Reflections of a Toaster
Tony Watkins' blog on life, work, books, contemporary culture and who knows what else.
Friday, June 16, 2006
And more on The Da Vinci Code
I neglected to inform the world that my recording of a Men's Breakfast at King's Community Church, Hedge End (Southampton) is now available. It didn't seem to be the right context to talk about the sacred feminine and goddess spirituality, so instead I talked about
The Da Vinci Code and conspiracy theories. I highlighted a number of features of conspiracy theories and suggested that, despite Dan Brown's protests,
The Da Vinci Code strongly fits the criteria. I compared the lack of evidence for the ideas which Brown claims he believes with the strong evidence for the historically orthodox understanding of Christianity and the gospels.
All my available recordings are at
www.tonywatkins.co.uk - or follow the Read More link below.
Current writing project
It's about time I said something about my current writing project. I am getting towards the end of writing a book about engaging with film at a worldview level. There are a number of books written by Christians which look at connections between films and theology - some of them extremely good. Robert K. Johnstone's
Reel Spirituality is one of them (one day I will get around to putting my various bibliographies on this site - but not yet). But there is very little on how to understand, analyse and respond to what films are saying on their own terms.
I don't think we treat a film fairly if all we're doing is looking for parallels with the Christian story, or if we are preoccupied with how films handle explicitly theological issues. Thinking at a worldview level is much broader and requires us to consider what the film is saying about the nature of reality, the nature of human beings, how we know truth, how we know right and wrong, and what humans most need in order to attain fulfilment. All of these have a theological dimension to them, but a worldview approach allows us to think outside of a narrow framework and really hear what is being said. Then we can hopefully respond in richer, fuller, more helpful ways.
The plan is for me to finish writing by the end of July (I'm a long way behind at the moment) and for the book to be published in the spring of 2007. I'll keep you posted!
Friday, June 02, 2006
The Da Vinci Code - more audio
I've now added the recordings of Wednesday evening's events at Above Bar Church, Southampton, which I shared with David Couchman of
Focus.
I talked about the appeal of
The Da Vinci Code, its opposition to orthodox historical Christianity, the sacred feminine and goddess spirituality.
David addressed three key claims in the book: that the Gnostic gospels discovered at Nag Hammadi are earlier than the biblical gospels and give us a more historically truthful account of Jesus, that the council of Nicea in AD 325 voted to treat Jesus as divine although he had only been considered mortal until that point, and that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene.
Mini interview on Publishers Weekly
As well as reviewing
Dark Matter, Publishers Weekly also conducted a short email interview with me which was published in Religion BookLine. Here's an extract:
. . . rather than a screed against Pullman's books—which portray the Church as a corrupt corporation and God as a sick old man whose place has been taken by an evil usurper—Watkins, a British Christian cultural critic, offers what he hopes will be an aid for Christians and non-Christians in understanding Pullman's criticism of organized religion and faith.
"I primarily wrote it for fans of Pullman's work who are not Christians," Watkins told RBL in an e-mail interview from England. "His Dark Materials is full of theological and philosophical themes, and Pullman is vociferous in his opposition to religion and the idea of God. So I think that fans who want to really understand Pullman's writings should understand a Christian perspective on them. I think that also makes it valuable for Christians who want to know how to respond to it. I don't believe that we should be scared of books which say things we disagree with, but that we should enter into constructive dialogue."
Kimberly Winston, Religion BookLine, 12 April 2006
For the full interview, follow the Read More link below.
Review of Dark Matter: A Thinking Fan's Guide to Philip Pullman
My Review of
Dark Matter: A Thinking Fan's Guide to Philip Pullman has now been published in the USA by IVP.
Publishers Weekly, a major trade publication for the book world, has published a favourable review:
'Philip Pullman's acclaimed
His Dark Materials trilogy, a sweeping retelling of Milton's
Paradise Lost and The Fall , has caused great controversy among Christian readers. Watkins, a self-proclaimed Christian and managing editor for Damaris's
CultureWatch Web site, offers a perspective on Pullman's work that is anything but dark and is sure to enlighten the debate among Christians. Watkins explains that while his intention is to provide readers the opportunity to appreciate Pullman in general, he also believes fervently that "it's helpful for all fans of Pullman's work-Christian or otherwise-to understand a Christian perspective on it." The book is divided into three parts, the first a walk through Pullman's life and background and the second an overview of the major dimensions of each book in the trilogy. It is not until the third section that readers will find what they are really looking for: a critical evaluation of major themes and story dimensions such as dæmons, sin and the infamous "death of God" - an assessment that is smart and wisely restrained. Watkins's critical appreciation of Pullman's trilogy will surely appeal to a Christian audience, but will reach well beyond this market to a general readership looking for a solid, substantially sourced, and well-written analysis of this beloved work of literature.'
