Religious Star Wars Humor

Choose this day which Skywalker you will serve.


[H/T] http://www.ooze.com/toolofsatan/









[H/T] http://sermonfire.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-to-be-missional-dungeon-master-part_11.html

New Doctor Who And Theology

Doctor Who and the Theology of Identity
By Abigail L. Sines

I admit it: I’m a sci-fi fan. I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a sci-fi “geek;” I don’t think I’m technical enough for that. For me the realm of sci-fi is interesting and entertaining because it allows so much latitude to explore what it is to be human: We learn about ourselves when we encounter what is different. In the imaginary worlds of sci-fi there are infinite possibilities to explore human identity.
Plus, today’s CGI and special effects produce some spectacularly cool-looking aliens and interstellar shoot-em-ups! This is fun.



Star Trek has always been my sci-fi flavor of choice and it was always the conflicted characters that captured my fancy: Mr. Spock balancing his human and Vulcan halves; Lt. Worf, a Klingon, making his way through the ranks of Starfleet; Lt. Commander Data, an android, making forays into the world of human emotions; even the holographic doctor in the Voyager series coming “alive” through his increasingly complex and personal interactions with the rest of the crew.
Recently I’ve taken to watching the latest version of the BBC Doctor Who franchise, featuring David Tennant as the 10th Doctor. (If you care to watch the last couple of years of Doctor Who on DVD in the U.S., you're looking for sets labeled “Third Series” and “Fourth Series.”)
Tennant masterfully presents a quirky, boisterous, and witty Doctor. Who could resist the ongoing battle between good and evil in a universe still plagued by vintage Daleks and Cybermen? Like a bad penny, they just keep turning up. Those ‘70s era robotic designs and digitized “exterminate” and “delete” refrains seem clunky by today’s slick sci-fi standards, yet they still manage to embody evil. But, I'm most interested in the Doctor’s interaction with his human companions, all women: Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, and Donna Noble.
The Doctor is fascinated by humans. Yes, us. You see, the Doctor really is a lonely Time Lord with all of time and space at his doorstep thanks to his faithful TARDIS contraption (shaped like a telephone booth on the outside). The Doctor is so far advanced beyond humans that he almost seems omnipotent by comparison—yet, at times, he seems quite in awe of us. He remarks on the human inclination for curiosity, exploration and survival.

...

But this current version of Doctor Who is far more than a sci-fi action flick. Yes, there’s a lot of fun and high adventure in these episodes—but there are deeper questions as well.
In fact, when the human John Smith is confronted with giving up his life to resume the Doctor’s cosmic duties, he is not pleased. In one scene, he cries out: “I’m John Smith…that’s all I want to be…John Smith. With his life and his job and his love. Why can’t I be John Smith? Isn’t he a good man?”

The climax of the drama is remarkably gripping. One schoolboy looks to Smith as an important mentor in his life, describing his beloved teacher this way: “He’s like fire and ice and rage. He’s like a knight and a storm in the heart of the sun…. He’s ancient and forever and burns at the center of the universe…. And he’s wonderful.”
John Smith realizes that he is being asked to make the ultimate sacrifice: He is being asked to die so that the Doctor can resume his bodily existence and foil the plans of the Family. As he holds the watch in his hand, he pleads desperately for a way out, “I should have thought of it before, I can give them this, just the watch…. Then they can leave earth and I can stay as I am.”
I won’t spoil the plot by revealing more, but the script is pointing at larger theological reflections.

As I watched these scenes, I thought of Psalm 139: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (vs. 14). The psalmist marvels that humans are the object of God’s attention, that God even takes note of us: “When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (vs. 14b–15). The psalmists reaches out to God: “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand” (vs. 17–18).
These themes echo throughout the Bible. Read Ecclesiastes, 3:11: “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Or, think of Romans 11:33: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” These biblical writers are grappling with the mystery and perfection of divine love—and human limitation within that divine relationship. “For we know in part…but when perfection come, the imperfect disappears…. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (I Corinthians 13:9,12).

(If I wetted your appetite, read the full article: Here).

Originally caught from Peter Wallace's Blog.

Bruce Springsteen And Songs Of Hope And Redemption

First things first if you didn't see the Larry Norman videos in this post:TheoPoetic Musings: It's Time: Week 9---Hope---here they are:

Larry Norman - 1985 - Medley---Letter to the Church, Come Away, If the Bombs Fall


Larry Norman - 1980 - Why Can't You be Good & Pardon Me

Anyways, here are 4 other Bruce Springsteen songs, which are full of hope, lost hope and redemption: Thunder Road, Born to Run, Badlands and The River. Here are the videos with relevant sections of the lyrics:


Here is a good section:

...Don't run back inside
darling you know just what I'm here for
So you're scared and you're thinking
That maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty, but hey you're alright
Oh and that's alright with me

You can hide 'neath your covers
And study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers
Throw roses in the rain
Waste your summer praying in vain
For a savior to rise from these streets
Well now I'm no hero
That's understood
All the redemption I can offer, girl
Is beneath this dirty hood
With a chance to make it good somehow
Hey what else can we do now
Except roll down the window
And let the wind blow back your hair
Well the night's busting open
These two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels
Climb in back
Heaven's waiting on down the tracks
Oh oh come take my hand
Riding out tonight to case the promised land
Oh oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road
oh Thunder Road
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey I know it's late we can make it if we run
Oh Thunder Road, sit tight take hold
Thunder Road

(Read the full lyrics: Here).

Here is a relevant section of the lyrics:

In the day we sweat it out in the streets of a runaway American dream
At night we ride through mansions of glory in suicide machines
Sprung from cages out on highway 9,
Chrome wheeled, fuel injected
and steppin' out over the line
Baby this town rips the bones from your back
It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we're young
'Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run

Wendy let me in I wanna be your friend
I want to guard your dreams and visions
Just wrap your legs 'round these velvet rims
and strap your hands across my engines
Together we could break this trap
We'll run till we drop, baby we'll never go back
Will you walk with me out on the wire
'Cause baby I'm just a scared and lonely rider
But I gotta find out how it feels
I want to know if love is wild
girl I want to know if love is real

(Read the rest: Here).

Here is the best section:

...Workin' in the fields
till you get your back burned
Workin' 'neath the wheel
till you get your facts learned
Baby I got my facts
learned real good right now
You better get it straight darling
Poor man wanna be rich,
rich man wanna be king
And a king ain't satisfied
till he rules everything
I wanna go out tonight,
I wanna find out what I got
Well I believe in the love that you gave me

I believe in the love that you gave me
I believe in the faith that could save me
I believe in the hope
and I pray that some day
It may raise me above these

Badlands, you gotta live it everyday
Let the broken hearts stand
As the price you've gotta pay
We'll keep pushin' till it's understood
and these badlands start treating us good

(Read the rest: Here).

