Month: May 2008

This post is a follow-up to one posted a couple days ago.

The literary background of my readers has become clear. The only two who felt some inclination to respond admitted that it had been several centuries since they last read it.

My response to my correspondent’s angst concerning Crime and Punishment was quick but without a great deal of deep thought. I hope it is sufficient to keep her reading.

Uh-oh. Now I’m in trouble! Sorry you bought it. I could have lent it to you and you could have thrown it across the room and stomped on it.

I did not say that it was a feel good novel! You ought to notice, however, that what Raskolnikov had to do in order to justify the elimination of this ‘unworthy piece of humanity’ was to dehumanize her. He had to redefine her as a louse. (This you will recognize is the logic of the terrorist and the abortionist. Very relevant.) But he ends up dehumanizing himself, and whenever there seems to be a move towards real humanity arising from his soul, he stomps on it.

I’m not sure you will find him an appealing character ever. Redemption is only slight in this novel. But there is yet something sobering and helpful in seeing the humanity that exists in the poor and even the sinful –such as you will find in Sonya.

Anyway, if you read further and still find it troubling, please don’t take this out on me with an axe…

I’d still like to hear the responses of others who have read the book, or of those who have hesitated reading it.

A literary detonation is perhaps not as powerful as a nuclear one, but close!

I have mentioned now and then Dostoevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment in sermons. These mentions have been peripheral and slight, but I’ve made no secret that I find Dostoevsky fascinating. So, as it goes, sometimes someone will take me seriously. And that can get me in trouble. Today I received an e-mail (reprinted here by permission):

“Thanks so much for talking about ‘Crime and Punishment’ like it was a classic that needed to be read – I went out and bought it, and now I’m thoroughly disgusted and disturbed!  I’ve only made it to the crime part, where he just bashed in the heads of the mean pawnbroker and her poor simpering sister, and I haven’t cracked it since Monday.

”This better get better….“

Do I detect an ‘or else’ in that last statement? Yikes! I’m not sure now what she hasn’t ‘cracked since Monday’, but I appeal to her to stay away from axes!

I do understand her frustration. The ‘crime’ occurs about one-quarter into the book, and is very brutal and very senseless, but it is an act that is consistent with the philosophic presuppositions of the perpetrator. I did respond to her, but before I share my response, I’d like others of you to take a shot at doing so. I’d like to know what you think.

Technorati Tags: Literature

On Saturday night, the Saturday Night at the Movies crew in our house watched the 2004 movie Saved! in anticipation of discussing this on Sunday morning. I did not really want to watch it, but surprisingly (to me) I liked it.

I liked it for a couple reasons. First, I liked the way it exposed how silly some of our Christian behaviors can be or can appear to the outside world. I liked the foibles it exposed which prevent us from communicating clearly with the world. We can learn from such exposure.

And I think I liked the fact that those pilloried were far enough removed from my own particular slice of the Christian subculture that I could avoid feeling directly attacked and could feel superior to those who are closer to that segment. And seeing that in me hurts. I’m really no different than those mocked in the film. This sense of Christian superiority is the very thing which is exposed, and which I so easily fall into.

As a satire this movie worked, as satire is supposed to have exaggerated characters. But as I’ve reflected on it, I’m left with a couple of less than favorable impressions. The first is that satire of one’s subculture should come from those within the subculture itself. When satire comes from the outside, it can easily be seen as ridicule. I wonder if the producers of this film really intended it to be ridicule, and whether, therefore, we should be more offended than we are that someone would attack some of our own. (No matter how I want to distance myself from those exposed, they are Christians.)

My other concern is this: the film itself, in condemning the preachiness of conservative Christians, cannot avoid the same ‘crime’ of being ‘preachy’. The film ends with a ‘sermon’ about how God made us all different, and therefore we should all be accepted – gay/straight, able/disabled, Jew/Gentile. The only unacceptable difference are hypocritical preachy types. I wonder if the producers can see that they have skewered themselves with their own sword?

Not likely.

Technorati Tags: Movies

I am an emerging blogger.

No, not that kind of emerging. I am certainly not hip enough for that. Rather, I am emerging from under a pile of other stuff to actually compose a post for this blog. I’m doing this because 75% of my readers (that is, three of you) have urged me to do so.

I ceased posting simply because I could not find a time that could be slotted as ‘blog time’. I sense value in posting here. However, there are many things that are worthwhile for a pastor to do. There must be a slot in the schedule for this to happen, if it is going to happen. I’ve not been willing to bump other important things for this.

Part of the time crunch for me has been two of my children getting married in the past eight weeks. That has been something of a (happy!) distraction. But that is only part of the picture.

Some other things have peeled away and has freed up some slots of time, so here I am, back, emerging from the pile I’ve been under.

I will not be as diligent as my energetic colleague Geoff. I aim for at least one post per week, ordinarily on Monday. There will be some eager weeks which will have more, and there will be off weeks when there will be nothing. But if I can meet the small goal, perhaps the goal can be increased.

We’ll see. For those of you who missed this, thanks for the encouragement!

Technorati Tags: Blogging