03 February 2009

Inauguration

I attended the inauguration of President Obama, in Washington D.C.. The road trip there was a lot of fun, as road trips often are. I had the chance to do one of my favorite activities, create a themed playlist. The playlist for this occasion was called 'Inauglebration', the combination of inauguration and celebration. This playlist included classic road trip songs such as George Thorogood's One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer, there were also a few Obama specific songs including Will.i.am's Yes We Can, and of course we needed some tunes to pump us up. What song could better perform this task for a car full of single ladies, than Beyonce's Single Ladies!? 

When we finally arrived in Washington, there was still a long, long walk ahead of us. While walking around the city, with a seemingly endless crowd of people, I felt like I was in the middle of a mass migration. If someone were filming it, the shots could easily be used for the next 28 Days Later type film. I have not experienced the kind of energy and excitement shared by such a large group since I attended a Stanley Cup finals game. As a proud Canadian, I am a little reluctant to say that the inauguration may have out done the hockey game. 

A few things really stood out to me during the walk. Most of all, Pepsi did some very effective advertising. They had been giving out bags with the new logo, and words like 'HOPE', 'JOY', and 'YES YOU CAN' printed on them. Everywhere you looked, someone was wearing a bag. I can't remember a time when I craved Pepsi so badly. This experience reminded me of Gap's Red campaign, specifically when Bono was a guest on the Oprah show, to promote the campaign. After watching that episode of Oprah, I craved Gap. I felt like I had been brainwashed, but I suppose that is just remarkable advertising. I think these two examples of advertising were so effective because they strongly associated the product with emotions. 'HOPE' although and inspiring idea, is not very meaningful on its own. But, when you hear Obama say 'HOPE', it gives you goosebumps. Reading the word 'HOPE' on a Pepsi bag at the inauguration also resulted in goosebumps, and a very thirsty Kerry.

Is it unethical for corporations to use human emotions in these ways to sell their products? I would say not, it's just good strategy. However, I am very surprised that corporations do not do this more. I am surprised that companies that use television ads don't purchase airtime specifically to shows, and then imitate the television program in their advertisement. The only occasions I have noticed this is the airing of sporting events, especially the Olympics, and most obviously the Super Bowl. I think Cadbury Chocolate should advertise at the end of The Bachelor, to use the 'past break up' emotions. Monster.com should play their commercials during The Office, when people are reminded how much they hate their job, because of the 'Dwight' or 'Michael' that works there. And everyone/anyone should advertise after President Obama's addresses; because even a Canadian, more importantly, an Albertan (the most conservative province) gets excited when she hears him speak.

29 January 2009

Beyond Interim

Hi, folks.  Just wanted to write one last post here regarding some volunteer opportunities to use your newfound awareness of the empire at Calvin in the coming years.
  • Student Activities Board: help plan and staff concerts.  Weekly hour-long meetings.  Contact Rob to be put on the e-mail list.
  • Cultural Discerners: continue to study the "spirits of our age" and how they emerge in popular culture...then coordinate events in your dorms and on campus.
  • Multicultural Student Development Office: Jacque Rhodes, who was on our panel, is the director of MSDO, which has a lot of opportunities to get involved in multicultural and anti-racism activities.
  • Fashion Advisory Board: Fashion shows and fashion magazines around the ideas Erin O'Connor-Garcia talked about in class.  Contact Erin to be a part of it.
  • Service-Learning Center: Remember what our panelists said about connecting with people who are different from you?  Use the SL-C web site to search for opportunities that fit your interests and skills (or keep the SL-C on your radar for student employment)
  • Barnabas Team: Organize dorm bible study and worship activities.  Barnabas needs people who are passionate about "double immersion" in scripture and culture and have an expanded definition of discipline.
This list is certainly not exhaustive and whether you take advantage of these activities or not, we encourage you to put ideas into practice (that's true knowledge, remember?).  In addition to considering these activities, seek out mentors and models in person and in books and other media who can help you continue to learn about the goodness of God's Kingdom.  And if you get a chance, stop by our office and say 'hi' sometime.  Thanks for a great experience!

28 January 2009

Good food

Someone asked for more details about the snacks we had in class yesterday, so here's a listing in case any of you wants to learn more.  Everything came from The Green Life Market or the Family Fare two blocks from where Rob and I live:
We went to the places that were closest to our  house, but here are some other sources where we could have found local and/or organic foods:
If you want to try restaurants that incorporate local and organic foods, here are a few (certainly not exhaustive):
Let me know if you have any other questions about locally grown (or other kinds of) foods.  I love a good food mystery and would be happy to help you find answers!

27 January 2009

Heaven is not my home

Several of you seemed surprised and intrigued yesterday by the idea that heaven is coming to earth some day and that the Kingdom of God will be embodied here, in this tangible place.  I'm going to try to put together a bible study time on this idea for those who are interested.  Until then (and beyond that), here are some books you might like to check out if you want to learn more:
  • Heaven is Not My Home:Living in the Now of God's Creation by Paul Marshall--Doesn't go into the theological ideas very deeply or academically, but explores examples of how God is redeeming specific areas of life, such as rest, play, work, imagination, learning and more.
  • Heaven is a Place on Earth: Why Everything You Do Matters to God by Michael E. Wittmer--A good introduction with well-explained theological ideas, lots of scripture references and pop culture examples.  Includes a discussion guide with questions.
  • Bringing Heaven Down to Earth: Connecting This Life to the Next by Nathan Bierma--Author works at Calvin in the Worship Institute and has taught a DCM course on his book.  Check out the slide shows his students put together illustrating ideas from the book.
  • Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, The Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright: Wright is a friend of Walsh & Keesmaat's and there's definitely a congruity and influence in their ideas.  This relatively new book has been getting rave reviews.  Check out the author on Stephen Colbert.
Heaven has in some ways been hijacked by ideas that have little merit when held up against the arc of scripture.  For myself, understanding that the eternal Kingdom of God will have something to do with the earthly creatures we are now makes it a much more exciting reality.  It also helps balance my sense of urgency ("I need to change the world and experience everything it has to offer NOW!  Before I die!") with a sense of trust and rest ("I can honor my limitations and the call to Sabbath in the hope of eternity on a renewed, restored earth").

GQ Magazine

GQ Magazine is a magazine made for men who want to better themselves in their appearance. In the magazine there are pictures to show off new trends in clothing and accessories. They also have articles explaining why people should wear certain clothing. Some articles are just random and talk about a certain issue or event that has happened. Appearance is key when giving a first impression. Clothing is one of the first things that people look at when they see you. What you wear is key to show who you are and what you stand for. GQ magazine also shows men how to dress themselves for professional occupations, as well as just wearing something causually. What you wear with your clothing such as watches, belts, hats, shoes, is also explained in some of GQ's articles. Most of the clothing in this magazine are particularly expensive, and directed toward people with high income. There are many pictures of models showing off clothing, as well as just random advertisements of different products.

