06.28.06
Posted in Theology, Culture, Unsolicited Opinions, Writing at 14:46 pm by Josh
I just read an interesting interview in Relevant Magazine’s online edition and it brought up a good point which C.S. Lewis made a long time ago. He said:
“We don’t need more Christian writers; we need more Christians who can write.”
As I embark on a new writing project (no, I still haven’t finished the old ones) involving the Book of Revelations, I am now rather encouraged and discouraged by this remark. I decided I wanted to write a book that involved Christianity and I thought that Revelations is an extraordinary place from which to derive an epic story. However, to write about an apocalyptic world end and the Second Coming of Christ is certainly not something that hasn’t been done before. What you find is a number of people who think that they can do it better, myself included. What I didn’t think about in my quest to Write Christian is that there are many other stories out there which never once mention God or Jesus, yet they are movingly more Christian than other movies that do.
Take, for example, The Da Vinci Code. It is strikingly not Christian, regardless of how much it revolves around Catholicism. Likewise, the Indiana Jones movies are equally not Christian though one movie actually uses a reconstructed Ark of the Covenant as a prop and another the Holy Grail. They are not Christian because one guy bludgeons another guy and then starts making out with some woman he recently met or knew once upon a time in childhood. Heck, he even fools around with a Nazi. Sure, she was cute but COME ON! Han Solo never went chasing after Aurra Sing who obviously would have been a better match than Princess Leia…
That leads me into the other side of stories which are the fictional tales that truly tell what Christianity is all about. “Star Wars” is my favorite example (and apparently I’m not the only one). Star Wars is so Christian that people who had never even seen a Bible picked up the parallels in Episode I. And regardless of parallels, look at the basic breakdown: The Light Side and The Dark Side of The Force. Holy Purple-Lightsabers, Batman. We have an epic, 6-part Christian drama with sword fights, mind tricks, space battles, and no indications of sexual relations except for Padme’s poorly depicted pregnancy.
Another resoundingly Christian book/movie is The Lord of the Rings. Again, the basic breakdown is Good vs. Evil. There is a constant battle for our souls, a constant effort on the part of the enemy who we never see to take us over. Sometimes, he does it through fear, as Sauron does with his armies. However, most of the time, he does it through temptation, as Sauron does with the ring. And how can we not equate the elves with angels and the orks with demons? The only thing missing is wings.
Rather than tainting pop-culture with radicalized, “adventurized” concepts of Christ led by Charlton Heston and Tom Hanks, it seems that it would make more sense to start telling stories with a Christian theme instead of a Christian plot. Obviously, I’m being idealistic but there are three key things we need to look at.
First of all, we have to cut out the sex. Yeah, I know; America loves it and it can make any story better, right? Wrong. In fact, I find myself increasingly irritated with movies that show too many body parts far too often. Sex is not art (99% of the time). If you want sex, there’s a whole back room at the video store for you. Even if the sex is “tasteful”, it’s unnecessary. I’m a big boy; I know what two people “in love” are going to do after the romantic scene on the terrace at sunset. I don’t need bad music and sideways shots of people making out with exposed shoulders to paint the picture for me.
Second, we need to put to rest the idea that there is still a mystery in Christianity that we need to uncover. All of the secrets have been dispelled in one simple book that they make in so many different translations and sizes, I can’t imagine you won’t find one perfect for you (they still need to get an Audio Bible though). Christ did not shack up with Mary M. and to regard Scripture as an allegory which is worthy of extra-curricular fictional attention is, from the standpoint of most Christians, rather unwise. We’re not trying to debate facts or amend history. We’re trying to convey such things to the rest of the world who would much rather see the ghosts, goblins, and gore of The Dark Side.
Which leads me into one last point: We need to be very careful not to glorify contemporary evil too much. Movies like The Exorcist (which I do enjoy, don’t get me wrong) make doing things like performing exorcisms look like a fun challenge to undertake rather than a very serious and undesirable last resort for those who are experiencing real demonic activity in their lives. And then there are movies like Copycat which create exactly that: People who previously only had the disposition to be violent actually becoming violent because of an idea that media has put into their minds. Mystery movies about child molesters and serial rapists are intriguing because they are things we don’t see every day but the scary fact (in my opinion, does that make any sense?) is that by creating these things in a fantasy world, we are contributing to a rise in these things in the real world.
