If you tuned in to watch the 2024 opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, the ‘woke’ parodying of ‘The Last Supper’ seems an obvious example of cultural rot here in the West. With an ornately dressed men-pretending-to-be-women-but-aren’t obese drag queen at the center of a long table wearing a halo and a crown ... and on either side other queer / trans figures – the ‘photo op’ was simply another example of ‘rub-the noses-of-Christians-in the-poop’ artistic choice theatre– for the public to consume.
Bishop Emmanuel Gobillard, representing the Holy See at the Paris Games, in an interview with NBC News said, “The fact that our religion should be mocked is usual and we are used to blasphemy in France.” Frankly, I would not limit it to France! Perhaps the reason the ‘sting in Paris’ has raised the ire of so many is because an event intended to bring the world together – and provide us all with some emotional respite from the Russia – Ukraine war, the Hamas-Israel war, never-mind Covid, climate, terrorism and intolerance wars, has failed and regrettably polarized our world even further.
No one should be surprised when secular people ...
act secular.
Now Thomas Jolly, the theatre director has denied taking inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper.’ Jolly goes on the argue that it was all about Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and pleasure – not Jesus and the boys; it was merely a depiction of a bacchanalian feast. Well, I guess that settles it then. I mean CNN and MSNBC say all sorts of stuff too – all of it true no doubt and without a hint of selective amnesia ... so we should take Jolly at his word as well. Got it! Still, I’m not taking the bait!
The Washington Post’s Sally Jenkins pushed the rather boring and predictable canard that it was all just “experimental art” for crying-out-loud. OK. So Sally was this “experimental art” that consciously targeted and parodied the faith of Christians? Jenkins never says! Preferring to side-step, she merely retorts, “regardless of the intention ...” Actually Sally, the ‘intention’ is important because if it was deliberate then it (a) begs the question of why? (b) mocks the faith of 2.4 billion Christians who understandably should be outraged at such disrespect and (c) casts an unnecessary shadow across the ‘Big Show’ ... a show intended to unite the world. Interestingly, blasphemy is legal in France – so everyone can breathe easy knowing that no one is calling for a return of the French guillotine!
Interestingly, the media / press had little problem putting drag queens and the ‘Last Supper’ together. Here are some of the random headlines immediately following the event:
NBC News – “Drag Performance resembling Last Supper at Olympic opening ceremony rankles conservatives.”
New York Post – “Drag Performers seemingly emulate Last Supper at Olympic Opening.”
Reuters – “Paris ceremony ‘Last Supper’ parody sparks controversy.”
Forbes – “Paris Olympics Drag Queen ‘Last Supper’ Sparks GOP Uproar.”
National Review – “Drag Queens Parody the Last Supper During Olympics Opening Ceremony.”
The Economic Times – “Paris Olympic Ceremony” Last Supper sketch never meant to disrespect, saying organizers.”
Chicago Tribune – “Drag Queens Shine at Olympics Opening, but ‘Last Supper’ tableau draws criticism.”
Indeed, the Chicago Tribune went on to say, “among their bold performances was a scene seemed to evoke Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”, featuring the drag queens in the roles of Jesus Christ.... They showed no restrains in expression.”
Maintaining an unpopular position, no matter how courteous Christians might be, will not meet the approval of self-interested gay activists and their egregious social re-engineering.
Now some of my Christian apologist friends were pre-mature to chastise any believer who ignorantly concluded that the ‘skit’ was depicting “The Last Supper,” saying you are “making us look stupid and uneducated.” It’s about Dionysus (also known as Bacchus) – not Jesus, they argued. Show some humility will you ... and “maybe we should swallow the bitter pill of admitting when we are wrong.” Well, clearly the media was not confused about what they witnessed, as their headlines demonstrate. Frankly, Christians world-wide were not imagining what they witnessed either. So no sack-cloth and ashes here. You’ll have to look elsewhere!
A couple of thoughts:
Completed in the 1490s, the iconic da Vinci mural is an impressive 30 feet by 15 feet, hanging in Milan, Italy and has been a part of the Christian imagination for hundreds and hundreds of years. So, when LGBTQ-icon Barbara Butch seats herself/himself in the center of a long table with a silver, halo-like headdress and a group of followers on either side – no one should ever conclude ... “Sure resembles da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’’? When the scene did unfold, I wonder how many said, “Wow, What a great presentation of Jan van Bijlert’s, Le Festin des Dieux” (The Feast of the gods)? In the words of someone famous, ‘C’mon man.” At its best, it was a layered commentary.
In recent days, the entertainment magazine TheWrap (Left-Center biased) and the Washington Times report receiving copies from the Paris 2024 producers acknowledging that Jolly was inspired by da Vinci’s painting.
“For the ‘Festivities’ segment, Thomas Jolly took inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting to create the setting,” producers said in the statement. “Clearly, there was never an intention to show disrespect towards any religious group or belief … [Jolly] is not the first artist to make a reference to what is a world-famous work of art. From Andy Warhol to ‘The Simpsons,’ many have done it before him.”
