Christ & Culture

Update

2008-06-12T08:23:00.001-07:00

Things have been very fast-paced since Krista, Mia, and I moved to Southern Ohio nearly seven months ago. Soon it will have been a year and that's hard to believe. It feels like only yesterday we were hanging out with friends from Third Avenue Baptist Church and I was reading books for class at Southern Seminary. Now we are focusing on ministry, teaching, and life in Ohio.

I have been serving on staff (part-time) at Bigelow Church in Portsmouth, OH and am currently teaching a class on The Worshiping Church which has proved to be beneficial for both me and (as far as I can tell) the members of our church. This fall will prove to be an exciting and life-changing time in the life of our body, so please continue to pray for me as I serve here.

Krista and Mia are doing wonderful. Krista has begun teachign Children's Desiring God (a new "program" for our church) and is enjoying it as much here as she did at Third in Louisville. Mia is going to be one year old next month, which is hard to believe. I think often about how we longed to get pregnant for that year and a half and couldn't, and what a wonder it is now that God has given us this beautiful little girl. Thank you to all who prayed and cried with us in that time.

We're looking forward to what God has in store for us in the months to come, and while we miss our friends at Third, we know our time there was training ground for what we are doing now!

Preaching, Teaching, and Ministry in Portsmouth

2008-04-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

Things continue to go well for our family in Portsmouth. Ministry is both strange and wonderful. For those of you praying for Krista and I as we serve here we would invite you to pray for the upcoming ministry to the college campus that has begun. Last week we had our first Training session for the core group that is participating in this endeavor, and this coming Sunday we have our second, detailing what the gospel is. There will be four sessions in total, two in may covering methodology of evangelism. Pray for me as I lead those seminars.

I have just finished preaching through a three part overview series from the book of 1 Kings at a nearby church. This church was without a pastor and I was filling in for several Wed. services. It was a wonderful series for me to teach as I have been studying to go through the book verse by verse this coming fall. For this series, however, I took the book and divided it into three sections: Chatper 1-11, 12-16, and 17-22. The theme of the book is God's Presence in the Midst of Israel's Spiritual Wasteland...so I have called the series overall "God in the Wasteland" (borrowing the title from David Wells superb book by the same name, though his work is on a different and unrelated subject). I was delighted to teach it and have learned a great deal about the book as a whole over that course.

I am currently preparing to finish up my first semester as adjunct professor of English Composition at Shawnee State University, please pray that I find a summer job to keep up our income.

Krista has been very busy with Mia at home, and she also helped to host a ladies retereat last month for the women of our church, she did an excellent job. We are now slowly working out times to get to know individual members of our church family better and spend time with them. Your prayers are a great help to us friends, and we continue to covet them.

God bless

My Sermon Series

2008-02-14T20:32:00.000-08:00

Some really exciting things are going on at Church. We are beginning a new ministry to the university starting this fall. I will be preaching a series at our college services, I am very excited about this opportunity. Here's a sample of our Sermon Series Promotional Logo.

Family Photo

2008-01-17T20:32:00.001-08:00

My New Job

2008-01-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me to find a part time job while working at the church here in Portsmouth, OH. The Lord has seen fit to answer your prayers in a way that I never expected. This last week I received an invitation to be the newest Adjunct Professor of English Composition at Shawnee State University. I am teaching two classes this semester and am very excited. Thanks again...now pray for me as I begin the semester on MONDAY!

New Years Thoughts

2008-01-01T08:08:00.000-08:00

Well it is 2008 and I have a new post at Christ & Pop-Culture discussing the New Years Resolution: Resolved to Not Have a New Years Resolution. See my thoughts on resolutions, and their relationship to the resolutions of good Christian men of old.

Some Pics of Our New Home

2007-12-31T20:40:00.000-08:00

Here's some pictures of our new home.

All Moved In

2007-12-20T05:57:00.000-08:00

Well the Dunham family has made it safe and sound to our new home in Lucasville, OH. We are getting un-packed and settled in. We left Louisville so that I could begin work at a church here in Portsmouth. I have already begun and am keeping busy. Krista has been spending time getting Mia adjusted to the new surroundings, no small feat, and un-packing boxes and organizing our house. I am still looking for a part time job to supplement our income (the church couldn't pay me full-time just yet). You can keep us in your prayers for that matter. It was espeically hard to leave Louisville, partiuclarly as we left our beloved friends at Third Avenue Baptist Church, they have become a sweet family to us and I know that we both long to see them again. Praise God for wonderful churches and church families.

My Thoughts on the Golden Compass

2007-12-11T19:33:00.000-08:00

I wrote two articles on The Golden Compass for two different online magazines. You can check out my first one here for Christ & Pop Culture, which also got picked up by The Pearcey Report. And you can read my official film review at Decapolis.com

The Southern Ohio Theological Society Upgrade

2007-12-07T09:14:00.000-08:00

The Southern Ohio Theological Society has uprgaded their website with a new look and some cool forthcoming features. It looks pretty good. You can check it out here.

I am a representative with the Society and I love what they're doing ("recovering theology for the health of our churches). If you're in Southern Ohio and you love theology (whether your a pastor or a lay person) I'd encourage you to become a member. The perks may not seem like much but The Southern Ohio Journal of Theology is getting better with each issue, and there's free books and free conferences in the future.

An Update from the Dunhams

2007-12-02T06:02:00.000-08:00

Well as the holiday quickly approaches I have one thing on my mind...we are moving in two weeks!

The Dunhams are returning to Southern Ohio this winter to live and work in the Portsmouth area. We are extremely excited about this and look forward to doing the work of missions and evangelism in Portsmouth, and serving at our new church Bigelow Church in Portsmouth. The family is doing well. Mia has developed quite the personality over these last two weeks and continues to grow and mature just fine. She is happy and we continue to pray for the Lord's watch over her health. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for us.

By the way...if any one who reads this blog is going to be in Scioto County on December 14th in the early evening...why don't you come help us move into our new home?!

My Movie Review

2007-12-01T09:20:00.000-08:00

So I recently saw the movie American Gangster and I've posted a movie review at Christ & Pop Culture. You can see it here.

A New Podcast Takes on the Gangster Motif of Ridley Scott

2007-11-27T08:02:00.000-08:00

A New C&PC Podcast takes a look at the blockbuster film American Gangster and asks some hard questions as well as assessing its aesthetic value. Hear what Rich and I thought of the movie and let us know you thoughts in response.

I am Writing

2007-11-21T11:20:00.000-08:00

In case you were wondering why I haven't posted very much lately (though I doubt you were)the answer is simple: business! But I am writing! For those avid fans of my writing, those who simply can't get enough of my ornate prose and keen sense (btw: if such individuals do exist you need to read more)I have a new piece here.

I am currently a staff writer for the Christ & Pop Culture e-zine. Rich has turned our simple podcast into a full blown website with contributing writers. My most recent post Chuck and Truth is the featured article of the day.

Christ and Pop Culture do the Art Scene

2007-11-19T14:50:00.000-08:00

The new C&PC Podcast asks and attempts to answer the question: Is there Good Christian Art?

Check out the new website, listen to the podcast, and let us know your thoughts.

This Day One Year Ago

2007-11-17T11:42:00.000-08:00

As I have been sitting and watching the Buckeyes beat up on the Wolverines today I was reminded of this day one year ago. This day one year ago my wife decided to throw me a Birthday party with some of our friends from church. Folks came over and we watched the same rivalry match-up between Ohio State and Michigan. And during half-time as I sat with Melony and Jeremy, Carrie and Josh, Jessica and Rich, and Carly and Sammy around me, my wife and I announced that we were having our first child!

It was an extremely exciting time. These dear friends, and countless others, had been praying with us for the Lord to bless us with a child. It was a wonderful feeling to share such good news with those who had partaken of our sorrow.

As I reflect on that day I sit now watching the Buckeyes win again, but this time I sit with my wife and our beautiful three and half month old girl: Maleigha. What a blessing it is that the Lord gives us the great delight of children. What a wonderful way to spend your Birthday!

The Complete Series

2007-11-14T01:37:00.000-08:00

Well I have finally finished the far too long series on Christianity and the Imagination. I appreciate your tolerance through it all and am glad to be done with it myself. Here, now, is the complete series available if you're interested.

Christ and Pop Culture is Bigger and Better!

2007-11-13T12:37:00.000-08:00

C&PC is branching out its short arms, and the project is taking on a new form: that is a research base for Christian engagement in the culture. Rich has developed a new website with regular writers and other contributers to the ministry. The Weekly Podcast will continue but it will be accompanied by blogs and discussions. Check it out!

Reflecting on the Imaginative: Five Questiosn to Ask

2007-11-13T01:34:00.000-08:00

As I conclude this series now, finally, I want to offer these final five questions that you can ask of any imaginative piece that you come across. These questions will help you formulate the worldview of the artistic piece or its creator.

(1) What does this work say about humanity? --> Is humanity, in this song or painting etc., presented in the image of God? As having dignity and worth? Or as an animal, or a beast? Is humanity seen as perfectly good or as inherently sinful? What does the work say about humanity?

(2) What does this work say about God? --> Is God present or not present in this work of art? Is there any hint of his existence or role in the world? Is God dead or just ignored? Is he to blame for the evil in the painting, or is he the source of goodness in the poem?

(3) What is our experience of the work? --> How does this song make you feel? What does that story make you think of? How did you connect with the characters in the film? If the artist is good he will have tried to manipulate your responses to get what he most desires, this will tell you something about the point of the art and its worldview.

(4) What does the work value? --> What is emphasized, praised, highlighted, and condemned in the work? Each piece will express some sort of value, uncovering it will be a key to unlocking the overall worldview.

(5) Does the piece achieve its goal? --> This is not merely an assessment of its effectiveness. It is important to know the author's intent, but if the goal is not achieved we must deal with the accidental influences that it creates. Be aware of these and it will help you to assess the piece theologically.

Fallacy # 5: Works of Art Make No Truth Claims

2007-11-12T19:09:00.000-08:00

This final fallacy is an obvious one for our postmodern culture to have turned to. This theory says that art is purely an aesthetic expression. "Art for Art's sake" goes the expression. Movie producers and directors make these claims as do painters and poets. The failure of this claim, however, is that it fails to consider that artists do not create without purpose, and purpose equals intended meaning.

Leland Ryken gives the example of words on the side of a cliff. If you were driving down the highway and saw words in the side of a cliff what would you think? You'd probably wonder what they were doing there. What if you found out they were caused by erosion? Well then you wouldn't probably wonder what they meant anymore, because, after all, erosion does not create with purpose. Artists, however do. And every time we view art, or listen to art, or read art, we believe that the artist has created with meaning. Even Jackson Pollock and Gertrude Stein created with purpose.

Since the subject of art is the expression of the human experience there is inherent within ever piece judgments, values, and perceptions of the world. Each artist has a worldview. Jay Z's worldview is different than Maya Angelou's but each has one that comes forth and makes truth claims in their various pieces of art.

To suggest that art has no truth claims is to suggest that, in fact, the art is meaningless (and even this may be an expression of meaning, see Gauguin).

C&PC: Video Game Evangelism

2007-11-12T15:31:00.000-08:00

Christ and Pop Culture has a new episode up. This week Rich and I had special guest Owen Strachan on to talk about "Youth Groups, Halo 3, and the Evangelistic Imperative." When we received news that SBC Churches were encouraging their youth groups to use Halo 3 as an opportunity to share the gospel with young men Rich and I took advantage to again speak to the methodology of Christian engagement of the culture. Hear what Rich and Owen have to say as I ask them questions, and as we give our Top Five Countdown of Misguided Uses of Pop-Culture.

C & PC, and Fairy Potter

2007-11-05T15:12:00.000-08:00

So it came as a news flash to the literary world, "Albus Dumbledore" is a homosexual! And your boys at Christ and Pop-Culture were hot on the trail of this news story...well maybe not. But it's an interesting development and it gives me a chance to poke some more fun at Rich's "Harry Potter as a Christ-Figure" Theory. So check it out and leave a comment.

