Hollywood and Theology

Joanie and I just returned from watching the movie, "V for Vendetta". It is an average film with a theme that attempts to update the principles of Nazism by assuming that Britain is under the control of a Hitleresque Chancellor and the country is under the thumb of a group of oppressors. Part of the updating of the story is to portray the church as corrupt and immoral - duplicitous with the immoral regime. Unfortunately, that smacks of truth closer than we may want to think. During the reign of Hitler the German Church not only was controlled by the Nazi's but was supportive of the Reich. Men like Dietrich Bonhoeffer were few and far between in protesting the sad state of the church during that time. Likewise, in the movie, the Archbishop is a sexual pervert who, for the sake of money and power, lends credence and support to the immoral medical procedures of the government.
It may be uncomfortable for those of us who have a strong faith both in the church and in the moral fiber of clergy to grapple with the image of an immoral church compromising with an immoral power. But we should wrestle with this image a little more than we do. The church, like every other person or institution, is not above being corrupted by the forces of evil and the power of sin. Clergy are subject to the same temptations and moral failures of those who sit in the pew or walk the streets. As my mentor always used to say, "Feet of clay, we all have feet of clay". It is harder to stand up for what you believe than it is to compromise your principles for the sake of expediency. Churches don't become corrupt over night. They lose their souls over years and years of compromise and giving into immorality nugget by nugget. After some years of "little white lies" the dark and foreboding ones seem smaller and more harmless than they are. The Devil's pitchfork seems humorous and the sin of society palatable. And no sooner have we acquiesced to the popular culture than the sound of hoofbeats can be heard in the distance. We must always be vigilant - standing for something, lest we fall for everything.