob’s appearance sends Pastor Hale into a sort of crisis of faith and he begins to wonder how he can go from preaching the miracles of God to believing in the miracle as manifested through Jacob. Pastor Hale’s wife gives him wise counsel by telling him that his job is not to have all of the answers but to be there to comfort people who have questions. As a resurrected Jacob walks into the church, Pastor Hale invokes his wife’s words of wisdom and the spirit of Anselm’s “faith seeking understanding” by telling his congregation that faith is in asking questions not knowing answers. This is how resurrection changes everything.
During my last semester of theology school in a class on Howard Thurman, my professor polled the class and on what we believe is essential to the Christian faith. Some of the essentials we listed as a class: belief in Christ, incarnation of Christ, acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, faith, and, of course, the bodily resurrection. After this non-comprehensive list was formed my professor went back through and polled the class on each essential asking by a show of hands to respond to whether or not these were indeed essentials. Once he got to the question of the bodily resurrection, I was one of six students—in a class of 20 or so—to affirm that belief in the bodily resurrection is essential to the Christian faith. For this my professor put me in the hot seat. “Why do you think belief in the bodily resurrection is essential to the Christian faith?” My professor asked me in front of my fellow students. I was nervous and I spouted a bunch of answers of why it makes sense to me, until he asked me if it is a requirement for everyone to believe. I was asked this question about this time last year, we were also in the midst of Lent already talking about resurrection and I ended my response with a question, “Why wouldn’t you believe in the bodily resurrection if you are acknowledging this liturgical season?” I couldn’t see how most of my classmates would give up in believing in the bodily resurrection that fulfills Jesus’ own words of, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). But the basis of our entire “essentials of Christian faith” discussion was about people coming together to question what it is they believe and even to formulate answers that produce more questions. There was power in the questions and even in some of the answers.
Most of us, if we are willing to admit it, live in a space somewhere between faith and doubt but we shrug doubt off. We’ve been taught that to doubt is to border on unbelief. But to doubt, from time to time, is a part of faith. Theologian Paul Tillich said, “If doubt appears, it should not be considered as the negation of faith, but as an element which was always and will always be present in the act of faith. Existential doubt and faith are poles of the same reality, the state of ultimate concern.” To put it plainly, and in the context of the show Resurrection, to doubt while holding on to your belief in the God of miracles or in the miracle itself is not to withdraw from faith but to exercise faith all the more. It takes a measure of faith to move through doubt. Resurrection, while not a show explicitly about faith, has something to show people of faith about living in the tension of faith and doubt. The characters who are witnessing their loved ones come back to life own the doubt they are experiencing, but they also have enough faith to make the miracle of a resurrection seem more probable than possible.
by UrbanFaith Staff | Jan 30, 2014 | Entertainment |
“I been thinking…I been thinking…”
It seems everybody’s talking about Beyonce…everybody but the church. Or should I say, “Most of the church ain’t talking out loud about her.” Ever since her self-titled album dropped last winter, no Twitter or news feed has been the same. I, for one, recognize the “BEASTNESS” of her team–they all got a team folks–in the stellar release of her non-promoted album. As a woman entrepreneur, there is so much to learn about marketing but her presence was more than a Business 101 course. Like many who watched the opening of the Grammy Awards, I had 50 million thoughts when I saw Beyonce’s backside to the audience, sitting in squat position, in a leotard-ish, thongish, very sexy ensemble–if I had a husband, I’d get two. I cheered when I heard the beat. I cheered at everyone staring at a black women–although we have been accustom to screaming for her for quite some time now. I cheered because in a few short moments, she was going to be joined by her big-lipped, Brooklyn-bred mogul of a husband and, in many ways, Jay-Z and Beyonce have become the current pop-culture model of black love and matrimony. BLACKNESS, in the Nina Simone sense of the word, was about to grace the stage. But, I was also thinking, “I hope the kids of the world are asleep,” and I was wondering “If I had a husband, would I want to be sitting next to him right now? Or would he be banned from watching?. And you ministers, are Y’ALL watching this? Can I be a fly in the corners of your brain right now? She bad…Don’t deny it.”
