Al Mohler Nails it on "The Golden Compass"

I've thought about writing some on "The Golden Compass" (book here, movie here) by Phillip Pullman.  Fortunately, Al Mohler has saved me the trouble. 

I can't think of a better short introduction to the issues surrounding this than Mohler's December 4 commentary - The Golden Compass -- A Briefing for Concerned Christians.  Mohler clearly lays out Pullman's anti-God agenda and the dangers it poses.  Yet, he praises Pullman for his writing and the makers of the movie for their production values. He made one comment to the effect that the production values were better than Lord of the Rings.

What is good is that he doesn't encourage Christians to boycott the movie, but to be informed and respond appropriately, and I would even say winsomely.  This is good - I'm already hearing calls to boycott the movie and I think that is a mistake. In fact, I joined a Facebook group called "What if we didn't boycott The Golden Compass."  I realize that there are children who shouldn't see the movie, but my take is that if a children's story can rock the faith of an older teenager or adult, you didn't have much of a faith to begin with.  Not saying you should go see the movie, but as I mentioned in my C. S. Lewis post a few days ago - we ought to have a faith that is confident and not threatened by false religions, or anti-religion - the Christian faith ought to be able to stand in the face of that kind of stuff.

One thing Mohler brings out that was also referenced in the Atlantic article (which I blogged about here), is that this discussion gets back to sex.  Here's Mohler:

Yes, and it has to do with sex.  Surprisingly graphic and explicit sex.  Pullman believes that the Christian church is horribly repressive about sex and that this is rooted in the idea of the Fall.  As he told Hanna Rosin of the Atlantic Monthly, "Why the Christian Church has spent 2,000 years condemning this glorious moment, well, that's a mystery.  I want to confront that, I suppose, by telling a story that the so-called original sin is anything but.  It's the thing that makes us fully human."

Ah, there it is, the Christian church is against sex and that is the problem.  Although that is an inaccurate criticism, it always finds it's mark. Certainly God is not against sex, but there are lots of Christians who treat sex as if it is inherently evil, though possibly redeemable, rather than take the biblical view that sex is inherently good, though corruptible.

But I have to give Pullman and the critics credit - they've got us on the run on this one - I'm not sure we've raised a good apologetic against this criticism.  There are many of us who will say to Pullman and others "nuh-uh, we aren't against sex."  But the problem we have with that is the same problem Richard Nixon had.  When Nixon said "I am not a crook," what do you think people thought?  They thought he was a crook.  And of course we all know the funny little quip about the government - never believe anything until it has been officially denied.

In other words, we've got to do better than "nuh-uh" apologetics.

But for the time being, let's don't get our skirts all wrinkled over this movie.  Let's recognize it for what it is - as Mohler said, a great story told with cinematic excellence, but a false story about which we must be informed and able to give intelligent responses.