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Fear Not the Compass
Many Christians are concerned about the upcoming release of The Golden Compass. Here's some good advice for how we might respond to it all.
by Jeffrey Overstreet | posted 11/30/07

Editor's note: CT Movies critic Jeffrey Overstreet has done many interviews to promote his new fantasy novel, Auralia's Colors. But lately, he's being asked about another fantasy novel, The Golden Compass, now in the news as a major motion picture from New Line Cinema, releasing December 7. The film is based on the first book of a trilogy by Philip Pullman, an atheist who has expressed his disdain for Christianity and who, in the course of his three books, has the protagonist—a young girl named Lyra—join people who are trying to kill God and the Christian faith … and they succeed. Many Christians have expressed their concerns regarding the film.

Overstreet recently blogged some common questions on the topic, and how he's answering those questions. His answers represent a calm, rational, and Christlike response in the eye of this Golden storm, so we're running an abridged version here. (You can read the full article here.)

Should Christians be afraid of The Golden Compass?
Mercy, no. Let's not be afraid. Discerning, yes. But not afraid.

God is not threatened by Philip Pullman. And people who stop to think through Pullman's story, and how he "refutes" Christianity, will see what a feeble "attack" against Christian beliefit really is.

Pullman has painted a picture of the church—represented by "The Magisterium" in his stories—that basically reflects only those ways in which the church has abused power. And he has used that selective reflection as an excuse to write off Christianity as a whole. That's sort of like condemning the entire produce section in a grocery store because a few of the apples were bad. (And "Magisterium" is not something Pullman just made up. It's a very real word referring to the church, particularly the Roman Catholic Church. So he's not trying to cloak his intentions here.)

It's interesting to note that Pullman's dismissal of Christianity skips over one little detail: Jesus. Pullman's story never makes any attempt to explore or refute the claims and ministry and person of Christ. He has, in effect, set up a "straw God" rather than a "straw man," and his fans are congratulating him for knocking down Pullman's flawed perception of God rather than the God of Christianity. He's not really undermining Christian belief as he thinks he is; he is undermining the abuse of authority, something altogether contrary to the gospel.

Pullman points to bad people as a way of saying that the faith is wrong. For examples of religious folk, he illustrates people who abuse power. That's not God. And Christ would frown on the persecution carried out by The Magisterium. In the history of the church, followers of Christ have been persecuted and oppressed by others far more than the other way around. So when one of Pullman's heroic characters, the ex-nun physicist Mary Malone, tells our heroes (in the third book) that "The Christian religion is a powerful and convincing mistake, that's all," well, she's not talking about Christianity at all. She's talking about Pullman's misrepresentation of the church.

But here's a question worth considering: Why does Pullman have this wrongful impression of the church in the first place? Could it be that he's encountered arrogant, judgmental Christians? Could it be, to some degree, Christians' fault?

At any rate, no, don't be afraid. The gospel will survive the publishing phenomenon of Pullman's trilogy—and any movies that come from it—without so much as a scratch. It's not worth getting all worked up about it.

Do Pullman's stories pose a threat to children?
Yes, if … And that is a very big "if."

Pullman's trilogy poses a threat if our children read these books without any discussion about the claims made by the characters in the story, or without any parental guidance. The stories pose a threat if their parents and teachers are not reading the books too, and participating in the experience, talking about what the storyteller is doing.

They also could pose a threat if parents forbid these stories in such a way that the child becomes fascinated by the forbidden book. In elementary school, I discovered that adults had crossed out certain words from storybooks like Huckleberry Finn. This became the most interesting aspect of the book for me: I held the pages up the light, fascinated by what had been crossed out. If we make these books seem more powerful and dangerous than they are, and outlaw them, we have just thrown fuel on the fires of curiosity. Better to teach our kids discernment, so that if they do read the books, they can see Pullman's deception for themselves. (And this raises the question: How many adults are discerning enough to read these books "with eyes to see"?)

Teachers who encourage children to accept Pullman's naive definition of Christianity are encouraging religious illiteracy, and exposing their own. In extreme cases, they're glorifying religious bigotry. The author has said, "If there is a God, and he is as the Christians describe him, then he deserves to be put down and rebelled against." For a man who likes to talk about the value of "tolerance," that's a pretty striking show of the opposite.

