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February, 2010:
Introduction to the Reel Jesus
Tonight is the first film in our local series “The Reel Jesus.” Here are my opening words.
Reel Jesus Introduction
Good evening. My name is Christian Brady and I am dean of the Schreyer Honors College and on behalf of the State College Theatre and the Film Collective I welcome you to the Reel Jesus Film Festival. In a moment I will outline the events of our evening, but first a few words about this series.
While I am an academic administrator, I am a scholar of ancient Judaism. I research and teach on the Judaism of the time of Jesus and the centuries following, often referred to as the “classical” or “golden period” of Judaism. Arguing over who Jesus was and what he might have said or did is an incredibly common occurrence among scholars (and for some it has even proved to be quite lucrative). Yet when we as scholars or clergy write or preach about Jesus we do so in a one-dimensional or linear fashion. You read the words or hear them spoken one after another even as I present to you now this brief introduction.
When a filmmaker presents to us their story of Jesus it is multivalent, three dimensional. They are able not only to select and choose the words which convey the story and the message, they also control the image, selecting the actors, their clothing, the environment, the lighting, the camera angles and shots. The film offers us an immersive experience.
The vocabulary that is available to the filmmaker goes far beyond that of the author, offering them a nearly infinite palette (if I may mix my metaphors) from which to draw. And just as the director can convey their message through the varied media of their medium, we the viewers have just as many opportunities to reinterpret and imagine what we once thought was so familiar and comfortable. I never considered Jesus as having such keen eyes. What does it mean that Judas is portrayed as a black man? How would I depict Satan?
Even those of us raised without any religious education have some image of Jesus, we have some concept of what he did and said. This series of films allows us to see other images and conceptions. Some will be familiar and others quite jarring. The goal, as literary critics are fond of saying, is to “problematize” Jesus, shake loose the stain glass windows present in our minds and offer a different realization.
Tonight we begin our series of four films with Paolo Pasolini’s The Gospel According to Matthew, a more traditional and yet far from conventional depiction of the Gospel story. Each movie will be introduced by a member of our community, either a scholar or a member of the clergy. After the film, following a short break, a panel of scholars and clergy will lead us in discussion and conversation about the film. Those of us on the panel will all keep our initial comments very brief so that we may open the floor to you, the audience.
Now I am pleased to introduce tonight’s panel. Our introduction to the film will be presented by Dr. Sherry Roush, Assoc Professor of Italian, Dept of Spanish, Italian & Portuguese. Other members of our panel include Paul Dilley, Assistant Professor in the history of early Christianity and New Testament studies, Dept of History, Allan Stoekl, Professor of French and Comparative Literature, Dept of French, and Rev. Paul Grabill, Pastor of The State College Assembly of God.
Please welcome Dr. Roush.
Ryken interviewed by CT
There is a very good interview with Wheaton College’s new president Philip Ryken on CT online. You can read it all here. A snippet relevant to my earlier comments.
What do you think the role of college president will demand from you that being the pastor of a large church didn’t?
One of the main things that being a college president will demand from me that being a church pastor does not is a much wider and deeper understanding of higher education than I presently have. Although I’ve been very actively involved in various boards at Wheaton College in the past decade, I have so much to learn about higher education. There certainly will be a learning curve for me to serve at Wheaton. One of the unique challenges of a college presidency is the complex and constant demands from different constituencies of the college. In pastoral ministry, I primarily need to have a listening voice to the congregation; there is a complexity on a college campus of listening clearly to faculty, students, staff, and alumni.
Phil Ryken named as 8th President of Wheaton College
The news came out this weekend that Dr. Philip Ryken will be the Eighth President of Wheaton College. I met Phil while at Oxford, he arrived a year before we did and left (as I recall) a year before us as well. He is clearly a very intelligent individual and has been very prolific in his writing. Made all the more remarkable since his 30 books have been published while a full time pastor at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and having 5 children.
I have great respect for Phil, but I have to question this decision by Wheaton College. I understand the reasons why, his father is a rightly revered faculty member at Wheaton, he grew up there, attended college there, and has been on their board. But Phil has never been in administration of higher education. I think that is not a good sign for the health of Wheaton College. (I should add that while I was invited to nominate candidates, I completed an MA in Biblical and Theological Studies at Wheaton, I did not apply for the position myself.) The ”letter of rationale and recommendation from the Selection Committee Co-Chairs” states the primary reasons for selecting Phil.
Fearless confidence in the Gospel in all its fullness is what we were looking for in a leader. His faithfulness to it assured an affirmation that God in Christ had spoken into being all that is and will be, and is central to all that can be known of natural and special revelation. It excited us to see the candidate’s freedom to excel in the joy of discovery and in the unity of faith and learning.
Further, the candidate, having been steeped in the liberal arts, recognizes its fertile soil for such exploration at the undergraduate level. He exudes confidence in such learning experiences and believes that in them students and faculty alike can never be far from the Author of both natural and special revelation. His confidence in the Gospel trusts that the seeking heart will find and rejoice in the Creator to the glory of God.
In affirming the College motto and mission and its endeavor for excellence and freedom in higher learning, he also affirms personally and for the College that faith, wisdom, and understanding are coveted gifts from God which are critical to truly knowing.
None of this addresses the ability of the leader to administrate a complex organization with often competing interests. While it is true that the affirmation by faculty of Wheaton’s Mission and Statement of Faith means that there are different arguments than one finds in, say, a state university or a secular college, one would be naive to believe that all interdepartmental discussions are harmonious and peaceful. (Paul had good reasons to write 1 Corinthians, well, I was going to point out chapter 6, but just take the whole letter.) It takes a very different kind of leadership to negotiate through such waters and while a church as large as Tenth is complex, it is not the same culture or dynamic as an academic institution.
What’s the buzz, tell me what’s a-happening?
This post is not a reference to Jesus Christ Superstar
The original version of Google Buzz raised privacy concerns by — I’m not quite clear on all the details here, so I may be making this up — automatically setting up a social network for you based on your Gmail contacts, then sending out a message to all of them saying, “Google Buzz is so awesome! And nothing about it raises privacy concerns!”
After an initial outcry, Google agreed to change “awesome” to “rad,” and to only send out the message to people who are, according to the company’s top-secret online research, not too worried about privacy.
Very amusing and worth the quick read. Read More http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/02/alt-text-google-buzz/#ixzz0g1JBrCxK