I’ve decided to put my apocalyptic novel on hold. Instead, I’m going to re-write Dark Island and this time I’m going to do it in a Christian way. No more exorcisms, no more anti-Satan rituals and most importantly, no more characters who smoke pot and curse like sailors. Somehow, in some way, I am determined to put Christ on Ragnavok Island, even if it is only a fantasy.
Which one of you will be the first to post a link to an Audio Bible in the comments? I’ve got it narrowed down to two people…
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06.27.06
Posted in Random Thoughts, Weather at 10:22 am by Josh
As reported on Weather.com:
AN APPROACHING UPPER TROUGH AND SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL CONVERGE UPON A TROPICAL AIRMASS ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD LATE TONIGHT AND INTO WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN SHOWERS AND EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ACROSS THE TRI-STATE AREA WELL AFTER MIDNIGHT…
So my question is this: How is it that tropical air masses in Florida result in beautiful, beaming sunshine in relaxing 80 degree weather with the occasional hurricane along the way, yet tropical air masses in Connecticut result in enough rain to make Noah’s Flood look like a kiddie ride at Six Flags?
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Posted in Today, Unsolicited Opinions at 10:09 am by Josh
I’m updating at work. Again. Oddly enough, when I used to do this in New York there was really something else I was supposed to be doing. Currently, I’m updating because I don’t really know what to do with myself right now. I’ll spend much of the rest of the day sitting here trying to figure out what to do with myself and then at 4 PM, someone will drop a bomb of work and get frustrated with me because I want to leave at 5:30 on the dot, regardless of what’s done. Truthfully, I don’t feel the least bit bad. I see a single dime of that commission if I work over time. Heck, I don’t even see over time. I see a steady, standard salary. If I am expected to stay over when work doesn’t get discovered until late, then it should also be expected that I leave early if I don’t have anything to do at one o’clock =)
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06.26.06
Posted in Today at 08:51 am by Josh
=)
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06.23.06
Posted in Books, Writing at 16:08 pm by Josh
The wind started to pick up as did Joel’s pace through Thompkins Square Park. “Something isn’t right,” he thought to himself. There was an electricity in the air giving way to a somehow lucid understanding that he was not alone. With his nerves getting the best of him, he started to run but he had hardly made it past the flag pole when he was plowed over by what felt like a loaded freight train. Fear numbed the pain and he quickly jumped back to his feet and looked behind him: There was nothing there.
“Joel!” a voice from behind him hissed. He turned around again, this time finding a 3-foot-tall, detestable creature with pointed ears, a snout-nose, and the tongue of a serpent. It’s skin was rough and bubbled in some places and it wore little more than a loin-cloth as it crouched on the ground, boney fingers delicately holding him at a balance. Across it’s face slinked a sly smile exposing razor-sharp enamels, reeking of decay. Joel felt his legs wanting to buckle underneath him as he endured the face-off but he was able to muster just enough energy to make a run for it. Unfortunately, he would not have the chance.
Joel collapsed to his knees as a powerful tremor swept across Thompkins Square out into Manhattan Island. Trees heaved themselves to the pavement as the ground began to rise and split open in the most violent act of nature New York City had ever seen. The creature, however, seemed unaffected by the phenomenon and it sat perfectly still, grinning grotesquely at Joel who was beginning to look like an innocent victim. As Joel regained what composure he could he looked at the creature and felt a sinking feeling like he was about to be attacked. Recognizing the fear, the creature made his move.
With a deadly shriek that could have shattered the city and deafened the Earth, the creature lept forth. The moment seemed frozen in time as Joel watched his impending doom forcefully soar towards him. Just when he thought it was over, Joel was whisked into mid-air out of the creature’s reach. He looked up to see that the sky had cracked open almost as clearly as the Earth floor below him.
And then it started.
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Posted in Today, Toys and Materials, News, Weather at 09:28 am by Josh
What some people will do for entertainment value scares me. This morning, my boys Chaz & AJ amended their infamous “Shock Collar Trivia” game by relocating the dog training collars from their arms to their…well…let’s not get too far into that. Needless to say, it was hilarious and painful all at the same time. They didn’t even do shock collar karaoke. And when Jesse screamed, he sounded like a girl. They played that over and over again and it made me laugh.
