Disney: Come Over to the Dark Side

 

“In a dark place we find ourselves…” Yoda 

  Okay, I’ll confess, I’m an avid Star Wars fan. If you’re a Star Wars fan, you probably know that a new series has been released in the Star Wars saga. Ahsoka Tano first appeared in the 2008 TV series, The Clone Wars and has since appeared in several other shows. She now is the protagonist of the new show on Disney Plus, Ahsoka. Disney is hoping for a hit to rival its last big fan favorite—The Mandalorian after Disney canceled the star of the show Gina Carano for having “politically incorrect” views.   
  Please understand, I’m not suggesting that you not watch Ahsoka. Yet, what I find hypocritical is that the heroes in Star Wars are those who resist governmental edicts, stand up for freedom and personal rights. They refuse to be cloned into the thinking of the Dark Side and Empire. 

  But ever since George Lucas sold the rights to Star Wars to Disney, they have acted more like the Empire than the Resistance. For example, one is not allowed to be a star and have an opinion in your private life that doesn’t goosestep with the “Empire.” Gina Carrano discovered that and was cancelled by Disney. She shared an Instagram story that compared “hating someone for their political views” to the treatment of the Jews during the Holocaust. While I’m not defending Carrano, I find it ironic that other celebrities can refer to opponents with similar slurs of “Hitlers” or “Nazis” and no one blinks.

  Even innocuous fairy tales are targets of the cancel crowd. Disney has been criticized for the kiss the prince gives Snow White without her consent while under the witch’s spell. The reasoning is that it can’t possibly be true love if only one person knows it’s happening. While Disney has not “cancelled” some popular movies, many are currently appended with an advisory notice warning of “negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures…These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now.” What movies are objectionable? Dumbo, Aladdin, The Aristocats and Peter Pan, and even Swiss Family Robinson.

   A vital part of a healthy culture is an open dialogue of ideas and differing worldviews. As Christians, we believe that “truth does not fear scrutiny.” Cancel culture though is the deadly byproduct of both political correctness and postmodernism. Political correctness is the attempt to minimize social and institutional offense through policing speech (and thought), forcing the use of certain words and banning other words. Postmodernism asserts that all truth claims are subjective (“what is true for you is not necessarily true for me”). Truth becomes a matter of preference. “Tolerance” is promoted as a supreme value. Ironically, the more “tolerant” a culture becomes, the more intolerant it is of anyone it perceives as intolerant. People deemed “intolerant” or potentially giving offense must be silenced. Cancel culture is the outcome of such distorted reasoning. Unless intellectual and moral sanity returns to our culture, Christ-followers with a biblical worldview will potentially find themselves cancelled.

  So how do we who love Jesus respond to those who cancel us? Do we fight fire with fire? Personally, I believe our model is found in the example of our Savior who experienced cancelling and was crucified because He was on “the wrong side of history.” His followers have followed His example throughout the ages, and we must do the same.

  We respond with grace. Cancel culture shames an individual for something they’ve said or a belief they hold and claims that they no longer have a part in a social context. Instead of fighting back, we offer grace. Grace is undeserved favor that’s not earned. As we’ve received unmerited favor from God, we must extend His grace to others. We were once God’s enemies but through the blood of Jesus, we’re now His friends. Understanding the grace, we’ve received (Ephesians 2:8-9) gives us the ability to offer it to others. Jesus said, “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” We must extend God’s grace so those who mistreat us, so they see Jesus in us.

  We act with humility. In a cancel culture there’s someone “right” and someone “wrong.” Those seen as “right” do the condemning. Those seen as wrong are condemned and shamed. Yet Jesus was known for His humility, and we must be known for that same trait. We must examine ourselves, our actions, and beliefs and align them with God’s Word before judging someone else. It takes humility to do that. A heart of humility allows us to listen first and avoid arguments. If we’re being judged without an opportunity to explain our beliefs, we have the opportunity to act humbly and avoid an argument.

  We strive for unity. Cancel culture promotes division, an “us vs. them” mentality. Christ-followers are to seek to live in unity with unbelievers “as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). We are for work and ethical businesses prospering. We are for personal safety, care for the poor, disabled and disenfranchised. We are for a basic education to be available to everyone. We are for justice. While we may disagree on some moral issues, there are many things that we can join with even those who disagree with us on our faith.

  We offer forgiveness. Cancel culture teaches holding grudges and excluding someone for what they’ve done or said. The gospel calls us to offer forgiveness. As we’ve been forgiven, we must offer forgiveness to even those who hate us and offer the opportunity to be redeemed from their sins. The gospel implies that we were undeserving, yet we received another chance, and we must offer the same forgiveness to others.

  While we must resist being cloned or silenced by this world’s system, Jesus’ mission for us is to share God’s plan of redemption. His ways will seem more and more otherworldly. As His followers, we must offer grace, practice humility, remain united, and extend forgiveness even to those who treat us horribly. It’s what Jesus did. It’s what He has called us to do!

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

#Boycott Mulan?

 

“Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.”                                                    Martin Luther King, Jr.

Follow the money! Periodically, some stateside politician is called a “Hitler.” Such labeling only reveals the vast ignorance of the “labeler.” Fortunately, because even with our flaws, Western Civilization is a culture where rule of law still has precedence and there is a justice system.