Fallacy # 4: The Usefulness of Art Depends on Its Philosophic Viewpoint

2007-11-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

I have been discussing, for sometime now...(I know, perhaps too long), that the imagination, and art, convey truths. And that this has great benefit for us. But what are we to do when we run into a piece of imaginative art where the truth is not told? What do we do with the musical compositions of John Cage, whose nihilistic philosophy shaped his approach to composing? The answer for those who hold to this particular fallacy is that we throw it out! There is no value, they say, in works that do not tell the truth. The value is wholly dependent upon the artwork's worldview.

At one level we can appreciate this group's adherence to objective truth, and applaud them for not simply lumping all art together as present viable options for truth. On the other hand, their view is extremely narrow and misses a key feature of all artwork. As Leland Ryken writes, "Works of art clarify the human situation to which the Christian faith speaks, even if their interpretation of reality is wrong."

Art, whether it is visual art, music, or literature, tells us something about the people who create and enjoy it. A painting paints for us a picture of the thoughts and feelings, and values of the culture. If Christians wish to have relevant ministry to their neighbors they can learn something from their art. Picasso's painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon reveals a man who had shifted his thought from humans born in a state of innocence to the loss of humanity (observe the picture moving from left to right). Of course Christians deny this to be true...the fall did misshape humans, but we still bear the evidences of being made in the image of God. But this does tell us something about the deeply depressed soul of a man.

Art's value far exceeds its philosophic viewpoint (not that it should be ignored or downplayed. Art tells us about the world, art furthers thoughts about specific worldview points, and art, even with its sometimes fallacious views, can be of good to Christians for evangelism, apologetics, and general life in this sinful world.

Fallacy # 3: The Usefulness of a Work of Art Consists of its Abstract Ideas

2007-11-02T01:19:00.000-07:00

With the increased criticism of that art is merely entertaining and therefore, for some reason, less important to society, art apologists have sought to make a lasting place for art in the world. Their approach, however, robs art of its power and uniqueness. The art apologist attempts to put art on the same level as philosophy and psychology and theology, making it purely ideational. Again this approach robs art of its power.

Art is not useful simply because of its abstract ideas. The very power of art is in its overall presentation, not simply the ides behind it. Leland Ryken is right when he states, "If the ideas are the important thing in a work of art, we obviously do not need the work itself once we have deduced the ideas." The idea of inherent sin isn't nearly as compelling as is reading Lord of the Flies. As Ryken says, "Who would be willing to substitute the thrill of actually experiencing one's favorite novel or movie for a one-page-summary of the ideas embodied in it?" Art's power comes from its overall presentation, and anything less is reductionistic at best, and may almost make art more useless then useful.

A Halloween Treat from C & PC

2007-11-02T01:17:00.000-07:00

If you spent time on Halloween night watching a scary movie then perhaps you'll enjoy a special Halloween treat from Christ and Pop-Culture. In the latest episode of C&PC Rich and I discuss the "Devolution of the Horror Film." Check it out and let us know your thoughts.

C&PC Talk Dumb

2007-10-29T05:39:00.000-07:00

The latest edition of Christ & Pop-Culture has Rich and I talking about the strereotypical Dumb Guy of 21st Century pop-culture. Characters from television (like Ray Barone, and Jim Belushi) and from film (Will Ferrel and Seth Rogen), and the implications that they have on the men that watch and applaud them. We also list our top five favorite "stupid" movies. Check it out!

Luther, Lenin, and 90 Years of Revolutionary Thought

2007-10-24T07:39:00.000-07:00

As October 31st quickly approaches I have one celebration on my mind...oh, make that two. I always forget that Oct. 31st marks the date of a second holiday in our culture. The one some how alway slips my mind. I guess it's easy to forget Halloween when it shares its date with Reformation Day. I know you must feel the same way.

But as the celebration approaches I note that it must be a special celebration this year, for October 31st 2007 will mark the 90th Birthday of Protestant Reformation, the day that marks the beginning, the birth, of the Protestant tradition in Western culture. But not long after we celebrate this occasion there will be another anniversary: The 90th Anniversary of Vladimir Lenin's Communist revolution. Marvin Olasky has written an interesting piece on these two anniversaries and their divergent wolrdviews in the Oct. 27th Issue of World Magazine.

For those of you hoping to learn more about Luther in honor of the upcoming celebration I recommend: Here I stand: A Life of Martin Luther by Roland Bainton; Martin Luther: A Guided Tour of His Life and Thought by Stephen J. Nichols; The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World by Stephen J. Nichols; or October 31st, 1517 Wittenburg, Germany by Jim Elliff.

Fallacy # 2: All Art Tells the Truth

2007-10-23T01:40:00.000-07:00

This fallacy sound similar to the former but it is really much more subtle. This argument does not equate art with truth, but rather since all art is stating something and speaking to a real audience, then we may assume that there is truth to be heard in each artwork. This theory, however, like the former is a bit naive. It takes only a quick perusal of any artistic form to find error, or at least contradiction between worldviews. Take for example literature.

C.S. Lewis has keenly noted that the "value structure of most literature (and of the other arts) is...'sub-Christian.'" Lewis clarifies by outlining what the value system of European literature looks like: (1) honor; (2) sexual love; (3) material prosperity; (4) Pantheistic contemplation of nature; (5) Sehnsuct [longing] awakened by the past, the remote, or the (imagined) supernatural; (6) liberation of impulses. And it is not European literature alone that bears these hallmarks. Everything from Kate Chopin to Charles Brockden Brown to Henry David Thoreau (not to speak of the more modern authors).

Beyond literature we find divergent worldviews in music, movies, and paintings. John Cage's philosophy behind his composition is particularly dangerous, as is Jackson Pollock's approach to painting. One need only look at what various artistic and imaginative expressions are actually saying to find the fallacious nature of this statement: all art tells the truth.

We must be discerning with our art appreciation. Know that inherent in every piece is a worldview that may or may not fit with the Biblical worldview, it is your job to asses the imaginative, reflect upon it, compare it with Scripture, and decide.

Learning to Trust in New Ways

2007-10-19T15:34:00.000-07:00

We received feedback from Mia's MRI already, she does have "Tethered Cord" and we are in the process now of scheduling a surgery date. It is discouraging news that we have recieved, yet, thankfully, the problem is not life-threatening or urgent. Thankfully it is correctable problem and one that was spotted early enough to not have any lasting side effects. That is a testimony to God's grace. And there is much to be made of God's grace in this situation.

We are beginning to see more and more what it means to truly trust God in all things. It is very easy to "talk" about trusting, and I see more clearly how difficult, in our own sinfulness, it is to trust Him in every instance. This is not a desirable situation and yet God is teaching me, already, about trusting Him fully. A bitter-sweet lesson to be sure. It is situations like this that make me want to yell at people who say theology is not important, and them I remember I believe in grace, patience, and forgiveness too.

As Krista and I learn how to put our theology in practice, learn what it means to trust God more fully, and wait for a surgery date we ask your continued prayers for us. Pray that Mia would have no trouble in the surgery, that the problem would be fixed without any complications, that the doctors would be skilled and wise. Pray as well that Krista and I would trust the Lord for her preservation and good health, pray that we would be a testimony to those in the medical field that care for Mia. Pray as well that we would be able to get an early surgery date, which may not happen and could complicate our situation here in moving (though this is a minor issue for us). Thank you everyone, your prayers are much appreciated, and a great encouragement.

Thinking at 4 in the Morning

2007-10-18T01:40:00.001-07:00

I have just arrived home from work and finished my breakfast. It's early and I am tired, but there is something on my mind, I thought I'd share it. It won't be long before my wife and I are strapping our daughter into her car seat and driving her down to the hospital for an MRI. She is being checked out for a condition known as "Tethered Cord," (a term which means nothing to me), which is where some fibers are connecting the tail-bone to the spinal cord (that means something to me).

As I think about this situation, about the fact that my baby can't eat for four hours prior to the test, the fact that these doctors who don't know my baby will have to sedate her, and the thought of being apart from her through such a traumatic event, I have one pervading thought: I cannot help her!

It's shocking and terrifying to think it, even more so to say it out loud: I cannot help my beautiful, precious, baby girl. I can't make "tethered-cord" go away, I can't make MRI's less involved, I can't keep her safe through sedation. So what is a Father to do in this instance? He must flee to Christ.

I am so dependent upon grace, so needy of God's kind care of my family. I am always dependent upon grace, but it's moments like these where you can't help but feel it. God sometimes brings us to hopelessness to bring us to a place of ultimate hope, however. For what good would I be if I could help my little Mia? What good would I be in this situation if I could change it all? But what a great good is our God who sovereignly controls all things, even the minute details, and ordains an end that glorifies Him and is good for His people.

A few nights ago I prayed that God would give my daughter and especially happy following day. One throughout which she would simply be happy and a joy to her mommy. This prayer God graciously answered and it got me to thinking another thought, but one related to what was said above. I am not sure why God chose to answer that prayer or to answer on this occasion, but perhaps it was His way of telling me that He cares for my family's happiness. He loves us and He too loves His creation Mia. Perhaps in this valley that we may face ahead my wife and I can look out and see the sun shinning, however so dimly, above the hills and say, "We are dependent upon the grace of a Good God, who cares for our family!"

That is my thought at 4:50 a.m. Pray it will be my thought at 3:00 p.m. when I hand my daughter over to some doctors and attempt to trust the Lord with the outcome!

The Kingdom, on C&PC

2007-10-16T01:34:00.000-07:00

The popular new film "The Kingdom" has sparked a number of conversations and Rich and I join in on the latest episode of Christ and Pop-Culture. But this isn't your average C&PC conversation, listen in as Rich and I express some genuine disagreement with each other...and I get the chance to poke fun at Rich a bit.

Are You on C & PC?

2007-10-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

A new episode of Christ & Pop-Culture is up. In this episode we respond to some of our listener's comments. See if you're one of them! If you'd like to be on the next Listener Feedback episode you can leave a comment on our web page, or leave a voice mail (available at the web-page).

Reflecting on the Imaginative: Fallacy # 1

2007-10-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

As I draw this series of posts to a conclusion I wanted to take time to speak to the issue of Christian reflection on the imagination. Christians have not always done this well, particularly in the 20th and 21st century Christians have become ignorant of what makes good art, and especially of the imagination. So I have a list of five fallacies which I will briefly detail, so that we may avoid this pitfalls in critiquing and enjoying creativity.

The first fallacy says the following: Art is by its very nature TRUE!

This argument usually stems from those who are trying to defend the arts from its utilitarian critics. Their argument usually states that because art conveys ideas and have an intellectual content to them. The argument attempts to completely wipe out the demand for art to be "useful," for its defenders have stated that all art is useful because it reflects truth.

Leland Ryken warns us here, however, that such a "defense" confuses ideational content with intellectual truth. Ryken writes:

The fact that art has ideational content does not mean that it expresses truth. The ideas in a work of literature or art might be untruthful. In fact, they frequently are. People who make the equation of ideational content with truth have been much too facile and undiscriminating in their claims that hte arts teach truth.

The "TRUTH" about the arts is that their creators possess a variety of conflicting worldviews. One piece of art may state that the world is "meaningless" (such as Marcel Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase), while others would seek to convey the grand reality of the Creator God (like Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel painting of the Creation). Obviously both worldviews, and the art that expresses them, cannot be true. One or the other must be wrong. We must be careful not to blindly lump all art together, we must be discerning. When we speak of the imagination and the imaginative we must be sure that some imaginative creations are lies, and, therefore, do not deserve our personal applause.

Love the imagination, but be discerning about the imaginative expressions in our world.