Publishers Weekly, 3 April 2006
Da Vinci Code audio
I've done a number of
Da Vinci Code events recently, some of which I recorded. The audio files are now available online for a limited period (as new material becomes available, older material will be kicked out).
The first is from an event in London which includes some material on Leonardo and on the supposedly factual Priory of Sion. Dan Brown claims that its history goes back to 1099, but in reality it only goes as far back as 1956 when it was started by a convicted fraudster Pierre Plantard.
The second is from an event in Whiteparish, Wiltshire, and includes material on spirituality in
The Da Vinci Code - in particular the quest for the sacred feminine and goddess spirituality. You can read my article on this on
CultureWatch.
Playing God: Talking About Ethics in Medicine and Technology
Number four in the
Talking About series created problems for us in trying to find the right subtitle. The
Playing God bit was easy, but trying to summarise the area of interest in just a very few words was tricky. The 'ethics in medicine' part is straightforward enough - looking at issues relating to the beginning and end of life in particular. But 'technology' could mean anything from the composition of pencil leads through to nano technology. The area we're focusing on is really to do with transhumanism (the technological development of human beings) and artificial intelligence - questions relating to the nature of humanity, in other words.
Anyway, here's the blurb and contents list:
As advances in technology push back the boundaries of the possible, are we losing sight of the question of whether it is right to do everything that science makes possible? From (premature) birth to (endlessly delayed) death, more and more decisions have to be made. How can Christians find a way through the moral minefield that new technology presents, and how can we talk about these things in a way that helps, rather than browbeats, our friends? Playing God: Talking About Ethics in Medicine and Technology begins to help readers think about these questions by engaging with recent films, books and television programmes.
Contents
Introduction to the Talking About series by Tony Watkins
Introduction by Nick Pollard
Rethinking Life and Death - (read this sample chapter)
by Nick Pollard
I Give You Dominion: A Biblical Perspective on Ethics in Medicine and Technology
by Dr Trevor Stammers
Killing Me Softly - Vera Drake and Million Dollar Baby
by Tony Watkins
Paddling in the Gene Pool - Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake
by Caroline Puntis
Built Free - I, Robot
by Peter S. Williams
Docs on the Box - TV medical dramas
by Dr Rebecca Lewis
My Sister's Keeper (Jodi Picoult) – Study Guide
by Louise Crook
The Island – Study Guide
by Tony Watkins
Life after God? The Ethical Teaching of Peter Singer
by Dr Peter May
Background to the quotes
For further reading
Spooked: Talking About the Supernatural
Books 3 and 4 in the Talking About series were published in early May this year. I was satisfied with the first two, but very pleased with how these two have ended up. They have a better balance of material in them, for one thing.
Here's the blurb and contents list for
Spooked:
‘I've never been someone who needed organised religion. But I've always been someone with a deep belief in a higher power'. George Michael's comments on the Parkinson show sum up what many people feel about the supernatural. Why is it that so many people today see life as being more than just what can be explained rationally, yet are resistant to the gospel? How can Christians engage with those who are happy to talk about spirituality, but less interested in talking about Jesus? Spooked: Talking About the Supernatural begins to address these issues by engaging with recent films, books and television programmes.
Contents
Introduction to the Talking About series by Tony Watkins
Introduction by Nick Pollard
Deliver Us From Evil - (read this sample chapter)
by Nick Pollard
More Than Meets The Eye – A Biblical Perspective on the Supernatural
by Ian Hamlin
Entertaining Doubt - Derren Brown
by Mark Stafford
Scary, Scary Night - the films of M. Night Shyamalan
by Steve Couch
Putting Adult Ways Behind Us - children's supernatural fiction
by Tony Watkins
Demons on Trial - The Exorcism of Emily Rose
by Rebecca Ward
Lost – study guide
by Emily Dalrymple
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (Susanna Clarke) – study guide
by Louise Crook
Chasing After the Wind – Logical Positivism and A.J. Ayer
by Peter S. Williams
Background to the quotes
For further reading
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