Dateline: January 17, 2008
It was our first time to watch a movie and review it. I spent probably 20-30 minutes at Blockbuster vascilating between grabbing "Saved" or not. It is a movie about Christians in a "Christian" High School. I had caught bits and pieces of it on TV and knew that it had accurately describe many teen Christians that I had known in my High School years. But the cover billed it as an "irreverent, black comedy" and I seconded guessed myself and rented nothing, figuring I would either have the group watch The Matrix, Star Wars or Serenity.
As you can tell by the title of the blog, Serenity won.
For those of you who are not familiar with Serenity let me clue you in. Joss Whedon of "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" fame had a dream to present the future of the universe as...well-not star trekish. He thought the concept of mankind branching out into other universes and planets felt very much like our early pioneering days. Settlements and colonies where people were able to get a fresh start or run from problems. So the incorporation of Western elements such a styles of dress and dialog seemed to provide a "fresh" way of doing a "space opera." But unlike Star Trek, the characters where not always driven by pure motives and Starfleet decisions.
These were honest-to-goodness genuine people with genuine problems with a science fiction back drop. The original series that led to "Serenity" was called "Firefly" and aired on Fox for only one season. But being commerially expensive (the effects in the series are at least as good as in the movie) and being too smart and too well written for most average viewers, the series died a premature death.
But fans (and there were many and even more so when the DVD came out) made the Hollywood elite take notice to their outcries of a need to see the crew of the Serenity come to the big screen. You really do need to see the series to enjoy all that its creators, writers and directors have to offfer. Even if your not a Scifi fan, there is enough humor, warmth, witty bantor, terrific one-liners and charm for everyone. You really will love each character for his individuallity.
Now on to the movie.
Serenity is a ship. A spaceship filled with interesting characters, some that you will never hear their backstory and that's okay. It fills this ship with a sense of mystery and wonder and it feels like real life because these characters are deep and we don't always understand them and that's real life.
The main characters are:
Captian Mal Reynolds, a former soldier-turned-space-pirate-but-still-good-guy-but-he-doesn't-want-you-to-know. He is utterly loyal to his crew but you have to earn being called crew and he fights when he should run and runs when he should talk. He has a way with words but not with women. And when he fights...whoa.
River Tam is a seventeen year old creature of extraordinary grace...and the most lethal weapon in the entire movie. Big brother government is trying to make people better. And it ain't right. River is their crowning acheivement and also the secret keeper to their biggest mistake.
The Operative is probably one of the best written dialog character bad guy that I have seen in a long time. He devotion to finding Mal and River knows no bounds. He's a character that understands his role and is scarry in such a calm way. Assassin. Philosopher. Very frightening.
There are others characters and if your a fan of the series they are characters that you truly love. Jayne, the pumped-up tough guy that packs alot of weapons but not alot of brains. Kylie is your ships engineer with dimples and a heart of gold. Wash and Zoe are pilot and XO. Doctor Simon Tam, River's brother, and Shepherd Book is the spiritual guide of the crew. Oh, and how could I forget Inara, the Captain's love interest and bait for the Operative.
These characters are important and serve the completion of the crew but for the sake of the movie it is about Mal and River and the Operative's pursuit for the truth. There is one other character that is the beginning and end of this pursuit for the truth. The Reavers.
Described as men who onced went to the edge of the 'verse and went crazy from seeing the nothingness, they have become worse than animals. Once men that cut themselves, deeply, and raid human outposts for food, perferring to eat their meals fresh, while they are still kicking and screaming.
The truth is, the Reavers are the by-product of a government experiment to "make men better" by introducing a chemical, "the Pox", into the atmoshpere that suppresses mankind aggresion gene. for 90% of the population it works. Only too well. They loose all desires. The desire to eat, the desire to care, the desire to even live and simply lay down and die because they don't care. This is almost as frightening as what happens to the 10%.
They become Reavers. So aggressive they even tear themselves apart. They're on ships that they've strung the dead across the bow and run the reactors on their ships that they are bathed in radioactivity. The term sub-human applies only too well.
River Tam has this information locked in her brainpan and its driving her mad. Captain Mal's way has always been to protect that which can't protect themselves (and it helps that he has a healthy loathing of the current government). The Operative is a true believer, a government man. He doesn't question orders and he believes he is making a "world without sin."
