My church hosted David Zahl co-author of The Gospel According to Pixar and the founder of Mockingbird (www.mbird.com) in Charlottesville Virginia where he is on staff at Christ Episcopal Church.  The premise of the book is Pixar films have created high quality films that engage not only children but adults.  Moreover “the films tell compelling stories about love forgiveness fear loneliness identity etc. that provide vivid illustrations of how the Gospel interacts with real life.”  It’s ironic of course that animated films have been the vehicle for capturing the essence of many Christian themes and more importantly the possibility of redemption for everyone.  As well David talked about the “Nazareth Principle” in these films where good things come from unexpected and out of the way places.  

But because I knew David’s father Paul briefly when he was the senior minister of a growing Episcopal congregation in Birmingham Alabama I was especially interested in David’s comments about and obvious affection and respect for his father.  In so many ways Paul’s example and wisdom has allowed David to grow into the extraordinary young man he is.  As he talked to us about his own desire to communicate the essentials of grace through the media of movies and music he gave credit to his father for knowing how to encourage and listen to David as a young man growing up. 

I was especially aware of that as I had read an article in the Washington Post this morning written by a young man David’s age who described himself this way: 

“I’m 31 an Iraq war veteran a Penn State graduate a Catholic a native of State College acquaintance of Jerry Sandusky’s and a product of his Second Mile foundation.

And I have fully lost faith in the leadership of my parents’ generation.”

He goes on to say: “One thing I know for certain: A leader must emerge from Happy Valley to tie our community together again and it won’t come from our parents’ generation.

They have failed us over and over and over again.

I speak not specifically of our parents — I have two loving ones — but of the public leaders our parents’ generation has produced. With the demise of my own community’s two most revered leaders Sandusky and Joe Paterno I have decided to continue to respect my elders but to politely tell them “Out of my way.”

They have had their time to lead. Time’s up. I’m tired of waiting for them to live up to obligations.”

Pretty bleak.  So that makes me think how much I hope Pixar is right in presenting redemption as a possibility and while we are truly our own worst enemies there is hope that out of unexpected places will come grace.  We need more Paul and David Zahl’s in our world.