Teaching versus preaching

Kind of a variety type of post here.   Clearing the clutter of my mind in one sweeping post.  But it strikes at something Tolkien and CS Lewis detested, something that Paul Vischer of Veggie Tales fame learned it the hard way.   Something that the Huckleberries gang sounded off on earlier this week.

Overt religiosity in art/media.  And by art, we mean books, music, theatre....  I think it was Tolkien that railed against being preachy in writing.  He had another word for it that escapes me (another example separating my humble scratchings from his timeless classics).  His thought was a work should be infused with the writers morality, but not in a moralizing, overt way.   Someone reviewing the recent Golden Compass movie showed how the writer Pullman used his characters to smack his "moral" into the face of the reader, as if they were not intelligent enough to discern from the work itself.

I think that is what Paul Vischer is learning.  And what so much of what passes as Christian art has yet to learn.  (and as I listen to it,  Standing by the Door by Duvall gets it right.)

True prayer and worship of God gets ourselves out of the way.  It isn't about us, but about God.  We pray for God's sake, not for our own consolation.  That is why so many (Joy Behar on the View) miss about Mother Theresa's struggle with doubt.  She had faith, but she received little consolation after her initial encounter with Jesus.  She prayed, but heard no response.  And to persevere for such a long period of time is amazing in itself, how long would any of us stay the course?

For me, I know about receiving little consolation.  I treasure the few moments I get, but hopefully I am learning how to pray for God's sake rather than mine.  I am currently listening to the Into the Deep podcast.  Their very first one was an intro to prayer.  And what a revelation.  These guys are good, and kinda funny too.  So now I am heartened about prayer, about sticking with it. 

Consolation may come in time, but if not, who cares.  It ain't about me.

That is what seems to be amiss in the Christian art.  Use your talent, but let God take care of the message.  It is ultimately the Holy Spirit that changes hearts anyway, so why foul up His message by getting in the way.  I think that was what Tolkien was getting at.

bad news bearers

Dom is the bearer of bad news, namely that it is A dark time for Catholic magazines, in particular, Crisis magazine. They are going to move to a web only format and stop printing the paper version. I completely agree with Dom on his point

And that’s a shame because, as much as the Internet scratches the itch of instant gratification, I still prefer print for longer and more thoughtful articles. Maybe it’s a sign that I’m an old geezer, but I just prefer to have paper to hold in my hands when reading anything longer than 500 words or so.

It isn't just hold the paper, it is how we read on the computer versus a book or magazine. I enjoy reclining or laying down to read, but that doesn't work with even a laptop. Neither is it convenient to take a computer with to read while I eat lunch.

I suspect the articles will still be printed, but the printing process will transfer to the readers. Might be time to fire up that old laserjet in my basement.

/aside
I can't help but wonder if some of Crisis's decline is caused by their being too closely tied to the Republican party? Now there is nothing wrong with a Catholic Mag focused on politics to point out the good points of the GOP, as far those good points go. But sometimes I sensed the support was over the top. Take for example the dolled up swine article they did on the No Child Left Behind. Expanding the federal education leviathan has no place in a supposedly conservative view. Never mind that it was a big-government Democrat idea before it became a big-government Republican idea.

All in all it was a very good magazine, with a frustratingly obtuse article every other month or so.