Here is the section to watch out for:

...
I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company
But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well mister they vanished right into the air
Now I just act like I don't remember
Mary acts like she don't care

But I remember us riding in my brother's car
Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir
At night on them banks I'd lie awake
And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take
Now those memories come back to haunt me
they haunt me like a curse
Is a dream a lie if it don't come true
Or is it something worse
that sends me down to the river
though I know the river is dry
That sends me down to the river tonight...

(Read the full lyrics: Here).

I'll let you draw your own conclusions this time around.

The Movie Signs And Faith

This past Wed. night, we discussed the movie, Signs as we watched that movie for the last two Weds. Vick didn't have a handout prepared as we were going to watch the movie, The Big Kahuna, but had to substitute Signs instead. For that movie the question: how can we share our faith in this postmodern age? is appropriate. But anyways---back to Signs---here is some general background info on the movie:

Signs is a 2002 science fiction thriller film written, produced, and directed by M. Night Shyamalan starring Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, and Abigail Breslin. Although the plot revolves around aliens and crop circles, producer Frank Marshall said, "It's really about human emotions set in motion by a supernatural event." The film received generally positive critical reception and was one of the highest grossing films of 2002.

(As a side note, since Vick is involved in the movie industry, I'd just like to say that one of my relatives on my dad's side, Don Smetzer got to know the Culkin family really well when he was the still photographer for Home Alone).

One of the issues of the movie, Signs, is the loss of faith. In one of the key scenes at 9:17-9:31 of this clip:

reminds me somewhat of 1:37-1:53 of this clip from Amadeus and Family Guy: ---if just for the sense of feeling abandoned by God. Loss of faith is a mystery, but for whatever reason---it happens and tragedy like in the movie is a common cause of it. As an example the esteemed textual critic, Bart D. Ehrman:

... says the reason he turned to agnosticism was due to his inability to deal with the problem of evil and suffering as it is presented in the bible and not the reliability of the text.

Vick brought up this verse within the context of the movie:

Romans 8:29 RSV- For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren.

In Greek: οτι ους προεγνω και προωρισεν συμμορφους της εικονος του υιου αυτου εις το ειναι αυτον πρωτοτοκον εν πολλοις αδελφοις

Transliterated: oti ous proegnô kai proôrisen summorphous tês eikonos tou uiou autou eis to einai auton prôtotokon en pollois adelphois

For a more detailed study of this verse see: Romans 8:29. The two key terms are:

proginosko--- Definition
Strong's - to know beforehand, that is, foresee: - foreknow (ordain), know (before).
Thayer's - to have knowledge before hand; to foreknow - of those whom God elected to salvation; to predestinate.
Webster's - To have previous knowledge of; to foresee.
And: προώρισεν (proōrisen)--- Definition
-to predetermine, decide beforehand
in the NT of God decreeing from eternity
to foreordain, appoint beforehand

Predestination:
A Calvinist understanding of this verse is that individuals are randomly and arbitrarily chosen by God before God even created the world with no insight into individuals' lives as if God played Russian Roulette to determine who is saved. The Hyper-Calvinist view is that God even chose who is damned through no fault of their own. The Arminian understanding is that: "...God does not so much choose, but instead infallibly predicts, who will believe and, persevering, be saved. Although God knows from the beginning of the world who will go where, the choice is still with the individual." The Barthian view is that:

predestination only properly applies to God Himself. Thus, mankind is chosen for salvation in Jesus Christ, at the permanent cost of God's self-surrendered hiddenness, or transcendence. Thus, the redemption of all mankind is a devoutly to be wished for possibility, but the only inevitability is that God has predestined Himself, in Jesus Christ, to be revealed and given for mankind's salvation.

My view is somewhere between the Arminian and Barthian views, of course. One other note is the question of the Traditional understanding of one of God's attributes, Omniscience---which was subtly explored in the film. Although, I agree with the Traditional understanding, I am sympathetic to the valid question of Open Theism: does God know all? After all, Jesus who is God incarnate said:

Matthew 24:35-36 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society


35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Day and Hour Unknown
36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[a] but only the Father.

Footnotes:

Matthew 24:36 Some manuscripts do not have nor the Son.

Lighthearted Political Humor

Getting Kids Started On Politics Early: When Canidates Become Cabbage Patch Dolls

Betcha Want a Palin Cabbage Patch Doll
By DERRIK J. LANG, AP
posted: 12 HOURS 59 MINUTES AGO
comments: 65filed under: Highbrow, Politics, WTF? LOS ANGELES (Oct. 27) - Move over, Tina Fey, there's a new Sarah Palin impersonator in town.
Four one-of-a-kind Cabbage Patch Kids dolls crafted in the likeness of presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain and vice presidential candidates Joe Biden and Palin will be auctioned on the eBay.com Web site.

The dolls sport outfits inspired by their counterparts, with the Palin doll wearing the Republican candidate's signature rimless eyeglasses, red suit and heels.
"These four folks in particular seemed like the perfect candidates, if you will, to become one-of-a-kind Cabbage Patch Kids," said Jakks Pacific Inc. spokeswoman Genna Rosenberg. "We've had a great history with making celebrity look-alikes with these Kids. We've done everyone from Elvis to Donald Trump to Ellen (DeGeneres) and Oprah (Winfrey)."
All proceeds from the auction, which begins Thursday and ends Nov. 4, will benefit the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Jakks Pacific will also auction six limited edition 25th-anniversary dolls that have been created to look identical to the original Cabbage Patch Kids that were first released in 1983.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-10-27 11:13:07

Blog Posts Of Interest 3

On spiritual meaning in the High School Musical phenomenon: Spiritual meaning in ‘High School Musical’ (really).


On the possibility of Pope Benedict XVI being a Barthian Catholic: Narrative and Ontology: Is the Pope Barthian?.


On Indiana Jones being denied tenure: C. Orthodoxy: Indiana Jones Denied Tenure.

Neil Diamond's Holly Holy And Prayer: A Call To Holiness

Prayer: A Call To Holiness---Using Neil Diamond's
Soolaimon/Holly Holy As A Catalyst For Discussion

First listen to this song:



Now pay attention to these lines:

...Ride on the night
Sun becomes day
Day shall provide...

...God of my want, want, want
Lord of my need, need, need...

...God of my day, day, day
Lord of my night, night, night
Seek for the way, way, way
Taking me home...

(Full Lyrics: Here).

And:

Holly holy eyes
Dream of only you
Where I am, what I am
What I believe in
Holly holy

...And I run just like the wind will...

...Sing a song
Sing a song of songs
Sing it out
Sing it strong

Call the sun in the dead of the night
And the sun's gonna rise in the sky
Touch a man who can't walk upright
And that lame man, he's gonna fly
And I fly
And I fly

Holly holy love
Take the lonely child
And the seed
Let it be filled with tomorrow...

(Full Lyrics: Here).

