The Benefits of Bad Theology - Part One: The Movie Constantine
by Dr. Marc T. Newman
February 17, 2005
(AgapePress) - Developing a critical eye is an imperative for anyone living in a culture as immersed in images as is ours. But a critical eye is not the same as a cynical eye. The cynical eye takes pleasure in little, and is always quick to point out anything that is not in lock-step with its preconceptions. There are many people in the Church who feel it is their duty to nit-pick every element of Hollywood films that is at odds with the Christian message. It is as if they believe that Christianity still represents the ascendant culture in the West, and this grants them the right to expect that all entertainment coming from Hollywood should reflect that in order to be given any consideration. Such an attitude may grant such people the smug satisfaction of being right, but it wins few friends and engages few listeners.I can already hear the wailing beginning in some circles over three blockbuster films due to be released this year: Constantine, and the latest installments of the Star Wars and Harry Potter franchises. All three films deal with spiritual issues, and all three get it wrong to some degree. The question that Christians ought to ask is not, "How dare they?" but, "Do films that contain bad theology provide any benefits for Christians?" The answer to the first question is that they dare because they recognize the hunger that people have to see the transcendent on the screen. The answer to the second question is a resounding "Yes!"
This is the first in a three-part series that MovieMinistry.com will release throughout the year as films with intriguingly bad theology make their way to the multiplex near you. In this first installment I will take a look at the screen adaptation of the popular Vertigo Hellblazer Comic -- Constantine.
Constantine
(Warner Brothers, MPAA Rating: R)
John Constantine has been blessed/cursed from his youth with the ability to see the invisible world of angels and demons. His parents, fearing him insane, have him institutionalized. In despair over his plight, Constantine attempts to take his own life -- and in the twisted Catholic theology of the film, this permanently renders him unfit for heaven. But Constantine is a bargainer, and a bit of a con man. He figures that if he uses his unique power to "deport" demons back to hell, and save the lives of the afflicted, that he will somehow work his way back into God's good graces.
Bad Theology
The film is not based on a series of Bible studies, but on a series of comic books. Some of the theological talk is close to the mark; but much of it is cobbled together from a variety of schools of thought. A few examples should suffice:
Knowledge Bars You from Heaven
In discussing his dilemma with the angelic Gabriel -- that he is barred from heaven even though he has dedicated his life to deporting demons -- Constantine is told that he cannot earn his way into heaven. Gabriel explains that heaven awaits those with faith, those willing to engage in self-sacrifice -- so far, so good. But Constantine's mortal sin -- attempting suicide -- keeps heaven at bay. Besides, Constantine has impure motives driving his liberating works -- but even worse he is also plagued with first-hand knowledge of heaven and hell, so that faith is impossible. The way Gabriel explains it, if you know then you cannot believe. No belief equals no faith, and so Constantine is damned. Using this standard, Moses' conversations with God, Peter's and John's vision of the Transfiguration, Thomas' demand of proof of Christ's resurrection, Paul's glimpse of heaven, and John's Revelation would invalidate their faith and they would be doomed to hell.
Spiritual Warfare
Constantine employs all manner of spiritualized technology against the legions of the damned -- from a rope-suspended mirror, to a special gun crafted in the shape of a cross. He also uses a set of brass knuckles decorated with crosses. One wonders how saints got along before the Industrial Revolution? The gadgets are certainly cool -- if they really worked, every Christian would want one. But Paul explains -- "the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh" (2 Cor. 10:4). If manufactured weapons won't work against demonic forces, what will? It is a question worth answering.
Heaven and Hell
In Constantine, hell is envisioned as the kingdom of Lucifer in opposition to heaven where God reigns. The premise is that God and the devil have essentially made a wager over the souls of humankind and that there is now a kind of supernatural competition to see who wins. The end is in doubt -- and, of course, the demons cheat. The Bible leaves no doubt as to God's superiority, or to Satan's locale. God is the One, True God, and Satan is a creature who prowls the earth and is suffered to bring before God accusations against humans (1 Peter 5:8, Rev. 12:10). Far from being hell's ruler, Satan is destined to become hell's victim (Rev. 20:10).
If people honestly believed that they were getting a real spiritual lesson in Constantine, they might come to a number of false conclusions: First, that the world is spiritually dualistic, that God will help, but not interfere, while allowing the minions of hell to flagrantly violate the rules (if "allowing" is the proper term in a world that sees good and evil as two forces in balance). Constantine believes in salvation by works, while Gabriel confronts him with an explanation of faith that automatically excludes him from consideration. Fleshly weapons, properly spiritualized, are effective in fighting demons. God and Satan are co-equal in power and they are slugging it out in a kind of Ultimate Fighting Challenge with bragging rights going to the winner. It also posits that there are some temporal sins that are unforgivable.
The Silver Lining
Yet the film offers some rays of hope. Constantine learns to swallow some pride and ask for redemption. He grapples with the idea of self-sacrifice. There is a hell to avoid and a heaven to embrace. But even if those elements were not present in this film, I would still argue that the movie represents the very kind of experience Christians should look for at the cinema -- a spiritual experience. Though offered in a thrill-ride wrapper, Constantine's chewy center is filled with significant issues. Even the actors in the film recognized the weight of the storyline. Djimon Hounsou, who plays the neutral Midnite, and Shia LaBeouf, who portrays Constantine's sidekick, Chas, admitted during interviews that these were roles they did not want to research. Why? Because they sensed that supernatural forces are at play in this world and that even play-actors need to tread lightly. Keanu Reeves, who portrays Constantine, admits that he chooses roles like these because they tackle ideas that matter.
Moreover, Constantine accurately represents the way many people feel about salvation -- that if they work hard enough, they can earn it. Christians cannot expect an essentially secular Hollywood to get the theology right, much less to do all of the spiritual heavy-lifting. What is encouraging is that millions of people will see this film and it will create opportunities to discuss, among other things, what it takes to be saved. The only real question is: Will Christians take advantage of this gift?
What to Do?
Spiritual films are just discussion starters, not substitutes for searching the Scriptures. Sprinkled among the audiences for films like Constantine are people who will think about the topics I've outlined above, and Christians should be there to provide some answers. Even The Passion of the Christ left much that needed explanation. Christians need to put less effort into complaining when bad theology hits the screen, and follow the Apostle Paul's example in Acts 17. Constantine is filled with explicit Christian references, while Paul had to use pagan religious symbols to reach out to the Athenians. Surely with this kind of advantage mature Christians who are willing to talk about Constantine can find a way to bring up Jesus and thoughtfully engage the spiritual seekers in our culture.
Marc T. Newman, PhD (marc@movieministry.com) is the president of MovieMinistry.com -- an organization that provides sermon and teaching illustrations from popular film, and helps the Church use movies to reach out to others and connect with people.
Editor's Note: This analysis of the movie Constantine does not constitute endorsement by AgapePress.
