'How do you get someone to love you without affecting free will?' asks TV reporter Bruce Nolan.
'Welcome to my world, son,' replies God.
It may be shallow Hollywood fare with a trite sentimental formula, but there's no escaping the unusual subject matter of the latest summer blockbuster Bruce Almighty. Featuring Jim Carrey and Morgan Freeman, and allegedly directed by a Christian, the film takes on the dilemma of free will in humanity's relationship to its Creator. Whatever your critical assessment of the movie, here is a mainstream and popular film ('yep - I enjoyed that,' affirmed the teenager in front of me to his mates) that endorses the existence of a powerful, benevolent, omnipresent Creator, who answers prayer and would love his people to return to the fold.
Spiritual Britannia
 We know that spirituality has become popular again. Whether it is the knock-on effects of the rise of New Age, open mindedness spawned by Post-Modernism, or the church finally getting its act together, not since Star Wars have spiritual things been so cool. Harry Potter is a phenomenon, on screen now as well as the page. And it seems a new trend is emerging, where not just any old spiritual slant will do. There is more to The Matrix than cod philosophy. In one of Hollywood's biggest ever trilogies, the Christological allusions are obvious, and despite one contribution on the BBC forum that 'it's just about guns,' most people recognise the Messianic message.
'The Matrix as Christ allegory. It works.'
- Ian Nathan, Empire
The Matrix is not the only trilogy loaded with Christian metaphor. The Lord of the Rings contains such a clear Christian ethos that groups such as Fusion are nicking direct quotes from the script for their events (look out for the 'Return of the King' tour this November - it's inevitable). It may not be Bunyan-esque allegory like we find in C.S. Lewis' Narnia stories, but the friendship Lewis and Tolkien had is telling. The latter's Lord of the Rings epic is painted with broad, breathtaking sweeps of the moral and spiritual fight against evil, with a clear Christological figure (Gandalf) as the linchpin.
Nowt on telly?
 As the public flock to the cinema only to find Jesus everywhere, is there any respite at home? Channel 4's waning but still popular Big Brother has just been won by an openly born again Christian, who chatted freely with the other housemates about being a virgin and why homosexuality might not be the best way to do relationships. That Cameron Stout won overwhelming public favour given these admissions is remarkable, although assistance probably came from persecution by fellow contestant Jon Tickle, whose candid atheism proved unpopular in the viewer's eye.
'Despite living in a secular world, the greatest story ever told still has a strange pull'
- Director Sophie Fiennes (Hoover Street Revival)
More intentionally, Channel 4 are screening a documentary following the 24-7 prayer team to Ibiza last year. The programme is as far from general spirituality as it could be: it covers the charismatic team of trendy young Christians as they battle in spiritual warfare, save inebriated tourists from their own vomit, talk to clubbers about Jesus, and worship their Creator to dance music. Once upon a time Christian TV was academic, boring and after midnight. This gutsy mission is being shown on Saturday night primetime.
In other news...
 Perhaps when you start to look for something you find it everywhere. Yet there is undeniably an unusual permeation of Christianity into the Media at present. Last week as a Baptist won Big Brother, a track by Daniel Beddingfield went to number one in the charts. Daniel is a YWAM-trained charismatic Christian. The BBC news website keeps featuring evangelical stories, from miraculous signs and wonders ('Church struck by lightning') to reports on the Jesus film ('Greatest film of all time'). Closer to home, CLC graduate Clare Dwyer Hogg had her biggest article to date published in the Independent review section this week. In the full page interview with musician Luke Steele, Clare subtley draws out his Christian faith without overweighting the piece.
'It's a more specific faith than the broad brush-stroke covered by "spirituality"'
- Clare Dwyer Hogg, The Independent
It appears that Christians are learning to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves. Learning that a calling into Media is not only valid but vital in God's plans. Learning not to criticise but to 'be the miracle.' Learning not to carry all before them to prompt the slamming shut of most mainstream opportunities. Learning to be patient and prayerful, salt in the arena of our Media. Learning that the message can be shared in a number of different ways, paramount of which is being the good news.
Yet this cannot be all. To account for a favourable swing towards Christianity in our Media we must look to the movement of the Spirit of God. Without getting carried away, this inkling of a trend suggests that God is on the move, raising his people up where it counts, influencing the influential. Perhaps this is a 'turning of the tide' as Gandalf prophesied in The Two Towers. If so, let us not just enjoy our religion being shown on the telly. Let's thank God, pray for his kingdom to come, and get stuck in in any way we can. As Morpheus himself said, 'isn't that worth fighting for?'
More on 'God Bless Ibiza' | Guide to impacting the Media |