Now, what do you notice about Neil Diamond's quasi-religious language? To me---Neil's phrases invoke a sense of the urgency of prayer and it's use as an act of a call to holiness such as:

...Day shall provide...(God provides)

...God of my want, want, want
Lord of my need, need, need...(human longing)

...God of my day, day, day
Lord of my night, night, night
Seek for the way, way, way... (the human need for discernment of God's Will for our lives)

And: ...Sing a song
Sing a song of songs
Sing it out
Sing it strong
Call the sun in the dead of the night
And the sun's gonna rise in the sky... (the act of prayer itself)

...Holly holy love
Take the lonely child
And the seed
Let it be filled with tomorrow... (future longing and hope)

What are your thoughts? Prayer indeed is a call to holiness for it provides us a sense of God given wholeness and spiritual peace. See: The Freedomist: Prayer And Wholeness, Part I (v.1) for example.

See also: Is Neil Diamond a Christian?, Neil Diamond-I Am & Holly Holy and Songs Sung Blue
Leonard Cohen and Neil Diamond: separated at birth?.

Preteens use dance to share faith

Here's an interesting article from York Daily Record / Sunday News that I found when I was looking up something on Contemporary Christian Music:

Preteens use dance to share faith
'Worship dance' company performs at churches
By MELISSA NANN BURKE
Daily Record/Sunday News

Article Last Updated: 09/25/2008 12:24:53 PM EDT

Allison Smith, center front, dances last week with other members fo Believe, a worship dance company at the Greater York Center for Dance Education. (DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS - BIL BOWDEN)

The preteen dancers look like others you'll find stretching in contortive positions on the hardwood floor of any American dance studio.
Black leotards, pink tights, locks pinned into hair-netted buns.

But when these girls take the stage, they don't tendue and tour to Tchaikovsky. They sashay to Steven Curtis Chapman. Instead of jazz hands, they bring their palms together in prayer.

They stretch their arms heavenward, wishing to be closer to God. At other points, dancers bow their heads in submission, miming a plea for forgiveness.

Their dance company is called Believe, a 3-year-old troupe based at the Greater York Center for Dance Education and performing in a style that blends elements of ballet, modern and lyrical dance.

Marina Rosario, a dancer with Believe, rehearses with the worship dance group. The troupe performs at local Christian congregations. (DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS - BIL BOWDEN)

"I thought this was a good way to connect the two things I love most -- my faith and my love for dance," said 13-year-old Rebecca Swartz, an eighth-grader at Central York Middle School.

"The music is spiritual. It pleases God, and it's not like hip-hop, where the words can be bad or mention drugs."

Eleven-year-old Sarah Hoffman said, "If God gave me the gift of dance, I should express it back to him by using the talent he gave me."

The girls said they love the freedom of creating their own routines -- something they aren't permitted to do in other classes.

"It's more heart-driven dancing," said Lori Pergament, GYCDE's artistic director.

"It's open. Spiritual. If they're feeling moved by something, they can contribute to the choreography."

Performing at church services and other congregational events, Believe is sharing its form of worship dance across the county, said teacher Breanna Rufle Gruver.

"We just try to get across a positive message," said Gruver, a Catholic who began dancing at age 5.

"I'm a teacher in a lot of classes but I feel a special connection to my girls on worship team. You just feel closer to somebody when you have that spiritual connection."

Gruver prays with the dancers before rehearsal. At performances -- usually two or three each spring -- they gather in a circle and ask God to bless their performance and communicate his love to their audience.

Believe charges nothing to congregations who ask them to perform. Their only requirement is space -- roughly 30 feet by 10 feet.

771-2024; mburke@ydr.com

ON THE WEB

· Celebration of Dance

· International Christian Dance Fellowship

· Christian Dance Fellowship USA

· Dance in Christian Worship

-Find more news about faith, values and belief locally and nationwide in our new "Faith Life" section

Brings back memories of Youth Group and interpretive dance classes that were often offered at Youth camps like Centrifuge. What are your thoughts?

The Mission And Liberation Theology

For the past 2 Weds. we've been watching the film---The Mission---which we will discuss next Wed. Vick Griffin's handout consisted of this information:

The Mission

[edit] Historical basis---Wikipedia
The Mission is based on events surrounding the Treaty of Madrid in 1750, in which Spain ceded part of Jesuit Paraguay to Portugal. The movie's narrator, "Altamirano", speaking in hindsight in 1758, corresponds to the actual Andalusian Jesuit Father Luis Altamirano, who had been sent by Jesuit Superior General Ignacio Visconti to Paraguay in 1752 to transfer territory from Spain to Portugal. He oversaw the transfer of seven missions south and east of the Río Uruguay, that had been settled by Guaranis and Jesuits in the 1600s. As compensation, Spain had promised each mission 4,000 pesos, or fewer than 1 peso for each of the circa 30,000 Guaranis of the seven missions, while the cultivated lands, livestock, and buildings were estimated to be worth 7-16 million pesos. The movie's climax is the Guarani War of 1754-1756, during which historical Guaranis defended their homes against Spanish-Portuguese forces implementing the Treaty of Madrid. For the movie, a re-creation was made of one of the seven missions, São Miguel das Missões.[1]

Father Gabriel's character is loosely based on the life of Paraguayan saint and Jesuit Roque González de Santa Cruz.

The waterfall setting of the movie suggests the combination of these events with the story of older missions, founded between 1610-1630 on the Río Paranapanemá above the Guaíra Falls, from which Paulista slave raids forced Guaranis and Jesuits to flee in 1631. The battle at the end of the movie evokes the 8-day battle of Mboboré in 1641, a battle fought on land as well as in boats on rivers, in which the Jesuit-organized, firearm-equipped Guarani forces stopped the Paulista raiders.[2]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Released in 1986, starring Robert DeNiro and Jeremy Irons;
-#15 on Arts & Faith Top 100 Spiritually Significant Films list;
-Nominated for 7 Oscars; won for Best Cinematography;
-Directed by Roland Joffe [nominated previously for The Killing Fields]
-Screenplay written by Robert Bolt, whose credits included Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and A Man for All Seasons; Bolt won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for both Doctor Zhivago and A Man for All Seasons;
-The Guaranís were actually portrayed by a village of Colombian Indians [the Waunanas], who were transported 1,000 miles to the site of the production;
-In the blockbuster animated film Madagascar, Alex the lion gets a cross-shaped cactus stuck to his back. He then falls down a waterfall referencing the opening scene of The Mission ;
-Soundtrack composed by Ennio Morricone [nominated for 5 Oscars, Honorary Oscar in 2007]. Composed and scored music to over 500 film and television projects during his career.

My Thoughts---

Watching this film, one can't help but pick up on themes of quasi-Liberation Theology especially in the thoughts and actions of the Jesuit priests. This is mainly because Liberation Theology was born out of the theology of Roman Catholic social thought known as "the preferential option for the poor." Jesuits have been known for their support of streams of thought within Liberation Theology such as in this article or in this Blog post: Good Jesuit, Bad Jesuit: Marxism, Liberation Theology And The Lack Of Liberty from http://goodjesuitbadjesuit.blogspot.com/.

