A concept that I've bandied about here before but not really expanded on is what I've come to call "differential authority." Many Christians have been taught to believe that the Bible is essentially a univocal monoculture. Every single word of scripture is the literally inerrant and infallible Word of God, and as such has equal authority in guiding the life of the believer. From such a perspective, there are no meaningful differences of opinion in Scripture. From such a perspective, there can also be no qualitative distinctions between texts, so the gentle beauty and gracious comfort of Psalm 23 is considered of equal value as the call for baby-smashing revenge in Psalm 137. It's all God's Word. It's all good.
Yet this perspective seems to strip all discernment from our engagement with Scripture. Claiming that things are equally filled with grace when they are quite evidently not does not seem to indicate a grasp of what is good.
To put this another way, let's look at all things Star Wars for a moment. It's been more than thirty years since I lined up outside State Theater in Falls Church to watch that generationally defining flick. I'm not a hardcore fan by any stretch of the imagination, although I am fascinated at the staying power of the franchise. My sons are deeply into it, as much so as I was at their age. They're going trick-or-treating as Jango Fett and a Clone Trooper this year, as were literally hundreds of the kids at the National Zoo "Boo at the Zoo" fundraiser we attended last night. A fair number of adults are also pretty deeply into it still, from the folks who produce fan literature to the brigade of fully armored Stormtroopers from the 501st Legion who marched ahead of my kids Scout Pack in our town parade. Hey...don't go hatin'. It's fun. Everybody needs a hobby.
But even among the most hardcore circles, there's a recognition of qualitative difference in the Lucas canon. On the one hand, you have moments that are close to being genuinely iconic, like watching the twin suns set over the desert as John William's soaring score evokes all of the yearning hopes of frustrated early adulthood. There's Gennady Tartakovsky's marvelous collection of short animated films, which have a spare yet dynamic visual style and a surprising level of gravitas.
On the other, the franchise has produced some of the most impossibly wretched mediocrity ever to force it's way into your sensorium. I'm not talking Jar Jar here, people, or the apparent inability of Lucas to wring an authentic moment out of even the most talented of actors. There are abominations far worse than that. Have a look-see at this singularly appalling compilation of moments from the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special, which twists like a Mandalorian vibroblade in the hearts of fanboys everywhere:
I showed this to my boys the other day, and they writhed and howled with a mixture of pain and glee. When Leia started singing, all bets were off.
Only people who are under the age of six...my boys are not...or who smoke way, way too much marijuana aren't able to tell the difference between what is good and what just...ain't. It's a matter of discernment.
Why this seems to elude a substantial plurality of Christendom is beyond me.
That was awesome that I made the George Lucas comment (though I was spurred on by your 1138 number; which really betrays the depths of my neyrd-dom) happend at the same time you composed this message.
Oh. Oh my. I have not seen the Star Wars holiday special...that was so bad.
I had to stop after a minute to stop my brain exploding;
Different parts of teh Bible do have different meanings and different intentions and can be applei in different ways, i nteh context fo each other. I've never met a Christian who doens't say that. But that's different from saying that some are good and some not, because it's all God's Word, so it's all absolutely good, and no one has any right to say otherwise.
RYC- THX1138 is a great movie...and I might say better than Star Wars; (even though Starwars will ALWAYS be in my heartmuscle...evoWOOKIEE...which coinsedentally was actually coined in THX 1138) And more socially pertenent.
Comments (6)
Nifty.
That was awesome that I made the George Lucas comment (though I was spurred on by your 1138 number; which really betrays the depths of my neyrd-dom) happend at the same time you composed this message.
I had to stop after a minute to stop my brain exploding;
Different parts of teh Bible do have different meanings and different intentions and can be applei in different ways, i nteh context fo each other. I've never met a Christian who doens't say that. But that's different from saying that some are good and some not, because it's all God's Word, so it's all absolutely good, and no one has any right to say otherwise.
RYC- THX1138 is a great movie...and I might say better than Star Wars; (even though Starwars will ALWAYS be in my heartmuscle...evoWOOKIEE...which coinsedentally was actually coined in THX 1138) And more socially pertenent.
Thanks for the comment!
good grief, what was that?!