arndt@lymph.DEC (01/25/85)
From TELEVISION AND THEOLOGY,by George C. Conklin & Linda W. McFadden
"Storytelling rests at the center of our awareness of who we are, what our
history has been and what our purpose in life is. Christian theology has
recently rediscovered the importance of storytelling in the process of
discovering who God is and who we are. The Jewish and Christian traditions
experience God's self-revelation to humankind as story/event. Our scriptures
and much of our religious tradition are stories told from a human perspective
of the drama of God, the Creator, acting in history, the Creation.
Storytelling is a divine gift which is more than simple diversion or
recollection. It lies at the center of communication with other persons and
with God. Through the telling of stories which embody our individual and
cultural experience of the transcendent, we seek the Holy, that place where
we know and believe that our stories and God's story intersect. The telling
and re-telling of stories helps us to discover the reality of God's love for
us, the central purpose in our lives, and reconciliation with the Power which
created us.
Now television has become one of the most powerful and pervasive storytellers
in human history. As a people we now commit years and years of our lives to
the stories of a medium which has existed for only thirty years, a mere moment
in the span of human history. There are stories which draw on the themes of
human life as we know it -- drama and soap operas. Our hopes and fantasies for
the future are caught up in science fiction, advertisements and even quiz
programs.
Our personal stories are of ultimate importance for each of us. We find
meaning in them and seek opportunity for greater meaning. Stories hold for
us the facination of helping us discover who we are and who we might become.
We bring to our television viewing not only a desire for diversion or
entertainment, but this quest to discover who we are, what promise life holds
for us, how to be ultimately valued. Both the viewers and the creaters of
television cooperate in the shaping of contemporary stories.
Television has become mythogenic; it creates new myths and stories, changes
old ones and ignores others. Sometimes it presents anew the great and
enduring stories of our tradition. More often, however, television exploits,
impoverishes or ignores the central Story of our history. Christmas and
Easter in particular have been transformed by television from times of
Christian observance to occasions for the spinning of new myths and stories,
particularly by those programs intended for children. These stories may draw
upon the language and imagery of the Christian story, but without the central
point of reference of God's self-revelatory dialogue with humankind. These
polished presentations, featuring winsome bunnies or reindeer and freshscrubbed
children, may emphasize the values of caring and sharing, but they do not
point beyond the clever stories to the Source of the gift of love, to a God who
loves us infinitely.
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With its emphasis on storytelling, salvation and transcendence, television has
many of the attributes of a religion. It tells us what it is like to be out of
relationship, how to restore relationship, and what to do in order to be saved.
The creators of the dream are not different from the audience. They, too,
struggle with the purpose and meaning of life, and they communicate their
understandings throughout the content and structures of television. Television
reflects the spiritual experience of those who shape it. Much of television as
we now experience it reflects the anxiety and fear we feel in our separation
from God, and our search for transcendence in the finitude of Creation.
The core of the Christian faith stands over and against television today.
His (Jesus) preaching of the acceptance of God's justice and love was not
simply one among many ideologies to be considered. It called for a yes or no,
not consent but decision. A decision in freedom must be unconditioned by
techniques. Jesus said that all of Creation was accountable to the Creator.
The nature of such a decision rules out any manipulation of our human fears,
anxieties or feelings of cutoffness to obtain endorsement of a toothpaste or
a belief.
Television shapes our perception of reality -- our values, mores, and
attitudes. The medium is often called a 'mirror of society.' Critical
reflection on the nature of the Church and the manner in which religion,
religious practice, and religious leaders are portrayed on television,
however, suggests that the mirror possesses the curved planes of a carnival
mirror, reflecting a caricature of religious faith and practice rather than
reality.
An element of the proclamation of the Good News is the holding up of a mirror,
in which all of our human existence is seen with clarity, for what it truly is.
At the core of our human questions about love and alienation lie theological
questions stemming from our human condition. The emotions and questions of
our finitude include alienation, estrangement, guilt, penitence, renewal,
redemption. These themes are frequently treated on television, in dramas,
news and advertisements. RARELY, HOWEVER, IS THE TRANSCENDENT NATURE OF THESE
QUESTIONS CONVEYED.
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The gift of God's love not only transforms our lives, but it also impels us
to share the 'Good News' of God's love revealed in Christ with others.
Proclamation of this Gospel is central to our faith. Since television is such
a powerful and pervasive means of disseminating information, it would appear
to be an important vehicle or Christian proclamation.
There are unresolved theological tensions between the message of the Christian
Gospel and the medium of television. Can a Gospel which uses dialogue to be
communicated through a medium whose current technology broadcasts a monologue,
inviting no respose from the audience except conformity to suggested patterns
of behavior? Can the news of God's initiative to heal our pain and separate-
ness be heard amid the din of television's message that salvation and
transcendence come from things of this world? Where, in the midst of
television's beautifully told stories and charming myths, is there room for the
message that the ulitmate story is the story of God's love affair with
humanity?
The nature of the Gospel is such that it calls into question the system of
values proclaimed by television, and, indeed, ultimately calls into question
the structures -- technical, social, economic, and political -- which shape
television as it presently exists.
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For more information on T.A.T. see:
GROWING WITH TELEVISION: A STUDY OF BIBLICAL VALUES AND THE
TELEVISION EXPERIENCE
For five age levels, 12 sessions on the following
perspectives: Worldview, Lifestyles,Relationships,Myself.
Developed by: Media Action Research Center, Inc. thru a
grant from Trinity (Episcopal) Parish, NYC.
Contact: MARC
Room 1370
475 Riverside Dr.
NY,NY 10015
(212)865-6690
Also published by Seabury Press (Episcopal); Abingdon (United Methodist);
John Knox Press (Presbyterian, U.S.); Brethern Press (Church of the B.);
Judson Press (Am Bapt.); and Warner Press (Ch of God).
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Some neat examples and exercises:
Worksheet: Most theologies include an acknowledgement of good and evil in
ourselves and our world and provide value standards that help individuals
define what is good and evil. Watch at least one situation comedy episode
and at least one action adventure episode and using your own understanding
of good and evil, write down instances where they appear in the programs.
Good Evil
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Worksheet: List the needs and hungers you feel and can identify in yourself.
List the needs and hungers that television seems to most often
express.
Worksheet: Viewing television as a religion; What god or gods are you being
asked to worship?
Who are the prophets and what are they saying?
Who are the Christ figures?
What would be an appropriate list of ten commandments for
television's religion or theology?
Worksheet: Think about television's stories as PARABLES that comminicate
messages about who we are as humans. Watch two hours or more of
varied programming, deciding for each program:
What are the basic messages of the parables?
Which television parables are in some way complementary to the
parables of your own theology?
Which are contradictory?
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Sorry for the length, abadee, abadee, abadee -- THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!
Regards,
Ken Arndt