Major themes of Liberation Theology included in The Mission are:

In Robert DeNiro's character:
Matthew 10:34-49 NRSV

Not Peace, but a Sword 34 ‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
37Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

See But to bring a sword, Jon Sobrino, Jesuit theologian, to be disciplined by Vatican and Matthew 10:34 and Liberation Theology for more details.

In Jeremy Irons' character:
Isaiah 2:1-5 NRSV

1The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. 3Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!

See The Future of Liberation Theology , Culture and international relations By Jongsuk Chay and Isaiah 2:4 and Liberation Theology for further information.

Other thoughts on The Mission and Liberation Theology include:

The highly problematic, revisionist portrayal of South American history during the mid-eighteenth century in The Mission calls for even more scrutiny. Two Jesuit missionaries, played by high-profile Jeremy Irons and Robert De Niro, participate in the resistance against the intermingled conflicts with Spain, Portugal, the Pope, and many a merchant whose monetary concerns dictate their actions. The end result is "calamitous . . . : the Battle of Caibale (1756), during which [the two Jesuit leaders], several other Jesuits, and some 1500 Indians die," according to Michael Dempsey. Speaking of the seemingly licensed fictionality of the two key Jesuit characters, Joffé refers to "liberation theology" in saying that "The film in that sense is intimately concerned with the struggle for liberation in liberation theology, and that's why the historical perspective is very important, because what it's actually saying is that these people haven't come out of nowhere" [emphasis mine]. It is then Joffé and his team's historical perspectives that enable them, as Dempsey aptly puts it, to "re-oppress the people with overbearing film technology and appropriate their story for a grandiose prestige spectacle." (For full context see: Roland JOFFÉ)

[And in dealing with non-violent Atonement (another theme in the movie) and Liberation Theology see this Blog post: Nonviolent Jesus: Fernando Lugo and the Rebirth of Liberation Theology from http://nonviolentjesus.blogspot.com/].

Here is another reference:

The temporal and the eternal

This is not to say that Fr. Gabriel is concerned only with his converts’ eternal state but not with their temporal condition. On the contrary, St. James’ exhortation to look after the bodily needs of the poor as well as their spiritual needs was the whole point of the ambitiously utopian Jesuit reduccion mission communities.

During Altamirano’s inspection of the Guaranís’ living conditions on their reducciones, a haughty Spanish official opposing the Jesuits’ resistance to the slave trade sniffs, "I see no difference between this plantation and my own." Whereupon Fr. Gabriel answers emphatically: "That is the difference: This plantation is theirs." It is precisely this for which Fr. Gabriel contends, and for which he is willing in the end to die — though not, as a priest, to kill.

In fact, concern for the temporal is so evidently a theme in The Mission that some Christian viewers have been concerned about possible "liberation theology" implications in the film. In its more extreme forms, liberation theology was a purely temporal ideology that merged into Marxism. Yet to me at least it seems clear that the admirable figure here is the gentle martyr Fr. Gabriel, not the armed warrior Mendoza; the film doesn’t seem to be an apologia for armed revolution. Nor is it possible to limit the scope of the film’s interest, like that of Marxism, to the merely temporal; clearly the spiritual matters here as well.

It’s probably a moot point anyway; liberation theology is effectively dead, at least in Catholic circles. To charge a particular film with promoting liberation theology is like saying that The Three Musketeers promotes dueling: That might have been an issue once, but not today.

The Mission is not a perfect film, but it is a rich, challenging one that explores the spiritual and the temporal, and the relationship between them, in a thought-provoking way. It contains moving images of despair, penance, and redemption that are among the most evocative ever filmed. It offers a positive depiction of Catholic missionaries as selfless champions and defenders of indigenous peoples and their ways of life rather than as oppressors or imperialists. It begins and ends in martyrdom — in bearing witness, signed in blood. It deserves attentive watching and thoughtful reflection.

And one more interesting article:

LIBERATION THEOLOGY

The Serra beatification highlights the issue of what kind of message the Church wants to send today to the world, especially the Third World, where the church would like to strengthen its hand. One Southern California priest has referred to the Majorca-born Serra as an "affirmative action saint," offered to a church that, in the Sunbelt at least, is becoming increasingly Latino. In downtown Los Angeles and other urban centers THE MISSION was shown with Spanish subtitles.

And while the debate over evangelizing people in the Third World may be settled, the related matter of obedience is not. Father Daniel Berrigan, a rather rebellious Jesuit who has said "no" many times to the powers that be of this culture, and who plays a bit part in the film, suggested in American Film that there is a direct line between the Jesuit reducciones portrayed in THE MISSION, and the "Christian base communities" now being created among the poor by some priests in Latin America.

Others make the connection between priests who cast off the cloth and became revolutionary guerrillas in the 1960s, as well as the more moderate adherents of "liberation theology," which has been criticized by the Pope. Joffe recently told the Los Angeles Times that while filming the picture, "I became fascinated with liberation theology." Several members of the ruling Sandinista directorate in Nicaragua are former priests, and were publicly chided by the Pope during his 1986 visit to Managua.

Those clerics like Berrigan and his brother Phillip, a former Jesuit, who ally themselves with the poor and politically dispossessed and against the established order continue to run into trouble, as evidenced by last winter's meeting of U.S. bishops in Washington, which backed the Vatican in temporarily disciplining Seattle Bishop Raymond G. Hunthausen. Two American Jesuit priests have been forced from their order in the past year because of teachings and acts alleged to be at odds with dogma, especially in the area of sexuality. For a brief period, the Pope personally appointed the order's governing Superior General in Rome, an unprecedented break in the Jesuits' history of electing their own leader.

Addressing a crowd at Corrientes, Argentina, the Pope John Paul paid a kind of backhanded (and inaccurate) tribute to the Jesuits of THE MISSION, saying, "the missions and doctrines of the Jesuits constitute, without a doubt, one of the most worthwhile achievements that unified the Spanish, Portuguese and native worlds." In the audience were many Indians, who hold an annual procession for the Virgin Mary, whom they call "the Queen of the Guaranis."

There is evidence, apart from the Serra beatification, that that the commitment displayed by the Jesuits in THE MISSION does have a place in the sainthood process. Supporters of Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was gunned down by a right-wing death squad in El Salvador because of his opposition to the authoritarian regime then in power — an incident roughly recreated in the film SALVADOR — are now asking Rome to declare him "venerable," the first of the three steps to sainthood.

One other thing to note is the echoes between this film and the film version of Oscar Romero's life, which was produced in 1989. You can watch the whole film Romero in an earlier post of mine: TheoPoetic Musings: Romero-The Movie.

1:58-7:55 is similar to the last scene of The Mission part of which can be seen at 1:30 in The Mission's trailer: .

Thoughts? Comments? Questions?