What you wear, or fashion, is important because it expresses who we are and how we present ourselves to other people. Not only for ourselves or for other people, but how we present ourselves in Gods eyes. I don't think that spending alot of money on clothing is a bad thing because if you work really hard and receive alot of money, why not spend it on what we want? However if you are greedy and only care about money and status, and spend tons of money on clothing one week, and throw away clothing the next week to buy other clothes, then to me that is wrong. This would not bring any glory to God and is very selfish. However having alot of money and spending it on useful things to me, isn't a bad thing. People should spend money on what they want as well as what they need because they have worked hard to get all that money, and some people might have inherited alot of money, however the way you percieve money is a big part of determining whether money could be evil.

26 January 2009

The Guide by Borne

For once in my life I seePure love staring right backRight back at meAt meI played you a sweet song and you sang,You sang along.In your heart, your eyes and soul,Soul.You are my angel.You are my diamond.You are my guiding light,Yeah.I've seen the future.I've been to the bottom,But you keep my head above,Above.You are my Jesus,You are my savior,You are all that is love,Yeah.You're all that is loveYou're all that is loveYou're all that is loveYou are my diamond.You are my angel.You are my guiding light,Yeah.You're my guiding light
One of my favorite things about music is that every once in a while you stumble across a really amazing song that speaks to you on so many levels. “The Guide” by the Australian band, Borne, became one of those songs for me. This song became part of my music selection completely by coincidence. About two years ago I was on a trip with my youth group and my friend played this song for the whole car. I was immediately struck by the beautiful opening of the song and the unique voice of the lead singer. I didn’t really analyze the lyrics until about a week later when iTunes was offering it as a free download. The lyrics spoke to me even more than the music itself had and it has been a favorite of mine ever since.

Borne is an Australian band. The lead singer, Cam, writes all of the lyrics. “The Guide” is from an album entitled Loss of Signal. Cam explains that many of the songs were written “after a breakdown of a close relationship, the intense feelings of loss were a microcosm of the state of the world he found himself in, both personally but also on a global, environmental and socio-economic scale”. The song “The Guide” mentions a “pure love” the artist has who is his “diamond … guiding light …savior”. From what I can gather, they are not a Christian band. Given what the previous quote from the artist I think it is fair to infer that the artist is voicing his feelings for a specific person on this earth.

Though I can find the beauty in the fact that the song is about another person, the song speaks to me, personally, on a more spiritual level. I might even describe it as a song of worship for me. The artist finds his “guiding light” in this certain person. I find my “guiding light” to be Jesus himself. For me, Jesus is “my angel … my diamond … my savior”. For me, Jesus is “all that is love”. It creates a longing in me to know more about Jesus and experience his pure love. I think this song exquisitely illustrates the fact that even those who don’t know Jesus on a personal level, like the artist, have a desire, a longing, for a savior. It is just a shame that sometimes people look for a savior in other people rather than the one, true savior.

Pop Empire & Empire Remixed

Hey, folks.  There's a link to our class blog from the official Empire Remixed blog within a post about a question I e-mailed to Sylvia Keesmaat a while back.  Check it out.


Extreme Makeover

Over the weekend I watched the TV show "Extreme Makeover," which I personally find incredibly boring and repetitive, but to some it's fairly polarizing and promotes self-improvement. This show, hosted originally by ABC, involves individuals who volunteer to receive a full body makeover. This includes major plastic surgery, workouts sessions, new hair and make-up, as well as a whole new wardrobe. Basically if chosen for this show, you come out a completely different person. People love this type of television because they see it as motivating and inspiring, and often overlook the negative and superficial values that it reinforces. At the end of the show their "new self" is presented to their spouses, families, and friends and the joy of the participants seems quite apparent. But what goes on off air is all of the negative side effects there so called makeovers have on not only the candidate, but their family and friends as well. I did some research after watching this show and a research group following similar television programs show that complete makeovers such as this result in 1 in 2 casual dating relationships end as well as 1 in 4 married couples get a divorce, because of jealousy issues of not feeling like an adequate spouse to their newly transformed partner. Not only do shows like this have negative effects on the candidate's family, but it can also affect anyone who takes part in watching these shows. This show may boost someone's self-esteem but it is a disgrace to the Kingdom of God by portraying that the appearance of the average American is not good enough, as well as it has devastating results for the families involved. If maybe shows like this started to show the after effects to such extreme transformations then maybe the amount of Americans getting plastic surgery would decrease. 

Swiss Family Robinson

This past weekend, some of my buddies and I watched the 1960 Disney classic, Swiss Family Robinson. We had all seen it in our childhoods but thought it was time to see it once again. The premise revolves around a family who is traveling to New Guinea with their captain and crew but is stranded on an island after being caught in a storm while being chased by pirates. The family settles on an island where they soon call home and create a beautiful tree house that I myself dream to build some day. After a girl and her grandfather are captured by the pirates near where the family is living, Fritz and Ernst, the two eldest sons grab the girl, Roberta, and bring her back to their home. After several days pass, the family decides to have a race with some of their captured animals. The mother fires a gun to signal the start of the race and the pirates hear the gunshot and encircle the family. The pirate’s attack, but being prepared, the family set up booby-traps to fend them off. Finally, a ship comes to the rescue captained by Roberta’s grandfather. Ernst decides to leave with him to pursue an education, and the rest of the family including Roberta stay on the island to call it home.

Now one might wonder how any of this could connect to our discussions in class. Well, we’ve recently been discussing how we can follow the path in the Kingdom of God. Things such as buying your produce from farmers markets, or subscribing to a farm where you support local farmers and receive fresher produce. Or perhaps shopping at thrift shops where you are in support for breaking down the vicious cycle of child labor. If we look at the story of Swiss Family Robinson, even though they lived in a time with much less innovation and technology, they still had to make a living on an island in the middle of nowhere. They received water through a mill, eliminating the need for electricity. They got their whole food supply directly from the Earth. They even wrapped their Christmas gifts in huge leaves rather than paper! And as you find out in the end, they are satisfied with these conditions and choose to stay on the island. In a way, I think the pirates symbolize the empire. They try and keep them from living this new life and try to kill the happiness they have found. This film also portrays a lot about human character and purpose. With everything they create like the tree house, booby traps, and coconut bombs, we can see how creative we are and the imagination that resides in us. With what the family did on this uncivilized island tells us the creativity and imagination we can use to worship the Kingdom of God and release ourselves from the wrath of the empire!

