The Hunger Games and the Gospel: Bread, Circuses and the Kingdom of God

by Julie Clawson

In a globalized world full of uncertainty and injustice, Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games series has captured the imaginations of readers looking for glimmers of hope. The tale of Katniss Everdeen’s journey of survival in the post-apocalyptic country of Panem, where bread and circuses distract the privileged and allow a totalitarian regime to oppress the masses, parallels situations in our world today. At the same time, the series’ themes of resistance to oppression and hope for a better world, portrayed honestly as messy and difficult endeavors, echo the transformative way of life Jesus offered his followers.

"The Hunger Games and the Gospel" explores these themes that have resonated so deeply with Hunger Games readers by examining their similarity to the good news found in Jesus’ message about living in the ways of God’s Kingdom. Taking the rich statements of the Beatitudes, which serve as mini-pictures of God’s dreams realized on earth as in heaven, each chapter reflects on how those pictures are exhibited both in the narrative of The Hunger Games, and in Jesus’ time, and then explores their significance for our own world. Readers are invited to allow the inspiration of The Hunger Games help them live in the ways of the Kingdom of God by discovering how they too can work towards to possibility of a better world.

ebook

First published March 5, 2012

About the author

We are storytelling creatures. Our lives are stories and we make sense of our life through story.

Stories of love and adventure...

Stories of joys and sorrows...

Stories of whimsy and wonder...

Stories of justice and hope...

We explore these stories to find these messages and make sense of our own lives. These stories help us understand and live our own stories well.

As an author I enjoy dreaming up stories and exploring the impacts of those stories in our lives - from how stories of injustice are connected to our everyday actions to how stories of hope for a better world inspire us. We are all storytellers and with our stories we can dream together.

When I am not writing, I spend my time in Austin, TX working as a metalsmith and trying to keep up with my husband and my 5 kids and 3 cats. And, when I get a chance, to enter into good stories told in book and film or role played in games. For as a timetraveling madman in a box once said, “we’re all stories in the end. Just make it a good one.”

Reviews

[Anne Bogel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could give this one 3.5 stars. I liked it for its sheer originality and interesting take on The Hunger Games. The applications she drew between the dystopic future of Panem and our current world was fascinating--especially for U.S. citizens.

But I think the overlay of the Beatitudes on The Hunger Games breaks down, damaging the book's structure. I disagree with her interpretation of the Beatitudes (which is crucial to the text), but whether or not you agree with Clawson's theology, her book provides wonderful food for thought.

A worthwhile read, even if it's not completely fantastic.

[Jeanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am setting my review from the title of the book. I loved her take on the Hunger Games. It was detailed and thought provoking and made it easier to relate to the characters. I give her 5 stars for that. It gave me an even more appreciation for the books and its characters.

Bread, Circuses in regards to the Roman times in early Christianty. How the Romans used the control of food to gain control of its people. The circuses were the distractions of the time (the gladiators). How this related to the story. I did'nt realize that the word Panen meant bread. It shows Collins and Clawsons research and I always appreciate a book more when a history is shown.
This part I give a 3 star. I wish there was more.

Now for the Kingdom of God and the Gospel. We can look at scripture thru the eyes of the Armeniam (men's free will) or the Calvinst (God's sovereignity) and that determines how we look at and embrace the Gospel. Clawson used the beautitudes to layout how the Gospel was shown in the book. The beautitudes is a progression of our heart relating to God. We can't be peacemakers unless we are poor in spirit. I don't think that progression was shown and it is important to the Gospel. Her examples of each relating to the book was not Gospel driven. Her take on "Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted was about Katniss burying the pain instead of mourning the pain. This is NOT GOSPEL...mourning for our sin and the sin that seperates us all from God. It seemed to me that this was more of a Justice and Social Gospel instead of a Christ crucified Gospel. I was challenged by her on the oppression of those that provide for our needs in America. For example those that eat chocolate are supporting the oppression of children that pick the cococa beans that make it. However, that being said, many things are made with cocoa beans and me not eating anything with cocoa beans will not make any difference but help me feel better. Now take the porn industry. Those that participate in that are feeding slave sex trade and many sexual crimes committed even if they do not particpate in those particular. Social issues should be important to all Christians. A good resource is Awaiting Saviour by Aaron Armstrong.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12....

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated this a lot more than I thought I would. I really thought it was interesting the way Clawson wrote about the story in terms of the Beatitudes and she does a great job of drawing parallels with our world. There is a lot of great information in here, and I really learned a lot from her commentary on the Old Testament. I recommend this.