Some very interesting dynamics follow where ever these three are. Captian Mal treats River like a daughter or little sister, careful to not press her beyond her already tattered mental state and having no clue just how unnecessary that is. River is lovable and frightening, vulnerable and invincible, feminine and cruel in all the right proportions and you really do want her to find peace but not loose any of that edge that carries so much of the movie. The Operative is singular in his pursuit, willing to kill children and innocents and leave nearly nothing to chance. His ego is large but not I an overplayed way that you see so many Bond villians. He is scarry and capable. He is a beleiver and a dangerous one.
The movie has its flaws, but overall, and especially in recent years, it is very well written, well acted and you actually feel connected to the characters and the story. It really is a western set in space and its fun to watch and catch the "western" jargin.
There some really good spiritual aspects to the film. Aside from the good vs. evil and government is bad elements, the ideology of a "true believer" is really hammered here and to much effect. On the one hand you have the Operative that believes in his cause. So much so that nothing will stop him and he even acknowledges that he himself is evil and has no place in the "world without sin" that he trying to create. And he has no problems with that.
Mal, on the other hand, has no beliefs. He certainly does not subscribe to a higher power, nor really any authority higher than himself. Its his ship, his rules and at one stage when giving some pretty horrific orders, he threatens the crew that if they don't like it, they can either leave or be shot. But Captain Mal, really is a believer in the end. He believes in the underdog and is willing to die for the truth he has found, delivering its message to all the 'verse and turning the Operative into a convert, instead of killing him.
Just when you think the guy should shut up and shoot, he dies. Just when you think you're safe and the crew is finally getting a break, someone dies. The message is clear. The characters are real.
Watch the series. See the movie again. Give me your feedback.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Friday, December 21, 2007
Sacrifice now, so they won't burn later
The book of Matthew was written by a Jew to the Jews. The evidence is astounding as Matthew continually speaks of Christ fulfulling Old Testament scripture. In contrast to John 4 (where Jesus' first contact is with a Samaritan woman), Matthew records none of that occurance. Matthew, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, smartly avoids what he knows will be a touchy subject for his Jewish readers. Instead he merely states that Jesus went preaching saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matt 4:17)
Two lessons are clear: (1) That we must know our audience and speak accordingly, whether by language or level of communication, and (2) That we don't force down someones throat something they simple are not ready for.
Matthew continually uses "...so that the scriptures would be fulfilled" to indicate to the Jews (the established religion of that day) that this was indeed the Messiah that the prophets spoke of.
We also live, especially in Grand Rapids, in a culture that is very much dominated by "religious" history and heritage. But that religion has many divisions with a wide diversity of beliefs and opinions. Add to that a half-dozen very well-known and esteemed Christan colleges and the debates and emotions over those various beliefs can have some heated and intense debate. That abuse has happened in these churches and in these denominations is undeniable.
The question is raised: Can we, like Jesus, go to these churches, these established "religions of the day" and stand up and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand."
It's a tough question, that causes more questions than satisfying answers. Ultimately, we wait on our Lord and believe His promise that "Vengence in mine. I will repay."
But I also don't believe that we should ignore justice in our time. We are called, especially elders, to protect the flock. Matthew 18 is the pattern we follow.
Next we find that Jesus gathers his band of brothers. He takes to himself his disciples, those twelve men that Jesus would confide his true nature, calling and reason for ever being there. These men would love him, betray him, frustrate him and fall asleep on him in his hour of most need. But Jesus knows this already and doesn't hesitate to keep these fallible men at his side.
We learn from this that Jesus had support. He had men that were on the same mission, they supported each other and offered the God-man companionship. There is no weakness in bringing the same mission with fellow companions that have the same God-centered goal in mind.
Finally, at the end of Matthew 4, Jesus becomes a rock star. He goes from town to town, preaching, teaching, and healing. People come in droves to see this man that can heal anything. Thousands of people follow him around like groupies at a concert. He has engaged himself into his culture. Yes, he preaches and teaches, but he's also healing too. Yes, he's healing and preforming miracles but he's also preaching and teaching.
We see from this that the Gospel isn't just about condemning men for their sin. It is about giving, presenting ourselves "a living sacrifice." Everyone has heard this saying: No one will care how much you know, unless they know how much you care.
Christ presented himself as the ultimate sacrifice and gave up far more than any of us will ever have to give. How involved in our own selves are we that we can't see the need of our neighbor, co-worker, fellow student, or family member to help in some way?
This led to a discussion on church unity. But I think that will lead to different blog.
Two lessons are clear: (1) That we must know our audience and speak accordingly, whether by language or level of communication, and (2) That we don't force down someones throat something they simple are not ready for.
Matthew continually uses "...so that the scriptures would be fulfilled" to indicate to the Jews (the established religion of that day) that this was indeed the Messiah that the prophets spoke of.