I personally grew up with this film, and have yet to meet anyone that doesn’t like it. This of course means I recommend seeing it and urge you to give it a watch!

The Great American Past Time-Channel Surfing

On Sunday night, I decided to surf channels on TV and take notes on the many different advertisements and commercials that I saw.  I was amazed by what I found.  The sheer volume of commercials that viewers are exposed to is incredible, and this became clear to me when I sought out the commercials rather than just waiting for them to pass.  With my new knowledge and insight gained from The Persuaders, I was able to take the commercials at face value rather than remaining in my usual consumer mindset.  As wave upon wave of ads poured over me, I started to write down the slogans or techniques that commercials so often use.  A few different techniques began to emerge as commonplace and I saw many similar patterns for the advertisements.  Commercials will often try to personally try to appeal to their audiences with word or phrases like: “Your choice”, ”How you need it”, “freedom”, “discover for yourself” and many, many others.  This technique of personally appealing to potential consumers is a great method, as people want things that will help them, that are meant for them, rather than the general public.  When you step back, however, it becomes clear that these “personal ads” are just ploys to get people to buy products and are quite impersonal.  The next technique that I saw was the use of superlatives to compare a product to those from different companies.  Words like “better”, “faster”, “(superlative) than the next leading brand” and endless others.  This technique is very interesting to me because it does not necessarily give its viewers an accurate description of the product, but rather compares to another company.  If both companies are selling unadulterated crap,  what difference is there if one is slightly lighter, faster, sleeker etc.  Still another technique is to fool consumers into thinking that there is no risk at all to the consumer to buy the product/s.  This almost always is deceptive and there are often hidden costs or fees for returns or exchanges.   While this is disturbing, it is not that unexpected after viewing The Persuaders.  Companies will appeal to almost whatever they can to sell products and often delve into the nature of the empire to do so.  Empty promises, deceit, and embellishments are all obvious elements of an imperial society rather than one that follows the guidelines of a truly good life in the Kingdom.  I would strongly encourage anyone who reads this post to take a little time out of your day and simply view commercials as you flip through the channels on television.  In the right mindset, you will be amazed by the advertisements that you see.

Pink

I recently read an interview in the Seventeen Magazine with Pink discussing her relationship and divorce from her husband Carey as well as her music. After just two years of marriage, they mutually decided to end it. As the daughter of recently divorced parents, I immediately became interested in what Pink had to say about this topic. Following their separation, Pink started writing a new album about the breakup. Strangely enough, Pink’s first number one song came out of this situation. When asked how she feels about that, she said “It’s a testament to how often people break up, because everyone can relate to what I’m saying.” As I continued reading the article I was surprised at some of Pink’s comments although I suppose that it should be expected. It seems that her view of marriage is much different than that of the Kingdom. When asked if she thought they would be “together forever,” she replied “No. I don’t know if I ever really believed in the institution of marriage.” She went on to explain how their childhood homes were full of conflict and that neither of them had positive examples of marriage. Pink adds “Our idea of marriage…was more like, ‘We really like each other—we should just try, see what happens.’” Reading that last sentence was disappointing—just to see this widely shared empire view of marriage spelled out in one of the most popular teenage girl magazines. In a way, it degrades the sacred value of marriage as seen in the Kingdom. For me, it was really heartbreaking to read about yet another relationship broken and to read about the warped ideas that surround it. Pink goes on to say “I don’t regret a minute of it…I’ll do it a thousand more times, even though I don’t really think marriage is necessary.” This really illuminates the empire view that if things are not going as expected, it is okay to get out of the situation and resort to other options. It is more about happiness than holiness. It’s just overwhelming to think that in the empire today, people get married all the time, making vows till death do us part, even though they know that they do not plan on staying together forever. In the United States today, there is a 50% divorce rate and it is devastating to realize that it is becoming expected and not a big deal. It is particularly unfortunate to consider the lack of successful marriages for people to look to as examples, especially those of college age. It upsets me that this is now so common and being portrayed to young women, and our society as a whole, in this way.

Television Show "Lie To Me"

This past Wednesday Fox's season premiere of the new show "Lie to Me" was on. I had seen the previews to it and it seemed like it would be a kind of fun show to watch. The season premiere was about a teacher that was killed in a high school and the problem was that they didn't know who killed her. Throughout the episode the main character was interviewing people and trying to pick up hints on whether they were lying to him or not. As the show went on, he continued to pick up hints on who was lying to him and who was being straight and honest. Finally in the end they figured out who was guilty for the murder of the teacher.

The stories that I believe that this television series is trying to get across to its viewers is that many people lie to others and they don't even realize it. People like to lie if it is easier for them or if they know that they will benefit from it. I think that this show will show people a glimpse at how much people lie in their lifetime. I also think that it will stir up thoughts in peoples minds that will make them think twice about lying as much as they do. I think that this show is good because it will affect people in different ways and will get on people's conscious'. Obviously this show is pointing out how lying is causing evil and chaos in the world.

This artifact is showing us what the empire is doing to us and how it is influencing our decisions. The empire has caused us to want to lie more because lying allows us to feel more comfortable and lets us benefit out of what we are telling people. In order to live more for the Kingdom of God we have to stop telling lies and be straight up and honest with everyone we come in contact with. Hopefully this television show gets on peoples nerves and causes them to do what is right.

Posted by Brett Ellens

Seasons of Love from the musical Rent

Rent is a musical about a group of friends both artist and musicians who struggle to live and create in New York City’s Lower East side in the days of The Bohemian Alphabet City under the shadow of AIDS. The music and lyrics for Rent were written by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème. Rent is a Tony award winning musical and is the seventh longest running Broadway show.

I am going to focus on one of the songs the musical, Seasons of Love. This is one of my favorite songs from this musical because it is challenging the audience to think about how they measure a year. They offer suggestions of daylights, sunsets, midnights, cups of coffee, inches, miles, laughter or strife then they suggest, “How about love? Measure Your Life in Love.” They call us to measure in love, “Let's Celebrate, Remember a year in the life of friends; Oh you got to you got to remember the love, you know that love is a gift from up above, share love, give love, spread love; Measure, measure your life in love.” I think this song is crying out for the Kingdom. Calling us all to measure a year in our life not by the things we accomplished that year but by love. We need to remember the love; did we share love with those who need it, did we give love to those who needed it, did we spread love through our actions, did we even stop to remember that love is a gift from God. God’s first two commandments are about love; love the Lord your God with all your heart, body, and mind; and second is to love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Seasons of Love is a simple song with only a piano, drums, guitar and an organ but I think is has a very powerful message to think about a year in terms of love not what the empire to tell you measure in.

