Teachable Moments from “V”

November 11, 2009

I finally got around to watching the “V” pilot on Hulu. I read a ton of Tweets on the show before I saw it and so I was expecting a much poorer production than I experienced. I really enjoyed it. I was planning on watching the second episode last night, but forgot to set the recorder for 7pm. Seriously, who can watch TV at 7? Before 10?

Being as I’m always looking for media to use in teaching, I thought the pilot alone was jam packed with great stuff! Here’s a list of topics and themes that you could explore with a Christian Ed group (I think pretty much regardless of age). The caveat is, it’s sci-fi so those strange people who don’t enjoy the genre might bristle at the prospect.

Belief//Crisis and Church: Like 9/11, response to the invasion packs a Cathedral that previously ministered to a stagnant congregation of two. When crisis occurs, true unanswerable crisis, the church is seen as a sanctuary where answers live. How do you respond to crisis? Who do you look to for safety? What answers do you expect? Ultimately, it comes down to belief. What do you believe in? Another thing to explore is what does the existence of aliens mean in regards to the uniqueness of Jesus, Christianity and Scripture? I’d love to hear the responses to this one.

Faith//Complicity and Caution: There are two priests in this story who see the invasion in different ways. One responds complicitly, that the invasion must be seen as providential and therefore welcomed without criticism or thought. The other, the younger priest, takes pause and is willing to consider that the invasion might not be a blessing from God. Some questions to ask: How do we see complicity hurt the integrity of the Gospel? How do we see caution do the same? How have we seen complicity and caution in the church through out history? The Holocaust is a perfect focal point here.

Temptation//Eden and Sexuality: The V’s have an immediate and aggressive evangelical strategy. There is a great scene where the femme fatale alien grasps an apple aboard their perfect alien spaceship. The symbology is clear and what follows is the temptation and seduction of a young teen to join their cause and ultimately betray the free will of humanity. In terms of Temptation, he doesn’t stand a chance! What temptations do we surrender to? How are we supposed to deal with them? What does Scripture say about it?

Devotion//Worship and Gratitude: The writers make a clear connection/statement between devotion and violence. The V’s know that to enslave a planet, they must choose to be your slaves. The way to do this is make promises, spread the gloss, lie, be beautiful, say what needs to be heard, etc. Once you are grateful, you may choose to worship and worship can grow into devotion: an idea that Calvin identified as idolatry. This theme is constant throughout the episode and the writers are most certainly opening the lid on the religious right, the fundimental Islamist and the Eco-left. How do Christians respond to idolatry? What does the Bible say about us when we are more informed by Beck or Maddow than we are Jesus? What is extremism a response to? Is extremism of any kind idolatrous? How do we help disarm fidelity to things other than Jesus? How do we maintain an irrevocable commitment and undiluted focus on Christ and Christ alone?

In the future episodes, like the original 1984 series, you will find an oppressed minority seeking to band together against a mainstreamed menace. This could be seen as a symbol of ? Class? Anyone?

I hope you find some of this fun. There were several other leaping points from the pilot, but I don’t want to come off as extreme.