“The Disney Gospel” by John H. Armstrong
Mark Pinsky, author of the book The Gospel According to Disney: Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2004), suggests there really is a gospel according to Disney. He calls the faith of Disney “secular ‘toonism,” a calculated play on the oft-used term “secular humanism.” What exactly is this faith and does it really have any influence on evangelical Christians in America?
Pinsky, a religion reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, regularly offers commentary on the relationship between religion and pop culture. His earlier book on a similar theme was The Gospel According to the Simpsons. Personally, I am not a Simpson’s fan thus I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed Pinsky’s insightful reflections upon the positive “values” presented in the Simpsons.
The Gospel According to Disney takes a different approach. It deals with its subject in a more encyclopedic way, showing how religious themes have appeared in some thirty Disney films. Also included is a religious biography of the two Disney brothers and studies of the recent CEO’s, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Michael Eisner. Besides these biographical overviews Pinsky also tackles the Southern Baptist Convention’s famous boycott of Disney over the issue of gay marriage benefits to employees and special “Gay Days” held in the Disney theme parks.
To the surprise of no one who has seriously thought about the world of Disney, Pinsky argues that the films present “a consistent set of moral and human values” which are “identifiably Judeo-Christian.” But the thoughtful Christian should not celebrate prematurely since Pinsky adds that there is “scarcely a mention of God” in Disney films. This is religion without the specifics, without content. It is intentionally vague in terms of expression and lacks all iconic symbolism. It is, in other words, the kind of religion one would expect from a commercial enterprise that seeks to make people happy, Indeed, in the world of Disney Pinsky says the explicit motif is “magic”?the universal device employed by Disney to entertain and reach children.
So what is the Disney “gospel”? Pinsky answers:
Good is always rewarded; evil is always punished. Faith is an essential element-faith in yourself and, even more, faith in something greater than yourself, some higher power. Optimism and hard work complete the basic canon.
That answer sums up the gospel message of multitudes if I read the times correctly. In fact, this message sums up what surveys have told us most Evangelicals have believed for well over two decades. Pinsky adds that Disney films and themes have also emphasized cultural/religious messages such as:
Goodness is often equated with beauty. Good always triumphs over evil. There is a basic compatibility between being good and being happy. Respect for others is an important value to be developed. Tolerance for the beliefs and action of others is to be pursued.
It is not that these values and beliefs are wrong in themselves. Many are rooted in elements of the Christian message. The problem with the “Disney gospel” is much more subtle. It is generally understood that the late Walt Disney had a worldwide ambition when it came to sales. He had a very distinct product to market and Pinsky rightly notes he had an “ambivalent relationship with organized religion” (i.e., the church). At the same time Disney wanted to stress “personal faith in God.” It is exactly here that the Disney gospel parallels the modern market-cultivated gospel of so many Evangelicals.
In Pinsky’s words, the Disney gospel has always had a world-wide scope. This was understood by Walt Disney and stated clearly at the opening of the California theme park in 1955 when Walt proclaimed this would be “a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.” Billy Graham once complimented Disney on his new park and said, “Walt, you have a great fantasy land here.” Disney replied to Graham, according to Pinsky, saying, “You preachers get it all wrong. This is reality in here. Out there is fantasy.” The Magic Kingdom has no church, no religious symbols, and no plainly articulated worldview. But, according to Jayson Byassee (Christian Century, November 16, 2004) that doesn’t mean it lacks a catechism. In the Western world it seems that far more children have been taught the Disney gospel than the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Byassee points out, when you compare the amount of time that children in our age are taught the essential elements of the Christian faith, with the amount of time that they sit in front of a television watching Disney movies and productions, you soon realize, that “Disney’s evangelistic entrepreneurship has been extraordinarily successful” (Christian Century). And so it has. Pinsky observes that Disney characters are “far more recognizable around the world than images of Jesus or the Buddha.”
I have to confess, I like the Disney characters. And I have made more than one wonderful pilgrimage to both Orlando and Anaheim. I even have my picture with a few of Disney characters. (You really can get away with almost anything so long as you have grandchildren to blame for your childlike actions!) And the Disney version of A. A. Milne’s famous characters?Pooh Bear, Piglet, Tigger and Eyore-are all favorites in our home. This is good clean fun as far as I am concerned. And it feeds a kind of imagination that is healthy. But something is wrong when the gospel of Evangelicals begins to look and sound like the Disney gospel.
The Disney message draws on story, or myth. Myth is an essential part of the human story. (Myth does not mean “untrue” as is often assumed by literalists!) Myth shapes meaning, provides vision, and often makes life meaningful and bearable. But the Disney myth shapes popular culture in ways that remove the radical demands of the biblical gospel which features “the way, the truth, and the life.” The Disney gospel is fun, it is entertaining, and it is, most of all, religious. This is why author and literary critic Umberto Eco called Disneyland “America’s Sistine Chapel,” a place where the faithful must flock to at least once a year.
If you don’t believe this ask Disney employees, off the theme park premises, about what goes on at the Magic Kingdom every day? Thousands of people fall in love there each year. Many are married in the Magic Kingdom. And who knows how many children “wish upon a star” while parents bond with them and teach profound lessons at the Disney parks? And it’s all a multi-billion dollar business that is the envy of every entrepreneur. (One nationally recognized church-growth expert held a major symposium on “how to grow your church and build a dynamic ministry” on Disney property a few years ago.)
In Jason Byassee’s review of Mark Pinsky’s book in the Christian Century (November 16, 2004) he seeks to demonstrate how the Disney gospel affects pastors who try to use popular culture as a point of reference in their preaching ministry. He is much more hopeful about the good that can be drawn from this form of culture than I am. His review (form which I have drawn a good deal of my reflection above) ends with this telling conclusion:
Conservative estimates have Americans watching some 20 hours of television a week-more than that in the case of children. This is a rigorous form of observance in its own right, requiring time, money and discipline. Pastors barely get in 20 hours of preaching in the course of a year (Christian Century, 23).
Face it. Most Americans absorb values through film and television. If the church chooses to engage popular culture through this means it will most likely not be long until our “Christian” values get shaped into something that sounds more and more like the Disney gospel. It would appear this has already happened far more than most see. Christian educators, good pastors, and godly parents have their work cut out for them. Borrowing from popular culture may have its place but it must necessarily be a limited one. Wise leaders will recognize this and demand much more than reprocessed pop gospel themes that sound more like Disney than Jesus.
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