Grand Torino

I saw the movie Grand Torino a few weeks ago and thought it was a great drama flick. Starring Clint Eastwood, the movie centers around Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) living in his Michigan suburb home. As a retired Korea War Veteran, he is a tough character often using racial slurs when speaking to his Vietnamese neighbors. In a brief encounter with a Hispanic gang, the teenage neighbor boy, Thao, is saved by his Vietnamese cousin’s gang and is expected to join them. As initiation, they ask that he prove himself by stealing Walt’s 1972 Grand Torino (a hot classic car). He is then caught in the act by Walt holding his M-1 Grande rifle and is ordered by the epic line “Get off my lawn.” Tensions rise between the gang and Thao, who decides he doesn’t want to get tangled up in the mess of gang fights. The relationship with Walt and his neighbors moves from uncomfortable to bearable to friendly interaction. Thao learns skills from Walt as he pays in restitution by doing yard work and other household chores. The climax of the movie is when Thao’s sister Sue is raped and beaten by the gang. The enraged Walt decides there’s nothing left to do but pay in blood.

I feel this movie cries out for the kingdom in a few ways. Walt acts as a good role model for Thao and teaches him to be a man. With more trust comes more responsibility; at one point, Walt even agrees to allowing Thao drive the Grand Torino on a date (of which Walt also played a crucial part in setting up). He also becomes less callous to his Vietnamese neighbors and increases the sense of community between the two households. Probably the most prominent Christian aspect in this movie is the ending. When Walt seeks to avenge Sue’s blood, you see him in his home cleaning his gun and preparing for a sort of battle. The viewer is led to believe he is loading up and packing heat. Tensions reach a maximum when Walt stands outside of the gang’s apartment with a dozen rifles and pistols being aimed at him. He reaches in his pocket to light a cigarette when the gang open fires on him—the picture then becomes clear: he played a Christ figure, paying with his own blood and not coming to kill them but to be killed.

This movie clearly shows there is evil present in our world. The gang fights, Walt’s history in the war, the horrendous rape—all evidence of our fallen world. In my opinion, the storyteller told the viewer that Walt’s death redeemed him of his brutal killings in the Korea War; that “there was peace in the world” after he died and had “made amend” with his enemies.

All in all, great movie, great acting…if you haven’t seen it yet, I certainly recommend it!

All the single ladies: A few words on being women in the empire

Wouldn’t it have been just like “the talk” in fifth grade if we had separated our interim class by gender to talk about boys’ and girls’ bodies? I only remember three things about that experience: I asked an astute question about what happens when you swim, we made jokes about “sticky side down” for months and the boys on the other side of the hall finished early, a dozen faces peering in the window of our sacred room.

[This seems like a good time to address the men whose faces are peering into the window of this blog post right now: read on. Don’t be embarrassed. Especially when it comes to sex and birth control, you and your partner should be collaborators in bodily faithfulness. But you should also consider what it means specifically to be a man in the empire, as there are plenty of messages being directed toward you as well. To learn more, check out this retreat, which will take place February 13-14.]

As goofy as they may seem, these rites of passage are important. Too often, however, discussion about bodies and what it means to be a faithful woman stop at that awkward fifth grade ritual—after that, we’re sort of left to infer who we should be and what we should look like from the women around us and from the powerful images presented to us in popular culture.

I suspect most of you who caught the footnote in Colossians Remixed on page 197 about menstrual pads were a little disgusted, especially if you’ve never considered anything beyond the usual ways of addressing the “monthly visitor.” Even such polite (or other more crass) euphemisms for menstruation speak to how stubbornly we separate ourselves from our bodies, especially this particular aspect of the female experience. We strive to gain as much sanitary, disposable distance as possible.

And yet, in our interim class we’ve emphasized over and over again, both through Engaging God’s World and Colossians Remixed, that God cares about ALL things, that there’s not a speck of human experience in which we’re not called to faithfulness. It may sound strange, but yes, this includes periods (another polite euphemism). For more of my thoughts on this and for information on another alternative besides washable pads, check out the article “On becoming a Diva for Jesus.”

Certainly our call to be radically Kingdom-oriented as women goes beyond menstruation:
  1. Before you jump on the oral contraceptive bandwagon with birth control (or even if you have already), read a book like Taking Charge of your Fertility. Even if you’re not sexually active, it’s never too early to start learning about the amazing rhythms of your body. You may decide to go with oral contraceptives, but don’t let someone impose them on you like the consumer product they are without being informed about your options.
  2. If you wear makeup, choose products that are healthy for your body, not just the least expensive or most readily available products, many of which contain harmful ingredients and perpetuate the same “linear model” problems as other consumer items. Better products may be more expensive, but if wearing makeup is important to you, consider it an investment in your health. Aveda, Arbonne, The Body Shop and Anti-Body (check out the related film) are all companies that seek to honor people and the earth with cosmetic products.
  3. Choose products that are not tested on animals. Animal testing for cosmetics is not excusable for a people who recognize their God-given creational calling as stewards of the earth and all of its creatures. If we need to use shampoo, lotion, hairspray, eye shadow and other personal care products, we should be willing to test them on ourselves, especially if we know they don’t contain toxic ingredients to begin with. Not sure if something is tested on animals? Read labels. Do research (National Anti-Vivisection Society is a great resource.
  4. Cultivate an approach to hair and makeup that is based on joyful creativity, not necessity. If “the language of inevitability is the language of the empire,” we should be asking critical questions when we feel we have to wear makeup or when we fall into a rut of putting it on the same way every day so that it becomes a part of who we are to those around us. Likewise, we should question our assumption that we need to shower and wash our hair every single day. We in the U.S. consume a larger portion of the world’s resources per capita than any other country in the world.
  5. Care for your body by eating well and exercising—and take these things beyond the market solutions that are advertised to you. Research how good nutrition is tied into good earth keeping by eating locally-produced and organic foods. Discover how walking and riding your bike to get around can contribute to a healthy body and fewer resources being consumed in travel. Experience how yoga, running and other forms of exercise can be meditative practices. 
Those are just a few of my ideas. Anything to add? Objections? Questions? Comment or send me an e-mail.

Girl Talk



So, I'm a huge fan of Girl Talk.
No, not gossip or talking about shopping or shoes- the man, the myth, the somewhat notorious Gregg Gillis. He is Girl Talk, the genius behind mash-up that goes beyond the common term. Mash-up music is when a D.J. remixes elements of different songs and fuses them together to make another song. However, Girl Talk takes elements of songs from every decade, genre, and Billboard chart spot and forms an entirely unique original seamless track.

