This Friday, another attempt of "faith entertainment" flows from the septic faucet of Hollywood. On December 1st, the release of "The Nativity Story" hits the big screens across America, just in time for Christmas. It's a Christmas 'miracle'.Much like Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ", this movie is Hollywood's economical attempt to reach the ever growing 'faith and values' entertainment community. Gibson's Easter season "Passion" proved that there is an audience, now it's time for a sequel reach at Christmas. I'm excited about the movie. Whenever something this moral comes out of Hollywood, we should be thankful, and supportive.
Yet, if you are a Born Again Christian there is one doctrinal interpretation you need to understand before you purchase your buttered popcorn and $5 soda; the nativity story is written from a Catholic doctrinal filter.
In "The Nativity Story", Mary (played by Keisha Castle-Hughes) is 'sinless'. According to the Catholic doctrine, the "Immaculate Conception" (parthenogenesis) was Mary's birth - not Jesus'. Mary was sinless and 'blessed of all women', set aside for the delivery of Jesus the Christ.
For Protestants, 'Born Againers' and Evangelicals (of which I am), this doctrinal premise will need to be explained to those old enough to gather the evidence from the movie. We Evangelicals believe that Mary was not sinless; rather, a simple, righteous and obedient woman who was committed to the cause of God's Kingdom.
Mary was chosen by God and she conceived through the Holy Spirit to become pregnant with Jesus. I'm not sure the theological divide will harm the film, but for older children you may need to explain the difference. Younger kids will miss it all together.
But there is a developing dilemma for the Christian Community. Keisha Castle-Hughes' real pregnancy, at the age of 16 has some very upset and concerned. That's right, the movie's Mary (Castle-Hughes) is a "real life" teenage mother. In an epically coincidental case of life 'immediately' imitating art, the young girl is actually walking in Mary's footsteps - although, without righteous obedience.
That the movie is written from a Catholic theological perspective, there is a rift inside of the Catholic Church and Leadership today. The movie was previewed over the weekend in the Vatican, and Pope Benedict XVI did not show for the film. From The Guardian, "Although the official word is that the Pope has always had other commitments in and never planned to be at the Vatican premiere, other rumblings say otherwise -- that the Pope is quite disapproving of the young girl's un-wed pregnancy."
The new film directors were expecting to receive the Pope's blessing at the special screening, but it is understood that the Catholic church is disapproving of the castle-Hughes "situation". The Vatican has offered a statement saying the Pope had previously scheduled commitments that kept him away from the event.
Alright, I'll bring it up - is Castle-Hughes' teenage pregnancy 'just coincidental'? How surreal to have the 'greatest story ever told' creating a real life association. Is there a message in this "situation", as the Times/Guardian quoted the Vatican?