wow.
so much to think about.
a few random thoughts before i get an organized (ha) response to the actual Bible:

discussing current movies with a church group is a great idea, SO LONG AS you are not "trying to find God" in it. the average joe Christian has a hard enough time not getting sucked under with a worldly philosophy; we don't need to Christianize it.

Brio.
The conservative magazine from Colorado.
Actually a rather good publication.
I would disagree with a few music standards,
but other than that,
they've done a great job of sensitively answering questions that teen girls (especially in public schools) often raise.
I'm sorry, but Today's Christian Teen just doesn't cut it. It works for...oh, people in fundamental churches. But what about those girls on the front line? Those girls actually in the secular schools, who have the greater temptations, greater opportunities? For them, TCT washes out. It's too...sweetly idealistic, and doesn't address the hard questions

Luther.
oh, how I am loathe to see this argument brought up again.
maybe that's because i've not really formed my opinions about it.
Many of today's "saints" were considered radical and even worldly in their time.
Thoughts?

PS this is my first venture onto jbo. thanks for the thoughts today!

movies:
Yes, discussing movies with a church group or with other Christians can be a good idea as long as

1. people commenting have actually seen the movie.


2. the discussion doesn't revolve too closely around points that are objectionable (that shouldn't be the whole point of discussion, in other words)


3. everyone agrees that each person is coming from his or her own unique background, and is going to think differently about objectionable elements (what’s going too far, etc.)


4. And definitely, what you said, we don't need "to find God" in movies

For instance, I have seen The Matrix. I like science fiction. I enjoyed the movie, though there are objectionable elements, most notably offensive language. There are books written about this movie and classes taught in colleges about the theology in The Matrix. I will freely admit there are many biblical illusions, names, and similarity. There is no doubt that this was done intentionally. But Christians should not accept this as a religious movie or one that teaches biblical doctrines. But I have read some of the book, written by two Christian men about the theology of The Matrix and how we can learn so much from it.

That is certainly going too far.

Luther:
I wasn’t surprised to see him mentioned in this article. I am ashamed to say, I don’t have an opinion yet either. It’s hard for me too as a musician to explain this away. But it’s true, Christians are often radical in their time. In fact, I wouldn’t mind being considered radical as long as I remain biblical. I think that really is possible. We just need to be on fire for God. I want to have, like Ben said, "Big Dreams Afoot." And God can do that if we put our complete trust in Him.

Magazines:
I can’t say I know much about girls’ magazines. Christian or otherwise. There is a need for print media for Christian young people, no doubt. The question is how do we go about doing that without putting it first in a mold of worldliness? (Not that I am saying all Christian magazines are worldly.) This isn’t a rhetorical question. Do you think we can come up with some ideas? Or is that what Portland Studios is for?

is that what Portland Studios is for?
been pondering,
been pondering your question.
is that what...who's for?

my thoughts thus far:
no person.
no organization.
no group.
was ever intended
created
to stand on it's own.
the mystery of The Body
is manifest in us.

whether saints past
and saints present
all are interdependent.
meaning:
we none of us,
can function
grow into Christlikeness
on our own.

so.
perhaps it is
Portland Studios' place.
but may it not be the place of others
to encourage (prayers, letters, etc)
to inspire (like the writings of cs lewis--can we be that breath of fresh air, that renewed focus, that different perspective?)
?

just a question.
and depending on your answer,
we may have some ideas.
but you may want to start those ideas
as a separate blog.
so that you can feel out many minds.

Here are some thoughts that came to mind that may shed a few stray rays on the subject:
1. God is the sovereign over all of life
2. He created everything that is with purpose (an easy way to encapsulize everything: physical creation, man, culture)
3. Man fell through sin, and all of life shook with the effects of that fall
4. None of this changes the original purpose God had for all of life -- the same purpose Christ, the only Savior, redeems things toward (doing always those things that please the Father)

In light of Really Big Thoughts like these, I look at particulars like this new Bible version and these other issues, and think:
*God deserves the glory that every aspect of life can give Him (every aspect includes even the popular aspects of culture, the film industry, and so on)
*But in stretching to represent God's ownership of all things, we cannot profane Him to make the package more palatable to our audience. God, being the Source of all things, has so much beauty intrinsic in Himself, that He needs no "beautification" by our own terms. He needs to be seen for all that He is, and the light of His own beauty will blind the world into sight. Though He reigns over all, we must carry Christ into every aspect of life and His redemption must be brought to bear on all things -- not just people but film, and art, and politics. God is interested in the whole man, and we have no excuse to bide our time until our glorification. We must pursue how Christ informs every aspect of our lives, and every aspect of what He calls us to. And in this pursuit, our highest loyalty must not be "success" at any cost (for how could we know what success is?), but rather doing always those things that please the Father, at any and all costs.

In Christ,
Will

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