I’m supposed to go to Six Flags tomorrow and it’s threatening to rain. I’m confident that it won’t, but no one else shares my opinion, including weather.com and Dr. Mel =/
This is the coolest thing I’ve seen all day.
Finally, I’m sad to announce that Harriet the Tortoise who, after 175 years of stress-free living between the Galapogos Islands and Australia, has finally passed away. Maybe now she can have her revenge on Darwin for disturbing her natural habitat.
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06.22.06
Posted in Music, Unsolicited Opinions at 08:02 am by Josh
Remember Pink Floyd? Remember when their eerie, sombre, soothing music lulled stoners and straight-edge alike to another world of contemplation, stimulation, and serenity? Do you remember when Roger Waters had something to say that was actually worth listening to? An original idea, a profound metaphor, a worthwhile foot stamped down on the governmental floor.
What has Mr. Waters come to? Between his failed opera and his insistence on protesting against matters in Israel, foolishly attempting to parallel the situation to that of Germany from 1944 up until the end of the Cold War, I wonder if Waters hasn’t finally reached an emptiness that even his ingenious music and need for confrontation cannot fill.
“Everything under the sun is in tune, but the sun is eclipsed by the moon”
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06.21.06
Posted in Culture, Today at 12:43 pm by Josh
About two weeks ago, I read this article by Alissa. Now today, I read this article on MSN (referring to a study in Reader’s Digest). Can this be true? Are New Yorkers going soft? I actually found the city to make me a little more coarse than I’d been. Then again, I did find God…interesting.
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Posted in Culture, Church, Unsolicited Opinions at 09:51 am by Josh
Last night I met for the third time with the “Contemporary Worship Team” at First Congregational Church. I had the pleasure of meeting the new Associate Minister, Susan Murtha who is just about the sweetest, most energetic person on the face of the planet. She is truly excited by Christ and Praise Worship and can’t wait to get this new worship style up and running. While I share much of her enthusiasm, I’m beginning to fear that I’ve spent too much time with Presbyterians and it’s starting to show…
Here’s the thing. I am adamantly opposed to having a drum kit, electric or otherwise. I think that it can be tremendously distracting in a church our size with our type of audience. While it’s important that we praise His name, we’ve got to keep something in mind: The clearest problem with Christians today is that they don’t know why they’re praising. They sing the songs because they are moved by the music but are they moved by The Man? I’m very skeptical of being too proactive on the involvement side and not proactive enough on the faith side. I speak from experience. Our Pilgrim Fellowship is one of the biggest in the country with nearly 200 active members and over 100 mission-trippers. Out of those nearly 200 active members, 5 attend church and only one or two of them regularly. The only representative of the Deacons to be on the advisor board has continued to state for the past ten years that he does not want to push God at PF. Why? Because he fears it will push kids away.
Yes, it’s great that we’re doing so much service to so many people in need. But what about service to God and service to our youth? These kids, while they are amazing, are also still kids. They have an opportunity every week to meet with their friends in a fun environment and once a year, we take them far away from their parents in co-ed conditions with minimal adult supervision. Of course they want to do it! But what are they really taking away? Teamwork, yes. Sacrifice, a little. Compassion? Not as much as I’d like. Spirituality? None. Not anymore. We have become afraid to spread The Word, afraid that people will reject it. We have not trusted fully in God and are now letting our church slip through the cracks. I say it needs to end here. Don’t be afraid to lose people to the Gospel. Instead, let’s offer the chance to save people through It.
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06.20.06
Posted in Uncategorized, Today at 07:53 am by Josh
There was a deer on the side of I-95 and it was still alive and I didn’t know what to do. It was a rather traumatic way to start the day.
Last night I attempted to answer the following question (paraphrased here): Give a reasonably full account of your life including important relationships and events and describe how those relationships and events impacted your development. Include your family of origin, your current family relationships, and your educational development.
I’m halfway done and it took three pages. I was succinct, I really was! One suggestion is to simply move on the next question for the time being and see how long that ends up being. This isn’t for grad school, but it is for an educational institution…is there a difference? Am I really supposed to answer that question in no more than a page and a half? There’s no limits set for length so I’m operating on what I’d consider to be the standard. And I have no idea what to do.
I’m meeting Susan Murtha tonight to propose my ideas for worship music starting in October. Say a prayer, I might need it =)
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