Paris 2024 Producers to Washington Times
The New York Times reported (before the confirmation), “The idea of the central figure with a halo and a group of believers on either side – its so typical of the Last Supper iconography that to read it in any other way might be a little foolhardy,” said Saasha Grishin, an art historian and professor emeritus at the Australian National University.
The Feast of Dionysus, except perhaps in some obscure way, was hardly the cultural origins of the Olympic Games, so Jolly apparently has not done his homework ... and the idea that Dionysus somehow demonstrates “the absurdity of violence between human beings” as Jolly insists, is just plain nonsense. In Greek mythology, he is the god of wine, dance, pleasure, irrationality, madness and chaos. He had nothing to do with unity. Nothing!
Even on a surface level, without making any obvious connect to Jesus, believers should have been appalled at the pansexual nonsense that masqueraded as ‘art’, on a global stage and consequently mocked the values of an overwhelming number of athletes
Champions of Dionysus the Smurf-like god will publicly argue that the whole episode, if anything, was coincidental. We evangelicals, it seems, are simply too sensitive; that our persecution complex is getting in the way of reality. Personally, I find it too evocative to be an accident – but that’s just me. In saying this I hope I am not “making us [my Christian friends] look stupid and uneducated” – but if it does, I’m OK with it.
If we think we can be a smooth-talking Christian and
make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone ...
we are dreaming in technicolor!
In John 15, Jesus speaks pointedly to his disciples. The rest of us do well to come to terms with what he said.
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me” (vv. 18-21, ESV)
This theme of the world not being happy with Christians is repeated in other passages as well”
Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
Matthew 24:9 “You will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.”
I John 3:13 “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.”
Of course all does not mean every single person, but in a general sense. Therefore, being hated for Christ’s sake will be normal. It is not going to go away. When the media and others bludgeon believers for things like their protection of children ... or their regard for the profound sacredness and value of life – in a country with one of the most progressive assisted dying laws in the world ... or the absurdity of men becoming women ... or the fluidity of gender — no surprises!
Interesting however, there is the Bibles expectation that if we stand as lights (Matthew 5:16) ... and add a salty flavor to our world (Matthew 5:13) – some folks will sign on, be converted and join us. This is good news! Can voicing a perspective about the 2024 Olympics not be an example of light or salt in action?
Is it possible that being Light and Salt can include being
a reputable contributor to society by voicing disagreement with some of its nonsense?
Or must Christians remain mute?
My contention therefore is that it is quite OK to engage our world. In fact, I would go even further, saying it’s quite OK to be political. After all, Jesus’ “whole ministry was political,” says Anglican priest and scholar John Stott. He writes that politics in its broad definition is concerned with “the whole of our life in human society. Politics is the art of living together in a community.”1 I am in flavor of that - sharing in the life of the human community I belong to; what Christian wouldn’t be? Therefore, citizens have a right to opening complain about religious discrimination against themselves. Without that right, there is no free society.
The Christian mission will be regarded by the secularists as a judgmental imposition on beliefs – but the ‘mission’ is surely more than proselytism, for it seeks dignity, welfare and spiritual well-being, too. So, engagement while problematic, is both virtuous and reasonable.
So, I was not outraged by what happened in Paris, though I do fundamentally disagree with Sally Jenkins (Washington Post) and her hollow argument that it was merely “artistic experiment”. I saw what I saw and overwhelming the media headlines saw ... and screamed precisely the same thing – all before the spin doctors left their huddles to push an alternative reality. While overall I found the four-hour celebration entertaining ... and too long, the episode with the Smurf guy and his entourage of queers and trans figures had all the depth of a worn tire tread.
I think the daily Italian newspaper Avvenire, hit the strike zone, when it wrote “Don’t take us for moralistic bigots, but what’s the point of having to experience every single global event, even a sporting one, as if it were a Gay Pride?” Hey, no one should be surprised that drag queens love attention.
Was I offended? No hurt religious feelings here. It was Fran Lebowitz who once said, “Being offended is the natural consequence of leaving one’s home.” Indeed! The good thing, I suppose, about being offended is that it can facilitate critical thinking – encouraging us to distinguish between disproportionate and proportionate ... divisive and uniting ... dishonest and truthful.
We have codified relativism to such an extent that morality and truth has largely evaporated. The good news is that while Jesus died to save us from the results of our ‘sin’, he also died to destroy evil. The insulting disrespect shown almost daily by queer activists to religion, will continue unchecked, continue to shape our reality to reflect their fallen nature – and Christians will voice their concerns, hopefully stand their biblical ground, while loving them in return. That the overseers of the opening ceremonies surrendered their control to “experiential art” ... art that echoed the ‘Last Supper’ demonstrates ‘Paris Has Fallen’ – and it was on full display July 26th, 2024. “OnlySaying...”
1. John Stott, New Issues Facing Christians Today. Zondervan, 1999. p. 14
Comments