Well, the term "original" is being used abstractly here because Girl Talk has been getting into a little bit of legal trouble over his use of samples and copyright laws. After causing a stir via Myspace by letting his fans choose how much they'd like to pay for his latest album, "Feed The Animals", Girl Talk had to explain how he was barely crossing the line. The snippets he uses are the equivalent of sampling a track from iTunes or any online media player. Seriously, the amount of time the samples are used go from 15 seconds to less than one. The small samples are legal through the "Fair use" section of copyright law.

Girl Talk succeeds in distracting the media from copyright laws through his flawless skills and his back story to how he got his gig. Gregg Gillis, pre-Girl Talk was a biomedical engineer. After going through all the schooling required to get to his profession, he quit it all in May of 2007 to pursue his passion of creating music.

I see this as kind of fighting the Empire in a way. Pursuing your passion instead of continuing down the same path that's expected of you.
And it's kind of a kick in the face to the Empire as well. Just look what he can create without being penalized for his creativity. It might sound like a creative cop out- but just listen for yourself, you'll know what I mean.

I think that's what we're all called to do, it's part of our human purpose. Being part of the Kingdom calls for us to pursue what we can bring to the table, doing what we love. Girl Talk may not be specifically pursuing his passion for the glory of God, but I think he can be a good example of staying out of the Empire's "rut", if you will.

Girl Talk is one big lawsuit waiting to happen, but can throw one real good dance party.

25 January 2009

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

I watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This is a story written by Charlie Kaufman that tells about two people who were in love but then broke apart and had each other erased from their memories. The story follows Joel (Jim Carrey), for the most part, during his erasure of Clementine (Kate Winslet) from his mind. As the procedure is being done, Joel becomes aware that he still loves Clementine and he tries to halt the process.

This story addresses the issues of suffering, love, and redemption. The movie basically asked the question of if painful memories of relationships are better to be forgotten or not. The inventor of the memory erasing procedure believes that he is saving people from being unhappy and giving them a chance to live a new life free from the thing that was dragging them down. The story tries to show that it isn’t right to just erase all the problems that come up in life. Part of life is dealing with the difficult things. The empire wants us to believe that we should always be comfortable and never have to be discomfort. That way the empire can sell us more products. This film cries out for us to realize that even when bad things happen there are a lot of great things that come along with it. This movie encourages the audience to settle differences and have hope that people can get along.

Looking at the other characters in the movie that were working on the erasing of Joel’s memory of Clementine, the audience can see another depressing state of human nature. During the procedure the characters get drunk, smoke pot and have sex. I think that the movie is trying to show the sad shape that their lives are in because of their hopelessness. Two of the characters, Mary and Dr. Mierzwiak, get into an awkward situation that Dr. Mierzwiak’s wife catches them in. Mary learns that she has had her memory erased to forget about her love affair with Mierzwiak. Mary decided that the procedure was unethical and tried to redeem herself and everyone who was affected by the procedure by sending them information about the procedure and telling them what they did.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’s title comes from a quote that suggests that forgetting painful situations is a good thing. The movie goes against this belief of the empire by showing that everything in life helps people grow and that there is sometimes a lot of good with the bad.

Mad Hot Ballroom

Mad Hot Ballroom is a documentary film about a nonprofit organization (American Ballroom Theatre’s Dancing Classrooms) that teaches children to dance. For 10-weeks, children in grade 5 at 60 different New York City public schools, learn various dances (tango, meringue, rumba, foxtrot and swing). Six couples from each school are chosen to complete in the competition. Over the course of the movie we follow three schools in particular, as they try to make it through quarterfinals, semifinals and the finals. The story is told from the students perspective (interestingly enough, the camera guy actually held the camera to his stomach to keep it at the children’s faces.) They are transformed from children who were hesitant to dance and boys who couldn’t make eye contact with the girls, to “little ladies and gentlemen” (as one teacher put it.) This movie shows the diversity in New York City schools, and demonstrates how much a 10 week program can make a difference to inner city children.

One teacher talked about how it was good for the children, who don’t normally have an opportunity to dance, (because the children in the movie were almost all of minority races and lived in low income families) now have an equal opportunity to learn. It can be a life long lesson that teaches them how to respect others, how to believe in themselves and how to learn something totally new. I think this points to the kingdom because these children can learn something they would not normally be given the opportunity to learn. This also is a good demonstration of how the idea of two people (Pierre Dulaine & Yvonne Marceau) can snowball into a great organization that reaches thousands of kids. It teaches these urban kids life long lessons in respect, it gives the children social skills and confidence. It reaches these vulnerable kids a young ages, and teaches them lessons that have the ability to change their life. But more than that it reaches out and draws the community in too. The competition is a great way for the parents and community to support these kids, and make the kids feel good. So I think this movie and this organization are examples of how people can cry out for the kingdom because it is showing how two people reached out “for the least of these,” and have given hope to communities, children and schools by just a simple 10-week program in dancing.

Live Your Life by T.I. featuring Rihanna

One of the most popular rap songs today is “Live Your Life” by T. I. which features Rihanna. The first time I heard this song I thought it was just one more rap songs talking about doing drugs, having sex or committing crimes. However, once I looked up the lyrics I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is one of the few songs that don’t promote a very empirical lifestyle. After looking even further into this song to determine its meaning, I discovered that when T.I. speaks at the beginning of the song, he is dedicating the song to soldiers in Iraq.

Like almost every industry, music is greatly influenced by the empire, and the majority of musical groups are in it only for the money and fame. Most musicians don’t play so that they can send a message or so that they can make a person’s life better. T.I. might be a part of the industry for the wrong reasons, but if it he is, this song does not reflect that. As someone who has been a part of the empire, he can see what’s wrong and his second verse really hits on the problems of the rap industry; he says

I got love for the game but ay I'm not in love with all of it
I do without the fame and the rappers nowadays are comedy
The hootin' and the hollerin', back and forth with the arguing
Where you from, who you know, what you make and what kind of car you in
Seems as though you lost sight of what's important when depositin those
Checks into your bank account, and you up out of poverty
Your values is a disarrayed, prioritizing horribly
Unhappy with the riches cause you’re piss-poor morally
Ignoring all prior advice and forewarnin
And we mighty full of ourselves all of a sudden aren't we?

Several qualities of the empire are illuminated such as instant gratification, driven by money, conformity to cool, and consumerism. He criticizes the empire saying that money, possessions and who you know are not what’s important in life. People don’t realize how good they have things because they forget what their lives used to be like when they lived in rough neighborhoods and in bad home situations.