Help for the Weary Reader

2007-10-06T21:55:00.000-07:00

The Word of the Lord is the theme of Psalm 1, and the Psalmist has great affection for it. “Blessed is the man” who devotes himself to it day and night. “Blessed,” meaning he is happy. The Lord has given to Him the desires of His heart, which for those in the Word of God turns out to be God Himself. The reading of Scripture fulfills what it promises. The more we read the more we want to know God, the more we read the more we get to know God. That is “blessedness!”

The man who reads God’s Word is not the man who seeks wisdom from the wicked world, nor one who models the evil of others, nor one who sits in judgment on the Word of God. The “blessed” man is one who “delights” in the Word and treasures it. This man “hides” God’s Word in His heart, with the intent that He might not sin against God! The man of the Word is one who hates sinning against God, and though He may still fail to obey, he despises sin, repents of it, and turns again to the Word that God might restore unto Him the Joy of His Salvation. The Word is a delight to the “blessed” man, and, in fact, the man is “delighted” because of that very Word. For in the Word he receives what he most desires: God.

This “blessed man” is compared to a fruitful tree, with leaves that do no wither. It is a man whose spiritual life thrives and blossoms and never fails. The Word of God is like rich soil that we sink our roots into for life; it is like the stream in the analogy that continually supplies sustenance to our branches. We prosper because we obey the Word of God, for it is our delight!

It is amazing how the Word of God works, and yet we hesitate so frequently to pick it up and read it. Why? Do we not grasp these facts of the power and beauty of Scripture? Do we not understand the word of God in Hebrews:

For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the divisions of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and the intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

This is not a word assigned to some abstract notion of divine revelation, or some super-spiritual language, or even some divinely inspired meaning above the capabilities of language to grasp. These words are assigned to the canon of Scripture, the Holy Bible, to its very self. The Bible is the Word of God and through the Holy Spirit it is the means to growing our faith, correcting us, rebuking us, teaching us, and sanctifying us. So why, then, if we do know this, do we still experience a dislike of it?

The short answer is sin; it’s also the obvious one and the easiest one. The other answer is much harder to hear, and more specific. For me, in my own case, it is a simple answer of not loving Jesus enough. O, I am thankful that Jesus first loved me and gave Himself up for me that I might be a son of God. But my heart does not seem to daily long for my savior, my mind does not think on Him hourly, nor does my life reflect a dedication to His Word. Where is my love? On self, on things, on others, etc. John Calvin said that our hearts are idol factories, I know from experience, as I am sure he did, that is more true than I wish to affirm. So what is the solution?

We cannot merely diagnose problems and think that it is sufficient spiritual work. No, there must be a plan for change. The answer is simple, but not simplistic. There is a three-fold cord of spiritual growth that we all need: (1) The Bible; (2) Prayer; (3) Fellowship.

It is not as though I forgot what we are talking about (“Why don’t we read the Bible), but the answer, even in the face of this struggle, is still “read the Bible.” Especially when we don’t feel like it we should read! Read short, read long, read great passages, read small ones, read a book or a chapter, or a verse. Read a Psalm everyday of the week, read through the Gospel of Mark. The point is clear, however it is done, read the Bible. We must force ourselves to be in the Word as much as possible. This is not to suggest that if you don’t read it everyday you are sinning or falling away, rather it is to say we should read it as much as we can. The more we do, the more we will love it, and the more we will learn of God and love Him.

Prayer is crucial for ever Christian life and especially for those struggling to be in the Word. The Bible teaches us that God’s desire for us is our sanctification, our spiritual growth. Therefore call upon Him to aid you in this stubborn lack of desire for His Word. Pray that He would increase your affections for the Word, and open it up to you that you may grow and benefit from it. Pray for help from others to encourage you to be in the Bible regularly.

This brings us to the final element, fellowship. Lone-ranger Christians are not Biblical, nor are they successful. The church was established by Christ for our benefit. We need others to help us and especially when we are facing “spiritual depression.” We need the uplift of Godly brothers and sisters, we need their encouragement and prayers, we need their love and support, and perhaps even their firm loving words of rebuke. Fellowship not only holds us accountable to growth, but the more we talk about God’s Word with others the more we will want to be in it.

So if you are struggling with reading Scripture regularly then pray, surround yourself with Christ-like men or women, and insist upon reading the Bible as much as possible! Pray for it, get help with it, and do it! Trust me friends, we won’t regret it if we do…for the Word of God is a delight and God blesses the man who reads it.

New Post at DECAPOLIS

2007-10-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

For anyone interested I've just posted my review of The Kingdom at Decapolis.Com
Everyone but Rich can go and check it out, also look out for an upcoming episode of Christ & Pop-Culture in which Rich and I will be discussing this film.

Pray for Maleigha

2007-10-02T18:19:00.001-07:00

Dear friends and family,

Just a quick update on our family. Mia had an ultrasound done last week and the results seem to suggest that she has a condition known as Tethered Cord. This is where some fibers from the spinal cord attach to the tail bone. The condition can be painful for her later on in life if it is not dealt with now. In order to be sure that this is the condition she has, however, an MRI is needed. Please pray for us as we move forward with this process. Pray for Krista and I as we experience these new emotions of concern for our daughter, and pray for Maleigha's health and safety.

Thank you and God bless

Recommending the Imaginative: Ratatouille

2007-10-02T01:41:00.000-07:00

My outline states that I am suppose to be recommending to you Classic English Literature. Seeing as how I have already done that, however, I have chosen to skip that recommendation and move on to the next, which seems perhaps odd in the company of such a well respected element. My next recommendation for growing your imagination is the 2007 Disney/Pixar animated film Ratatouille. This delightful film about a rat with a keen nose for good food romanticizes creativity and inspires its audience.

Remy the rat, and main star of this film, loves to cook and create wonderful recipes. He takes interest in their smells, their colors, their presentation, and especially in their tastes. And, what's more interesting, as we watch Remy in the kitchen, we can't help but feel that food is as wonderful as he claims it is. We see the colors he sees when he bites into a piece of cheese, and we smell the aromas of the kitchen that he smells. This film has a way of not only telling a story, but drawing us into it and inspiring us to be like Remy.

When I left this film I was reminded of the mandate which God has given me to men to rulers over the earth, part of which involves pop-culture, and requires creative expression. I am delighted to recommend Ratatouille to you.

Recommending the Imaginative: Stan Lee

2007-09-29T15:45:00.001-07:00

I can hear the scoff in your throats all the way across the Internet. "Are you kidding me? A comic book writer?" I understand your cynicism, but hear me out. Stan Lee has done something in the creative world that should not go unnoticed. His revolutionary work with Marvel Comics opened up not only a whole new world for comics, but for the development of super heroes in modern pop-culture.

When Lee first began work on comics the market was controlled by the idea that superheroes should be flawless and indestructible. What Stan Lee did wad to re-design the modern superhero as a flawed man struggling not only with everyday problems but also battling internally between the two worlds of superhero and alter-ego. His first character, Spiderman, is the epitome of this new design.

His comics would also include relevant social commentaries and critiques and examine a deeper, more meaningful side to the world of Comic books. These are just some of the facts that no real culturally aware person can overlook.

This may seem like an odd person to include in with the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, after all not only were both amazing literary scholars and authors, but they were both Christians. What should you think of my recommending someone who is not a self-proclaimed believer in the Lord Jesus Christ? How can he help us understand creativity and the imagination better from a Christian perspective?

The fact is that God did not give culture only to Christians, nor did He give wisdom and creativity to Christians (just like He did not give the gifts of science and math and medicine to Christians alone). Certainly worship of God is the ultimate goal of the imagination and creativity and thankfulness to Him is due for it, and no creative work will ultimately be completed until such is done. But Stan Lee has offered to us not only a new form of art and a captivating method of storytelling through images and simple dialogue, but he has offered to us an imaginative re-interpretation of the superhero. In this re-interpretation we see the natural human struggle between our tendency to self-absorption and justice. We see an innovative way to express the pressure and importance of helping others. These are values, of course, which no Christian can ignore, and while we would go further than Lee, we can, nonetheless, thank him for reminding us that heroes can be relatable and "cool."

C&PC Gameday!

2007-09-27T16:30:00.000-07:00

Christ & Pop-Culture do football! That's what the latest episode of of our podcast is about. Rich and guest host Keith Goad talk sports, scandals, and theology in American Football. Check it out and let us know what your thoughts are.

The Black Crowe: Thoughts on 3:10 to Yuma (Part 2)

2007-09-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

If Christian Bale's character in 3:10 to Yuma marks a pointedly different type of Western Hero, then Russell Crowe adds to the revolutionary status of this film by his portrayal of the complex villain.

As the movie begins we see a very sensitive, if somewhat dastardly Ben Wade (Crowe). He desires a female companion, for more than just physical pleasure, and he appreciates good cowboys (so he lets Peter Fonda's character live in the opening scene). But it is not long before we see just how evil he is. In the mere setting of a sun Ben Wade changes from nice guy, to sadistic murderer as he stabs a sleeping man to death with nothing but a kitchen fork. He is a dangerous man!

It is this interplay between pure evil and simply sweet guy down on his luck that makes Wade so compelling, and of course Russel Crowe pulls it off with ease. The end of the movie only reinvigorates this mixture and compels us as the viewers to both like Wade and hate him at the same time.

My co-host on Christ & Pop-Culture discussed this recently in a podcast we did, and came to the conclusion that what makes Wade so interesting as a character is the that he reminds us of another deceptive villain: Satan. The Bible teaches us that Satan can clothe himself like an angel of light and he can compel the unwitting person to trust him. We know Eve, even in a perfect state, fell for his ploys. Ben Wade not only disarms men and women, but he disarms us at points. He is a truly deceptive villain. Yet there is something more to this character.

For While Wade does throughout the movie show himself to be a "devil" of a man, there is real growth, development, and change. His character goes through several major turning points in the plot and comes out on the other side quite different than anyone could expect. This is what makes Wade so compelling of a character: the sheer spectrum of change that he goes through. Now there have been plenty of movies with good character dynamism and growth, even many where villains go through these changes, but none that are so seamless, and unexpected as 3:10 to Yuma, for in the end of this film we are still left with some elements of the unexpected, and ultimately with a question: Is Ben Wade a good guy or a bad guy? Few movies have that capacity to bring a character through such change and in the end leave us where we started...a man who is either really good, or has yet once again deceived us all.

C&PC Updates

2007-09-25T08:19:00.000-07:00

The latest podcast for Christ & Pop-Culture is available now. Our topic is again the subject of Heroes, specifically related to the film 3:10 to Yuma. We discussed previously that Christ is the model for all heroes...see how that conversation relates now to Dan Evans, the hero of this film.

Also we are having a special "you tag us we'll tag you" week. If you link to C&PC this week then we will link to you at our site. So be sure and let us know if you are promoting our show on your blog or website.

Preparing for a New Series

2007-09-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

As I am wrapping up my series on the imagination I have been planning for my next one. Recently I've been studying some different works on evangelism and thinking through different aspects of evangelism. What makes good evangelism? What should we do when we share the gospel? What should we expect? When should we do it? And Who should evangelize? These are all part of the focus of my next series. I post here a proposed outline for the upcoming study. It has been a fruitful endeavor for me and I hope it will benefit you all who read this blog. Look forward to this series after I finish the current one on The Imagination.

Evangelism:

I. Biblical Evangelism
(1) It’s More than Your Testimony
(2) It’s more than Apologetics
(3) Don’t Confuse the Event With the Results
(4) God-Centered vs. Man-Centered, Part 1
(5) God-Centered vs. Man-Centered, Part 2
II. What is Evangelism:
(1) The Essentials
III. Who Should Do Evangelism:
(1) Pastors
(2) Christians
(3) Missionaries
(4) Moms & Dads
(5) Churches
IV. How Do You Do Evangelism?
(1) Methodology Matters
(2) Conversation Evangelism
(3) The Dangers of Forced Evangelism
(4) Church Ministry & Revivals
V. Resources for Helping Our Evangelism:
(1) J.I. Packer
(2) Mark Dever
(3) Two Ways to Live

Why Study Scripture?

