What can be better than crashing out in front of a movie, only to find it is one that makes you think bigger. After watching Children of Men directed by Alfonso Cuarón, as a children’s minister, I couldn’t help wondering about the film’s themes around children, more specifically, where we’d be without them, and the place of Christianity in our world today. If you haven’t seen it, there’s no major spoilers here, but please beware everything here is tentative, open for debate and entirely down to my personal viewing experience, so you should watch it yourself, and see what you think.

The film depicts a dystopian, childless society facing a hopeless future contaminated with an increase in disease and pollution.  The atmosphere of the film is dark and heavy, for those of you who like a laugh on a Saturday night, this is not your jam. The grubby surroundings connote a society that has stopped caring with caged refugees suggesting an absence of love and neglect of any kind of beauty. In the movie, some experts are still attempting to find a cure for infertility, the regular common characters appear to have given up, passively accepting the way in which the world is disintegrating and crumbling around them. The film paints a vivid picture of a harsh, hate-filled world and the only escape appears to be found in taking drugs and dreaming of death. This darkness is a direct result of humanity being unable to reproduce and because there are no children to love, there is an increase of love and protection towards animals.

The only time religion is noted in the film is in an angry, hateful light. Rather than a benevolent God of grace and forgiveness the divine power is one of wrath and punishment. It is clear that religious fanatics are rampant and this is displayed  in the scene of the yellow vested Christian protesters and the Islamist groups marching shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’. One Christian preacher shouts ‘In God’s anger he has taken away the most precious gift to us – children.’ Jensen reflects ‘When salvation is thought of as only “the removal of a stain that covers humanity”, there is less hope and more blame’ (Berryman cites Jensen, 2005:100) This appears to be what has happened in the film, religion is not looked to for hope, instead preachers spew condemnation and depict an unforgiving God. 

This negative portrayal of the church leads us to consider the place and value of a child in our current churches. In the early 20th century, as the public began to realise the value of children it was generally thought that ‘the proper place for a “sacred” child was a protected environment, segregated from adult activities.’ (Rotman Zelizer, 1985:52) Today however, children’s ministries encourage a balance between  children witnessing and being involved in all age worship and giving them a protected space to explore at their own level. Both environments are beneficial and focus on different areas of development through learning. Children can make a difference to our congregations because they spiritually experience God through a faith which many adults can no longer grasp. (Children Matter, 2010:62) Croker supports this claim with the Biblical example of Samuel who clearly heard the voice of God but relied on the support from Eli, his care giver, to recognise his calling. (Croker, 2010:60) A reliable measure of church growth is often seen in the number and age-range of the children’s ministry. 

A similar principle can be applied to society as a whole: a society with children flourishing in education, with effective health care appears successful and healthy. Children of Men displays this in a scene with Miriam telling her experience of hospital miscarriages whilst sitting in the desolate school building. The ghostly setting reminds the viewers of desolation brought by neglect of encouraging learning and education. White reminds adults that the family and home is a child’s kingdom, it their entire world and therefore what may seem like a small insignificant change to an adult to greatly affected and distress a child. Divorce is a prime example, in which a child’s kingdom can be torn into two. (White, 2008:47-49) These painful experiences are opportunities for churches particularly to show that love and support also comes from knowing God.  

Biblically, a connection can be made between Children of Men and the death of the Israelite children in Exodus 1 in which every male child was to be drowned in the nile. Removing the children from society was the first step to destroying an entire people. This ‘text of terror’ reminds readers that the gift of children is a ‘distinguishing, tangible manifestation of God’s on going blessing of humankind’. Like the killing of the Egyptian firstborns – removing the children could signal God removing blessing upon a society,  (Bunge, 2008:28). The film does not explicitly depict the grief and suffering felt by the characters by the loss of childhood but Bunge referring to the slaughter of the children in Exodus as a ‘text of terror’ perhaps touches on the pain felt by the rest of the Israelite community. The birth or loss of children comes with a wave of  emotion and this is particularly shown in the war zone scene where the discovery of the baby results in a cease fire. Happiness and compassion are revived in the faces of the characters. This scene communicates the dramatic, transformative effect that children can have on adults individually, and depicts how children can even change the heart and give motivation to whole communities. 

The views and ideas from children appear to be innovative and with this spark, children bring new life to a society and without their contributions we would all be lacking a fresh perspective. To benefit fully, a society should be willing to acknowledge and listen and consider the voices of the younger generations in the mix. Caregivers should be ready to be surprised by the understanding and viewpoints children can bring to discussions because ‘the child is open to expecting the unexpected.’ (Berryman,188) Judging from opinions expressed in the UNICEF report, it is highly unlikely that the future of humankind is as hopeless as Children of Men portrays. The younger generation have prioritised freedom, human rights and equality debunking the film’s idea of a future of mass refugee genocide. Stopping conflict and protecting the environment was also important to the children, suggesting if children are valued, they will influence the world in many positive ways, caring for all living things. 

Asking such weighted questions to children can be beneficial as giving them a sense of responsibility and importance so, you could say it we over sugarcoat controversial or complex ideas when we don’t need to. Opposing this, Griffith’s highlights that Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy the innocence of children so the church must work hard to prevent humans from being broken by the harshities of the fallen world. By informing and asking children about issues too early, adults are removing the blessing of innocence, freedom and imagination (Stainton, 2003:17) The statistics reveal feelings of worry, concern and uncertainty in 45% of children who were questioned about the future of the world. Therefore I would argue that consideration of these issues could be causing unnecessary distress. 

Needless to say, children demand a higher and more tailored level of care. To ensure children feel valued, we as leaders, adults, carers must provide them with their specific needs as children are more susceptible to physical hurts and internal damage. The key things that children need are: a safe environment, emotional interactions at the appropriate level, intense relationship with caregiver, access to sensations such as touch, experiences to build initiative, limits and boundaries and stable communities in which families can flourish. (White, 2008:36). It is also vital that adults are alert when spotting signs of abuse or neglect as children have not yet developed ‘the skills knowledge and understanding to keep themselves safe.’ (Knowles, 2009:76). Special attention should be given to vulnerable children who are surrounded by crime, poor housing, domestic violence or parents who are unable to care for the child because of drugs, alcohol, illness or disability. (Knowles, 2009:77) The environment shown in Children of Men would be highly hazardous for a child to live in and they would be unlikely to grow into a healthy adult. Unless the community made drastic changes, the child would suffer neglect as it’s basic needs would not be prioritised.  

So we may not be walking into a children of men style future, and the scenes are not what we see every day, but somewhere in there we can see the result of lack of appreciation and attention to the spark of joy that children bring.

Why don’t you give Children of Men a watch, and wonder what the world would be like without children?