In this song, T.I. and Rihanna encourage people to “just live your life.” They recognize we need to be content with what God has given us and stop trying to get things which we don’t have. I’m pretty sure that they didn’t have the kingdom of God in mind when they thought of the values they were implying, but listening to their song I know it speaks directly to everyone who is busy chasing money and possessions without end. Hopefully the influence of these musical artists will convince people to change from a lifestyle that does exactly what the empire wants to a lifestyle that reflects qualities of God’s kingdom.

The Blind Boys of Alabama

I know this is a couple days after the concert but what the heck? I attended the concert, at the FAC, for The Blind Boys of Alabama. When the group came out, they were lined up one in front of the other. They led each other while someone led the whole group to the front of the stage. The man at the front of the group could be an example of how God guides us. God guides us because we are spiritually blind from sin. The Blind Boys have already won four Grammy Awards and the lead singer would not let any of us forget it. He also told us not to feel bad if they didn't win one this year because they already had four. Those who were actually blind in the group showed that it was not a burden for them. All of the songs that were sung were amazing. There was a great amount of soul and energy in their voices and body language. Two of the men in the group would stand up from their chairs and start dancing before they started singing. It was so exciting because I didn't expect so much enthusiasm from them. The message from the group was clear: God is in control and we should trust Him. The main singer, in the middle, even came into the audience. He went around touching peoples' hands and holding the microphone up for cheering.

I won't forget to mention that there was a lot of clapping. The energy from the members of the group transferred over to everyone in the FAC. Some qualities of the kingdom that were prevalent in the concert were community with purpose, following God's will, God being on our side, and God suffering with us. It was a very positive experience. It is so inspiring to see how grateful these men are to be alive and doing what they love to do. They inspired me to be what I want to be and to follow my dreams.

Lord of the Rings

Last weekend I watched the entire trilogy of The Lord of the Rings in one day along with a couple of my friends.  These movies are based on the novels by J.R.R. Tolkein, and tell the story of Middle Earth, a fantasy world that contains creatures such as wizards, dragons, orcs, talking trees, hobbits, and much more.  The films tell the story of a hobbit named Frodo and his quest to destroy the ring of power, thereby saving Middle Earth from evil.  A character named Sauron created this ring and the world can only be at peace again once it is ruined.  While Frodo attempts to complete this enormous task, numerous battles between the two opposing armies take place and the struggle between good and evil is constantly shown.

 

Qualities of the Empire are very evident throughout each of the three films.  The characters of Sauron and Sauromon are generally used to represent evil, along with the armies that each of them controls.  Even though the story takes place in a setting other than our world, and seems to have happened many years ago, we can still see concepts that apply to the Empire that we face today.  Issues such as power and oppression are frequent in the movies.   The ring represents power, and everybody who comes across it is greatly tempted and lured in by the strength of it.  Sauron never stops looking for the ring and thirsting for this power.  In addition, this power leads to oppression.  The evil characters in the story oppress numerous people in an effort to gain the ring.  Other qualities of the Empire that can be seen are violence and individualism.  Violence is frequent in these films.  There are numerous battles in each of the three movies and countless people and creatures are killed.  Individualism exists primarily on the evil side of things.  Betrayal is common and there is almost no sense of selflessness among these people.

 

Although there are many Imperial issues in The Lord of the Rings, we can also find quite a few Kingdom issues to combat these.  One of the primary qualities of the Kingdom that shows up is imagination.  It undoubtedly took an incredible imagination to create these elaborate stories, and the fact that J.R.R. Tokein was able to do so has allowed countless people to take joy and delight in them.  Another encouraging theme is hope.  Often times in the story, the good army, consisting of humans, dwarves, and elves, seem outnumbered and defeat looks inevitable.  Even in these circumstances, however, there is a sense of hope.  At one point, a young boy tells the character Aragorn that the men have said that a battle is hopeless and they cannot win.  Aragorn responds by telling the child, “There is always hope.”  Two other important Kingdom qualities are community and love.  The group of people sent to destroy the ring is referred to as the Fellowship of the Ring.  This fellowship is a great example of community.  Each person in it looks out for the others and a couple of them even sacrifice their own lives for the greater good.  This closely relates to the theme of love, as can be seen in the friendships of people like Sam and Frodo and even the romantic relationship between Arwen and Aragorn.

 

As a whole, I think that The Lord of the Rings does much more to build up the Kingdom of God than it does to support the Empire.  A few years ago I read J.R.R. Tolkein’s biography and was able to see some of his motivations for creating this trilogy.  Although violence is frequent throughout the books and films, Tolkein explains that he is really trying to symbolically portray a struggle between good and evil.  In the end, good wins out triumphantly.  Because Tolkein was a devoted Christian, many people even speculate that this trilogy was an allegory and each thing in it symbolized something Biblical.  For example, the ring could represent sin and the character Frodo is each of us.  Some people even saw Aragorn as a Christ figure since he became a king at the end of the story, or possibly even Gandalf since he died and was able to come back to life.  Nevertheless, I think that these movies embody many of the important aspects of the Kingdom.  The qualities of the Empire that we can see in them are used to portray evil more than anything else.  This evil is destroyed at the end of the story when Frodo successfully destroys the ring and redemption is brought to Middle Earth.

Sports Illustrated

I always enjoy hearing about sports and the top stories that are currently happening in professional and college athletics. Sports Illustrated is a good magazine to keep updated on what is happening. It provides stories, stats, gamcaps, etc. It is a monthly issued magazine and features a honored individual or team on the cover each time it is issued.
Sports Illustrated tends to show how athletes are just created better than we are. They can do unbelievable things, and their bodies were just created more powerful than ours. Human purpose is to perform and be honored in their magazine for the achievements in their game/match. They are to be money-making machines that provide entertainment to people who can't play as well as they can. The empire can effect them athletes and this magazine in this way so it portrays how "successful" these people are in the empire's terms.
It shows both the kingdom and the empire in its contents. Like I said before, it provides many examples of the empire and how to fit into it by being successful and powerful through athletics. It portrays sports as a God and to be honored you have to be able to participate at a high level in these sports. It also has many advertisements that are postioned in the magazine to get our attention in a sneaky way. They have a bacardi advertisement that shows the "fun" about it, but I find it interesting that the drink responsibly message is so small. It also had many cigerete advertisements which can become an addiction and a god over us. These advertisements control us and are a huge part of our empire. However, it also shows the kingdom as well. There are a few stories that provide examples of athletes that are attempting to subvert the empire. In this issue, Julius Earving (Dr. J) shared his story about his poor relationship with his daughter who throughout her life denied him as her father. He recently called her and he has begun to try to form a relationship with her and become a better dad. This shows a amazing athlete just trying to become the father God is giving the chance to be.
Sometimes I feel while reading Sports Illustrated that athletes can do whatever they want and "sin" is not even present in their lives. Even though is completely false, it is the approach that the magazine takes to portray the athletes. They are super-beings that don't need anything or anybody to be successful. There are exceptions within the magazine but the majority of it portrays a message of empire.
I enjoy reading Sports Illustrated but after reading it through the mindset of the kingdom, I am going to be more careful not to be fooled by the messages of the empire within the pictures and words of the magazine. It's amazing how much empire is packed into one artifact, but obviously there is good that can come out as well, and we have to be able to discern the good out of the bad.