2007-09-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

If it seems like an odd question for a Christian to ask, apparently not all professing believers are in agreement on the Bible's importance. Increasingly there are more and more "Christians" who want to find a more "relevant" guide and tool for our faith. Perhaps an MTV music vidoe or the latest pop-culture guru would serve the church better as it tries to do evangelism among this post-modern culture. My answer, however, is a firm and resounding NO! The Bible is the Holy Word of God and the following list has been composed as a fresh reminder of "why the word".

1) The Word of God is Divinely Inspired --> Yes it was written by men, but not by merely men. The Word of God is written by men under the influence of the Holy Spirit. 2 Timothy 3:16 states, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and training in righteousness." The reason that we study the Scriputres and not the latest Bible Knowledge guru is becasue the former is God's official word, the latter, while it can be helpful, is not God's Holy Word.

2) The Word of God is Infallible --> When we speak of God's Word as the Bible we are referring to a book that has authority when it is read and heard. A book that is never wrong, never misspeaks, never issues corrections. The Bible is perfect in every word, or every "jot and tittle" as Jesus put it. We have word that can be trusted and should be obeyed because God spoke it and He, in His omniscience and perfection, never makes mistakes.

3) The Word of God is the Power of Salvation --> Paul says that he is not ashamed of the gospel because, "It is the power of God for Salvation to everyone who believes." No other book has the ability to bring men and women to the truth of Jesus Christ and salvation. It alone has the power to overturn evil, revive dead hearts, and lead me to the worship of the living God.

The Bible is unique among all books. There is no dublicate, no replacement, and nothing else will do. To those "Christian" Movements out there that believe this word to be outdated and useless for today, or at best only of secondary importance, I urge you to reconsider the power of the Word of God, the Trustworthiness of the Word of God, and the author of the Word of God. The Bible is our only guide in all things for life and faith!

Recommending the Imaginative: C.S Lewis

2007-09-21T01:34:00.000-07:00

Like Tolkien Lewis stands out among those Christians with an imagination. Lewis was a Scholar, a colleague and friend, in fact, of J.R.R. Tolkien (It was through Tolkien that Lewis eventually came to abandon atheism and believe the gospel). What marks C.S. Lewis is his ability to create a world of beauty and tell the gospel story through creative means.

Lewis' Narnia myth isn't as elaborate, detailed, or cohesive as Tolkien's myth, but it is nonetheless and amazing thing to read The Chronicles of Narnia and see the gospel story unfold before your eyes in that imaginative setting. In writing his seven volume fantasy story Lewis created a world that was not just for kids but one that was for adults too. He is known to have said that a good story is one that is not just good for kids, but which adults can enjoy too.

Lewis works bear several interesting marks as a whole:
* The Christian Faith
* An appreciation of Love and/or Friendship
* A vast knowledge of classical literature
* Greek & Roman Mythology
* Fantasy

All these elements together make for a, sadly, markedly different Christian author. When you read Lewis you will not only find yourself captivated by his storytelling, but you will understand, and love the gospel better because of it. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, has one scene with Aslan and the two girls that gives me chills of excitement every time I read it. Use Lewis, friends, to spur on a godly imagination.

God in the Dock...Almost Literally?

2007-09-20T01:41:00.001-07:00

Men throughout all of history have thought themselves big enough to call God to account. If Jonathan Edwards preached his famous sermon and called it "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," the modern man would have it recast and remade to say "God in the Hands of Angry Sinners."

One particular sinner, I mean Senator, has decided to join the fellowship of judges over God, and he is actually filling a lawsuit against the Almighty. A Nebraska attorney, in an attempt to demonstrate how frivolous lawsuits are becoming, has made God an example. The Lord over Heaven and Earth is responsible for immeasurable pain and suffering, he asserts, and is the cause of every great calamity that comes upon men. He terrorizes men and compels them to fear and irrationality. So, this lawyer, a real atheist, has decided to sue God for all that He is worth.

The interesting thing to watch in this case is going to be the court itself. What will the court do? Will they deem it correct to sue God, or will they decide He does not exist and therefore cannot be sued? Their response will be interesting and telling. But a word to our this attorney: be careful friend.

The Old Testament tells of a man named Job who called God to account and the Almighty came to Him in a whirlwind and humbled the little man. He says, "Dress for action like a man; I will question you and you make it known to me." All of Job 38 is one big rhetorical question that God gives to the man, he asks: Who do you think you are that you can demand answers from me? Did you create the world, and do you keep it? The answer seems to be that we should sit down and shut our mouths! God is not a God to be trifled with. Hebrews tells us it is a "dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." So friend, before you continue with this foolish law suit, I urge you to consider God's response to Job. The only hope you have is the cross of Jesus, where the Son of God bore the wrath that you and I deserve for our rebellion against Him. Believe on Jesus for salvation, and come to terms with who you are before the living God of the Universe.

Getting Better All the Time...I hope!

2007-09-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

Christ & Pop-Culture has another new episode up (I was recently told that my co-host and I are podcast bunnies...I think it was a reference to the rate at which we are putting out shows). This time we tackle the Emmys and wrestle with the question: is there good art on television? We also give our top five most anticipated fall shows. You can give us your top five or just send general feedback to us at christandpopculture@gmail.com or leave a comment on the website.

Also let us know what you think about our new shorter show format, the new look and feel of the website, and the increasing accessibility. You can now listen to the show by phone or leave a message on our voice mail. So let us know...are we getting better?

C&PC: Gaming and the Glory of God

2007-09-18T08:43:00.000-07:00

A New Christ & Pop-Culture episode is up. This episode Rich and I discuss Gaming and the Glory of God and asses the evolution of the video game and the Christian response to it.

Also, note that we are changing our format, again, so that we are regularly doing shorter shows (i.e. 20-30 minutes). As one listener has put it, it is the death of "toolongisodes" and the birth or "realisodes." Look for our upcoming episode on 3:10 to Yuma, also.

Recommending the Imaginative: J.R.R. Tolkien

2007-09-18T01:37:00.000-07:00

John Ronald Tolkien was undoubtedly one of the greatest literary geniuses of the 20th Century. His most famous works include The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. These works have forever left their mark on the world of fantasy literature, Christian literature, and English literature (a three-fold impact not often attained by men).

What makes these works so amazing is not only their outstanding stories and characters, which Tolkien, as an Oxford English professor crafted beautifully, but it is their epic stature and mythical legacy. The world of Middle Earth is one of the only 20th Century myths to actually withstand the tests of time. The depths to which the author went in giving us back story, and context. The Philology work in Elvish language that Tolkien demonstrates, and the geographich mapping and descriptions are marks of a myth that is unparalleled in almost all English literature, and at least since its publication.

What makes Tolkien's work so significant for this discussion is that Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic, and played a crucial role in the conversion of his colleague C.S. Lewis from Athiesm to Christianity. His journals are full of religious sentiments, and praises to God, and yet for all his religious devotion Tolkien was a man of art as well. The fact that a man can be both an artist, an imaginator (if you will allow), and a man of God should not go unnoticed. His essays on English Literaure, on Poetry, and on Fiction are some of the most amazing pieces that he wrote outside of the context of the Lord of the Rings. So to you, friends, I recommend J.R.R. Tolkien's works.

Works:
The Hobbit
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
The Return of the King
The Silmarillion
The Father Christmas Letters
Farmer Giles of Ham
The Children of Hurin
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
On Fairy Stories
The Letters of J.R.R Tolkien
Poems and Songs of Middle Earth

Bale Out a Dying Genre: Thoughts on 3:10 to Yuma (Part I)

2007-09-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

The Western had its heyday, in the 1950s during the era of “The Duke” himself, John Wayne. But since those days the Western as a popular genre has faded. Every once in a while there’s a new cowboy movie made, they are frequently, however, not very good. So, for example, we all remember the waste that is City Slickers and City Slickers II, and we all remember the nonsense that is Will Smith’s Wild, Wild, West. So needless to say that when I saw that new western was going to be coming out this fall I was hesitant. After all the original 3:10 to Yuma came in the midst of the Western’s pinnacle (1957), how could this new version compete? I am happy to report that I was more than just pleasantly surprised by the 2007 remake.

3:10 to Yuma is not only one of the best Westerns I have ever seen (and I’ve seen a lot), but it may be the best movie of the year (at least to date). Christian Bale’s portrayal of the wounded soldier turned struggling farmer is outstanding, and Russell Crowe’s disturbing and emotionally complex villain is among the best villains in recent film history. Beyond the acting the plot is so well crafted and seamless that the story flows like a cool west wind on rolling countryside. Where the scenes are meant to be intense, they are, and where the dialogue is intended to convey meaningful narration or back story it does. But for me it is more than just the standard cinematic elements that make this film so worth watching.

There are hundreds of movies that are crafted well and possess good acting and storytelling. There are even hundreds of good Westerns, mostly from the old era of the mid 50s. No, it is not these elements that compelled me to see 3:10 to Yuma twice. It is the message of bravery that I finally came to love.

Originally I had a bit of difficulty bringing my own conclusions to 3:10 to Yuma, there was something to the story, particularly the end of the film, that both made me disappointed and intrigued. This fact alone is enough to hail the movie as worth seeing, for few films leave me torn on my opinion of it, and it is no small feat for a film to have a so thoroughly well crafted plot as to render me stunned. But in the end it was the message of bravery that has drawn me into the praise of the movie. Everyone knows about the “brave” action hero who saves the day, and demonstrates fearlessness in the face of insurmountable odds (i.e. John McClane, Aragorn, Jason Bourne, etc.). In 3:10 to Yuma, however, we see more clearly what bravery is. Bravery has more to do with forging ahead in the midst of fear, and even less to do with the results. While action movies repeatedly suggest this they almost always undermine it in the major and final action sequence where the hero fearlessly saves the day. But Dan Evans (Christian Bale), and Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) bring the dynamic nature of bravery to a new level in this film. This is a movie about the every day man’s bravery, something that we can all appreciate and something Christians can particularly appreciate.

God calls men to be brave regardless of the circumstances and regardless of the results. He no where guarantees victory in every day battles, just as the martyrs of the early church or the Chinese Christians suffering in prison today. But God also honors men who in the midst of fear and desperation pray for His strength and persevere to do justice, show mercy, and “save the day” (whatever that looks like in our specific contexts). 3:10 to Yuma is not a Christian film, nor was it meant to convey Christian themes (as best I can tell), but just as God uses non-Christians to teach His people Biblical truths (see the how God uses pagan nations to teach Israel in the Old Testament prophetic books), so God can use films like this one to teach the real truth about bravery. Where 3:10 to Yuma stands apart is in representing true bravery in the midst of the glorified action hero of the modern and even past cinema. The brave man is the man who doesn’t always win, isn’t always self-sufficient, and doesn’t always show fearlessness, but does the right thing anyways.

Recovering the Imaginative: Play

2007-09-13T01:30:00.001-07:00

It is not enough to simply be academic in your pursuit for the recovery of imagination, you must do more than read and study on the rise and demise of imagination in American culture. To really see a return to Christian embrace of the imagination Christians need to play more.

What I mean here is to say that Christians need to be creative. If it is true that God is creative, and we are made in His image, then at least we know that we have the God-given capacity to be creative (though I tend to think it is more of a responsibility than a mere possibility). By using the word "play" I know some will accuse me of being trivial and belittling the Christian life. Such is not my intent, but I do believe that Christians should play. I say play because it carries with it both the connotations of creativity and pleasure, something Christians need to do in a world that is surrounded by sin and perversion and needs to see a fresh perspective on what Biblical fun looks like.

