Ordinary Radicals

Last night, I had the opportunity to view an interesting independent documentary film at the Kentucky Theater called The Ordinary Radicals.

It is unfortunate that they are giving so few viewings of this film, but if you have the chance to see it, I would highly recommend it. I felt that most of the people watching the film who heard about it were not necessarily the ones who should and needed to see this film. The ones who should see this film would be the professing Christians who would get a little disturbed or uncomfortable about the challenges inherent in the documentary's content, or the non-believers who have been put off by the church/Christianity in general or more specifically the hypocrisy therein (or even hypocrisy in me), or thirdly those who perhaps have just become disillusioned/disconnected with their own faith. (If you suspect I have you in mind as you read this, you're right - I do.) Yet for people who want to aspire to be such ordinary radicals and are trying to put their "hands to work and hearts to God," this film was also an encouragement and inspiration in its own right. (I speak personally.) This film, as the director said, would perhaps be a good film to watch alongside of the movie Religulous. I have not yet seen that film, but it appears that two non-Christians find two different angles of showing people of faith. The director posited, however, that his documentary was much more removed in a "google earth" kind of way, not pushing a certain idea, premise, or conclusion.

Some of the most compelling aspects of this project were that, 1, the people behind the film consist of a professing Roman Catholic, a professing Evangelical, and a non-believer. To see how they all dove into a vision for their community (the simple way in Philly/Kensington), together, and for becoming ordinary radicals is encouraging to me. 2, it is fascinating that the director, Jamie, is not a believer, yet feels completely at home with evangelicals and wanted to bring his experiences with them to the screen. This brought up many interesting questions for us both in the Q&A session with him as well as afterwards, at one of our favorite establishments, Common Grounds -- namely, if you take Christ out of this movement, would there be any difference? In the end we had a sort of "yes and no" kind of answer...

If you have thoughts on the role of social justice and caring for people body and soul and the role of the body of Christ, I'd love to hear them. If you have thoughts about this documentary if you've been able to see it, I'd also love to hear them. If you want to see the documentary but are unable to, let me know because I know some people who might be getting a copy you could watch.

Check out the website, linked above, and the trailer, HERE.

You can also check out the site for the book that forms a center to the whole film, Jesus For President, HERE.

movie update. reflections on life in the wild vs society

my quick movie update.

the newest have included:
It Happened One Night - this one I found to be hilarious. A different kind of humor being a movie made decades ago, but very enjoyable.
Sunset Boulevard - a second viewing, a bit Citizen-Kane-ish mixed with Dickens.

I also watched for the first time Into the Wild. Now that is one incredible movie. Depressing and beautiful at the same time. Cinematography... amazing. I highly recommend it... a good movie to think about the lure of a simple life, away from society and all its ugly trappings of competition, money, materialism, consumerism, corporate ladder climbing, bureaucracy, image, familial expectations, and gluttony of everything cheap and worthless...
This simple life is found in solitude, simplicity, and being in the wild of nature...

and yet it's incomplete. The need for community is still there... man is not meant to be alone.

My goal is to live a life in community with others, to enjoy the shared experiences, while boycotting everything ugly that is (occasionally or often, I suppose it depends on your perspective and experience) found in society - the love of money, little regard for the effect our choices have on our world, and little regard for the fragility of the human soul... there needs to be more simplicity, communality, gentleness and love...

I watched this movie with a few friends, two of whom up my hippie cred by their presence around me... and a week ago, we built a compost bin for their yard together. Community + Earth Consciousness + Holy Spirit = Doing Good Things Together with the Love of Christ. YEA!

discontent, partaking of the divine.

Contentment. It is still an elusive concept to me at times. One I have always had a hard time embracing… because so often I felt a discontent in my life that was not about food or clothing and yet Paul’s words were the oft-quoted solution, but my soul was never salved. I came to believe that there could be a permissible discontent in my life, but defining it or explaining why I felt it was okay at times to be discontent to others proved to be difficult. I often felt alone in my discontent, feeling like a failure for letting feelings and desires for change in my life “drive away” a “Godly contentment,” feeling like maybe I was in the end wrong and discontent could never have a healthy output. I felt like contentment equaled resignation. No one ever disabused me of this notion, never seemed to make an intelligible distinction between the two. I thought of Kierkegaard, and his Knight of Infinite Resignation, contrasted with his Knight of Faith… I didn’t want to be resigned. I wanted to have unfathomable, crazy faith. The faith that saw the impossibility of a thing, but went on believing unquestionably, unhesitatingly, in its definite fulfillment. So it was in an apropos moment that I continued my previous reading on contentment and came across this:

I wish I could end our discussion of contentment on this high note. But as you have probably already realized, contentment has certain difficulties. The great problem with a principle of contentment is its tendency to baptize the status quo, to give religious sanction to present conditions. It is the kind of counsel that the powerful enjoy giving to the poor and defenseless. Often it is the very spirit of discontent that has prompted wonderful changes for good. There is a kind of holy restlessness that inspires important social advances. And so we are faced with the practical issue of knowing when our disquiet stems from a God-given concern to improve conditions, and when it is the result of self-serving greed. There are, of course, no foolproof answers, but I share the following guidelines in the hope that they may at least turn us in the right direction.
First, we can share the concern with other brothers and sisters whose discernment we respect. Second, if our restlessness has its root in anguish over the plight of those whose condition is clearly desperate most likely it is of the Lord. Third, if the concern involves the well-being of our children, it is often right. Fourth, if we are wanting to improve our own state, we should not automatically assume that it is wrong. Fifth, let us consider if our discontent has its source in a lack of inward peace with Christ. Sixth, we need to learn to distinguish a genuine psychological need, such as cheerful surroundings, from an obsession. Seventh, we must grow in our discernment between desires that spring from Heavenly Love and those arising from the love of money. Eighth, by an act of the will we must still every motion that is centered in greed.

When I read Foster’s words, I felt understood, and even better, that someone had put my fledgling feelings to proper words and fuller, richer explanation. He showed me why it was I felt discontent, and how it could be not merely okay, but a good thing. What resulted was a feeling immense relief and thankfulness. I hope that my discontent may help to motivate me and bring about the changes that are for good. May we also ask for this divine discontent, a deep restlessness, so that we may find ourselves fighting the good fight in fullness of faith, reckless though it may even be or seem!

This concludes my posts on Foster’s book. I’ll check back in the comments, so feel free to continue discussion there, or shoot me an email… because I certainly enjoy the conversations.