THE STORIES WE TELL
How TV and Movies Long For and Echo
the Truth
By Mike Cosper
Crossway. 236 pages. £10.54
ISBN 978 1 433 537 080
This book sets out a helpful approach to how to watch films and TV for Christians and comes highly recommended in a foreword by Tim Keller.
The thesis of Mike Cosper’s work is that although the people of this world tell may different stories, they all reflect in some measure the one true and all embracing narrative of God’s salvation history: creation, fall, redemption and consummation.
The true identity of human beings is that we are made in the image of God. As fallen image-bearers the tales we tell tend to ‘reveal the deep longing of the human heart for redemption from sin, for a life that is meaningful and for love that lasts’, mixed alongside a dark concern to hide from God.
The author explains how this works as he takes us on a grand tour of (mostly American) contemporary film and TV. The chapters are divided into different genres of film. Movies like Avatar, The Last Samurai and Dances with Wolves present us with idyllic worlds that collapse when invaded by outsiders. Such stories echo memories of Eden, where an intruder destroyed something pure and unspoiled. TV series like Madmen and The Wire delineate the complexity and damage of sin to the human soul and the frustration of living in a fallen world.
Redemptive violence?
Horror films show us that indeed dark forces are at work in the world and they tend to coincide with the darkness at work within each one of us. The devil prowls like a lion seeking opportunity to work in concert with the evil in men’s hearts. Films like True Grit, in which a 14-year-old girl hires Marshall Rooster Cogburn to search for her father’s killer, reflect the deep-seated desire for justice within each one of us – here it is pursued through redemptive violence.
But at the same time there is an acknowledgement that we cannot redeem ourselves and so we love stories of heros and heroines who act as saviours. The messianic figures in The Hunger Games, Star Wars, Harry Potter and The Lord of The Rings all follow a similar storyline to that of the true Saviour, the Lord Jesus. They are called, tried and tested, move into the darkness, overcome and reach home again.
Reality TV
Even reality TV has much to say about our true identity. We look for that five minutes of fame because we were actually made for glory – but a very different kind of glory from that which the world has on offer. So, from Tarantino to Master Chef, the book is full of insights which connect the gospel to what people are fascinated to watch.
The author is a pastor and is wise about not encouraging us to watch everything. We need to have holy eyes as well as inquisitive minds. He closes with a word in season to Christian film makers. It is a brilliant and highly stimulating read.