E. T. As Messianic Alien

One film we haven't discussed yet on Wed. nights within the context of a Christian framework is E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, so here are some thoughts about E.T. as a Christ-figure:

[edit] Themes---Wikipedia
Spielberg drew the story of E.T. from the divorce of his own parents;[20] Gary Arnold of the Washington Post called the film "essentially a spiritual autobiography, a portrait of the filmmaker as a typical suburban kid set apart by an uncommonly fervent, mystical imagination".[21] Reflections of Steven Spielberg's childhood are seen throughout: Elliott feigns illness by holding his thermometer to a light bulb while covering his face with a heating pad, which was a trick frequently employed by the young Spielberg.[22] Michael's picking on Elliott echoes Spielberg's teasing of his younger sisters,[6] and Michael's evolution from tormentor to protector reflects how Spielberg had to take care of his sisters after their father left.[8]

Critics have focused on the parallels between the life of E.T. and Elliott, who is "alienated" by the loss of his father.[23][24] The New York Times film critic A.O. Scott wrote that while E.T. "is the more obvious and desperate foundling", Elliott "suffers in his own way from the want of a home".[25] (coincidentally, E.T. is the first and last letter of Eliott's name).[26] At the film's heart is the theme of growing up. Critic Henry Sheehan described the film as a retelling of Peter Pan from the perspective of a Lost Boy (Elliott).[27] E.T. cannot survive physically on Earth, as Pan could not survive emotionally in Neverland; Neverland’s pirates are replaced by government scientists.[27] Some critics have suggested that Spielberg's portrayal of suburbia is very dark, contrary to popular belief. A.O. Scott said, "The suburban milieu, with its unsupervised children and unhappy parents, its broken toys and brand-name junk food, could have come out of a Raymond Carver story,"[25] and Charles Taylor of Salon.com said, "Spielberg's movies, despite the way they're often characterized, are not Hollywood idealizations of families and the suburbs. The homes here bear what the cultural critic Karal Ann Marling called 'the marks of hard use'."[20]

Spielberg admitted this scene triggered speculation as to whether the film was a religious parable.

[28]Other critics found religious parallels between E.T. and Jesus.[29][30] Andrew Nigels described the story of E.T. as "crucifixion by military science" and "resurrection by love and faith".[31] According to Spielberg biographer Joseph McBride, Universal Studios appealed directly to the Christian market, with a poster reminiscent of Michelangelo's Creation of Adam and a logo reading "Peace".[12] Spielberg answered that he did not intend the film to be a religious parable, joking, "If I ever went to my mother and said, 'Mom, I've made this movie that's a Christian parable,' what do you think she'd say? She has a kosher restaurant on Pico and Doheny in Los Angeles."[28]

As a substantial body of film criticism has built up around E.T., numerous writers have analyzed the film in other ways as well. E.T. has been analyzed as a modern fairy tale[32] and in psychoanalytic terms.[32][24] Producer Kathleen Kennedy noted that an important theme of E.T. is tolerance, which would be central to future Spielberg films such as Schindler's List.[6] Having been a loner as a teenager, Spielberg described the film as "a minority story".[33] Spielberg's common theme of communication is partnered with the ideal of common understanding as represented in his depiction of humans and aliens: he asks that if an alien and a human can become friends, so too can many enemies who live close to one another on Earth.[34]

Also, this website offers these thoughts about E.T. as a Christ-figure:

Theme of Persecution
Theme of Family
Critics and Supporters
Theme of Innocence
Theme of Healing
Theme of Sacrificial Love
Theme of Reserection

Also from the same website, check out this section:

Other Interesting Facts

-When E.T. died the doctor pronounced him dead at 15:36 (3:36 p.m.). It is especially significant to recall that the Gospels place the death of Jesus on the cross at some brief time after the 'ninth hour' Matthew 27:45). The Hebrew day began at 6 a.m. so the ninth hour would have been 3 p.m.

- “Both E.T. and Christ are 'extra-terrestrials,' coming into the world from the 'outside in.' Both begin their 'adventures on earth' in less-than-auspicious circumstances - E.T. in a shed behind the home where he takes up residence, Christ in an animal shelter behind the 'inn.'

- Jesus states: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3). Elliott (to Gertie): "Grownups can't see him. Only little kids can see him." And from Mark 9:37: "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me..."

- Matthew 27:51 mentions that after Jesus died, the "earth shook and the rocks split." In the 1982 E.T. novel: "They [the doctors] hardly noticed the momentary flicker in the lights, and in the equipment, nor did they fully perceive the trembling of the house, the valley. This was reserved for other men, other equipment, those that monitor disturbances deep in the Earth's core...".

- E.T. tells Elliott repeatedly: "E.T. phone home." What Bible verse is known as 'God's telephone number'? Jeremiah 33:3. ["Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."] In Rolling Stone magazine (Jan. 18/01) Bono confirmed that he changed the airport gate-sign on the cover of U2's latest album ["All That You Can't Leave Behind"] to J33-3. Bono told RS: "It was done like a piece of graffiti - It's known as 'God's telephone number'."

- Before His ascension, Jesus promises his disciples: "And surely I will be with you always..."(Matthew 28:20). Before E.T.'s ascension in the spaceship he says "I'll be right here," fingertip glowing over Elliott's chest. [E.T.'s own chest contains a glowing heart-light, analogous to the Sacred Heart portraits of Jesus.] He also said in his final moments on earth to Elliott, 'Come.' Matthew 14:29 reads, 'And he said, Come.'

Each of these examples came from (E.t. the Extra Terrestrial Savoir, 2006) and (Mann, 2005).

One other website of interest is: Jesus Covered In a Secular Wrapper: The Christ-figure in Popular Films.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions?

How to Share Your Faith Using Hannah Montana

How to Share Your Faith Using Hannah Montana Written by: Jane Dratz
Position: Editorial Coordinator
Posted: 11-05-2007
Culture Commission Archives
Tweener phenom Hannah Montana's (aka Miley Cyrus') whirlwind tour is packing concert venues across the country. If she hasn't already descended on a city near you... trust me, when she does, you're going to hear about it before, during and after her entourage sweeps in and out of town! Like it or not the buzz is deafening. Scoring a ticket has become a notable event in and of itself, if not for the swoon effect exhibited by ultra-devoted Hannah Montana fans, then for its potential resale value. Hannah's buzz is so intense and intentional that ticket prices on the resale market start at $300 in most concert cities and have reached a reported $2565.00 for a single ticket to the Charlotte, NC show.
Perhaps you are already more aware of this phenom than you want to be, but for the benefit of those who are still Hannah-oblivious, here's the crash course...Disney's Hannah Montana is a normal teen by day and a rock star by night - but this dual life is a secret from all but her family and her closest friends. Fanatical fans, world travel, shoes, hot clothes - did I mention shoes? - fill her world when she's inhabiting her rock star persona. But each morning a regular day-life awaits her as a typical teen with the normal teen joys and challenges - so what's not to love? As the song goes, it's "The Best of Both Worlds." Who wouldn't want to live their stardom dream AND keep their normal life?
And maybe that's the appeal. Deep down we all want to live our dreams. But how do you figure out in the first place what your dream is? What will really satisfy you in life? And if you're a believer, where does God fit into your dreams for the future? (Read more: Here).

