I am currently in rehearsals for a local production of Amadeus, a fictional account of the career of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. While Mozart is the subject of the show, it is told from the perspective of one of his contemporaries--a composer named Antonio Salieri.
    Through the course of the story, Salieri faces a crisis of faith that leads him, not simply to abandon his faith, but to declare all-out "war" on God. Due to this element of the story, I have been considering the implications this production might have on my testimony. The subject is touchy, but what bothers me most is the lack of a Biblical resolution. The conclusion that the show implies is not compatible with a Biblical worldview and that bothers me. However, it lends itself to serious discussions about the arrogance of man and the exercise of faith.
    I firmly believe that the qualification for a "Christian" show is NOT that it necessarily must be "family friendly," but that it deal seriously with significant topics. There are a lot of serious theological and personal problems that cannot be dealt with in a child-proof manner. I think that Amadeus explores one of those issues.
    Too often people seem to forget that Christians are also HUMAN. People with real and carnal tendencies. YES, the power of Christ in us is a real and compelling force, but those words frequently become a theological band-aid in place of real help. And if one's perception of God is skewed, then there is no way to interpret Christ in a constructive way. Therefore, the condition of the sinner's heart can only be aggravated.
    Such is the case in Amadeus. Salieri begins the show by dismissing the "simpering sillies" he associates with Christ and focusing instead on the image of "an old, candle-smoked God" who observes the world with "dealer's eyes." This perception of "god" reflects the hurdle that people may face when constructing their perception of God's character. My friend, Lee Ann, was telling me that she herself struggles against a self-contrived conception that God plays malicious games with man. This mentality we share recognizes the supremacy of God in all things, but reduces our gracious and loving God to playing trivial games of "tit for tat."
    Salieri promises to live a just and chaste life in exchange for serving God through his passion: "Absolute music." For many years he lives in a manner consistent with his promise. But even before he makes his promise, he explains that his true motivation is fame, rather than the pursuit of God's praise. "Motets and anthems to God's glory" were but a means of achieving worldly acclaim. His actions were very RIGHT, but his motivation was very WRONG. So when Mozart, a childish, churlish prodigy comes onto the scene, Salieri is thrown into a grave crisis of faith from which he never recovers.
    As he shouts his declaration of war to God, the mettle of his faith is revealed.
I know my fate. Now for the first time I feel my emptiness as Adam felt his nakedness... Grazie Signore! You gave me the desire to serve you--which most men do not have--then saw to it that the service was shameful in the ears of the server.... You gave me the desire to praise you--which most men do not feel--then made me mute.... You put into me the perception of the Incomparable--which most men never know!--then ensured that I would know myself forever mediocre.
    His words are cutting. This God whom he served so faithfully in action, who shaped his paradigm so radically, seemed to have cursed his most diligent follower. But the subtext screams "I did it to be the best! Why am I not the best!?" Like so many, Salieri's faith echoes that of the Pharisees in Jesus' day. Impeccably righteous on surface, but rotten at the core.