By being creative I do not presume to imply that we should all be sculptors and painters, though perhaps you are one, in which case you should use your art for God's glory. But there are myriads of ways for all of us to be creative in what we know how to do. Can you play music, bake, scrapbook, decorate a home, create complex math equations, write, or even play sports. There are ways to play in what you do that express creativity and open up opportunities for the imagination to take root and come out to the surface. Don't just read about Narnia and fall in love with the imaginative scenes described in those works, but then imagine a beautiful desert and begin creating it. Or think of a complex math equation that will be a challenging and extremely fun problem to solve.

Creativity is an expression of our God-given nature and it opens up doors for the imagination to take root as our expressions of creativity expand and become even more elaborate than they first were. So play and recover the imagination for Christians and for the American culture at large.

I'M Writing Elswhere Now

2007-09-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

I am now writing not only here, at Christ & Culture, but I am pleased to announce that I am now writing for Decapolis.com

Decapolis.com is an online magazine and forum for Christianity and the culture. It was started in 1999 by former Ghoti Hook band member Conrad Tolosa, and has been growing in it's ministry to the Christian youth culture. I love what Decapolis.com" is doing in educating its audience on the importance of the local church, theology, and helping them to understand their Bibles and the God of that Bible. And Conrad is able to do that, while at the same time appealing to their interest in alternative music. I am proud to be part of this ministry. Check out Decapolis.com.

Christ & Pop-Culture Talk about Heroes

2007-09-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

The newest edition of C&PC is up, and our subject is action heroes. What makes a good hero? And what are the problems inherent in the genre. We talk about Jason Bourne as a new kind of Action hero, and give our top five favorite action heroes. Check it out.

Recovering the Imaginative: Preserve Childhood

2007-09-09T22:37:00.000-07:00

I write frequently to refute the assumption that children are innocent. Christians know from God's Holy Word that children are born sinners, and rebels against God. There is no such think called "child-like innocence." But, nonetheless, children, like all human beings, are made in the image of God and as such have His imprint stamped upon them. And this is clearly seen in the imagination of a child.

As the imagination has slipped away from culture I believe it is in part due to the rapid acceleration of children into adolescence. Neil Postman has written an entire work detailing "The Disappearance of Childhood." One part of the book speaks about the need for kids to have spontaneous, self-organized and self-controlled games. Postman writes:

There is no more obvious symptom of the merging of children's and adults' values and styles than what is happening with children's games, that is to say, they are disappearing. While I have found not studies that document the decline of unsupervised street games, their absences is noticeable enough and, in any case, can be inferred from the astonishing rise of such institutions as Little League baseball and Pee Wee football...the games of American youth have become increasingly official, mock-professional, and extremely serious...The idea that children's games are not the business of adults has clearly been rejected by Americans, who are insisting that even at age six, children play their games without spontaneity, under careful supervision, and at an intense competitive level.

The point that Postman is making here is that kids should not play this way, they have their own way of playing which is distinctly related to their age and nature as children. In relation to this series on the imagination that I have been doing there is a great parallel. The child-like play which Postman only barely scratches is closely connected to the innate imagination that children have. Children should play spontaneously because it reveals and explores their creativity and their imaginations.

To recover the imagination in our culture we have to allow Children to play, and we, as adults, have to watch them play and learn from them. For many adults, their own imagination is long gone. It has been rubbed out by realism and naturalism, by viewer's choice news, and pop-culture entertainment. To recover it we need to take notes on our kids. Listen to them tell stories, and watch them play. Watch little boys re-enact scenes from The Swiss Family Robinson , and follow little girls into the dinning hall of the Queen of Fairy land, where she sips tea with her teddy bears (the conversations will, I am sure, delight you).

The recovery of imagination is important for our culture. I have argued that it can point us back to the truth in powerful and affecting ways, and it can bring us closer to the divine. But it has been largely lost and one of the ways that we can begin to recover it is through our children. Let your kids be kids, and then you too enter into their world for a fresh view on life, and learn from their imaginations!

Recovering the Imaginative: Read

2007-09-08T22:47:00.000-07:00

If the imagination has been on the decline among Evangelical Christianity, and in our culture at large, how can we help the process of recovery that has been slowly returning? The answer is, I believe, three-fold, and the first step is to read good fiction.

It won't take much convincing for you to agree that good fiction is replete with the imaginative. Scenes, characters, events, and other elements of fiction reveal the glorious world of the imagination before us. Poetry is marked by the comparison of lovers to flowers and sunsets (odd comparisons in reality, but just perfect in the imagination). Stories often end with unrealistic events and adventures, and with good guys saving the day and bad guys dying. Drama compresses great lengths of time. And even realist fiction revels in the moral lesson learned from suffering and tragedy. Great examples of imagination in fiction include: Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales (which uses almost every literary convention you could conceive of), C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Homer's Odyssey , John Milton's Paradise Lost, William Shakespeare's A Mid Summer's Night Dream, and Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.

English Literature, of which I am most familiar with, has a long history of world play. That is there is a legacy of the imagination to be found in English literature, most of which in some form or fashion shaped nearly every writer in the Western world. C.S. Lewis himself was strongly influenced by both Edmund Spenser and Thomas Malroy. Inspiration to be imaginative comes largely from seeing it done well. And reading is particularly helpful in instilling imagination in us because we must picture the scenes in the book ourselves. If the author creates a magical world with his words and describes the scene vividly for us, as most of the authors listed above do, then our imaginations cannot help but take flight and create their words in images. Reading, then, doesn't just demonstrate good imagination and creativity, it invites us into it and we partake and experience that imagination!

So to recover the imaginative, read good fiction!

Rock N' Roll Grace

2007-09-07T10:14:00.001-07:00

It is arguably the most famous hymn in the Christian tradition and more non-Christians know it than any other: Amazing Grace. The author of this august hymn is John Newton (1725-1807), an 18th century English Puritan. The hymn has been used, however, in various songs throughout history since its publications, for example: The American rock band The Eagles used it as the chorus to "Peaceful Easy Feeling". The most recent use of the song is in a particular track from a Christian alternative band: The Almost.

In their song "Amazing, Because it is" lead singer Aaron Gillespie sings those famous words:

Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound, That Saved a Wretch Like Me.
I Once Was Lost But Now I am Found.
Was Blind, But Now I See.

One can't help but wonder what Newton would think of his words being used in rock music. The period in which the whole collection of The Olney Hymns was written was one of both sobriety and exuberance. Between the Old Dissenting Anglicanism, and the revivalist Wesleyan Methodism there was a mixed bag of spirituality. Newton fit somewhere between the two, and neither he or his hymns were stringent or "charismatic," so to speak. So what does all of that mean for the use of Newton's classic hymn in modern rock?

Well of course I can only speculate what John Newton would think, and most likely he would say something more profound and impressive then I will, but I am inclined to think he would have some mixed feelings. On the one hand he would be pleased to see solid theology being disseminated to the masses, and yet he would probably find it inappropriate to put that theology in music that had roots in entertainment. I would like to think, however, that as culture has evolved and music along with that, that Newton could see that rock n'roll has since become a viable expression of worship. Perhaps, not the best, but nonetheless a viable option, and while neither he nor I would condone it for the corporate worship setting of the local church it can be a great expression of the souls longings, cries, and even direct us godward.

So perhaps Newton wouldn't rock out in the mosh pit, but he might, in his closet, say to this generation of Christian rock, "Rock on brothers, rock on!"

Christ and Pop-Culture Minisode!

2007-09-06T16:02:00.001-07:00

A new C&PC minisode has been posted at the website. If you've given us some feedback on any of our shows you will want to check it out and see if we read yours on the air and comment. And if you haven't given us any feedback then be sure to check out Christ & Pop-Culture and shoot us an e-mail at christandpopculture@gmail.com

A Zephanian Meditation

2007-09-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. (Zephaniah 3:14-15)

Sing and rejoice! These are the commands of the text! Exult with all your heart! This is what I am suppose to do, this is the command from God! And why should I do these things? The answer to that is fourfold.

1)“The Lord has taken away the judgments against you…” Lest I forget, God quickly reminds me of His grace and my nature! I am a child of iniquity. Born in sin and corrupt from the very moment of my existence. “Behold I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5). I am, as Paul says, “by nature a child of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). But I rejoice because, “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5). This is my rejoicing, God’s grace has saved me! I am now, thanks to Christ’s death and His acting as a propitiation for my sins, free from condemnation. NO longer are God’s righteous and just judgments against me! “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

2)“He has cleared away your enemies…” I rejoice in the Lord because He “executes judgment for me” (Micah 7:9). My enemies, the sins of my flesh and the temptations of this world, are cleared way! God sweeps them off the face of the earth, and though they plague me now He has destroyed their power to bind me and one day will destroy them completely! I rejoice because I no longer have to succumb to the temptation and the sins of this world but I am free, in Christ, to choose life and obedience! I am free now not to be satisfied in the lust of the flesh but to be satisfied in Christ! I rejoice in this!

3)“The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst…” This is the greatest truth to rejoice in! The King is in my midst. I am a lowly peasant and once a rebel to the King and yet He is now in my midst! The God spoke, saying, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). This is no ordinary King, it is, as the text says, the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ! “Risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in [the] gospel” (2 Timothy 2:8). I rejoice because in my midst is my Savior, my King, my Redeemer, my Defender, and my Friend! This I rejoice in! Psalm 16:11, “You have made known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

4) “You shall never again fear evil.” What great news! I am free from fear! Christ is sufficient for me and I do not fear the wrath of God or the wrath of man! For me to “die is gain!” “What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:35, 37

Imagination's Demise: Fundamentalism

2007-09-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

There is a current trend in post-evangelical Christianity to blame fundamentalism for everything. This is at least an overstatement, and tends to ignore the many important contributions of our Fundamentalist forebears to the faith. That being said, however, in their rejections of the liberalism of the mainstream American churches the Fundamentalists did indeed go too far in the opposite direction. They not only abandoned the liberal hermeneutic and their social gospel but along with that an almost complete abandonment of the larger culture in which these new philosophies took place (or so they thought). This abandonment included, by in-large, the imagination.

With the rise of modernism the Church found itself in a place they had not been in centuries: outside of the mainstream. Their reaction was to recoil from the world and shelter themselves from its encroaching atheism. Of course this is not true of all evangelicals during the 19th century, but it is true of a large number of Fundamentalists, so much so that the label “Fundamentalist” has come to refer to something quite different then it was originally intended to. With the “invasion” of modern atheism and naturalism on society Christian values were being displaced and, at least, questioned. So, for example, in the 19th century it is estimated that almost 70 percent of Americans thought that the theatre was sinful, because of it was “worldly entertainment.” There was an aversion among Protestants to relaxation, play, idleness, and simple amusements, and along with card playing, horse-racing, dancing, and novel reading, imagination was given over to the world, so to speak.

Their reaction isn’t entirely flawed. For when God was taken out of the picture something needed to be supplemented in the larger culture to fill the hole. Idle pleasure seemed a good fit and American society thrust itself into the entertainment driven culture that we often hear it accused of being today. But the Fundamentalists ended up throwing the baby out with the bath water, and everything good about pop-culture was handed over to the world, not least of all imagination.

The Fundamentalists were pulling from the tradition of their Puritan forebears by upholding a strong work ethic, otherwise known as the Puritan Work Ethic, which honored hard work and shunned frivolity and idleness. They also pulled from the Puritan tradition of associating, wrongly I believe, the moral looseness of their opponents with the entertainment in which they took part.

As pleasures and entertainment itself was winnowed from the Protestant worldview, so imagination was looked down upon as “worldly” too. This was a major loss to Christians, and one that still affects us today (see Donald Williams article in Touchstone Magazine). But thankfully this problem would not go un-noticed.

Another Funny Pic

2007-09-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

Here's another funny pic of punk rock Dave.

A Poem of Dedication

2007-09-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

Lord God, Take my daughter, though it may hurt my heart at first.
But when I see the love of Christ in her come forth with a burst
I know that then my heart will sing with the angels around your throne
And then rejoice to know that you have redeemed her for your own.