For something different---go: Here---for what seems to be a subtle attack on the Emerging/Emergent Church though as usual confused with Rick Warren and the Seeker-Sensitive Church.

Anyways, here's a Hannah song that I think speaks to Dr. Queen's message from this past Sunday:

The key verses are:

You... You need to discover
Who can make you feel free
And I, I need to uncover,
The part of you that's reaching out for me
Hey hey hey!

I know where I stand
I know who I am
I would never run away when life gets bad
I'ts Everything I see,
Every part of me
I know I can change the world, yeah, yeah, yeah!

---these verses also remind me of Cassie Bernall.

So do you know where you stand and who you are in Christ? Do you stand against the things that Christ stood against? (Predjudice, racism, classism, bigotry, judgementalism, literalism, self-righteousness, materialism, sexism, social and individual sins, etc.) And do you stand up for the ones Christ stood up for? (The poor, the oppressed, the enslaved, drunks, homosexuals, prostitutes, tax-collectors, the elderly, the disabled, etc.)

Cool Hand Luke Part 2

Last week, we finished Cool Hand Luke, so this week we discussed Christ-figures in film. After a brief sketch of ideas, we looked at two scenes from Superman---so here are some ideas of Superman as messianic archetype:

Divine Paternity

[5] David Bruce considered the infant Kal-El (Lee Quigley) to be the only begotten son of Jor-El (Marlon Brando), thus forming the second member of the Holy trinity (Matt. 28:19).12 Kal-El was the son of Jor-El just as Jesus was �the Son of God� (Mark 1:1; Heb. 10:29; 1 John 4:15). Indeed, in Superman II (hereafter S2), Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) described Superman (Christopher Reeve) as �the son of Jor El� thereby mimicking the biblical form. To further establish the paternity of the Jor-El/Kal-El, God/Jesus, Father/Son relationship, the holographic Jor-El in the newly constructed Fortress of Solitude specifically referred to Kal-El as �my son� and to himself as �your father.� Their indissoluble genetic link was further indicated by their respective hairstyles. The stately Jor-El, the teenage Clark Kent (Jeff East) and the adult Superman (but not the adult Clark Kent) had cute forelocks dangling upon their foreheads. This biological fact resonated with Jesus�s identity claim that: �if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also� (John 14:7).

---http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/superman.htm

------------------
My Thoughts:

First, Kal-El and Jor-El are plays on the generic Hebrew names for God: אל (El)-singular and אֱלוֹהִים (Elohim)-plural.

Secondly, A transliteration of Jesus’ Hebrew name, which means “Jesus the Messiah.”---also, spells the tetragrammaton out in initials, which is God’s revealed name.
יהוה or Yahweh and Jesus is Yahshua or יהשוה.

Third, http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=t&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGIH_enUS266US266&q=Superman+as+Christ+figure for further info.

Last, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman should provide more info---especially:

Influences
An influence on early Superman stories is the context of the Great Depression. The left-leaning perspective of creators Shuster and Siegel is reflected in early storylines. Superman took on the role of social activist, fighting crooked businessmen and politicians and demolishing run-down tenements.[33] This is seen by comics scholar Roger Sabin as a reflection of "the liberal idealism of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal", with Shuster and Siegel initially portraying Superman as champion to a variety of social causes.[34] In later Superman radio programs the character continued to take on such issues, tackling a version of the KKK in a 1946 broadcast.[35][36] Siegel and Shuster's staus as children of Jewish immigrants is also thought to have influenced their work. Timothy Aaron Pevey has argued that they crafted "an immigrant figure whose desire was to fit into American culture as an American", something which Pevey feels taps into an important aspect of American identity.[37]

Siegel himself noted that the many mythic heroes which exist in the traditions of many cultures bore an influence on the character, including Hercules and Samson.[6] The character has also been seen by Scott Bukatman to be "a worthy successor to Lindberg ... (and) also ... like Babe Ruth", and is also representative of the United States dedication to "progress and the 'new'" through his "invulnerable body ... on which history cannot be inscribed."[38] Further, given that Siegel and Shuster were noted fans of pulp science fiction,[14] it has been suggested that another influence may have been Hugo Danner. Danner was the main character of the 1930 novel Gladiator by Philip Wylie, and is possessed of same powers of the early Superman.[39]

Because Siegel and Shuster were both Jewish, some religious commentators and pop-culture scholars such as Rabbi Simcha Weinstein and British novelist Howard Jacobson suggest that Superman's creation was partly influenced by Moses,[40][41] and other Jewish elements. Superman's Kryptonian name, "Kal-El," resembles the Hebrew words קל-אל, which can be taken to mean "voice of God".[42] [43]. The suffix "el", meaning "(of) God"[44] is also found in the name of angels (e.g. Gabriel, Ariel), who are flying humanoid agents of good with superhuman powers. Jewish legends of the Golem have been cited as worthy of comparison,[45] a Golem being a mythical being created to protect and serve the persecuted Jews of 16th century Prague and later revived in popular culture in reference to their suffering at the hands of the Nazis in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. Superman is often seen as being an analogy for Jesus, being a saviour of humanity.[41][45][34][46]

Whilst the term Superman was initially coined by Nietzsche, it is unclear how influential Nietzsche and his ideals were to Siegel and Shuster.[41] Les Daniels has speculated that "Siegel picked up the term from other science fiction writers who had casually employed it", further noting that "his concept is remembered by hundreds of millions who may barely know who Nietzsche is."[6] Others argue that Siegel and Shuster "could not have been unaware of an idea that would dominate Hitler's National Socialism. The concept was certainly well discussed."[47] Yet Jacobson and others point out that in many ways Superman and the Übermensch are polar opposites.[40] Nietzsche envisioned the Übermensch as a man who had transcended the limitations of society, religion, and conventional morality while still being fundamentally human. Superman, although an alien gifted with incredible powers, chooses to honor human moral codes and social mores. Nietzsche envisioned the perfect man as being beyond moral codes; Siegel and Shuster envisioned the perfect man as holding himself to a higher standard of adherence to them.[48]

Siegel and Shuster have themselves discussed a number of influences that impacted upon the character. Both were avid readers, and their mutual love of science fiction helped to drive their friendship. Siegel cited John Carter stories as an influence: "Carter was able to leap great distances because the planet Mars was smaller that the planet Earth; and he had great strength. I visualized the planet Krypton as a huge planet, much larger than Earth".[22] The pair were also avid collectors of comic strips in their youth, cutting them from the newspaper, with Winsor McKay's Little Nemo firing their imagination with its sense of fantasy.[49] Shuster has remarked on the artists which played an important part in the development of his own style, whilst also noting a larger influence: "Alex Raymond and Burne Hogarth were my idols — also Milt Caniff, Hal Foster, and Roy Crane. But the movies were the greatest influence on our imagination: especially the films of Douglas Fairbanks Senior."[50] Fairbanks' role as Robin Hood was certainly an inspiration, as Shuster admitted to basing Superman's stance upon scenes from the movie.[51] The movies also influenced the storytelling and page layouts,[52] whilst the city of Metropolis was named in honor of the Fritz Lang motion picture of the same title.[22]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next we watched two scenes from Green Mile. See http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/pre2000/thegreenmile.html and http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGIH_enUS266US266&q=Christians+themes+in+the+Green+Mile.

