Useless Beauty is an awesome book looking at films that came out in '99 I think (American Beauty, Magnolia, Election, Run Lola Run etc). The author comments thoughtfully and knowledgeably on their themes (etc) and also mentions points of similarity and divergence with the biblical book of Ecclesiastes. A great read for Christians and for non-Christians who don't mind some Christian jargon and concepts.
PS Not sure what happened with the style of this post. I mean, it reads like a proper, considered, sober book review - not my usual exuberant style . . . Oh hang about, it does have "awesome" and "I think" in the first sentence . . .
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- fional
- Fiona is a proud Tasmanian who now calls Chile home. Both Hobart and Santiago sit beneath mountains, but the mountains are very different and their cities too. With God's help, Fiona will help her Chilean sisters make sense of the Bible, get to know its Author better and learn what it means to live as loved, forgiven people.
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4 comments:
hey fiona, you know how you talked about having a couples conference?
Well there is one - and I reckon it'll be very very good. Keith Condie is our dean of students and he and his wife Sarah have run marriage seminars for the 3rd years at college each year for a while now and they're really awesome. We did it earlier this year and it was excellent.
Here's the link if you know anyone who'd be interested (it's on very soon though)
http://riceregenerate.org/?page_id=5
I heard the author speak at BCV a few years ago. He did say quite distinctly that God speaks to us in film in the same way that he speaks to us in the Bible.
John makes a good point. I've got the book. I found it fascinating. His chapter on American Beauty was brilliant.
But the author's epistemology is unashamedly pomo. i.e., he allows the films to shape the truth in scripture rather the other way round. From memory he actually says that he does that.
I think handled carefully we can learn a lot from the book though.
And "Useless Beauty" is something I definitely embrace as a concept.
Thanks Bron.
And thanks for your correctives John and Alistair - I agree. I started off being disturbed by Johnston's approach, but then decided it wasn't too hard to read and benefit from his contribution *in the light of Scripture*.
And I also think that once you've become a Christian and seen the world through the Bible's glasses (or whatever Calvin's metaphor is), then there is a place for turning back around and using what you've seen to help you interpret Scripture. But carefully, as it can easily become dodgy . . .
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