There are, in fact, two portrayals of Christianity on display in Wake Up Dead Man, one ugly and the other beautiful. Amazingly, the beautiful portrayal of faith is the faith of the movie's protagonist, the young Catholic priest, Jud Duplenticy. The faith of Father Jud shines through the film, start to finish.
As for the ugly portrayal of faith, that of Msgr. Wicks, this is the dark Christianity we've seen weaponized in the culture wars. In an interview with the magazine America, Johnson described the Christianity of Wicks as "all about 'us against them' and speaks in the language of war and talks about being persecuted and building the walls of the fortress in spiritual warfare."
In short, Wake Up Dead Man presents two visions of Christianity. One vision is ugly and false. The other is beautiful and true.
And the contrast is so, so startling. A light shines out in the darkness. This is such a rare choice in Hollywood, to paint Christianity as beautiful. Typical portrayals of Christianity are cynical, deconstructive, and ethically murky. Wake Up Dead Man paints only with the ugly and the beautiful. And when you behold the beautiful, your heart surges and soars. Johnson even lets the beauty existentially interrupt the skepticism and unbelief of Benoit Blanc, the purported hero of these stories. In fact, you can make a good argument that the "dead man" of the title is Blanc. The dead man could also be the American church.
Here's my comment.
I recently wrote a post about how faith exists between idolatry and nihilism. To recap, the dominant expressions of faith within a culture will be idolatrous and fake. Here in America, that means most of the Christianity we behold is idolatrous and fake. Given how ugly and noxious American Christianity has become, many Christians head for the exit doors. They reject the idolatry and embrace nihilism, a worldview evacuated of the sacred and the holy. They become secular, liberal humanists. Angry, sad, and despairing. Were you aware that political liberalism is negatively correlated with mental health?
And so, it seems like there are no good options. Christianity, in its mainstream expression, is toxic. But embracing the void is no good either. So, what to do?
I’ve seen a lot of Christians, friends of mine and members of my church, stuck between this rock and hard place. They feel that the Christianity they know to be true to Jesus is suffering a hostile alien takeover. The church is experiencing an invasion of the body snatchers. Wanting to separate themselves—in protest, prophetic rebuke, and social distancing related to their own version of purity culture—they publicly reject Christianity, walk away from church, and wander off into the spiritual-not-religious fog.
I totally get this angry departure. Truly, I deeply sympathize. But I’m here today to say that I think the better option is what I’ll call “The Father Jud Option.”
What is the Father Jud Option? It’s simple. First, in the face of the toxic witness of all the Msgr. Wickses, don’t leave the church. Don’t jettison the faith. Don’t renounce Christianity. Next, as you remain, don’t be angsty, conflicted, wavering, doubtful, embarrassed, cynical, angry, bitter, resentful, hopeless, and despairing. Stay, instead, and shine. Don’t abandon the faith to the ugly. And don’t let the ugly in the church curdle your peace and joy. Point, rather, to the beautiful. Be like Father Jud.
This, then, is the Father Jud Option. Remain, and be beautiful. For when we behold the beautiful, just as Benoit Blanc does, it is a Damascus road experience.
