a theology of seeing

Your old men shall dream dreams
   your young men shall see visions… Joel 2:28

The God of Israel and of the church is far greater than our sanctuaries and carefully crafted worship services can contain…the God who spoke to the patriarch Joseph through dreams and to Moses through a burning bush continues to speak in unexpected ways and places to those who have “eyes that see and ears that hear” – even in a movie theater or video store. Edward McNulty, Faith and Film

Movies.

Movies are my love language.

Growing up in the sixties in a broken home, my dad would faithfully come every Sunday afternoon and take us out to the movies. I grew up with spaghetti westerns, James Bond (Sean Connery glory days), 2001, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Patton,What’s Up Doc?, In Like Flynt, Ben Hur and more war movies than I care to remember (The Longest Day, Von Ryan’s Express, The Dirty Dozen, Battle of Britain, etc., etc., etc.).

I didn’t grow up seeing God or the kingdom of God in the movies – I didn’t know either. But I connected with the silver screen. Movie soundtracks became my music of choice (in that wonderful LP technology). And the truth is I still don’t go looking for him now...I just can’t seem to stop running into him, whether it’s the full-on IMAX experience or a rental on my laptop.

Cinegogue is simply an exercise in developing what Edward McNulty calls “the theology of seeing.” It is allowing the Holy Spirit to show you his story in the cinematic story unfolding before you. It is seeing his hands painting in technicolor or even in 3D across the screen before you. Seeing his movements with each shift of scene, his nuances in the dialogue and expressions.

Cinegogue is simply doing what people who love movies do: watching a movie and then discussing it afterward (or sometimes during) over a cup of coffee.

Usually we’ll gather monthly in the Chapel (Vineyard Boise campus) for a free screening (bring your own concessions) watch and discuss and see what we see. Other times it will be an opportunity for a field trip to the theater (as our kick-off cinegogue is this month). Either way cinegogue is simple a wonderful excuse for small groups or couples or singles or families (if the film is appropriate) to spend some time together watching for the kingdom of God at the movies, developing the theology of seeing.

See you at the movies!