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Darren Aronofsky seems to be  a master at depicting characters in film. First with “Pi”  about a mathematician who believes he has discovered the secret pattern to the universe, Then with “The Wrestler” about a washed-up pro wrestler who struggles to live in the real world. And now, with “Black Swan” – a psycho drama about an upcoming ballerina who gets the lead role in the popular Swan Lake ballet in NY City.

Nina, is a young ballerina with an overprotective mother who keeps her in a sheltered environment. She is a perfectionist, with already showing signs of nervous habits such as scratching her skin until it bleeds. When she is given the lead role, the company’s artistic director believes she is perfect for the white swan… but since the role calls for both (white and black), the director Thomas pushes Nina to explore the dark side of the swan queen. A seductive, fearless, devious character.

“You must lose yourself”

Nina’s drive for perfection starts to spiral into darkness. Like a modern day Jekyll/Hyde, Nina is overtaken by the other self, and she starts to lose a sense of reality. She begins to embody the role… and hence the evil begins to control her.

Overall, the movie is beautifully filmed… and the ‘other self’ conflict borrows a bit from Fight Club. The acting is brilliant, and the dance sequences using a hand-held camera is well executed. However, many of the visuals are disturbing, and you definitely don’t come out of this movie feeling good.

From a philosophical perspective, (in my opinion), while the movie is dark, it does have a positive message. Losing oneself in darkness is in fact losing oneself. From a Christian perspective, what I saw… was a girl losing her humanity to embrace something she ‘kinda’ felt was wrong but for the sake of perfection, allowed to overtake her.

Santa theology is very simple.

Santa visits once a year, drops off some gifts and leaves again. No relationship required… don’t bother waking up when he is in your house, he has no time to chat, but he will take a bite of a cookie if you leave one. You can write him a letter, tell him what you want, and then wait patiently for him to deliver.

Santa theology is about behaviorism. Santa has this nice and naughty list, and you are expected to get rewarded based on how good you are. The thing about Santa is that in the end… even the naughty kids get gifts. Santa is a generous ol’ chap and very forgiving.

Santa theology comes around during the holidays. You only need to think about him once a year. What kid do you know thinks about being good in July for something he might get in December? Make sure to confess your sins around Thanksgiving and you should be okay.

So, what have we learned about Santa theology?
Santa is a generous old man who grants your requests based on your good behavior; He wants your attention at least once-a-year but no relationship required; Don’t worry if you’re not too nice, Santa will still deliver the goods.

Now, if your perception of the Christian God is anything like Santa theology, then you will have a pretty shabby Christianity.

Inspired by something I read from Donald Miller

“If today’s Christians hope to be proactive, they must acquire artistic literacy. Only then will they get ahead of the cultural curve and learn how to speak God’s truth anew to each generation.” – Francis Schaeffer

What is the language of the culture? what makes culture tick? It is the sights and sounds of the environment, the artistry of the symbols, and the entertainment in creative form. The presentation layer of the culture is that which stirs the emotions and drives the convictions.

But the presentation is not void of the message, but the carrier of it. What is the message behind what you consume? ‘That’ message will inform you of your identity… or help you define it. If your kids watch 40 hours of television a week, not to mention the multitude of media forms they have access to… the consumption helps them to shape an identity. Why? because they must fit into the world that they are observing.

The idea however, is not to hide from the cultural language, but to move ahead of it. Instead of consuming the language, become a writer of it. Acquire the literacy by understanding the worldviews being shaped… and subvert them towards truth.

I can’t explain how to do this… I’m figuring it out myself as well, in terms of my role in doing so. But I’m convinced that this is where it’s at.