Confessions of a Sinner

Posted Friday at 11:00 AM5 days

For two months, I’ve withheld sins. I’m not Catholic, so I can’t go to a priest. I’ve prayed, meditated, and exercised, but the feelings of guilt remain.

Before I confess, let me give you context. Every sin has a story.

Warning: this post is longer than usual. But please stay, I need to get this off my chest.

It started with pizza.

In June, I had out-of-town guests over for dinner. My childhood friend, his wife, and their three children came to visit us. We ordered pizza from an Indian Italian fusion joint near my house.

Between slices layered with cheese, curry, and tomato sauce, one of our guests asked if we’d seen Ryan Coogler’s latest film, Sinners. While chewing, my wife and I shook our heads no. Shocked but not swayed from the topic, the conversation continued, and we learned of the Christian controversies surrounding the movie.

I listened as they explained how conservative pundits criticized the film because it challenged religious values. Scenes depicting devils as vampires hit too close to home for some. Our friends appreciated the film and Coogler’s artistic interpretations of religion, vampires, racism, and 1900 America.

We finished most of the pizza, the children stayed overnight, and I promised to watch the movie.

Sin #1

A week passed, and I traveled to Umoja’s Summer Learning Institute(SLI) in San Marcos, California. Due to preparing for a workshop, other work responsibilities, and family duties, I didn’t watch the movie before leaving town. The opening keynote speaker of SLI, Anthony Browder, referenced the movie as he argued for using film to counter dominant narratives and teach history.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” – Exodus 20:16

“I am not deceitful”- Laws of Ma’at

Browder mentioned a memorable scene in the movie where a blues singer conjured past, present, and future ancestral spirits in a juke joint. I nodded as he spoke, without context, as he discussed the societal contributions of Africans in the diaspora and Coogler’s ability to foster awareness through his latest masterpiece.

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He articulated how each actor played a role in conveying meaningful messages. The singer embodied the potential and power of Black voices connected with divine gifts to communicate with the spirit world. Dancers tapped into a rich history of movement and music that Africans acquired to maintain their sanity and culture in the face of oppressive forces.

Browder’s analysis of the scene reminded me of capoeira’s history in Brazil.

The crowd applauded his insights and appraisal of Coogler’s films. Browder reiterated his thoughts with a brief discussion of the brilliant Black Panther series. He encouraged conference attendees to analyze narrative structure, engage in critical thinking, and develop film literacy.

Through images, film clips, and book references, he assigned us tasks reinforcing the title of his talk, “Teaching the Truth: Countering the Erasure of African Identity.” After remembering comments made around my dinner table, reflecting on my notes, and reviewing pictures from the lecture, I prayed for forgiveness and rented the film.

Sin # 2

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly, defend the rights of the poor and needy” – Proverbs 31:8-9

“I have not acted hastily or without thought” – Laws of Ma’at

Despite my promise to limit Amazon purchases due to Bezos’ support of Trump, I selected Sinners and clicked “add to cart” on Prime Video. With shame on my shoulder and awe in my eyes, I watched the movie.

No spoiler alert

Through fiction and horror, the movie Sinners depicts the experiences Black people endured during the move from rural Mississippi to urban Chicago during the Great Migration. It echoes narratives in Isabel Wilkerson’s (2010) book, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration. In Sinners, vampires and Klansmen portray the violence and white supremacy that covertly initiated and maintained slavery by other names, such as sharecropping, Jim Crow, and the prison-industrial complex.

From the opening credits, I identified with two of the film’s characters. The preacher, played by Saul Williams, reminded me of my dad. Miles Caton, also known as The Preacher Boy and Sammie Moore, mirrored me.

I grew up in a religious home where my father worked as a pastor at a church on Chicago’s South Side. Sammie’s reluctance to follow his father’s ministerial wishes resembled challenges I’ve faced at various moments in my life. Just last week, one of my father’s friends asked me to preach at his church.

Like Sammie, I discovered creative outlets outside the church’s walls.

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While the juke joint scene lived up to Browder’s hype, another moment in Sinners resonates with the Christian controversy my friends shared. In a closing scene, the vampire Remmick, played by Jack O’Connell, baptizes Sammie. Sammie begins to recite the Lord’s Prayer, and Remmick, along with recent vampire converts, finish the prayer.

Remmick says, “Long ago, the man who stole my father’s land forced these words upon us. I hated those men, but the words still bring me comfort.” The comments stunned Sammie, and the moment sent an eerie chill up my spine.

Sinners hit theaters in April, but if you haven’t seen it yet, I will not spoil the ending and reveal what happens next. It is worth your time and money to support Coogler’s latest masterpiece. Although the movie starts slow, the storyline builds into a climactic depiction of Black life in the 1930s with parallels to 2025.

Michael B. Jordan shines in his portrayal of two characters, Smoke and Stack. Other notable actors include Delroy Lindo, Hailee Steinfeld, and Wunmi Mosaku.

Is watching Sinners a Sin?

That question can only receive an answer from you and your perception of God or a Creator. I confess to procrastinating on seeing the movie and breaking my vow to limit Amazon purchases.

While I understand the Christian critique, given the dialogues and images in several scenes, Ryan Coogler does a superb job of using film to reflect white supremacy and illustrate Black resilience.

If you haven’t seen Sinners, add it to your to-do list this weekend. Give yourself time to process the images and dialogues. Use this syllabus to create classes around the film’s ideas.

Whether you rent, buy, or choose to teach it, please share your thoughts below. Subscribe to this blog and receive more film reviews delivered to your inbox. Support this blog by buying a book or registering for coaching services.

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This post was previously published on Vernon C. Lindsay, PhD blog.

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