Mark and The Navi

This is an assignment for my Bible and Pop culture class

It is my reflection on Mark Driscoll's review of "Avatar" and "The Shack", more so "Avatar"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cI5GxM4f50----- His review/rant

"Mark Driscoll and his reviews of “Avatar” and “The Shack”, in my opinion, are extremely dangerous to where the church should be heading with the integration and embrace of culture outside of the typical “Western Christianity”. After observing a few of his different reviews I believe that his views on “culture” fall short of where it should be. In his review of Avatar he attacks the morality of blending cultures as opposed to erasing them for, what the invading force would call, the right culture. In Avatar the story told is as old as America, probably even older, where an outside force attacks and attempts to conquer and bastardize the culture. And typically in those stories the natives are portrayed the victims and the attackers are villainized. I agree with the view that the natives are the “good guys”. In those situations the attackers are asserting that their culture is better therefore the natives need to bluntly, adapt or die; the natives are now the “bad guys” according to the attackers. Driscoll seems to agree with this mindset, throughout his review he attacks the “Navi” culture calling it demonic and praises the human culture calling it “progress”. This mindset is very acceptable and helpful to Western and American views, but detrimental to a Kingdom perspective. As our society has evolved from that of a very separated world, one that we really didn’t come into contact with people from other cultures; to one that with a push of a button we can be chatting with someone in a foreign nation. We need to become more sensitive to the differences in culture, not only sensitive but learn to embrace the differences and see the beauty in each of God’s carefully crafted people groups. What the story Mark portrays in Avatar is the opposite of that, he says, and that as we evangelize we need to replace their “primitive” culture with our “progressive” culture. So in his eyes the human should have won and taken over Pandora. What I believe is the more effective method would have been to make friends with the natives, learn their customs, learn their language, and see the beauty of their ways; then find a way to be a part of their reality while showing them the ways of “progress” and living in harmony. So the same should be with evangelism, we go to a place, make friends with the natives, learn their customs, learn their language, and see the beauty of their ways; then find a way to be a part of their reality while showing them the ways of truth and God’s kingdom and living in harmony with them. Sorry it is so long, I got kind of fired up."