Last we watched the last scene of Cool Hand Luke again in honor of Paul Newman who ironically died the week we finished the movie.

---Luke's death and resurrection?

Thoughts?

Legendary Actor Paul Newman Dies

Legendary Actor Paul Newman Dies
JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, AP
posted: 9 HOURS 3 MINUTES AGOcomments: 1504filed under: Movie News, Obits, Paul Newman dead at 83 PrintShareText SizeAAAWESTPORT, Conn. (Sept. 27) -

Paul Newman, the Oscar-winning superstar who personified cool as the anti-hero of such films as "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Color of Money" — followed by a second act as an activist, race car driver and popcorn impresario — has died. He was 83.
Newman died Friday at his farmhouse near Westport following a long battle with cancer, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and close friends.

In May, Newman dropped plans to direct a fall production of "Of Mice and Men" at Connecticut's Westport Country Playhouse, citing unspecified health issues. The following month, a friend disclosed that he was being treated for cancer and Martha Stewart, also a friend, posted photos on her Web site of Newman looking gaunt at a charity luncheon.
But true to his fiercely private nature, Newman remained cagey about his condition, reacting to reports that he had lung cancer with a statement saying only that he was "doing nicely."
As an actor, Newman got his start in theater and on television during the 1950s, and went on to become one of the world's most enduring and popular film stars, a legend held in awe by his peers. He was nominated for Academy Awards 10 times, winning one Oscar and two honorary ones, and had major roles in more than 50 motion pictures, including "Exodus," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Verdict," "The Sting" and "Absence of Malice."
Newman worked with some of the greatest directors of the past half century, from Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston to Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers. His co-stars included Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and, most famously, Robert Redford, his sidekick in "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sting."
"There is a point where feelings go beyond words," Redford said Saturday. "I have lost a real friend. My life — and this country — is better for his being in it."

Newman sometimes teamed with his wife and fellow Oscar winner, Joanne Woodward, with whom he had one of Hollywood's rare long-term marriages. "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?" Newman told Playboy magazine when asked if he was tempted to stray.
They wed in 1958, around the same time they both appeared in "The Long Hot Summer." Newman also directed her in several films, including "Rachel, Rachel" and "The Glass Menagerie."
With his strong, classically handsome face and piercing blue eyes, Newman was a heartthrob just as likely to play against his looks, becoming a favorite with critics for his convincing portrayals of rebels, tough guys and losers. New York Times critic Caryn James wrote after his turn as the town curmudgeon in 1995's "Nobody's Fool" that "you never stop to wonder how a guy as good-looking as Paul Newman ended up this way."
"Sometimes God makes perfect people," fellow "Absence of Malice" star Sally Field said, "and Paul Newman was one of them."

Newman had a soft spot for underdogs in real life, giving tens of millions to charities through his food company and setting up camps for severely ill children. Passionately opposed to the Vietnam War, and in favor of civil rights, he was so famously liberal that he ended up on President Nixon's "enemies list," one of the actor's proudest achievements, he liked to say.
A screen legend by his mid-40s, he waited a long time for his first competitive Oscar, winning in 1987 for "The Color of Money," a reprise of the role of pool shark "Fast Eddie" Felson, whom Newman portrayed in the 1961 film "The Hustler."
In the earlier film, Newman delivered a magnetic performance as the smooth-talking, whiskey-chugging pool shark who takes on Minnesota Fats — played by Jackie Gleason — and becomes entangled with a gambler played by George C. Scott. In the sequel — directed by Scorsese — "Fast Eddie" is no longer the high-stakes hustler he once was, but an aging liquor salesman who takes a young pool player (Cruise) under his wing before making a comeback.
He won an honorary Oscar in 1986 "in recognition of his many and memorable compelling screen performances and for his personal integrity and dedication to his craft." In 1994, he won a third Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, for his charitable work.
His most recent academy nod was a supporting actor nomination for the 2002 film "Road to Perdition." One of Newman's nominations was as a producer; the other nine were in acting categories. (Jack Nicholson holds the record among actors for Oscar nominations, with 12; actress Meryl Streep has had 14.)
As he passed his 80th birthday, he remained in demand, winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the 2005 HBO drama "Empire Falls" and providing the voice of a crusty 1951 car in the 2006 Disney-Pixar hit, "Cars."
But in May 2007, he told ABC's "Good Morning America" he had given up acting, though he intended to remain active in charity projects. "I'm not able to work anymore as an actor at the level I would want to," he said. "You start to lose your memory, your confidence, your invention. So that's pretty much a closed book for me."
Newman also turned to producing and directing. In 1968, he directed "Rachel, Rachel," a film about a lonely spinster's rebirth. The movie received four Oscar nominations, including Newman, for producer of a best motion picture; and Woodward, for best actress. The film earned Newman the best director award from the New York Film Critics Circle.
In the 1970s, Newman, admittedly bored with acting, became fascinated with auto racing, a sport he studied when he starred in the 1969 film, "Winning." After turning professional in 1977, Newman and his driving team made strong showings in several major races, including fifth place in Daytona in 1977 and second place in the Le Mans in 1979.
"Racing is the best way I know to get away from all the rubbish of Hollywood," he told People magazine in 1979.
Newman later became a car owner and formed a partnership with Carl Haas, starting Newman/Haas Racing in 1983 and joining the CART series. Hiring Mario Andretti as its first driver, the team was an instant success, and throughout the last 26 years, the team — now known as Newman/Haas/Lanigan and part of the IndyCar Series — has won 107 races and eight series championships.
"Paul and I have been partners for 26 years and I have come to know his passion, humor and, above all, his generosity," Haas said. "His support of the team's drivers, crew and the racing industry is legendary. His pure joy at winning a pole position or winning a race exemplified the spirit he brought to his life and to all those that knew him."
Despite his love of race cars, Newman continued to make movies and continued to pile up Oscar nominations, his looks remarkably intact and his acting becoming more subtle — nothing like the mannered method performances of his early years, when he was sometimes dismissed as a Brando imitator.
Newman, who shunned Hollywood life, was reluctant to give interviews and usually refused to sign autographs because he found the majesty of the act offensive. He also claimed that he never read reviews of his movies.
"If they're good you get a fat head and if they're bad you're depressed for three weeks," he said.
In 1982, Newman and his Westport neighbor, writer A.E. Hotchner, started a company to market Newman's original oil-and-vinegar dressing. Newman's Own, which began as a joke, grew into a multimillion-dollar business selling popcorn, salad dressing, spaghetti sauce and other foods. All of the company's profits are donated to charities. By 2007, the company had donated more than $175 million, according to its Web site.
"We will miss our friend Paul Newman, but are lucky ourselves to have known such a remarkable person," Robert Forrester, vice chairman of Newman's Own Foundation, said in a statement.
In 1988, Newman founded a camp in northeastern Connecticut for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. He went on to establish similar camps in several other states and in Europe.
He and Woodward bought an 18th century farmhouse in Westport, where they raised their three daughters, Elinor "Nell," Melissa and Clea.
Newman had two daughters, Susan and Stephanie, and a son, Scott, from a previous marriage to Jacqueline Witte. Scott died in 1978 of an accidental overdose of alcohol and Valium. After his only son's death, Newman established the Scott Newman Foundation to finance the production of anti-drug films for children.
"Our father was a rare symbol of selfless humility, the last to acknowledge what he was doing was special," his daughters said in a written statement. "Intensely private, he quietly succeeded beyond measure in impacting the lives of so many with his generosity."
Newman was born in Cleveland, the second of two boys of Arthur S. Newman, a partner in a sporting goods store, and Theresa Fetzer Newman. He was raised in the affluent suburb of Shaker Heights, where he was encouraged him to pursue his interest in the arts by his mother and his uncle Joseph Newman, a well-known Ohio poet and journalist.
Following World War II service in the Navy, he enrolled at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he got a degree in English and was active in student productions.
He later studied at Yale University's School of Drama, then headed to work in theater and television in New York, where his classmates at the famed Actor's Studio included Brando, James Dean and Karl Malden.
Newman's breakthrough was enabled by tragedy: Dean, scheduled to star as the disfigured boxer in a television adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's "The Battler," died in a car crash in 1955. His role was taken by Newman, then a little-known performer.
Newman started in movies the year before, in "The Silver Chalice," a costume film he so despised that he took out an ad in Variety to apologize. By 1958, he had won the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for the shiftless Ben Quick in "The Long Hot Summer."
In December 1994, about a month before his 70th birthday, he told Newsweek magazine he had changed little with age.
"I'm not mellower, I'm not less angry, I'm not less self-critical, I'm not less tenacious," he said. "Maybe the best part is that your liver can't handle those beers at noon anymore," he said.
Newman is survived by his wife, five children, two grandsons and his older brother Arthur.
Associated Press writers Hillel Italie in New York and Josh Dickey, Greg Risling and Susan Katz in Los Angeles contributed to this story.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-09-27 09:55:46