And call her out Lord, for your glory and your name,
To go into all the world and tell the lost of your fame.
Send her as your agent to be a means of grace,
To spread a passion for our Savior and to draw men from every earthly race.

Use her Lord, for your sovereign plan
And if she should perish in some foreign land
Comfort us, her parents, with this one glorious thought
We shall meet again when we worship with her, the one whom our salvation bought.

C & PC on Books

2007-09-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

There's a new Christ & Pop-Culture episode up. Rich and I have started a new segment on Highlighting Books on Pop-Culture. This week we look at a book by Richard Leonard, a Jesuit priest who reviews films too. See what we think of Movies that Matter.

Imagination's Demise: Realism

2007-08-29T15:25:00.000-07:00

Realism began as a French art movement in the late 1800s, but its basic principles became the guidelines for the movement across disciplines. Realism is marked by the following:

1. Truth is found in material objects
2. Truth is verifiable by Science and the Scientific method
3. Everything is explainable

What realism did to imagination was make it an inferior artistic expression. Mystery and fantasy were inappropriate forms, and naturalism and science were the key means by which the human condition was explored.

Realist writers didn't abandon wholly the elements of good fiction, but all scenes, adventures, and actions were dealt with in terms of real world and science. Imagination would dwindle in pop-culture.

New Podcast Up

2007-08-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

The new Christ & Pop-Culture podcast is up online. Our subject: Adult Cartoons is available for your listening pleasure. Just go to www.christandpopculture.libsyn.com

What a Mighty God We Serve, Again and Again

2007-08-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

I am often a critical man, and this can sometimes lead to my own humiliation. I am particularly critical of music in worship services, because so many churches do it poorly. I find that those worship songs that repeat the same words over and over again and again are often shallow and mind-numbing. It was this Sunday, however, that I experienced one of those humbling moments from my own critical nature.

During a church service recently I joined a congregation in singing one these dreaded "repeat" songs. "What a mighty God we serve, What a mighty God we serve," I sang with the people. "Angels bow before Him, Heaven and earth adore Him. What a mighty God we serve." It was true and I could appreciate its simplicity and straight forwardness. Now verse 2:

"What a mighty God we serve, What a mighty God we serve. Angels bow before Him, heaven and earth adore Him. What a mighty God we serve."

By this point I am beginning to realize that we are going to be singing the same words, for the third verse too. It didn't take long before my critical nature set in and I began to criticize the selection, the song, and even the congregation. How shallow and simplistic. And then with a sharp jab the Lord brought to my mind just how sinful my behavior was. Here was a group of people who were worshipping the Lord, and the smiles on the faces around me evidenced an investment in the singing that is missing in most churches. Here was a congregation that was joyfully worshipping the Lord and I was criticizing them for it!

And as I stopped being critical and joined the congregation again in worship I found myself too joining in the glorification of our Lord through this perhaps silly song. It was a humbling moment and one I will not soon forget! In the midst of my own criticalness God changed my heart! How amazing! "What a mighty God we Serve!"

Imagination's Demise: Pop-Culture

2007-08-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

The development of pop-culture in America has had a myriad of effects on our culture at large. There are a number of cultural historians who continue debate the benifits of pop-culture. I want to tred carefully here, and for a number of reasons: (1) I am not a cultural historian, (2) I do believer that latter developments in pop-culture will foster a very good imagination. That being said, however, early on the development of pop-culture did, I believe, help to diminish our imaginations. Here's how.

First, through specialization in instant gratification. The very nature of pop-culture is bound up in instant gratification. Transitioning from high-culture, where art and music required thoughtful investment by artist and audience alike, pop-culture brought the level of involvement down. The culture could now be "entertained." The imagination, however, takes real time and creative investment. There was now a tendency to extreme expressionism (see absurdity of modern television's reality tv and game shows), and the accessibility of content. With these developments imagination simply took too much time, and thought.

Second, through the stress on entertainment over art. Ken Myers writes:

Entertainment reaches out to us where we are, puts on its show, and then leaves us esentially unchanged, if a bit pooerer in time and money. It does not (and usually does not claim to) offer us any new perspective on our lives or on other matters in creation...Kaplan remarks that 'a taste for popular art is a device fo rremaining in the same old world and assuring ourselves that we like it.'

This distinction, following on the heels of the shift towards more instant gratification, only further increased the devaluing of imagination, which took to much time and thought.

In a future post I am going to argue in favor of certain elements of pop-culture for the imagination. But suffice it to say that it was the early developments of pop-culture that led to a decline in imagination in our culture.

Bourne of a Virgin?

2007-08-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

My friend Owen has some thoughts on the new Jason Bourne movie. He believes that what makes Jason Bourne so interesting and compelling is his masculinity. Bourne is a real hero in the sense that he is a strong and reflects the even more heroic person of Jesus Christ. Bourne is, perhaps in an indirect way, a Christ-figure.

I think Owen has some interesting observations, and I agree that Bourne is a compelling action hero. But we have had these sorts of heroes for years: James Bond, Conan, Indiana Jones, etc. How is Bourne any different? I do think that Bourne is unique, but it is not because he is a masculine action hero. I have different thoughts. I won't go into them here because Rich and I are preparing to do a show on this subject...so I'll wait. So look for our new show of Christ & Pop-Culture forthcoming.

Imagination Matters: Truth

2007-08-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

The statement "All truth is God's truth," may be, forgive me, true, but so is the statement "All lies are Satan's lies." So therefore we must understand what kind of truth it is that the imagination can convey to us.

For starters let it be stated that art (whether that's paintings, sculptures, poetry, music, or film) does not state truth in propositional form or as abstract/conceptual ideas. Rather it solidifies truth in a concrete experience. While it is true that we must have the abstract words "love," "beauty," and even "faith," the labels don't themselves do justice to the actual things. Do you feel more joy out of thinking on the word love, or out of looking into the face of your bride? Do you feel more pleasure out of the word beauty, than out of the view of the sunrise over a dew covered meadow? There is something about the imagination, like art, which gives us an experience of these abstract concepts.

The imagination conveys truth about our world through experiences. Listen to the words of Louise Rosenblatt:

Students value literature as a means of enlarging their knowledge of the world, because through literature they acquire not so much additional information as additional experience...Literature provides a living-through, not simply a knowledge about...

What the imagination does, when it is expressed, is grant its audience, or creator, a real experience of truth. Though it should be said that some truth should not be experienced, in the sense that audiences and imaginative minds can experience the truths of sin, for now I will simply state that the imagination, as it works itself out, grants us real experiences of divine truths. Romeo & Juliet invites us into love; Michelangelo's Horned-Moses invites us into the dramatic and contemplative; and Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window invites us into the depths of human emotion and the terrors of the city.

All truth is God's truth, and the imagination allows us to experience that truth in unique and tangible ways. Not that it replaces human interaction, but that it heightens it, supplements it, and instills longings in us for it.

An Intersting Funny

2007-08-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

Growing up we use to read the "funnies" on Sunday mornings over breakfast. It was often a fight to see who got the paper first. One of our family favorites was Calvin & Hobbes. Well I was reading one of those comics this afternoon and thought I'd share with you what I found interesting about it.

The Scene: Calvin and Hobbes are walking through the woods.

Calvin: Isn't it strange that evolution would give us a sense of humor? When you think about it, it's weird that we have a physiological response to absurdity. We laugh at nonsense. We like it. We think it's funny. Don't you think it's odd that we appreciate absurdity? Why would we develop that way? How does it benefit us?

Hobbes: I suppose if we couldn't laugh at things that don't make sense, we couldn't react to a lot of life.

(Calvin is speechless for a moment).

Calvin: I can't tell if that's funny or really scary.

I thought this was an intersting observation about the logical conclusions of the evolutionary worldview. What do you think about it?

The Old Dave

2007-08-18T12:21:00.001-07:00

I had this old picture and thought it would be funny to post here. This is what I use to look like. Just call me Punk Rock Dave!

Imagination Matters: Reflection

2007-08-17T18:34:00.000-07:00

Imagination has not gotten a good wrap in recent years among Christians. This is owing, of course, to a number of major factors, of which I will explore in more detail later. In my last post in this series I focused in on the accusation that the imaginative is "escapist." The reality, however, is that imagination brings reality into perspective.

There are a number of examples of this from history, but I'll let literary critic and Presbyterian Evangelical Leland Ryken speak to us on the issue first. Ryken writes:

The Bible is filled with poetry and metaphor and with imaginary pictures of reality. If we doubt that the imagination can be a vehicle for the truth, we need only read the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament book of Revelation. When we turn from the Bible to the Christian world today, we cannot help but be struck by the contrast. We rarely trust the power of metaphor or fiction or paint on canvas or musical sound to express the truth. And when Christians do respect the voice of the imagination, they have a tendency to reduce art to realism. The more realistic a painting or story is, the better it is, runs this line of argument. In the process, we settle for some decidedly mediocre and inferior art. After all, works that never violate external reality frequently say little that is significant about the issues of life, while art that is highly imaginary can touch upon life powerfully at many points. Nor should we forget that the Christian world view extends reality far beyond the external world.

It is the imaginative that can offer the most significant commentary on life. When we watch a movie, read a fantasy book, or see a moving piece of art we can be informed about our world in a unique, even shocking, way. Realism offers us the same things that we encounter everyday and can often feel like the same things we are used to, therefore they are easy to ignore. But when a rat teaches us about creativity (as in Ratatouille)we can sense our responsibility to be creative. See Alexander Pope, Ben Johnson, and The Simpsons for other evidence. The simple fact is that fantasy offers us a chance for genuine reflection on culture precisely because it is outside of our familiar context.

Imagination Matters: Escapism

2007-08-15T01:15:00.000-07:00

It has often been said that the arts and imagination are bad because they are "escapist." By the word "escapist" I mean that which takes us from reality into another world. So imagination produces something that differs from waking reality and is therefore "escapist."

The assumption that everyone makes is that "escapism" is bad. C.S. Lewis had a different assessment. He writes:

Now there is a clear sense in which all reading whatever is an escape. It involves a temporary transference of the mind from our actual surroundings to things merely imagined or conceived. This happens when we read history or science no less than when we read fiction. All such escape is from the same thing; immediate, concrete actuality. The important question is what we escape to.

When fiction, or our imagination, brings us into touch with a deeper aspect of reality it is not "escapist" in any negative sense. Often it is fantasy that deals with the fundamental things of life and therefore are not an escape from reality, but, as Flannery O'Connor said, "a plunge into it."

When evaluating the imaginative asses the world into which you go, and not only the one you leave.

Responding to Riley

2007-08-14T01:32:00.000-07:00

I don't usually respond to comments (though I love getting them and appreciate all the feedback that my readers can and do give me). I simply don't have time to respond to all the comments, write new posts, and fulfill my regular responsibilities. But there are occasions where I respond to some comments left on my posts.

So I've responded to an individual who left a comment on my blog saying that Paul was not a true apostle and now I am choosing to respond to Riley, who left a comment on my previous post inquiring about whether or not Christians should take anything from a show like The Simpsons.

It's a fair question Riley, and it deserves a straight-forward answer. But that's not what I am going to give you. Instead I am going to shamelessly use this as an opportunity to push the Christ & Pop-Culture Podcast.

In our most recently recorded show Rich and I talk about The Simpsons, and a number of "adult-oriented" cartoons, and ask a number of relevant questions about the shows. So instead of answering you I am going to tell you to go and check out our podcast and listen to the next big episode (not mini-sode), which is forth coming and may be out next Monday.

Imagination Matters

2007-08-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

Historically the Christian church has embraced the imagination. They've appreciated Christian art and Christian expressionism through imaginative works. Bunyan wrote Pilgrim's Progress, William Cowper wrote beautiful and imaginative poetry, and the Bible itself is replete with examples of usages of art in worship, in creation, and it is itself a work of literature.