We also live, especially in Grand Rapids, in a culture that is very much dominated by "religious" history and heritage. But that religion has many divisions with a wide diversity of beliefs and opinions. Add to that a half-dozen very well-known and esteemed Christan colleges and the debates and emotions over those various beliefs can have some heated and intense debate. That abuse has happened in these churches and in these denominations is undeniable.
The question is raised: Can we, like Jesus, go to these churches, these established "religions of the day" and stand up and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand."
It's a tough question, that causes more questions than satisfying answers. Ultimately, we wait on our Lord and believe His promise that "Vengence in mine. I will repay."
But I also don't believe that we should ignore justice in our time. We are called, especially elders, to protect the flock. Matthew 18 is the pattern we follow.
Next we find that Jesus gathers his band of brothers. He takes to himself his disciples, those twelve men that Jesus would confide his true nature, calling and reason for ever being there. These men would love him, betray him, frustrate him and fall asleep on him in his hour of most need. But Jesus knows this already and doesn't hesitate to keep these fallible men at his side.
We learn from this that Jesus had support. He had men that were on the same mission, they supported each other and offered the God-man companionship. There is no weakness in bringing the same mission with fellow companions that have the same God-centered goal in mind.
Finally, at the end of Matthew 4, Jesus becomes a rock star. He goes from town to town, preaching, teaching, and healing. People come in droves to see this man that can heal anything. Thousands of people follow him around like groupies at a concert. He has engaged himself into his culture. Yes, he preaches and teaches, but he's also healing too. Yes, he's healing and preforming miracles but he's also preaching and teaching.
We see from this that the Gospel isn't just about condemning men for their sin. It is about giving, presenting ourselves "a living sacrifice." Everyone has heard this saying: No one will care how much you know, unless they know how much you care.
Christ presented himself as the ultimate sacrifice and gave up far more than any of us will ever have to give. How involved in our own selves are we that we can't see the need of our neighbor, co-worker, fellow student, or family member to help in some way?
This led to a discussion on church unity. But I think that will lead to different blog.
Friday, December 7, 2007
The First of Many (Lord willing)
Welcome to my first official blog in which I would like to chronicle the results of a Bible study that was started in our house on Thursday, November 29, 2007. For weeks, we had been have a number of young adults over to watch "the Office." Without doubt, it seems to me to be a very "culturally relevant" show. You such diverse yet mono-characteristic characters that are almost a joke unto themselves. You have the token black guy, the unhappy christian, the goofy-but-likable guy, the office drunk, the suck-up, the ditsy talker, the guy no one seems to like, and of course, the boss the tries so hard, tries too hard, and doesn't try hard enough in all the wrong places.
When a pastor called to talk about something unrelated, he mentioned that he heard there were a group of young people meeting to watch this show and was concerned because of its content. I informed him that it was happening at our house and it made me think that if we're going to watch such shows, perhaps we had better at least study God's word too. I struggled with whether I was watching the show to stay "relevant" or if I watched it because I simply find it funny and the characters really are caricatures of many that I know.
The idea of the Bible study was well received by the group and it was decided that we would study Christ, the apostles and how THEY related to culture. How were they able to present a "relevant" gospel?
The ground rules were these: there would be no ground rules. I didn't want to talk for 40 minutes to an hour, forcing people to see what I thought the Bible had to say about the topic. Instead I wanted us to read the Bible without a set agenda, asking the Holy Spirit to guide us and let God teach us what He wanted us to know. And then, more importantly (or at least just as importantly), I didn't want it to be a study where when we were done, we patted each other on the back and didn't do anything about it. The one thing that is absolutely essential to continued this study, IS TO ACT ON IT!!
Well, that's the history. Now to the first real night of study.
RELEVANT, NOT RELATIVE
The first four books of the new testament (the Gospels) are written by 4 different men. Matthew is primarily written to Jews by a Jew. Mark to the Romans. Luke to the Gentiles by a gentile and finally, John to the Greeks. They are relevant to the people they are written to. They have different emphasis, languages, and styles but the all have the same truth: CHRIST IS THE ONLY WAY OF SALVATION.
So we start in the Gospels, it is God's love letter and open, tangible, visible, and incarnated example that He cares about culture because He sent His own Son into it to show His love and how broken hearts could be healed.
Jon M starts with the woman at the well (John 4:1ff). Jesus has just been baptised and received that incredible seal of approval when the Spirit of the Living God descends upon Him in the form of a dove and the Father testifies that this IS is Son.