Rolling Stone

Today I read one of my favorite magazines Rolling Stone; it was the newest issue with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. I find it very interesting to read about a variety of artists and entertainments and then how the public responds to them and what reviewers have to say about their work. The magazine covers politics and other issues as well. The magazine like many others has many advertisements everywhere and the artists featured in the magazine also gain publicity too.  One article I read that went with what we talked about in class one day was an article dealing with the price of online music lowering in response to piracy. This tied into class well and reminded me of what Ken Heffner said about the music industry needing to change with the problem of piracy.

The magazine shows quite a bit of the empire. It glorifies artists and sets them up to easily become idols. It is not a bad thing to learn about the people that make your favorite music but this magazine provides a lot of information that we really do not need to know. It glorifies people and makes them seem greater than “normal” people. It also shares the experiences of artists and their involvement in drugs and heavy partying, which also seems glorified even if the magazine does not intend to do this. The whole magazine also tries to sell you things in the straightforward advertisements but also in the articles as well. The artists in these articles are either being praised for their work or their work is being called a little “under par.” In either case the magazine tries to make readers buy Artist’s music and see the movies that are out to see if the reviews in the magazine are accurate. The magazine also had an article about a dangerous Schizophrenia drug was marketed towards misbehaving kids and made sixteen billion dollars as well as a lot of problems for the kids taking the pill. So the magazine addresses some tough issues dealing with the evil of the empire as well. 

Joyful blindness

On Tuesday 20th, I went to see the Blind Boys of Alabama. I have to admit that two days before the presentations I had no idea who this Southern Gospel group was. But I knew they had won a Grammy so I went to youtube.com and listened to some of their music. I loved it! I decided to buy my ticket and go. The concert was beautiful. The Blind Boys of Alabama definitely know hot to put into music their emotions and feelings, and what is more meaningful: they know how to transmit the message and capture the audience.

While I was sitting (the first half of the concert), the first thing that assailed my mind was that the Blind Boys of Alabama are certainly blind. But in their blindness appear to be the most joyful people I have ever seen. I could actually feel that joy running all through my body. The second feeling that came into my mind was that there are thousands of things to be happy about, but most of the times we don’t see them. And yet the Blind Boys see them, and perhaps more clearly than we do. And third, this thought stuck into my mind: How are we affecting the lives of other surrounding us? What things are we doing to create an atmosphere of freedom?

I have to admit that while watching them singing I was feeling completely useless. God has given me everything I need and yet I am not even close to show the joy the Blind Boys embodied.

CHANGELING

A powerfully moving masterpiece by Clint Eastwood, "Changeling" is a movie about true events in Los Angeles in the 1920's era. Christine (played by Angelina Jolie) is a single mother whose son has gone missing. After months and months of painful searching, Christine begins to lose hope. Just as things are starting look bad, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) claims they have found her son Walter. They made a huge mistake and brought the wrong boy but they still insist beyond a doubt that he is her son (even though he is 3 inches shorter than the real Walter Collins, and is also circumsized.)
Through a long run of injustice, Christine is thrown into a psychotic ward where she is allegedly imprisoned and mistreated for being an unfit mother and "crazy." But she soon finds out that she (and many others) in the mental ward are not there because they are insane, but because they are making trouble and "embarrasing" the LAPD. The doctor at the institution (likely under the pay roll and influence of the LAPD) says she can go only if she signs documents that takes the blame away from LAPD for their mistakes -- but she won't sign them.
This heartbreaking story gave a great example of what one woman with little power or significance changed the fabric of an entire city, achieved retribution for injustice and also got rid of a lot of corruption in the police force. It is a story of perserverence and not giving in to bullies (the LAPD and a system that made women far less significant). Christine never gave up, even in the face of torture and possibly death.
She lived in an "empire" that gave the message that made people in power always right, and not to challenge authority -especially if you are a person of little influece; women. In a time where it was possibly dishonerable and certainly dangerous to stand up to people who did not want to be challenged or embarrassed.
This truly displays how things should not be in the Kingdom of God. In the Kingdom of God there will be equality, not a society where men of power and influence trample everyone else. There will be justice and forgiveness rather than a blatant mistreatment of power. Things in L.A. are not as they should be, but these true events tell of a person of little power or influece who changed the very oppressive and unnacountable police department of L.A.

Rock Star by Nickelback

Rock Star by Nickelback
I recently listened to the song “Rock Star” by the Canadian band Nickelback. The single comes off of their very successful album All the Right Reasons, released in 2005. The song speaks of the desires to have everything a rock star has; from “a bathroom I can play baseball in” to “a king-sized tub big enough for ten plus me,” he is willing to do anything and everything, including cutting his hair and changing his name to achieve the life of a rock star.
This song certainly seeks to further the ideas of the empire. The goal of human life is to be rich and famous. You need to have all there is to have, from fifteen cars and a load of drugs, to playboy bunnies and limitless credit cards. The life of the rock star is exalted to the point of being the best way to live one’s life. There is no such thing as sin; you should simply do whatever you want to please yourself. We don’t need to be redeemed from anything; we just need to be wealthy. This philosophy certainly goes hand in hand with that of the empire. This life is self-gratifying, but also seductive. It does not tell you the dangers of living such a life. Pleasing yourself comes first, and they could care less about pleasing others.
As I did a little research about this song, an interesting question came up. Is this song a satire? Is Chad Kroeger, the lead singer, criticizing the lusts and desires of his own profession? I certainly don’t think so. He was once on the show MTV Cribs flaunting his wealth; why then would he satirize himself when he sings of “a brand new house on an episode of Cribs”? And the band certainly has lived the life of the rich and famous, so why make fun of them? Even if it was a satire, I don’t think the majority of the American public would understand it. I certainly wouldn’t think of the song in that way. Most Americans would think of this song not as satire but as a kind of truth. Existentialism is all that matters; if you aren’t squeezing every drop out of life you are not truly living. These rock stars certainly are living the life; why shouldn’t you?
Overall, this is kind of a sad song. It is sad that young boys and girls will listen to this and think this self-gratifying philosophy is the path for them. All that this song does is advocate greed, materialism, and lust. This song glorifies the life of the rock star, but that is not where true happiness originates. Only through a relationship with Jesus Christ will we be truly happy. After our hearts and minds have been transformed, we can live a life of service unto others, caring for the needs of the poor and lifting up the downtrodden.