White Lion's Social Consciousness

Here are the lyrics to the above song:

When The Children Cry
Artist(Band): White Lion

little child
dry your crying eyes
how can I explain
the fear you feel inside
cause you were born
into this evil world
where man is killing man
but no one knows just why
what have we become
just look what we have done
all that we destroyed
you must build again

when the children cry
let them know we tried
cause when the children sing
then the new world begins

little child
you must show the way
to a better day
for all the young
cause you were born
for all the world to see
that we all can live
with love and peace
no more presidents
and all the wars will end
one united world
under god

when the children cry
let them know we tried
cause when the children sing
then the new world begins

what "have we" become
just look what we have done
all that we destroyed
you must build again
no more presidents
and all the wars will end
one united world
under god

when the children cry
let them know we tried
when the children fight
let them know it ain't right
when the children pray
let them know the way
cause when the children sing
then the new world begins

White Lion and Social issues

Unlike most bands of their genre, White Lion recorded occasional songs that addressed social or political issues such as apartheid ("Cry for Freedom") and the effect of divorce on children ("Broken Home"). The song "Little Fighter" was about the Rainbow Warrior, a ship owned by the environmental group Greenpeace that was illegally destroyed by operatives of the French intelligence service. This concern for political and social issues was also hinted at in the cover art to their album Big Game, which featured a lion's head hidden in tall grass with the White House in the background.

Read an interview with band member and co-founder of the group here.

Christian Themes In "Cool Hand Luke"

On Wed. Nights, I am doing a study on Faith and Film led by Vick Griffin of our church. The first movie that we are watching is Cool Hand Luke. Reprinted below is a handout that Vick prepared, which I have hyperlinked relevant sections for further study:

Cool Hand Luke


-Released in 1967, starring Paul Newman

-Directed by Stuart Rosenberg

-Written by Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson, based on the novel by Donn Pearce

-Nominated for 4 Oscars [Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Music, Original Music Score, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium]

-Won Oscar for Best Supporting Actor [George Kennedy]

-Supporting cast included Dennis Hopper, Harry Dean Stanton, Strother Martin, Jo Van Fleet, Ralph Waite, Wayne Rogers, Joe Don Baker and Anthony Zerbe, among others

-Cool Hand Luke was produced by Jalem Productions, which was Jack Lemmon's production company

-Contains arguably one of the most memorable lines in all of film history: "What we've got here is... failure to communicate."

-Luke as "Christ-figure"-

*Central character
*An Outsider
*Associates and/or Betrayer Associate
*Death and Resurrection [?]

Next week, we will finish watching the movie but we left off at this scene:


, which looks like this: doesn't it?

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

Coldplay's Revolutionary Christianity

On the heels of Justin's excellent post from---Wednesday, August 20, 2008---Cartoon Of The Day. I'd like to share this interesting bit from a Wikipedia article:

The magazine Q asked Chris Martin about the line "I know Saint Peter won't call my name" sung in "Viva la Vida". Martin replied: "It's about… You're not on the list. I was a naughty boy. It's always fascinated me that idea of finishing your life and then being analyzed on it. And this idea runs throughout most religions. That's why people blow up buildings. Because they think they're going to get lots of virgins. I always feel like saying, just join a band (laughs). That is the most frightening thing you could possibly say to somebody. Eternal damnation. I know about this stuff because I studied it. I was into it all. I know it. It's still mildly terrifying to me. And this is serious."[1] When asked about the song, bass guitarist Guy Berryman said, "It’s a story about a king who’s lost his kingdom, and all the album’s artwork is based on the idea of revolutionaries and guerrillas."[2]

This seems to tie in nicely with some of Doug Pagitt's thoughts from his Way Of The Master radio interview:

---(Part 1)


---(Part 2)


And for those of you who have yet to hear Coldplay's new song here are the full lyrics:

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
"Now the old king is dead, long live the king"

One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
Once you'd gone there was never
Never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world

It was a wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become

Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh, who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know St. Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

Ohh...

Hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know St. Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

Ooh...

You can also watch the music video:



Coldplay's new song also reminds me of John Lennon's "Imagine." So here is a thought that came to my mind: the question is although, eternal life and the afterlife are important to our Christian beliefs, shouldn't we as Christians focus on living the life of Christ in the here and now rather than turning Christianity into one more punishment and rewards religion among the many others?