And without skipping a beat, the industry of Beyonce-journalism ensued. Praises of her boldness, her dress, her wet hair–actually, there were mixed reviews on the hair, her fingers adorned with $10 million worth of diamonds…no inch of her body or life was untouched in the fray of critiques. Even the usual background noise of MSNBC in my studio/office was buzzing about her opening act. But again, I realized “No one is really addressing what’s in my head. Like why aren’t we–the bold, the fabulous, the saved–also chiming in with our thoughts?” I shrugged, thinking maybe it’s just me. Maybe I am the only one who both adores the person of Beyonce and at times, even in the midst of adoration, am convicted of entertaining certain things that my spirit tells me are flat out not of God. At other times, I unapologetically declare “Nah, she’s playing with fire.”
Now, in all fairness, all the pews ain’t been silent. The article “Church Girls Love Beyonce” comes to mind, as the author explored the void Beyonce fills in the lack of open discussion about Black sensuality and sexuality from a woman’s perspective. And Washington Post writer and Founder of faith and social platform, UrbanCusp.com, Rahiel Tesfamariam–while not directly from a church perspective–did provide some thought provoking commentary about “feminism” after the release of Beyonce’s “Bow Down/I Been On.” But even among all the articles about how much she liberates women–or doesn’t; on how she embraces the full desires of many women–to be successful, have a child, and a husband–who does not mind other husbands wishing she was their wife; and how she slaps all those uncomfortable with seeing the bare curves of black women, in a society that has done a great job of over-sexualizing black women since our arrival to this country–we, as a collective, as the church, are silent in the public eye. And I, for one, am confused about why that is so?
Is it because we don’t know how to critically discuss her without bashing her? Or are we afraid of the backlash from others that assume that’s what our intent is?
Is she untouchable because she is married? Is marriage the new invisible cloak, like in Harry Potter?
Or is it because we don’t know which angle to discuss her?
Or is it because her team is–at least perceptually–so powerful that even the conversation requires you to do 20 pushups, run 15 laps, and go through several games of Sodoku to mentally prepare for the marathon back and forth with “Stans”?
Or are we afraid of what the next church member is gonna think about us, or say to us, when we admit that some songs are flat out “too much” but at the right time, help us out on the treadmill?
Or are we just being “polite,” because the church should not be “judging” anyone and their actions any way (Ify note: We got this whole judging thing CONFUSED! Judging is not a sin; in fact, those who are spiritual must judge character–through a spiritual lens, not a personal one–in order to make right decisions. And, yes, we too must be prepared to be judged…as expected. Check out a couple references and we can talk about it later Malachi 3:18; Psalm 37:30; Amos 5:14-15; Isaiah 59:8…I can go on and on; “judge” is only used 700 times in the Bible. Back to the rant-programming.)
So you don’t talk about Bey? Oh…well I do. I talk about Beyonce’s songs, moves, outfits. I raise my hand high and admit that I am conflicted by the various levels of power her lyrics embrace–some empowering, and some, self-indulging. And unlike many, who like to chalk things up to “well, that’s just music…ain’t nothing behind it,” I have always treated musicians as serious professionals and have written about it previously–because I, too, am an artist and I’m sensitive about my work. I do not think things “just happen” or are “just done.” I don’t think Bey (and her team) want people to think that either, even though I think much of her brand (which the world has bought) is that she is a grown woman and she can do WHATEVER she wants.
I talk about Beyonce because she is worth discussing. I have no desire to bash her as a person, but I am open to hearing about her public portrayal, its influence, and its impact. And because everyone else has no problem analyzing her (but God-forbid, we say something and the church become a house full of haters, right? Sigh.). As part of my ministry revolves around youth and young adults, I think it is very important for me to be in the world, as we are called to be, and GET IN IT! God could have easily called us to move to a separate island and refuse to co-exist with these “heathens” until the day of Jesus’ return. We could have been called to keep our mouths shut and live our simple potpourri lives of salvation, without ruffling any feathers, but we weren’t. We are here, and we are supposed to be seen.
With that being said, don’t hate Bey…thank Bey!
