Does it Matter Who or What Rules the Universe?

 

Wayne R. Scott with Dane Bundy

 

These days, you can look at the world from a variety of perspectives.

The female perspective.

The LGBTQ+ perspective.

The conservative perspective.

At LifeHouse, we’re committed to looking at things from the Christian perspective. One way we do this is by providing commentary on our productions for our cast and crew, helping them see themes or ideas they may have missed. Since LifeHouse Theater’s “Phantom of the Opera” is currently on our mainstage, our focus has been on this show.

God’s Sovereignty 

While we can say much about “Phantom of the Opera,” I’d like to focus on the theme of God’s involvement in human affairs, or God’s sovereignty.

God’s sovereignty asks some of the following questions:

Is God in control of the world?

If so, how much of it?

How can a loving God allow evil and suffering? “Phantom” speaks to many of these questions.

Get God “Off the Hook” 

When it comes to the issue of how can a good God allow evil, sometimes well-intentioned people try to get God “off the hook” by saying that God wants to remove all evil from the world but he can’t. He can’t because man or Satan or some other force keeps Him from doing what he wants.

If you watch closely, you’ll find allusions throughout the songs and dialogue.

While this answer may sound appealing at first, it’s actually a frightening answer for a number of reasons. A main reason is that it would mean that God is not in control of the world, and instead, something else is!

What if Chance Ruled the World?

What if chance dictated the happenings in the world?

I’m reminded of when Mifroid, the Managers, and the Company try to console themselves with the idea that the fall of the chandelier was not someone’s ill-intent, but an accident. “Twas only an accident, purely by chance–” they sing.

But chance didn’t flicker the lights and demand a salary, an intelligent human being did, a person did. And, therefore, LifeHouse’s “Phantom of the Opera” slams the door on the idea of chance running amok in the universe.

Question for Your Consideration 

If you’ve seen LifeHouse’s “Phantom of the Opera,” can you think of any other instances in the musical in which chance or God’s sovereignty is alluded to?

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Read the full article, “Phantom of the Opera From a Christian Perspective.”

Buy tickets to “Phantom” or another LifeHouse production now!

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