However, it wasn't consistent in its Christian views. This book is just riddled with contradictions, contradictions that can't be avoided if Christians want to condemn violence and killing while also poo-pooing pacifism while at the same time praising those who "fight" for things but at the same time saying that nonviolent resistance is best, while at the same time saying that nonviolent resistance doesn't always work, while saying that Jesus was nonviolent, but also saying that those who refuse to use violence run the risk of letting their righteousness become self-righteousness...etc. etc.

Like most Christian reviewers and commentators, Clawson failed to really deal well with the fifth commandment here. Yes, as Clawson admits, our human lives are messy. Jesus' teachings, however, are not.

[Billie-Maree Hooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the books they are so good

[Tim Good · Rating 5 out of 5]

My one regret was that a Kindle version wasn't available to simplify sharing of all the illuminating insights!

[Luke Daghir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julie Clawson provides an awesome book on the Beatitudes, social injustices, and The Hunger Games. Throughout this book, Clawson uses The Hunger Games to discuss deeper, moral issues in our world. Not only are contemporary injustices discussed, but the cultural landscape in which Jesus lived in is well discussed.

One of my favorite aspects of the book was the "third way" philosophy that Jesus, Katniss, and many other clever individuals have used to bring a greater sense of virtue into a situation. Another aspect of the book that I thoroughly enjoyed was how each chapter intertwined The Hunger Games, Jesus' era, and contemporary concerns.

A few complaints that I have of the book concern the lack of theological perspectives incorporated. With this being said, there is an extraordinary amount of theological thinkers (Aquinas, Augustine, Martin Luther, John Wesley) who I think could have been intertwined into this book. Although I enjoyed how each chapter dealt with a beatitude, I believe having theological thinkers intertwined, as many philosophers and sociologists were, would have been very beneficial.

Overall, I recommend this read to everyone who has read The Hunger Games series.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Hunger Games very much because I found a lot more going on in them than many readers. Julie Clawson also feels that The Hunger Games depicts a number of serious issues facing modern society and in this book she explores them, using The Hunger Games and the Beatitudes to comment on what it means to live as a righteous (= just) person in the 21st Century. She addresses a number of aspects of what it means to challenge the status quo, what it means to be persecuted for doing so, and how it looks to live meekly. This is not some spiritualization of The Hunger Games. Rather it is an exploration of the deeper issues of justice as seen through the lens of this engaging fiction trilogy. If you thought The Hunger Games was only a glorification of reality shows and a trivialization of violence, Clawson will challenge you to think again. If you thought The Hunger Games was an engaging, fast-paced action series or a romantic love triangle played out against a backdrop of a dystopic future, Clawson will also challenge you to see more deeply. If you think that salvation is only about the status of your soul and the future life in heaven, Clawson will make you think again as well.

[Patrik Olterman Rodhe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best "gospel according to" books I have ever had the pleasure of reading . Julie Clawson takes the dystopian world of Panem and parallels it with the Roman empire (wich clearly is the authors intent) and then sets Jesus beatitudes agains this bleak futuristic world, tracing subversion, hope, and love in the characters of Katniss, Peeta and Gale.

Other than being a great "the gospel according to" book it is a fantastic book on the beatitudes in its own right. The book expounds the gospel in such a way that I think a non-Christian could read it and go: Wow, if this is Christianity, I may not mind so much.

[Dave McNeely · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it wasn't a "great" book, it was nonetheless a good book and, perhaps more importantly, an important book. Clawson follows the threads that connect The Hunger Games trilogy, first-century Rome/Palestine, and a 21st-century flat world from a Western perspective, all through the lens of the Beatitudes. Her connections offer the reader many challenges. Perhaps the biggest flaw of the book is her unnecessarily optimistic portrayal of Katniss, whose survival instincts and juvenile egocentrism are almost completely dismissed in favor of a reading of Katniss as a selfless martyr.

[Lon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author does a wonderful job of comparing The Hunger Games trilogy with ancient Rome. She juxtaposes those systems of death with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God and their alternative way of life, peace, forgiveness and justice. She uses the beatitudes from Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 as a way to outline the book. It's a brilliant book and even better than The Hunger Games books themselves.

[Evans McGowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent commentary and analysis of the Hunger Games. She uses the Beatitudes as an outline for how to look at the issues and themes raised by Collins' work. Collins touches upon some complex and troubling issues without delving deeper into them... Clawson picks up on my 'hunger' and quenches my thirst by exploring these themes in depth. Highly recommended for those wanting to study the meaning and implications of the Hunger Games on our faith and way of life.

[Dom]

Just started reading it, but love it already!

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

very very interesting- thought provoking - definitely worth the read

[Kyle]

S

[Ruby]

It was from ruby that I want to read a books everydays!