Thank her that she gave y’all sermons for DAYS! Thank her because she challenges us to think about our theology around sexuality, marriage, and success. Thank her because she lyrically throws out references that–while fun for a grown married woman–have very different consequences for a 14-yr old teen (i.e. surfboard). Thank her because we must NOW talk about the complexities of feminism, and whether the church thinks it is worth reinventing how we discuss the empowerment of women–not just in the boardroom but in the bedroom. Thank her for giving you that “Bow Down” sermon (because my Lord IS the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and the 1st Commandment ain’t nothing to mess with!). Thank her for that “Flawless” sermon (because truth be told, we are all like earthly, easily broken vessels, enter II Corinthians 4:7). And please thank her for that Matthew 5:28 lesson…you know…the one that says “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (And the urban amplified version would add: REGARDLESS OF IF YOUR HUSBAND IS COOL WITH IT.) And if you think it is not influencing the way people think: look at all the reality shows that now have no problems showing married men meeting their other married men-pals…at the strip club. Bey is NOT a stripper, but she is coveted—I am sure—by SEVERAL married men, which has resulted in many women adopting the mentality that it is ok for their men to “look but don’t touch.” And it actually has many believing that a marriage remains “healthy” that way. That is out of order, and it’s only 2014. What are our youth going to accept when they get married in 15-20 years? Are we just cool with that? (There’s your other sermon). Take note that I am not critiquing what Beyonce believes–just what she wants us to believe, and I think it’s time to thank her for giving us so much to talk about.
Don’t be “scurred” of the BeyHive. All discussions are not from a stance of hate, but from a desire to seek truth. And we all should learn how to talk, respect dissent, and evolve. I don’t have all the answers but I do know this: Her platform is to be respected. So give it its respect and let the church say whatever it needs to say! There are too many opportunities to explore, and possibly too much at stake, to remain on the sidelines. Write that sermon!
Ify Ike is a former Capitol Hill advisor and counsel, with experience on a variety of social justice issues. She is an original blogger of the faith-blog “The Bold and Fabulous,” founder of the policy and communications firm, Ike Professionals, LLC, and has assisted numerous ministries in program creation, youth outreach efforts, community service, and natural disaster relief. At least once a day, you can find her in a debate about politics or religion.
by Jacqueline J. Holness | Jan 16, 2014 | Entertainment, Feature, Headline News |
No doubt about it. In the R&B and Pop music world, 2013 was the year of Beyoncé. From singing/lip-synching the national anthem at the 2013 inauguration of President Obama and delivering a Super Bowl performance so fierce that all the lights went out in the stadium, to releasing her HBO documentary “Life Is But a Dream,” to a record-breaking viewership, dazzling fans worldwide with her “Mrs. Carter Show World Tour” and dropping her visual album “Beyoncé” online in the middle of the night to the delight of her fans in December, Beyonce did that. In fact, her influence has grown so much that the superstar is sparking conversations/controversies in other worlds.
Most recently, Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, a conservative Christian advocacy group, took notice of Beyoncé. The AFA chastised her for posting an Instagram photo in which she positions herself in front of Jesus in Andy Warhol’s “Last Supper” mural–pictured above. In a statement to The Christian Post, Wildmon said, “Is nothing sacred anymore? This is clearly an act of disrespect towards Jesus Christ, whom Beyoncé covers up with her pose. This had to be done intentionally.”
Instagram users had various reactions. According to a Washington Times article, one user said, “Looks like the Last Supper, instead of Jesus its Beyoncé. Ummm epic fail boo. Jesus Christ is my savior, not you. Besides that, I love Beyoncé, but you will never be God.” Still other users said, “Praise Beyoncé” and donned her “Beysus.”
This controversy is on the heels of an apology Mrs. Carter issued to the families of the seven astronauts who perished in the space shuttle Challenger explosion on Jan. 28, 1986. In a song entitled “XO” a single off her new album, Beyonce used audio heard just before the explosion. At the beginning of the song, the words, “Flight controllers here looking very carefully at the situation. Obviously a major malfunction,” spoken by then NASA public affairs officer Steve Nesbitt. Shuttle commander Dick Scobee’s widow June Scobee Rodgers was reportedly “disappointed” with the audio’s use in the song. NASA is also displeased. Billboard reported NASA’s statement to The Hollywood Reporter, “The Challenger accident is an important part of our history, a tragic reminder that space exploration is risky and should never be trivialized.”
