Now, being a HUGE fan of Les Misérables, this peaked my attention. In my opinion, Les Mis is the most incredible Christian story ever written outside the Bible. It is literally soaking through with the Gospel truth of love and grace and it is widely regarded as an artistic and spiritual masterpiece. While using Les Mis to make his own point, he actually missed the ENTIRE CONTEXT of the story and the motivation of the main character, Jean Valjean. After hearing this mishandling of Les Mis, it struck me that this is a perfect microcosm of exactly how Teen Mania interprets and teaches Scripture to the interns. They miss the entire concept of the book and the main character, Jesus, and cherry pick isolated incidents to support their position while totally ignoring the context. If you don’t care about Les Mis, you can skip to the last two paragraphs, otherwise read on.
So let’s take a look at how Heath setup this clip:
32:00 – For those of you guys that don’t know the story of Les Mis, Jean Valjean did some bad stuff, some really bad stuff. Its a great book. I had to read the book in high school. Anybody else have to read it? Did some bad stuff, its a great book if you’ve never read it. Did some bad stuff, but then he gets promoted gets some prosperity in his life, gets some influence and in this clip there’s a guy that’s being put on trial for the bad stuff that Jean Valjean had done. And this guy, if he gets convicted, he’s going to go to prison.
So Jean Valjean is in the courtroom and hearing this guy getting accused of doing all these horrible things and Jean Valjean is there listening to it. Would you guys tell the truth? Let’s see what happened?
Ok, first of all, Jean Valjean did not do “some really bad stuff” as Heath mentions here 4 times. He was sentenced to prison and hard labor for stealing a loaf of bread for his starving nephew. Does Heath think that is “really bad stuff” or he is just ignorant? A large part of the story of Les Mis is the injustice that Valjean suffers at the hands of the law. I’m pretty sure that flew right over Heath’s head.
Second, he doesn’t get “promoted.” He deceitfully procures a new identity and lives under an assumed name to escape detection by the authorities who are looking to prosecute him for breaking his probation. In fact, his entire salvation and transformation take place because a Bishop lied to the authorities on his behalf. So I guess neither of them were really “swearing to their own hurt.”
After the interns watch the clip, Heath sums it up before moving on with this statement:
Great, great scene. Somebody that stands up and tells the truth even though there’s consequences.
Heath totally misses the entire point of Jean Valjean coming forward. He does it to spare the innocent man’s life not because he is “swearing to his own hurt” for the sake of “doing the right thing.” Right after, he goes on the run again, deceiving authorities again and for the next 10 years. How does this possibly bolster Heath’s point?
It doesn’t.
The theme of Les Mis is law vs. grace, mercy vs. punishment. If Heath can turn a character who spends his entire life lying to the authorities (and is justified in doing so) into a model of honesty and telling the truth, something is either very wrong with his reading comprehension or his agenda (or both.) You’ve gotta wonder about the teaching ability of someone who gets something that backwards.
And here’s the thing…you may not care about Les Mis, but I submit that this kind of sloppy, ignorant exegesis is EXACTLY the same no matter what text they use. They overlook the entire mission of God and the point of Scriptures in reconciliation, mercy, love and compassion and instead use isolated verses to beat people over the head with unattainable standards and guilt and condemnation. Then, the interns think that’s what the Scripture really says, when in reality its the exact opposite.
As a side note, I can’t resist mentioning that even Teen Mania doesn’t really abide by this rule. When I went on my first mission trip with them to Hong Kong and the authorities asked me what I had in my bag while crossing the border to China, was I supposed to say, “I’m bringing Bibles in!” There are plenty of stories in Scripture where God’s people lied and some were even rewarded for it (the Egyptian midwives, Rahab). Instead of taking one Scripture out of context and making it an absolute, let’s look at the entirety of story.
26 comments:
“it takes perseverance to finish a marriage…” pure gold, Heath. Pure gold.
Ok, what happened in the middle when everyone stood up and Heath said something about an accountability partner…?