There was a period in American Evangelicalism, dominated by Fundamentalism, that rejected any and all forms of imagination. Imagination was particularly dangerous and considered to be an expression of the world. But in the 21st century that has been almost completely turned over as more and more Christians embrace art like Harry Potter, The Simpsons, and general pop-culture. It is my desire here in a series of posts to explore more broadly Christianity and the Imagination. In my first three posts I am exploring why Imagination matters. My first, upcoming, post will be dealing with Imagination as "Escapism." But to start with let me simply say that Imagination matters and in the upcoming posts defend that assertion. For the time being let me give you my outline for this course of study:

I. Imagination Matters:
(1) Escapism
(2) Reflection
(3) Truth

II. Imagination's Decline:
(1) Pop-Culture
(2) Realism
(3) Christian Fundamentalism

III. Recovering Imagination:
(1) Read Fantasy
(2) Watch Your Children
(3) Play

IV. Recommending the Imaginative:
(1) J.R.R. Tolkien
(2) C.S. Lewis
(3) Stan Lee
(4) Classic English Fantasy
(5) Ratatouille
(6) Francis Schaeffer
(7) Harry Potter

V. Reflecting on the Imaginative:
(1) Five Fallacies
(2) Analyzing the Content

Check back soon for the start of this series

I've Been Sprayed

2007-08-10T17:25:00.001-07:00

Just plain fun at the movies has been hard to get this summer. A number of supposed block busters turned out to be major disappointments (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Shrek the Third). Other films were billed towards kids but were found to be inappropriate at points for children (Transformers). A number of films were good but I don’t think I would qualify them as “plain fun,” (Ocean’s Thirteen). But there is one film out now that is just that: plain and simple fun: Hairspray.

If the word kitsch comes to mind I won’t entirely argue, but this film is better than you may think, musicals usually are. With feel good music, spunk, and a talented young new born actress Hairspray brought a bit of “lift” to the summer screen in terms of sheer simple fun. There are no dark lords in this film, no magical spells, no CGI battleship wars, and no sky-scraper sized robots, but perhaps it was that simplicity that brought a smile to my face.

Musicals are rare these days, and appreciation for them has certainly declined from the early days of film, but I contend here that for a peaceful night out, for some relaxation, and for a simple smile a little bit of Hairspray just might do the trick.

C&PC Mini-Sodes

2007-08-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

Rich has been hard at work editing some Mini Episodes of Christ & Pop-Culture. He has two new mini-sodes up: "Seven, Seven, Oh Seven!" and "The Earth, Live (For Now)"

Check them out and be sure to give us feedback on our website or by e-mailing us at christandpopculture@gmail.com

Look for more episodes forthcoming on topics such as: Ratatouille, the iphone, and a larger episode on cartoons.

My Girls

2007-08-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

Aren't they lovely?

TV Parenting

2007-08-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

It may come as a shock to some people but the truth is that TV cannot raise up children to be smart. As silly as this news may sound apparently it was worth mentioning on The Today Show and in Time Magazine. A recent research group at The University of Washington has taken the time to "prove" that the Baby Einstein videos do not make kids smarter. Listen to how Time words this finding, however:

The claim always seemed too good to be true: park your infant in front of a video and, in no time, he or she will be talking and getting smarter than the neighbor's kid. In the latest study on the effects of popular videos such as the "Baby Einstein" and "Brainy Baby" series, researchers find that these products may be doing more harm than good. And they may actually delay language development in toddlers.

I am surprised by this research, however. I am amazed that the way this is being billed is as if the failure is on the part of the creators of the DVDs and not on the part of parents who drop their kids in front a TV to substitute their role as teachers. The creators of the Baby Einstein DVDs have come out saying that these videos were created to help parents teach their kids and to provide opportunities for parents to view them with their kids and teach them by means of it. This research is silly to me...almost as silly as the discovery that sex among college students is mostly based on attraction.

Parenting is not the responsibility of DVDs and televisions, and they were not created to supplant the role of parents. If research needed to be done to prove that parents need to do their job then perhaps we are in a worse off place than I realized in this country. I wonder if a video on "Parent Einsteins" would be any more effective?

Winning the Future

2007-08-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

Campainging for the 08 election is well under way and the numerous debates held on TV over the last several months have been as meaningless as any ever. 08 elections look more depressing than the previous one. But there is hope!

There is one man who may yet run in 08 who I think offers real answers to the right questions. He beleives that the hope of the future of our nation invovles rising above "traditional gridlocked partisianship" and working for real solutions to the most pressing issues of our nation!

Check him out on the issues, and check out American Solutions. Some are calling him the Churchill of the 21st Century...mabye he is.

Things My Daughter Loves

2007-08-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

Krista posted on her blog some pictures with comments on things that Mia loves.

She's just the cutest little girl!

Atheist Evangelists

2007-08-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

Al Mohler has written on an interesting new development regarding the 21st century's leading atheist: Richard Dawkins. Dawkins desires that all un-believers would be honest about their denial of god, and "come out of the closet." He is launching a campaign to encourage atheists to come forth into the public eye and admit their disbelief in God. Here's Dawkins' game plan:

The OUT campaign has potentially as many sides to it as you can think of words to precede "out". "Come OUT" has pride of place and is the one I have so far dealt with. Related to it is "Reach OUT" in friendship and solidarity towards those who have come out, or who are contemplating that step which, depending on their family or home town prejudices, may require courage. Join, or found local support groups and on-line forums. Speak OUT, to show waverers they are not alone. Organize conferences or campus events. Attend rallies and marches. Write letters to the local newspaper. Lobby politicians, at local and national level. The more people come out and are known to have done so, the easier will it be for others to follow.

There are many questions that such a campaign will and should raise, especially for churches and Evangelical Christians. For sure we will want to anticipate a public response and prepare ourselves to respond in like fashion with truth, love, and large voices. Mohler is right when he says:

Professor Dawkins may be right -- his "choir" may be larger than many people recognize or are willing to admit. The intellectual elites are increasingly secular in worldview and the elite academic world Dawkins inhabits certainly has its share of atheists. But are they ready to "out" themselves?

Truth is not determined by numbers, but influence often is. This is what concerns Richard Dawkins, and this is why he wants atheists to come out of the closet. We will soon know if his campaign is successful.

The good news for us of course is that we not only have large numbers of supporters but we also have truth on our side! If Atheists want to be evangelists that is fine, but let us continue faithfully evangelizing our neighborhoods and do so with the truth!

The D'oh! Factor

2007-08-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

They have been the number one cartoon family on television for the last 18 years and as of July 27th they became the number one 2-D animated movie with the largest opening, and third among all animated movies (just behind Shrek the Third and Shrek 2). The Simpsons have been a beloved family on television and their latest movie proves the point. Yet some are still contending that they have been displaced as America's favorite animated household by Seth MacFarlane's The Family Guy

The Simpsons are, however, treasured icons of 90s television who have maintained their stardom in the 21st Century. Their movie grossed 74 million dollars on opening weekend and dominated the box-office. Their success has paved the way for other adult oriented cartoons such as King of the Hill, Matt Groening's other animated show Futurama, and The Family Guy itself. But The Simpsons aren't ready to give up their spot in the heart of fans just yet. The movie will surely garner new fans and draw back any old fans that were lost for another season. But what makes The Simpsons so much better than The Family Guy? It's the D'Oh! Factor.

Let's be honest, even Chief Wiggum can see the copy-cat work of the creators of The Family Guy. But the real difference is in the characters themselves. Peter Griffin is as bad a father as Homer is, but there is something endearing about Homer. He tries, he wants to be a good father. He is selfish, yes. He is lazy, yes. But he loves his wife, loves his children, and usually fixes his mistakes, apologizes to his family, and starts over. Peter Griffing beats his wife in mock fights, hates his kids, and generally gets away with every form of debauchery and self-indulgence. This is not an absolute truth, but it is a general guiding principle for the two shows. The difference in the shows is not in its build up or plot, it is in its character development! Homer is simply a better man that Peter. While the Simpsons frequently learn a lesson, the Griffins just exist. It's the difference between D'Oh, as in "I made a mistake," and Peter's intentional resistance to love his family. It's the D'Oh! factor that makes the difference!

The First Issue of The Southern Ohio Journal of Theology

2007-08-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

The very first issue of The Southern Ohio Journal of Theology is up online. The topic of "The Necessity of Theology" has been run through a series of well crafted articles.

John Woodward writes on "Theological Foundations," Tom Ascol gives some good tips for "Pastors and Theological Discussions," I wrote a piece on "The Practical Theology of Gregory of Nazianzus," Brian Evans tells pastors "Why Doctrinal Preaching is So Important," and Steve Burchett concludes with a good book reveiw of D.A. Carson's A Call to Spiritual Reformation.

It's worth checking out, and its worth becoming a member of The Southern Ohio Theological Society.

Reformed Baby Care

2007-08-02T07:52:00.000-07:00

Martin Luther once said, "Lord, you say we should come to you like little children. Must we really be such idiots." Such are the kinds of comments we would expect from someon who is usually known for his direct and often hard nature. But Luther was a father who loved his children, and a husband who loved his wife.

Gene Edward Veith has commented on this in a recent post he did over at the Cranach Blog. He has a direct quote from a sermon that Luther preached concerning the estate of marriage, and he has a link to the full sermon. For moms who are having some difficulty at home with the care of their babies, the frustration of all their wifely duties this is a good word. It's also a fresh reminder to fathers. In Luther's day the father had a much more prominent role in the home than he does today. We are reminded by this great preacher and reformer that dads have a duty to care for their children and wives. Men are to love their children, and love their wives like Christ... and like Luther.

The New Discovery

2007-08-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

I've done some solid research on the subject of the sun as of late, and you will not believe my findings. What I've discovered after years of studying the sun is that it both rises and sets. Can you believe it?! It is my hope that someone will use my prelimaneary discovery to launch a more thorough and scientific investigation. But regardless of what the future holds for Solarology, let it be definitevely stated here first, the sun rises and sets!

In case you were wondering, I am being entirely fesitious. Any research group that actually celebrated such findings and such studies we would rightly laugh out of the public eye. The "discovery," at this point in history, is rather old. Old news cannot and should not be passed off as a new discovery. Yet it seems that people are quite impressed with the research recently done by the University of Texas on the subject of sex. And what was their finding: the number one reason college age students have sex is because they are attracted to a person.

Their findings have been getting them in the news over the last two days as though they have done something really groundbreaking here. As if the general population should be shocked and suprised by this obvious answer. Is their any doubt that this was the common practice in our 21st century "hook-up" culture?

What's more amazing is that The University of Texas actually thought it a good idea to throw money and time at such a research project? Perhaps their 237 other reasons why human beings have sex offers something more substantial, the sheer number of "reasons" is certainly impressive, but I doubt that these reasons amount to much. In any case, I am not shocked by the findings, but rather by the absurdity of this investigation. In the end what does any of this mean, how is this research helpful? That's the question I want to ask everyone who does research: Give me a reason to care! If you really want to do something with your research University of Texas, maybe you could start by researching something worthwhile.

What I am Learning from My Daughter

2007-07-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

She's only five days old and already I am learning a great deal from my little girl. My chief lesson so far has been a fresh reminder to trust the Lord, for He is the sovereing one.

I never knew that fatherhood would make me so nervous. I am usually a pretty laid back guy, but during the nights I find myself constantly having to check and double check on my baby girl to see if she is awake, alive, uncomfortable, and breathing. It makes me nervous for her to sleep without us in the room. But these occassions have pointed out to me my lack of faith in the sovereign God. He is good and trustworthy God and, furthermore, He loves His children and wants the best for them. I need to trust Him to take care of Mia and believe that He watches over Her, and that whatever happens to her is for my good. There's nothing like a five day old Theologian!