In a statement reported by ABC News, Beyoncé said, “My heart goes out to the families of those lost in the Challenger disaster. The song ‘XO’ was recorded with the sincerest intention to help heal those who have lost loved ones and to remind us that unexpected things happen, so love and appreciate every minute that you have with those who mean the most to you.” She was right to apologize to the families lost in the shuttle explosion, as the audio seems melodramatic juxtaposed to the whimsy expressed in the song and the video—the song being about the euphoric feeling of love and the video showing Beyonce and a large entourage traipsing around Brooklyn’s historic amusement park Coney Island. While her heart went out and apologies were issued to those affected by the Challenger disaster, Beyonce issued no apologies to those affected by her actions in Christian community–a community that she claims to be a part of. She referenced Jesus in her HBO documentary “Life Is But a Dream” and thanks Jesus for her blessings, but then she covers Him in a photo and posts it for all her followers to see with no remorse? I’m not judging, but I’m just sayin’.
Feminists have also been in an uproar about Beyoncé’s latest album. Some say she’s the face of modern feminism or the premier feminist for millennials. In her TIME magazine article “Flawless: 5 Lessons in Modern Feminism From Beyoncé,” Eliana Docketerman wrote, “Beyoncé has managed to become the biggest female pop star in the world while cultivating her marriage, her role as a mother, and her sexuality. And in doing so, she’s ushering in a new wave of feminism.”
But Beyoncé’s brand of feminism also has its detractors. Julia Sonenshein, contributing editor at theGloss.com who wrote the article Why White Feminists Are Mad At Beyoncé, told theGrio.com that, “White feminists tend to critique Beyoncé first and foremost for the way she uses her sexuality as a tool. White feminists also tend to criticize her attitude towards wealth and materialism, along with her bravado and confidence. While there is certainly room for criticism, and major figures like Beyoncé should be criticized, these particular conversations tend to approach any analysis from a very white point of view, and don’t consider how the themes of sexuality, wealth, and confidence differ across communities.” Although, getting nearly naked at every opportunity is so Josephine Baker...
And top it all off, Mrs. Carter, who is also known as King B, seems to be a good friend of Mrs. Obama, who has provoked the ire of feminists all by herself. In the Politico Magazine article, “Leaning Out: How Michelle Obama Became a Feminist Nightmare,” Michelle Cottle criticized our First Lady for neglecting to address more pressing issues in order to champion gardening, soothe wounded soldiers and read to children.
With Michelle’s Obama 50th party around the corner, Washington Post writer Krissah Thompson speculates that Beyoncé will be in the house. In her article, “Michelle Obama and Beyoncé: Friends and feminists?” Thompson said, “The public statements and choices made by Michelle Obama and Beyoncé represent a specific feminist strain of thinking on women, work and family, students of feminism say, that could rightly be called Beyoncéism.” Some may criticize the First Lady’s admiration of Beyoncé, and I get that. But in a strange way, I think it’s kind of cool that a First Lady would be friends with a (sometimes) controversial superstar. I can’t see former First Lady Laura Bush getting down with Lady Gaga.
As a pop culture enthusiast, there is no doubt that Beyoncé should be lauded for her unstoppable work ethic. I think she offers good if not controversial music.. I even admire her unique brand of feminism. Her life provides a positive image of a successful career, a marriage and motherhood to counteract the increasing acceptance of the baby mama/baby daddy culture. Her example may even have some value for women in the black church who still struggle for equality in leadership.
But as the Instagram user noted, Beyoncé nor King B is my savior and should not be made an idol, and sometimes I believe her fan base falls prey to that temptation. (I’m readying myself for the Beyhive as I type.) Her Instagram photo makes me question her motives, but maybe her motives are as simple as keeping her name in the media. As someone once said, “all publicity is good publicity.” However, I hope Beyoncé, if she truly professes a belief in Jesus Christ, does not make such publicity, which is ill-advised at best and sacrilegious at worst, a habit.