I've read The Golden Compass, and didn't find anything offensive. What's the fuss about?
This conversation—and the concerns that have resulted—isn't just about The Golden Compass, only the first book in the trilogy. That's like making The Fellowship of the Ring our subject instead of the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The conversation is about His Dark Materials, the entire Pullman trilogy. The Golden Compass is just the first chapter, laying the foundation for all that will come after it. It is in parts two (The Subtle Knife) and especially three (The Amber Spyglass) that we get into the most controversial material. We won't see those movies for a while.

Is Pullman overrated? Is he a good storyteller?
Pullman is an amazing storyteller, with one of the most formidable imaginations since J.R.R. Tolkien himself. I was enthralled by The Golden Compass when I first read it: Colorful characters, fanciful creatures, a strong sense of mystery, and a compelling story about young and vulnerable characters being oppressed and abused by adults.

In the second and third book, when those cold-hearted and abusive adults turn out to be the good guys, exploiting children in their quest to destroy God, my feelings about the story changed. As Pullman's agenda became more important, my favorite characters began to lose their personality and color. So, we must take into account that, beneath the formidable imagination, there is a dagger concealed within this extravagant overcoat—and the intentions of the fellow preparing to use that dagger.

It's interesting that a man of such extraordinary imagination would have so little regard for the storytellers whose work his style resembles. Pullman scoffs at the stories of Tolkien and Lewis. He says, "The Lord of the Rings is just not interesting psychologically; there's nothing about people in it." And his scorn for Lewis's fantasy world has been widely documented. Pullman has said, "I hate the Narnia books. I hate them with a deep and bitter passion, with their view of childhood as a golden age from which sexuality and adulthood are a falling away." He has called the series "one of the most ugly and poisonous things" he's ever read.

But Pullman is following in the footsteps of Lewis and Tolkien. Like them, he has created alternate worlds of fantasy that vividly manifest his own particular worldview and his perspective on spiritual matters. Tolkien and Lewis established the foundation of modern fantasy storytelling, adding to what George MacDonald imagined before them. And Pullman continues that tradition, especially in The Golden Compass.

It's also worth noting that his characters are interested in truth,freedom, friendship, justice, and love. People are drawn to Pullman's trilogy for the powerful writing, but also because it is another story about an oppressed minority rising up and striking back at an Arrogant, Cruel Authority figure—just like the heroes of Narnia rise up against the wicked White Witch, and just like Tolkien's Fellowship rise up against Sauron and his tyrannical power. The big difference is that Pullman has cast history's greatest champion of the oppressed—their Redeemer—as the enemy. He would rather leave us to our own fractured will, which is certain to doom us very quickly.

What does Pullman say about his own beliefs?
Pullman told the Sydney Morning Herald, "If we're talking on the scale of human life and the things we see around us, I'm an atheist. There's no God here. There never was. But if you go out into the vastness of space, well, I'm not so sure. On that level, I'm an agnostic."

On the one hand he says, "What I am against is organized religion of the sort which persecutes people who don't believe. I'm against religious intolerance." But then elsewhere he says that if there is a God, and he is as Christians describe him, then that God should be "put down."

For Pullman, embracing the questions of science, mathematics, art, and literature is a rejection of religion. He seems ignorant of the fact that much of modern science was discovered and established by very religious people, and that mathematics inspires many to faith, and that art is one of the primary avenues for religious discovery and expression.

Response to Prayer Garden Issues

February 6th 2006

The Prayer Garden Team is currently in a design process which will take all of February and I do not know how it will turn out.  Let me respond to several points raised by members of the congregation:

1. "I found a Landscaper who did my back yard design for $0  & did construction as well."

It's true, we could take this route and not pay a designer on top of actual construction costs.  Three people have suggested this.  But from the first, most members involved with this project have advocated paying for a designer and for having the garden built  professionally.  Most Aldersgate folk believe that using a designer will save money over all and will increase our level of satisfaction with the result.   My view of the quality level desired is represented by the Petaluma campus of Hospice of Marin, the Unitarian/Universalist worship center at 240 Channing, San Rafael and the planted area in front of the main door to the Osher Jewish Community Center, North San Pedro, San Rafael. 