Also… he is laying the guilt trip on pretty thick. Heath is defining the negative culture at the HA; the heavy push to confront (and I know he says “you do it out of love”, but we all know how loving interns can be to each other) and to tell on each other. I’m so happy I’m outside of that culture now and never have to live under that horrible, paralyzing fear that I’m never quite good enough for the god of the HA.
Considering how they interpret the Bible, I’m not surprised that their reading comprehension (?) skills are comparable for other literature.
Seriously, if I was a high school English teacher, and one of my students wrote a paper about the “really bad stuff” that Jean Valjean did, I would flunk them. Partly for missing the point of the reading completely; partly for using the phrase “bad stuff” five times in one paragraph as though this was third grade. Please rewrite and return, Heath!
Excellent points all over this.
As a music theater buff I seriously thew up in my mouth a little when I heard him butcher the story so your not alone there RA.
And you are right they seem to really twist things around. Of course because the only people that work there are people who have never left the campus really they certainly are able to lie as much as they want because the people who are there who have been there 4-7 yrs will just regurgitate everything DH, RL, ect said.
Amazing RA, truly amazing. You are very good at making your point. The problem is that it takes comprehension to understand. That is what I fear for the HA leadership, they can’t really understand you (due to their low reading IQ).
mouse
do they allow “christians” to watch PG-13 movies?
Ah, Les Miz. I love Les Miz.
I DON’T love total bastardizations of the story, like Teen Mania is doing here. In fact, I have really fond memories of singing songs from Les Miz while hiking with my Teen Mania teammates — so I hate to see that memory sullied by such a poor interpretation of literature.
Also, wouldn’t Teen Mania (and therefore Ron, Dave, and Heath) represent the law in this instance? So, if I were going to write a paper for Eric’s literature class, I would do a comparison piece and explain how Heath = Javert. After all, Javert is obsessed with tracking down and punishing ValJean for breaking the law, even though there were no “really bad things” that he did. Just as TM creates their own morality, Javert’s world will come crashing down around him if he can’t uphold his stringent, graceless understanding of life.
So, TM (and therefore Heath) = Javert. Except Javert has the most beautiful voice, and he sings “Stars,” which is one of my favorite songs. Ever.
I do hope that Heath and those at Teen Mania are able to come to understand grace in a more productive way than Javert does. After all, we all know what happens to him when ValJean sets him free.
So, Eric, do I get an A?
Oh, ALSO. . .Valjean already knew that God was on his side:
[VALJEAN]
He thinks that man is me
He knew him at a glance!
That stranger he has found
This man could be my chance!
Why should I save his hide?
Why should I right this wrong
When I have come so far
And struggled for so long?
If I speak, I am condemned.
If I stay silent, I am damned!
I am the master of hundreds of workers.
They all look to me.
How can I abandon them?
How would they live
If I am not free?
If I speak, I am condemned.
If I stay silent, I am damned!
Who am I?
Can I condemn this man to slavery
Pretend I do not feel his agony
This innocent who bears my face
Who goes to judgement in my place
Who am I?
Can I conceal myself for evermore?
Pretend I’m not the man I was before?
And must my name until I die
Be no more than an alibi?
Must I lie?
How can I ever face my fellow men?
How can I ever face myself again?
My soul belongs to God, I know
I made that bargain long ago
He gave me hope when hope was gone
He gave me strength to journey on
[He appears in front of the court]
Who am I? Who am I?
I am Jean Valjean!
[He unbuttons his shirt to reveal the number tattooed to his chest]
And so Javert, you see it’s true
That man bears no more guilt than you!
Who am I?
24601!
I remember Ron teaching the parable of the Prodigal Son. His “moral of the story” at the end? Don’t abandon God. That’s right. Don’t be the Prodigal Son. Looking back on Teen Mania and realizing that was what Ron took away from such a grace-filled, loving story was the first step for me to begin really scrutinizing all their interpretations of scripture. And realizing how wrong they were 95% of the time.
@Renae- wow.
