Faces of Death, American Psycho, 8mm, and TEC

In this post I am sharing my thoughts, as an Anglican priest in the new Province, about the 2009 TEC General Convention

a number of years ago the book American Psycho was published. there was something of a furor about the book with some calling for the book to be banned. I was a poly sci grad student at U of H and knew little about what was truly true BUT I knew books should not be banned. on the other hand, I had seen just enough stuff in my life that I was sorry I had seen and could not forget that I was reluctant to read the book to see what the big deal was... a couple of years before American Psycho came out the Faces of Death videos were big on campus. I still remember one of my professors, Dr. Monroe, answering one of my classmates' question about whether he had seen any of the videos or if he planned on watching them. He said, “no.” “Why not,” he was asked. He replied that it was simple, he had learned that “once things went into the brain they were with you forever” they just stayed there. Images remain with us … things change us... and there is no going back...

As a Christian now, I believe that people can be redeemed...in fact, I count myself as one of the redeemed by the blood of Christ... but my mind and soul still have the imprints of images I would love to erase but can't … so join me now in a book store on Alabama St. in Houston ...it is summer 1991… I am browsing the aisles and there it is in front of me...American Psycho... I pick it up and open it to the middle and begin reading … within moments I see the truest danger of the book...it is well written... it is gripping... it draws me in because the images are so stark... frightening? Yes... disturbing? Yes..and though they do dull over time there they are living in my mind all these years later...things that go in remain... I still remember putting the book down and knowing I should never have picked it up...Dr. Monroe was right

Years later I would become a Christian and eventually God led me to seminary and the ordained ministry and that lesson begun in a classroom on U of H and brought home standing in a bookstore aisle remains with me still...the things we see, the things hear, and the things we participate in change us... they are never neutral... St. Paul says, “brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Phi 4:8 ESV)

… and that brings me to a fairly bad movie, starring Nicolas Cage, I stumbled across one day while surfing the channels... the movie is named 8mm... I do not recommend... once again it is not that the movie is made so badly or the acting terribly bad but it is a movie about a private detective who is looking for a young lady who has been caught up in the world of pornographic snuff films... if you don't know what that is already, you don't want to know... just suffice it to say they are not the kind of thing St. Paul calls us to think on.... but there was an incredible moment in the movie that provided great clarity for me... Cages' character, Tom Welles, ends up partnering with a young man, Max California, who has himself been caught up in this bizarre and dark film underworld... in a pivotal point in the movie the following conversation takes place when Max tries to warn Welles' about getting too close to the world he is investigating...

Max California: [on the porn industry] All I'm saying is... it can get to you.
Tom Welles: No worries. Thanks for the warning, though.
Max California: You're welcome. Pops... If you dance with the devil, the devil don't change. The devil changes you.

If you dance with the devil, the devil don't change. The devil changes you.
St. Paul knew this, Dr. Monroe knew something at least like this, and I have learned it to... and that brings us to TEC in the wake of their now concluded general convention... during which a rather modest resolution on the uniqueness of Christ was defeated, and numerous other actions were taken to further distance this body from the Christian faith. the events are well documented at blogs like www.standfirm.com, so I will not enumerate the sad details here.

I know there are some who are determined to fight the good fight for the orthodox faith in the TEC and yet I wonder sometimes if the fight has not become the whole thing and replaced the thing that is most important … Jesus... and sharing the Good News about Him with a world that needs to know Jesus and be in relationship with Jesus...my concern for those still in TEC who still have some semblance of a living faith and practice is whether they will be able to hold fast to that faith and practice when the focus of all that they participate in is a fight for control of a dying institution...some might say... hey, man. none of your business … you are out of TEC... mind your own business... fair enough when it was just those in power in TEC making disparaging remarks about those of us “who don't get the new way of things”... fair enough when it was those in power in TEC calling me an Anglican in parentheses and sneering at my backward fundamentalism for believing things like Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father, the Bible is the word of God, etc.... but when THE faith itself is under attack then ALL Christians should speak up and... after all... maybe Charles Dickens was right... maybe mankind is my business... and maybe Jesus was right maybe everyone is my neighbor... and maybe Max California was right... when you dance with the devil the devil don't change. The devil changes you...my fear is that good people are remaining tied to and continue to participate in TEC and based on the statements of the PB of TEC and based on the results of this last general convention... my concern is that good people are dancing with the devil...and the devil don't change...

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