If the NO DESIGNER route is selected, it will probably be after we interview our third designer Wednesday night - 8th February.  Then, we have to view actual sites they have designed.  Certainly, visiting your yard would be a prudent step, for comparison.  At that point, we would have a sense of whether a designer's input is worth the difference in price.  

2. "Church finances are tight and there are a lot of demands/needs for those limited resources." 

Actually, church finances are not tight, but it's interesting that that's the characterization which has reached you.   It is certainly true that there are limited resources and competing claims and priorities.  With respect to income, both Aldersgate's total revenues and income from members/friends have risen substantially during my 4 plus years as pastor.  I estimate that our total revenue is up over one third in that time!  Only City of San Rafael plan approvals now impede installation of another cell phone antenna, which will increase our total annual income by about 10%, hopefully beginning in April 2006 and continuing into the future.  In addition, giving to support the budget is not the limit of our giving potential.  Our typical giving pattern is to support the regular budget, then bring special gifts for special needs, such as a new roof, revamping our audio/visual technology, or relief of tsunami and hurricane victims.  I believe the garden project is another instance where funds beyond budgeted needs will be given.  With respect to priority needs, we have had the funds to tackle remedial maintenance long delayed.  I hope that within 3 years, we will have done and paid for all remedial building needs.  In addition to stepping up to remedial maintenance, we have been able to  tackle strategic new projects like the garden. The Garden is the only project I can think of for which members have contributed funds IN ADVANCE to do the work - over $9,000, an indication of the positive feelings about this project.  I hope that more gifts will come after design drawings are received and people get a vision of what's coming and match the vision to the price.  Popular design, generous gifts.  Unpopular design, no gifts or small gifts.

 3. "Maybe the church could try and use volunteer labor to do some aspect of it, to reduce costs." 

One designer cautioned us against trying to use volunteer labor on the construction and our expressed view has never been to do this project for less than the $9,000 already in hand.  Instead, we seek to make our property more attractive to potential members and to produce lasting beauty to bless our neighbors.  Physically, our membership is ill equipped to haul away 167 cubic yards or more of existing soil, haul in half that amount of new soil and amendments, build walls, and so on.  The deck project waited a year before we did that job with volunteers and we were well aware that the weight of the deck boards was manageable.  In case of the garden, much of the work isn't manageable for volunteers.  The designers recommend different contractors with different specialties:  one for soil and plantings; one for excavation; one for electrical work if lighting is desired;  one for water needs;  one for stone and path work. The designer provides some project management:  evaluating bids from installers and making sure construction is done right the first time.  Perhaps one contractor would combine all these skills, perhaps not.  Designers are guiding our creative process by asking questions and raising possibilities which have not been raised by our members.  As free advice, the designers have told us that scattering existing soil around the property is against codes, because it is likely to run off into neighbor yards or clog city drains.  The professional advice is already keeping us from making costly mistakes.  This garden will have multiple sorts of users and viewers.  That's more difficult than having one person or family say what they want in their back yard. 

 Questions we are addressing include:

 How will we implement this garden as a place to memorialize loved ones? 

 How can memorial use be harmonized with the church's need to attract and win new members who are raising children? 

 How can both those uses be harmonized with use of the space for outdoor weddings or night time uses?

 What could be done to make the space attractive for people taking refreshment after worship?

 What would facilitate use of the garden for worshipers at Easter sunrise? 

To facilitate meditation and prayer, how do we provide a measure of privacy while still having the space give a more welcoming face to those driving through the lot? 

When seating for prayer is arranged, should it orient the one praying toward the southern hills, or into the garden itself?

Pointing out these competing uses and preparing to support them is worth something.  Yet, as I say, we are still in process and I do not know what the final result will be.  The church's two big assignments in view now are:

A.  Come to consensus on the question:

"WHAT DO WE WANT THE GARDEN TO SAY?" to various constituencies: 

- members on Sunday

- Montessori parents, children and staff Monday - Friday

- groups hiring Hutchison Hall

- neighbors walking around the property, with or without pets

- deer and other wildlife at night, who may damage plantings, etc.

 B.  Raise the rest of the funds needed to complete the project, probably another $18,000. 

The more we want out of the garden, the more we'll have to put into it.

 Peace, from

Scott Wylie

Christmas 2004

December 15th 2004

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