A New Addition

2007-07-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

There has been a new addition to the Dunham family this week. I can hardly beleive it. The new addition, of course, is the addition of a father...me. Okay, well actually the addition is a baby girl (a beautiful one at that) and that has changed my role.

After 36 hours of labor my wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on Wed. She was 7 pounds and 2 ounces. You can give us a call and learn more. In the meantime, please pray for us as we adjust to new life with a newborn.

New Podcast is Up

2007-07-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

Is Harry Potter the next great Christian classic? It's the question that Rich Clark asks me in the latest Christ & Pop-Culture episode.

We have some good discussion about the new movie, and Rich predicts what the ending of the new book is (this was recording prior to the release of the new book). Check it out and give us some feedback at christandpopculture@gmail.com

A Passion for the Pastorate

2007-07-23T05:20:00.000-07:00

It's easy to get side-tracked, to redirect your life from time to time. It has particularly been easy for me as of late. I have been called to the pastorate, but because I am still a Seminary student waiting for the time when I will be faithfully serving in some eldership role week in and out, it can become easy for me to get excited about other things. I was challenged and encouraged yesterday to re-direct my life to the pastorate.

My pastor Aaron Menikof preached Sunday morning from the book of Titus and taught us about the great and important duty of pastor. He concluded his sermon by reminding us that those who aspire to the office of elder desire to do something good! How encouraging that God has granted me a desire to do something good with my life by glorifying and serving Him and His church in the pastorate! I pray he keeps my heart excited about future ministry in that role.

Then Aaron said something else I wasn't ready for, "We all need pastors." He urged the church to remember that they were not created to go about the Christian life alone or without leadership. And he pointed out that any good pastor "worth his salt" will point his people to the chief shepherd: Jesus Christ. He asked us to pray for our elders and remember their great responsibility.

It was a morning in which God called me to remember the dut he has called me to: the pastorate! A passion for hte pastorate was given afresh to me yesterday and I am thankful to my pastor for it!

Pop-Culture Recommendations for the Week

2007-07-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

Here are my pop-culture recommendations for the week of July 16th.

Movies: Ratatouille This is one of the best Pixar movies, and it is not only doing new things with characters and shadowing in CGI, but its a great story with endearing characters.

DVDs: Lost in Translation It's one of the better Sofia Coppola films, and it is a Bill Murray to remember. The story is intriguing. Beware,however, there's some material not suitable for everyone.

Books: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Of course I would recommend this book, which comes out on Saturday. It's the final of the Harry Potter collection and its going to be worth reading to be sure.

Other: The iphone. It's worth checking out because it is flashy and cool looking. But look at someone else's phone and don't buy your own. Most of us already have an ipod, cell phone, digital camera, and personal computer. Read Rich Clark's article on the iphone if you need some more persuassion.

Top 100 Movies: 51-60

2007-07-19T19:24:00.000-07:00

51) Jurassic Park

52) Phantom of the Opera (2004)

53) The Usual Suspects

54) Wait Until Dark

55) The Departed

56) Apocalypse Now

57) Luther

58) Wit

59) Chariots of Fire

60) O Brother Where Art Thou?

A Toy Story Pixar Wouldn't Have Done!

2007-07-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

Everybody who is really honest loves their childhood toys. There's a deep affection we carry with us throughout life, no matter how old we get. As I am about to have my first child I think of what toys she will grow up with. If we ever have a boy, I ponder ways that I could secretly convince my son to love my own childhood toys (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joe, My Pet Monster, etc.). Perhaps it is this affection for toys that has driven some movie producers to make films about them (though some less about affection than fear): Chuckie, Pinnochio, The Toy, and of course Pixar's Toy Story. With the exception of perhaps Richard Pryor's The Toy, Disney/Pixar's Toy Story is in a class of its own, and that is largely because of its storytelling. The guys at Pixar know well how to craft a good story. But in recent days there has been another major toy movie that is being hailed as the biggest summer blockbuster of 07, but you'll never see the Pixar name attached to this movie.

I am, of course, talking about Transformers. This nostalgic 80s cartoon has blasted its way on to the big screen with lots of promotion and lots of potential, but at the hands of director Michael Bay the autobots have autobottomed out! Sure there's lots of action, lots of explosions, lots of cool CGI...but its missing that one thing that any movie must have to be a success: story!

Bay had in his hands a movie that had the potential to be brilliant, culturally challenging, and surely fun. But he took that film, and with clunky dialogue, bad acting, and ridiculously fast plot development he has shoved an "all-spark" right into the heart of this story and blown it to pieces.

If it's not as bad as the 1986 Transformers' movie where Optimus Prime is killed off, then it is a close second in destroying a childhood favorite. Michael Bay has repeatedly been given good oppurtunities (Armagadeon, Pearl Harbor, Independance Day, etc.) and repeatedly dropped the ball. Perhas he could sit in on a few Pixar story board sessions and learn a thing or two. Until he does, though, I'll be avoiding his films like they're evil Decepticons!

New Podcast Up

2007-07-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

The New Podcast of Christ & Pop-Culture (episode 2) is uploaded on the website. This second episode deals with a number of summer blockbusters: Spiderman 3, Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribean: At World's End, etc.

We've made some changes to the show, and you can hear some of the other updates we are going to be making. So check out the show and let us know your thoughts by e-mailing us at christandpopculture@gmail.com

The Southern Ohio Theological Society Against Atheism

2007-07-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

The Southern Ohio Theological Society released a statement today saying that a special issue of The Southern Ohio Journal of Theology would be released this November dealing with the so called "New Atheism" of Christopher Hitchens and his buddies.

This is exciting news. The topic is an important one now, particularly as their books are gaining a great deal of popularity, which is allowing them to speak on a number of talking head shows. Hitchens' own book god is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything is number five on The New York Times' Bestsellers List.

What else is exciting is that they have acquired gifted pastor and Biblical scholar Dr. Mark Roberts for this issue. He is writing on Hitchens'book, something he has had ample time to consider since he debated Hitchens on The Hugh Hewitt Show just a month or two ago. Be sure and look for this issue and check out their website which is up and running now: www.southernohiotheologicalsociety.com

A Christian Message Without a Christ

2007-07-09T09:06:00.001-07:00

What does God want for you? He wants you to be happy, maybe even wealthy, but definitely happy. He wants you to let go of the past, believe in yourself, and essentially to have your "best life now!" So that is what God wants for you friends, or at least that's what Joel Osteen wants for you.

Osteen's message is one that isn't new. It's been popular since the days of Vincent Peale. He's calls himself a "messenger of hope," and a Christian. But one has to wonder, where is Christ in this whole message? The Bible not only doesn't teach that we will have our best life now (assigning to Christians a life of suffering here), but it also never tells us simply to believe in ourselves and forget the past. The Bible calls all men sinners, as the psychologists at The University of Portsmouth recently found out (see article below, "Babies Aren't Innocent"). It says that man is a rebel and is under God's just condemnation. It teaches us that what man most needs is to confess his sin, repent of it, and believe upon Christ Jesus as savior. Furthermore the apostle Paul is an example of a terrible sinner turned Christian missionary who never forgot his past. Paul repeatedly tells of how sinful he was in order that God might be glorified in his current ministry.

If one wonders whether or not Osteen preaches from this same Bible I can assure you that he says he does. But if you listen to his "sermons" you'll find merely a motivational lecture sprinkled with Bible passages taken wholly out of context.

In an interview with Christian Today Osteen clarified specifically what he thinks both of the criticism he's been getting and of the actual message he shares everywhere he goes.

Of Criticism Osteen says:

When it’s valid, it can be helpful and I listen to it and take advice and try to become better. A lot of it is based on doctrinal issues that we just don’t see eye to eye on. Most of the criticism I get is that I am too positive and too hopeful… in my words, I don’t beat people down enough.

Which essentially means he doesn't preach sin.

On the content of his message Osteen said:

My core message is that God has got a good plan for your lives, and we must trust Him, and let go of the past. That’s my main message… to believe in God’s favour and to believe in good things. Trying to get people to see God and lead a good life, knowing that He has a good plan for them. I believe when we do that, it allows God to work in our lives.

The core of his message, then, is theistic, but not Christian! If the "CORE" of your "Christian" message has no word about "Christ" and his "cross" then you do not have a Christian message.

Osteen admits that where criticism is good he takes it, but not where it is doctrinal. Friends, I am sad to say that the massively popular Joel Osteen needs to be criticized doctrinally. For, a man professing to teach the truths of the Christian faith, and leaving out Christ, teaches falsehood! That's a criticism worth making and one Mr. Osteen should take to heart!

Children Aren't Innocent

2007-07-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

Well the research is in and the reality is, according to the Telegraph, "babies aren't as innocent as they pretend." Here's what they say:

Whether lying about raiding the biscuit tin or denying they broke a toy, all children try to mislead their parents at some time. Yet it now appears that babies learn to deceive from a far younger age than anyone previously suspected.

Behavioural experts have found that infants begin to lie from as young as six months. Simple fibs help to train them for more complex deceptions in later life.

This really is shocking news friends. I suppose somewhere deep inside me I knew it to be true. I had even heard about it from others, but not until now do I believe it: a real newspaper is reporting old news like its brand new.

I read this and could not help but laugh, and I mean really laugh. Not that kind of smirk that runs across your face when you find a simpleton commical. Not even that kind of giggle that you get when you watch a moron ski off the top of his roof in the middle of summer. No I mean, I laughed with such a loud outburst that my wife peeked her head into the room to see what was so funny.

I have a newsflash for The Telegraph: Christianity has been teaching this truth for years. All men are sinful, even "innocent" little babies. We are born in sin, original sin, and no man is exempt from this reality no matter how old, how beautiful, how sweet, or how small. No brain size can escape the inherent bent towards disobeying God that we all have.

It's great that these individuals at The University of Portsmouth have "uncovered" the secret of lying babies! But I am afraid your discovery is at least 6,000 years too late to really be novel. It is amazing, however, that babies with such little minds figured out they could lie before their doctors ever came close.

We're On Top of It

2007-07-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

Well Rich and I have gotten some great feedback on the first Podcast and we're on top of making some major changes to the show. For anyone who has listened to it know that we have every intention of making it much shorter and much more focused. Look for our new and improved episode on Mon. July 16th. Until then, give us some helpful feedback and check out the website:

www.christandpopculture.libsyn.com

Top 100 Movies: 41-50

2007-07-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

Here's more:

41) Lawrence of Arabia

42) North by Northwest

43) Taxi Driver

44) Field of Dreams

45) The Godfather Trilogy

46) Toy Story

47) A Perfect World

48) Chocolate

49) Jason and the Argonauts

50) Pride & Prejudice (BBC Version)

You've Read the Blog Now Hear the Podcast

2007-07-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

So I was recently invited to be part of a Christian podcast project called "Christ and Pop-Culture." It's essentially alot of what I do alone here, only its in audio format and its a dialogue between myself and the ever so clever Rich Clark, a pop-culture fanatic. So our first show is up and available for listening, it takes awhile to load but check it out if you've got time.

Here's the web address:
www.christandpopculture.libsyn.com

Remember Your History

2007-07-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

I wish I would have posted this yesterday, but its always acceptable to remember the sacrifice and history that brought us our freedom...so in honor of yesterday's Fourth of July Celebration check out this video.

Hey Ladies

2007-07-04T14:39:00.001-07:00

So I don't do the shopping in my home, thankfully my wife spares me of that annoying responsibility. She rather enjoys it and is good at finding bargains and getting what we need without draining our budget. What can I say, I have a good wife!

But I can only imagine how frustrating shopping gets week in and week out, and furthermore, how hard it can be at times. Thankfully there is someone who not only knows this to be true, but has some helpful advice. Actually it's four ladies, the wife and daughters of theologian C.J. Mahaney. In their latest book Shopping for Time they have some suggestions of how women can get done all that they need to to have orderly homes. Discerning Readers has posted a reveiw of the book, check it out and then see the book for yourself.