Perhaps because we didn’t go to war with China or lose half a million American lives, we don’t realize the brutality of Communist China. One is hard-pressed to name a single movie made about China’s atrocities under Mao. But it’s not history. It’s the daily news because it’s still taking place.

Just in Mao’s 1958 Great Leap Forward, 46 million died between 1958 and 1962. During his reign of terror some 80 million died. In contrast, Hitler was responsible for 20 million civilian deaths. An obvious question is: “Who’s the real Hitler?” China’s current “president” (that’s a nice word for dictator), Xi Jinping openly admires Mao, who committed the biggest genocide of the 20th century. Such admiration is repugnant. Imagine any Western Civilization leader openly praising Hitler?  

Yet somehow all of that didn’t stop Disney from whitewashing this evil empire. Their newest live-action movie, “Mulan,” had substantial portions filmed in China’s Xinjiang province, with the blessing and cooperation of the Chinese Communist government. Xinjiang is the home province of some 12 million Muslim Uighurs. Over one million of them have been moved to concentration camps where “they are starved, abused, tortured, electrocuted, raped and even killed.” Uighur women have been forcibly sterilized, and there have been reports of forced abortions and infanticide.

Not only did Disney choose the Xinjiang province, but in the closing credits, they thanked China’s Communist government and propaganda departments for their assistance. Disney has chosen to cozy up to the Chinese government for years. In 1997, a Disney film that cast the Dalai Lama in a positive light so upset Beijing, they “restricted the studio’s ability to work in China.” Disney’s then-CEO Michael Eisner quickly issued an apology and promised not to insult Disney’s “friends” in the future.  Appeased, Beijing opened the doors for Shanghai Disneyland.

But it’s not just Disney. There are a long list of companies who fill their coffers with little regard for China’s suffering population. Walmart, Boeing, Caterpillar, General Motors, Starbucks and Ford…to name a few. Many of these same companies lecture Americans for racism, but close their eyes to oppression and “crimes against humanity” just to increase their profit margin.

For example, recently the NBA canceled games in protest of racism. What a bunch of hypocrites! Because no one in the NBA dares to whisper criticism of Communist China or they quickly find themselves sentenced to a virtual bamboo gulag. A reported half a billion annual profits for the NBA from China buys a lot of silence. And where are all of the Hollywood stars who clamor to speak out on anything political? Have any of them said a word about the latest Disney-China connections? Crickets.

God’s Word is clear. Racism is evil. It’s an evil that must be repented of. Yet, racism is a worldwide evil. It’s disingenuous to speak against racism in the States, yet for financial gain, close one’s eyes to genocide.

How horrible are China’s acts of oppression? Just this week more than 150 human rights groups urged the International Olympic Committee to rethink holding the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. In a letter, the coalition said that since the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China has built—quote, “an Orwellian surveillance network” in Tibet and incarcerated more than a million Uighurs.” It listed a litany of other abuses from Hong Kong to the Inner Mongolia region, as well as the intimidation of Taiwan.

Fortunately, not all American corporations are heartless to these crimes against humanity. Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Nike and Google are looking to move production away from China. As we learned with the repudiation of Apartheid, dinging a company’s bottom line gets their attention.

Yet, companies like Walmart have helped cover that a product is made in China with their blanket “distributed from Bentonville, Arkansas” labeling. What does that mean? Zilch! It’s a cover. Those concerned about oppressed people groups and dictatorial governments want to make an informed consumer’s decision even if it cost us a little bit more. Walmart and companies like it have stripped us of that option.

Recently, Wisconsin’s Senator Tammy Baldwin proposed a bill that requires labeling for a product’s country of origin. I wrote her to thank her for the bill. While some products have multiple manufacturers, many do not, and often a high percentage is made in one nation. It’s the right thing to do to put economic choices back in the hands of consumers.

What can we do? The truth is that boycotts for the most part don’t work. Corporations and manufacturing companies are too intertwined. For example, Disney Corporation also owns or has part ownership in ABC, ESPN, Marvel, Lucasfilm, The History Channel and Pixar.

Do I believe you should boycott Mulan? That’s truly up to you and a matter of personal conscience. Yet, with all of the negative publicity about Disney’s supporting China’s oppression, taking a financial hit on this one might make them and other corporations think twice about supporting totalitarian governments in the future.

Then, I’d encourage you to communicate with our national leaders like Senators Baldwin, Johnson and Congressman Steil to support bills that put economic choice back in the hands of consumers by clear product labeling. Their government websites and local offices make it simple to communicate with them. Encourage your friends to do the same. If we do nothing, one thing is certain – nothing will change. We need to be part of encouraging justice.

Most importantly, we need to remember that the Church is not American or our particular sect or ethnicity. Our Lord’s Church is worldwide with a 2,000-year history. Please pray for the persecuted Church. Stay updated with how our brothers and sisters are suffering from organizations like Voice of the Martyrs. The most important action we can take is to pray.

The Imago Dei, freedom from oppression, the injustice of racism, the evil of genocide, freedom of religion are biblical values. It’s part of our Christian responsibility to be salt and light in a dark world. Instead of cursing the darkness, it’s time to light some candles. 

 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.