@this story – Well, considering Dave made up scripture to prove his point about not breaking your commitment this does not surprise me at all.
It makes me REALLY REALLY REALLY sad.
I’m so glad I’m out of that community but this all breaks my heart so much.
My biggest question is where did Heath come from anyways? when I was there he was the intern director and then he was the ATF director or something. But now is he teaching classes and stuff?
It makes me think once someone gets up high enough and passes certain test’s they let them ‘in.’
I’m grieved. How many meetings they must sit in, so dull to what our precious Teacher is saying they don’t even have a moral code anymore. They’re the blind leading the blind. Sad, Sad, Sad. God have mercy on their souls. This is all going to stop one way or another. I do pray they are able to stand up now and not be forced to stand then…
So many people who have left a mess. Confused and burdened. Feeling like failures. When the truth is, it is Ron that effed up. It’s Dave that’s wrong. There is actually still room for the followers to come out on top. Gah, may no one feel an ounce of fear nor feel as though they aren’t good enough. But instead be over-comers that stand out like shining stars. If you can’t shine you fade.
In Chirst all things are possible. He loves us. Not by our works but by our faith. He loves us.
Wow, RA, well said.
I love Les Mis.
My question is this – even if Heath didn’t read the book, didn’t he have to watch the movie to find the video clip? Yet he still missed the point? How is that POSSIBLE?
chances are, he didn’t even watch it himself…
first of all… this is one of my favorite books, and to say that he missed the point is an understatement. I am upset that he is teaching young impressionable people! If he gets this wrong, what’s next? I can’t believe that I used to hold his word as the “gospel” truth!
MIP, now that you say that, these jokers probably didn’t read The Bible themselves either, just let others tell them what it says. How else can they miss the story of the law, then the freedom from the law of The Bible.
Anon
@LizBR– Gold star!
Heath Stoner: Hypocrite.
RA- I hope you have a Paul experience. You may not be persecuting Christians like he did, but you are fighting battles that are counter productive. Let the Holy Spirit fight these battles and convict the hearts that need to be convicted. You can not sway the heart of any man, your attempts are in vain.
PS, please go back to your little Texas town and spend some quality time with your family.
Anonymous 7:30- I hope you have a Paul experience. You may not be persecuting RA, but you are fighting battles that are counter productive. Let the Holy Spirit fight these battles and convict the hearts that need to be convicted. You can not sway the heart of any man, your attempts are in vain.
PS- In all seriousness, I love “leave-it-to-the-Holy-Spirit” comments, because they’re so wonderfully paradoxical. Like… if you really thought that, wouldn’t you just leave RA to the Holy Spirit to be convicted? LOL.
“PS, please go back to your little Texas town and spend some quality time with your family.”
What does that even mean? RA, have you been avoiding your family and we don’t know about it?
I took it to either be an inside joke between original poster and RA (and maybe the comment was a joke), or some manner of snarky postscript.
Then again, lol third party.
Man, I hope I have a Paul experience! That guy reveled in the unending width and depth and height of God’s love. I’ll take that any day! Thanks for the good wishes!
Liz and Nunquam – I’m guessing thats supposed to mean that I spend so much time on the blog that I neglect my family. lol
Anon @ 7:30 — I hope you get over your Sanballat experience.
(Hmm, now that I think about it, Sanballat was a Horonite, which isn’t off by many letters!)
Anon @ 7:30
You are right! RA isn’t fighting Christians at all. The TM cult leaders are not Christians!
@ RA I love how you change all negatives into positives. You are such a blessing!
Why is it that those who leave comments like that are ALWAYS anonymous?
littlegraygirl- because they don’t have the cajones to say it with their real name? And, if you notice, they never come back to retort what others have said regarding their comment. They are trolls.
Ugh. How can you mess up Les Miserables? How? I want to run out and scream into the heavens like Jennifer Love Hewitt does in “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”
Ugh. Tragic. I’m surprised He didn’t go on to say that Valjean was being punished for pre-marital sex with Fantine. Oh wait.