Chrisicisms: What can be said?

Turning to art when words fail.

Last night, I stared at my phone for a good 20 minutes trying to think of something wise, cathartic or even just plain angry to write about another mass shooting in the United States. 

Words failed. What was the point? This is the third mass shooting in the United States in two weeks; there were dozens before, there will be dozens more. We’ve proven as a nation that in the face of mass death — be that a global pandemic or a scourge of shootings — innocent lives are no match for our convenience or perceived rights. 

I’m heartbroken, enraged and numb. I’ve written for countless platforms over the years, and on every single one, at some point I’ve had to address another mass shooting, our lack of action and the strange love affair people of faith seem to have with instruments designed to kill. 

I’m wrestling with cynicism and despair at this moment, because I don’t believe change will happen. Yes, 21 dead, most of them kids, is a horrific and unthinkable tragedy. But if 26 murdered children at Sandy Hook couldn’t galvanize us to make lasting change, why do we think this situation is different? I’ve already seen people explaining why the laws can’t change, and the NRA — whose official motto should be “You can’t protect the Second Amendment without breaking a few kids” — has already made a statement basically saying “hey, it’s not the guns; it was a crazed loner.” (With a gun, they conveniently leave out). 

Trying to argue for a rational, effective and realistic solution feels futile, especially when so many people seem to want a solution to gun deaths without any change made to gun laws. When you voice any opinion these days, you’re resigned to either preaching to choirs or shouting at brick walls, and I just don’t have the energy. And what good does it do? When I voice an opinion, the response is just “stay in your lane and talk about movies.” 

So, let’s do that. I think art can be a major help in hard times, giving us a place to feel freely, consider our thoughts and listen to other perspectives. It can heal, and it can help shape. So here are some films (and books) that have helped shape my thoughts and consider our situation. I’ve love to hear others. 

One note is that several of these focus on people of faith. I come from an evangelical background, and one of the most confusing things I’ve had to wrestle with over the last few decades is how so many people who claim to follow the Prince of Peace cling to weapons of death. Several of these pieces have a faith element to them, but I think they’re universal truths and considerations. 

Guns by Stephen King 

I can’t imagine a more clear-headed, plainspoken approach to our national gun epidemic than this Kindle Single by America’s best-selling author. King isn’t afraid to get personal here. He mentions how his novella Rage, which he wrote at a young age, was cited as inspiration by several school shooters; King ultimately pulled the collection it appeared in from publication. One of his best skills is plain-spoken writing; he may be responsible for millions of best-sellers, but he still writes as if he’s sitting across from you, having a beer. Writing in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, he goes through the recent sad history of mass shootings, addresses questions of violence in the media, and offers several reasonable suggestions. King isn’t anti-gun, and he says so. But he is pro common sense, and he has a canny knack for understanding the paranoia and selfishness that make people cling to their weapons even when it means more people will die. It’s a quick read, and might be one of the most effective things for pro-gun advocates to take a look at. 

The Armor of Light

You can rent Abigail Disney’s 2015 documentary for $3 on Amazon, and I think it’s also available on Tubi and a few PBS sites. It’s worth the money, and it’s a film that I actually would encourage every single church to show and make room for discussions with their congregation. The film follows conservative pastor Robert Schenk, whose pro-life views ended up altering his prior-held beliefs on guns and Christians’ use of them. It’s an insightful and empathetic film, and I think Schenk’s belief that Christians are “so focused on protecting the Second Amendment that they forget the Second Commandment” is dead on. In an age where I think Christian conviction has too often taken a backseat to culture wars and political stumping, it’s a necessary film. 

Beating Guns: Hope for People Who Are Weary of Violence  by Michael Martin and Shane Claiborne 

This book was essential to me understanding my own Christian thoughts on gun ownership, my views on America’s love affair with firearms and history of violence, and how we can take the necessary steps toward change. Claiborne is someone whose approach to faith and politics inspire me; he’s found a third way, and I’ve greatly appreciated his books Irresistible Revolution and Jesus for President, as well as the work he is doing with Red Letter Christians. Beating Guns is a passionate play for nonviolence, particularly for the faith community. It’s a reminder that claiming to follow Christ often means separating from our culture, taking a different and harder path, and pursuing peace and healing at all costs. It’s peppered with stories about the history of guns in America, and several common sense solutions that can help us move toward a better world. It was a challenging and essential read, and worth revisiting during this time. The film was also made into a documentary, which followed Claiborne and others in their work to turn guns into garden tools, bringing a biblical metaphor to life, but at this time it doesn’t appear to be available to stream. 

Mass

From earlier this year, when I named it the best film of 2021: “Fran Kranz’s intimate, one-room drama explores parental grief and healing with kindness and compassion in a way I’ve seen few other films do. The film concerns two couples who have lost sons in a school shooting, one child was a victim, the other the shooter. The families meet in a church basement to talk, not with any expectation of forgiveness or restitution, but just to stumble toward some sort of understanding or step toward healing. The film uses this situation to explore how we construct the conversations that allow us to move forward, and how sometimes that construct is a flimsy, tenuous thing, understood only in the moment of processing. Reed Birney, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs and Martha Plimpton give acting masterclasses here, and the script quietly examines the role of the church in facilitating impossible conversations and providing transcendence and peace in the midst of turmoil. This is riveting, masterfully acted material, approaching situations that feel almost unbearable with grace, empathy and tenderness.” You can rent Mass on most platforms, and it’s also streaming on Hulu. 

The Tree of Life

Terrence Malick’s film, one of my favorite movies of all time, has nothing to do with a school shooting. And for many people, art that doesn’t directly tackle the tragedy du jour is what they need at this time. But Malick’s film is rooted in mourning, and the questions we have when life’s circumstances seem too hard for us to bear. It’s a poetic approach to the questions provoked in the book of Job, a prayer about whether our sufferings are seen and even matter in the grand span of the cosmos. It’s a film of lament, but also of awe and healing, of the way beauty and heartbreak mingle, and awareness that humans can be full of so much darkness and hope in the same moment. This movie is a balm that I turn to when life feels crushing – and I’ve had to turn to it a lot in recent years. 

The Light of Things Hoped For by Brave Saint Saturn

This is one of the more obscure deep cuts from my Christian music-listening days. This concept album, which tells the story of several astronauts adrift in space, was a side project from several members of Five Iron Frenzy. Part of a rough trilogy, this album is the high point, an album drenched in doubt and questioning, scraping the depths of our despair and reaching for a God who too often seems hidden. The final song, “Daylight” is one of the most powerful songs I’ve heard, and the repeated idea that the bravest thing we have is hope is something I’ve clung to time and again. This album (which is available to stream) is a gem that not enough people search out. 

I would love to hear what books, movies, TV or even music have helped you in these times, either directly related to the current events or just helping you get through the crushing times. 

We’ll be back Friday with another Franchise Friday, and then I have a fun short piece ready for you all on Saturday as we head into the holiday weekend. Until then, stay safe and hug the ones you love.