Votin' or Fishin'? Summer 1996

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The Gospel and Society Consultation held in Slovakia in June 1996 drew sixty Christians from all over Central and Eastern Europe—a mixture of artists, journalists, pastors, theologians, and people involved in politics and social welfare projects. Participants reviewed the church's situation in post-communist society, asking what should be done to encourage Christians to take seriously the lordship of Christ over every area of culture. This Consultation followed a similar one held in 1991 that inspired many creative and dynamic projects that are prophetic models of how Christians can be "salt and light" in their societies.

The following debate was designed to stimulate thinking among participants about how Christians should engage the media discerningly—particularly what questions to ask of films, books, and art in general. The topic was Babette's-feast, a Danish film based on a short story by Isak Dinesen; rq has edited the discussion for reasons of space. --Luke Bretherton

I first saw Babette's Feast two years ago and thought it was one of the most enjoyable, skillfully made films I could remember. I also thought it was one of the most clever pieces of anti-Christian propaganda I had ever seen. Its cleverness is related partly to its quality and partly to its subtlety: Rather than a crude depiction of Christians, the maker of Babette's Feast used a mixture of attractive and repellent images to induce the susceptible into a healthy contempt for the gospel, while bamboozling Christians into ignoring half the images—the ugly ones—in favor of those depicting good fellowship, kindness, and other inviting features. This is no small feat.

The first scene depicts a small fishing village on the Danish ...

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