Rather than following Jewish cultural norms of avoiding Samaritans, Jesus becomes a counter-cultural revolutionary and plops down right in the middle of them. What a way to start a ministry!
SAMARITANS TODAY
This leads us to ask ourselves: what is our personal cultural Samaritan? What groups or types of people do we avoid because they are culturally or sub-culturally irrelevant?
Our Samaritans: Homeless, Rich kids, Goths, People who live in sin, kids from high school, extremist (Pharisee-like) Christians, big sin people, Hispanics and homosexuals.
The biggest amount of time was spent on homosexuals. Why do we single them out? If sin is sin then why is special attention made to that particular one? Isn't ALL sex outside of marriage sin? It was a good discussion if not a little more specific than what our intent was for the study. But I think it's good to flesh some of these things out so when we come to scripture that deals with them, we will already be ready with our questions.
THE LESSON LEARNED
Christ didn't shy away from culture (His birth proves that). He didn't assume that one section of culture was untouchable or should be avoided. And he didn't go in condemning either. He talked to the woman first, and let her see her sin for herself. He also didn't shy away from telling her that she was sinful and that she needed something other than multiple husbands to fix her. He pointed her to Christ, to Himself.
We shouldn't be afraid either. Christ began His ministry AFTER the power of the Spirit descended upon Him. It is the same Spirit that we have. We are to be like Christ.
When a pastor called to talk about something unrelated, he mentioned that he heard there were a group of young people meeting to watch this show and was concerned because of its content. I informed him that it was happening at our house and it made me think that if we're going to watch such shows, perhaps we had better at least study God's word too. I struggled with whether I was watching the show to stay "relevant" or if I watched it because I simply find it funny and the characters really are caricatures of many that I know.
The idea of the Bible study was well received by the group and it was decided that we would study Christ, the apostles and how THEY related to culture. How were they able to present a "relevant" gospel?
The ground rules were these: there would be no ground rules. I didn't want to talk for 40 minutes to an hour, forcing people to see what I thought the Bible had to say about the topic. Instead I wanted us to read the Bible without a set agenda, asking the Holy Spirit to guide us and let God teach us what He wanted us to know. And then, more importantly (or at least just as importantly), I didn't want it to be a study where when we were done, we patted each other on the back and didn't do anything about it. The one thing that is absolutely essential to continued this study, IS TO ACT ON IT!!
Well, that's the history. Now to the first real night of study.
RELEVANT, NOT RELATIVE
The first four books of the new testament (the Gospels) are written by 4 different men. Matthew is primarily written to Jews by a Jew. Mark to the Romans. Luke to the Gentiles by a gentile and finally, John to the Greeks. They are relevant to the people they are written to. They have different emphasis, languages, and styles but the all have the same truth: CHRIST IS THE ONLY WAY OF SALVATION.
So we start in the Gospels, it is God's love letter and open, tangible, visible, and incarnated example that He cares about culture because He sent His own Son into it to show His love and how broken hearts could be healed.
Jon M starts with the woman at the well (John 4:1ff). Jesus has just been baptised and received that incredible seal of approval when the Spirit of the Living God descends upon Him in the form of a dove and the Father testifies that this IS is Son.
Rather than following Jewish cultural norms of avoiding Samaritans, Jesus becomes a counter-cultural revolutionary and plops down right in the middle of them. What a way to start a ministry!
SAMARITANS TODAY
This leads us to ask ourselves: what is our personal cultural Samaritan? What groups or types of people do we avoid because they are culturally or sub-culturally irrelevant?
Our Samaritans: Homeless, Rich kids, Goths, People who live in sin, kids from high school, extremist (Pharisee-like) Christians, big sin people, Hispanics and homosexuals.
The biggest amount of time was spent on homosexuals. Why do we single them out? If sin is sin then why is special attention made to that particular one? Isn't ALL sex outside of marriage sin? It was a good discussion if not a little more specific than what our intent was for the study. But I think it's good to flesh some of these things out so when we come to scripture that deals with them, we will already be ready with our questions.
THE LESSON LEARNED
Christ didn't shy away from culture (His birth proves that). He didn't assume that one section of culture was untouchable or should be avoided. And he didn't go in condemning either. He talked to the woman first, and let her see her sin for herself. He also didn't shy away from telling her that she was sinful and that she needed something other than multiple husbands to fix her. He pointed her to Christ, to Himself.
We shouldn't be afraid either. Christ began His ministry AFTER the power of the Spirit descended upon Him. It is the same Spirit that we have. We are to be like Christ.
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