Entertainment

Pinocchio’s Downfall and Redemption

The Christian faith is the fabric with which Western literature is woven. Great writers like Andrew Klavan and philosophers like Jordan B. Peterson clearly see it.

The classic, Pinocchio, is no different. The classic 1940 Disney animated movie, based on a classic novel, centered on Pinocchio, a wooden puppet who was given life at the request of his creator, Geppetto.

Geppetto loved Pinocchio, and Pinocchio loved Geppetto. At the very outset, you see a parallel with scripture, where God created Adam and gave him life. God loved Adam and Adam loved God.

Had Pinocchio been content to be loved by Geppetto, and to find his value there, Pinocchio’s story would have been one of endless bliss. Alas, Pinocchio wasn’t satisfied with Geppetto’s love.

Pinocchio had an intense desire to become a real boy. This desire, coupled with his desire to be like all the other boys, would lead Pinocchio down a path of misadventures which would separate him from Geppetto and create unnecessary suffering.

The first misadventure happened when Pinocchio was lured away from his walk to school by a character named Honest John, who persuaded Pinocchio to join his puppet show. Pinocchio’s decision to follow John’s temptation landed him in the show, but also a bird cage, and set up a chain of events that would see Pinocchio on a ship to Pleasure Island.

On Pleasure Island, Pinocchio befriends Lampwick and begins to indulge in bad behavior on the false promise that there would be no consequences for such behavior. When Jiminy Cricket tries to intervene, Pinocchio spurns him, prompting Jiminy Cricket to leave.

However, once Cricket discovers the horrible truth of what is going on at Pleasure Island, he returns to deliver Pinocchio right as the curse was beginning to turn him into a donkey.

At this point, Pinocchio realizes he had it good all along and sets out to reunite with Geppetto, a journey that takes him back home, and even into the belly of a whale. (Shadows of Jonah in that scene.)

What we learn from Pinocchio is that our downfall is often caused by unthankfulness, our desire to find meaning and pleasure apart from our creator, and our misplaced pride in ourselves.

Pinocchio loved Geppetto, but wanted more. Likewise, Adam and Eve loved God, but didn’t want to live under His authority. Their decision to seek their own divine nature by eating the forbidden fruit saw them expelled from the garden, and rendered as mere mortals who would have to face death.

We also say we love God, but all too often we seek pleasure and fulfillment everywhere but God, and often, we wish to cast His authority off from our lives. Our consequence is destruction in this life, and absent from repentance and faith, eternal condemnation before God.

As Pinocchio faced excruciating consequences as a result of seemingly harmless choices, we often find ourselves in bad situations caused by seemingly insignificant choices that took us further from God’s presence. Thus, scripture compares us to sheep, saying that “all we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his on way, and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

And finally, as Pinocchio found healing and reunification by turning his heart back to Geppetto, we find healing and reconciliation with God by turning from our sinful ways and trusting Him for salvation.

The Christian faith really shapes Western Literature, and why shouldn’t it? Both Christianity and literature contain the stories of who we are.

So, when you find yourself dissatisfied with life and wanting more, be careful. Seek healing and fulfillment with God, and not from the pleasures of this world. Otherwise, you may turn into a donkey and find yourself in the belly of a whale.

But seriously, we forfeit so much peace and endure so much unnecessary suffering simply because we don’t trust God enough. Have faith. Turn to the Lord. And find fulfillment in Him.

Church People

-A note from Pastor Leland Acker

Amidst all the Christian media, movies, music, stage shows and trendy churches, we must ask ourselves, “Is the Gospel enough?” Such is the premise for “Church People,” a Christian comedy released in 2021 by MyPillow’s Mike Lindell.

Church People follows a youth director’s struggle as he watches the megachurch where he has spent his ministry fall into the rut of using gimmicks and theatrical antics to draw crowds, while the meaning of the Gospel gets lost altogether. The film not only addresses the importance of the Gospel, but personal sin and struggle, the shallowness of some forms of Christianity, church politics, reconciliation and redemption.

My main concern with this film would be that it would inadvertently create a parody of church life and Christianity, and thus miss the target of refocusing the audience on the Gospel. My concern has been alleviated after watching the film, and I whole-heartedly endorse this film, not only for family entertainment, but for ministerial use as well.

The movie features a cast of quirky characters, mostof whom are caricatures of folks you might have met in church life. However, the film skillfully uses those characters as object lessons to get us to the intended message, which makes the film successful. From the greeter who seems to have a divine insight into people’s lives, the newly converted member of the youth group who can’t be involved enough, the pastor’s daughter turned missionary, the disenchanted youth director, and the rock-star wannabe worship leader all play a role in helping this film not only get its message across, but also deliver some amazing laughs along the way.

At the end of the day, we are all reminded that, yes, the Gospel is enough. Not only so, but the Gospel is the very essence of who we are in Christ, and what God has done for us. Furthermore, the movie does what so few do, correctly define what the Gospel is. For that, I happily recommend this movie to anyone.