Ada Bible Service

Today I went to Ada Bible, which is located in Ada Michigan. It is considered a "Mega" church with over 6,000 members and 5 services -1 on saturday and 2 on sunday at the cascade campus and 2 at the North Campus all preaching the same thing. The sermon saturday at the cascade campus is recorded and replayed at the 2 services at the North Campus. The church got so big that it had to make a saturday service and just this summer open another campus on the north side of town. The most unique thing about Ada Bible is that at each service at the Cascade campus you can either watch the whole sermon and music "live" or go to a video venue. 
The concept of watching a sermon on a video may seem odd, and it seems odd to me, but it has become more acceptable in this day and age of television. We can sit in front of a television screen for hours on end, so a sermon at church is nothing new. I don't think that this concept could have been pulled off years ago, but it is now more acceptable.
Today I went to the cascade campus at 11 o'clock with some of my 2nd Bolt friends and we went to the "live" viewing. The idea of watching the sermon on a video screen did not appeal to us.
The sermon was very interesting to all of us. The sermon was on Proverbs and all of its "wisdom advice." We looked at 5 verses that talked about how to work. The sermon did not talk about anything "religious" or "spiritual" but rather that we should all work hard. Each verse that we looked at seemed like they could have been spoken to us by our parents or grandparents and did not seem appropriate at church. It also talked about managing our finances which is nearly irrelevant to all of us who give all of our money to Calvin anyways.
At the lunch table we all started talking about why they would give a sermon about working hard. Yes, everyone can use a sermon about working harder and we can all work harder, but is that really something that should be preached? Not only that, but it is a 4 week series on it. After much discussion we weren't sure if Ada Bible was conforming to the empire and giving advice that the people want to hear, or if it is part of the kingdom because it is in the bible.
Ada Bible does a lot of things right, but it is changing the standard for all Christians, giving sermons in mass numbers and losing the "church" aspect. It seems that community is lost at Ada Bible, but I don't know how they would fix it.

Twilight: Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Empire?

Twilight is a novel that I thought I would never read because it never caught my eye at the bookstore. I didn’t even know what the story was about because I never read the summary, and I thought I wouldn’t like the book, but when I went back home for Christmas break I met my cousin and she told me to read it. She said it was a really good book. I knew there was a movie on Twilight, so I was a little curious why many people seemed to like Twilight, but that was all it was, curiosity. Curiosity wasn’t enough for me to go out and purchase the book. Later I was at the airport and I kept bothering my sister if I could go and buy a book at the bookstore near the food court. She agreed, so I went and looked around. I was searching for a book that would last for about five to six hours on the airplane ride; a book so fat and thick that it would last longer then the ride back to school. I didn’t find that book, so I just purchased a book that seemed a little bit interesting. But when I was about to leave the bookstore I saw Twilight: it was thick and fat and it might be interesting, so my sister and I returned the other book and bought Twilight. To my surprise it was a really good book, very interesting and hard to put down, but even though I thought it was interesting and a good book I kept having doubts whether this book was a good book. I had doubts on whether the book was written well, whether I liked the characters’ personalities, and whether it was promoting good values, but I shoved my doubts aside because then I had to question why I kept purchasing the author’s next book to the Twilight series. The conclusion I came to is this: I do like the idea of the story (except the part where it’s too focused on the romance), but not how it is written, I don’t really like how the characters are portrayed, and I don’t think Twilight promotes very good values. I believe this novel cries out for the empire and despite all of this I somehow end up liking this book.

Twilight is a love story where the main characters are Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. In this story evil is seen in the nature of the vampires. They are seen as monsters by the Quileute people of La Push because they hunt humans and drink their blood, but the Cullen’s are different they do not harm humans by drinking their blood instead they are more civilized and live among the humans which is not part of their nature. To live among the humans the Cullen’s drink the blood of animals. I see this as an attempt for redemption for what they are. The one who began this way of life was Carlisle because he became a vampire by accident and his father was an Anglican pastor due to this he felt guilty of what he became, so in the beginning he tried to destroy himself, but his many attempts of suicide did not work. Later he came to a realization that he doesn’t have to drink the blood of humans; this way he won’t harm them. This is his way of repenting for what he became. Carlisle also believes that vampires might have a soul and can go to heaven, but Edward doesn’t believe this; he thinks they will not be able to go to heaven. So the idea that vampires can go to heaven makes me think that redemption can be reached to people that seem completely evil and have no redeemable quality about them. This makes me think that everyone, even beings who are seen as too evil, can go to heaven if they believe in Jesus as our savior and believe in God.

In the novel, it is revealed that life in the empire is superficial and that life is about the individual. I say this because Bella and Edward seem like superficial characters because Bella is always preoccupied with Edward’s beauty and how he’s like a god, and Edward is very arrogant and flaunts his good qualities to Bella. She always thinks she is unworthy for him; this makes me think that the author thinks girls need to be physically beautiful and look like a model to be worthy of love. The novel gives off values of the empire; values that can be sold easily to the consumers such as beauty and idolatry. I think idolatry is a value the novel is supporting because Bella is making Edward into her idol; she mentions that she wants to become a vampire and doesn’t care what might happen to her soul if she can be with Edward forever. She cares more for Edward then her self spiritually. She cares more for him then going to heaven. Her heaven is being with Edward.

Twilight in a sense is a bad book for Christians because it teaches the values of the empire. The novel supports the empire instead of the Kingdom of God because it sells the ideas and desires of the empire. This novel is trying to capture our imaginations to read what the empire says is a good book. When I read the reviews on the back of the book it said things like “A New York Times Editor’s Choice” and “A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year,” but I think this is misleading because when I went to Amazon it had reviews with one star and not all the readers liked the book, but there were some who really liked the book and gave it five or four stars, but I think those people’s imaginations are still held captive by the empire. I am not certain if I like the book; I do seem to like parts of the story, but this makes me think that my imagination is held captive by the empire. If I read the novel a few years later again maybe I won’t like the novel, and then I will be free from the empire.

The Devil Wears Prada

Over the weekend I watched the Devil Wears Prada. This movie is about a girl that wants to be a journalist. She needs to do some other work before she can do this. Andrea (Anne Hathaway) gets offered a job to work for a very big clothing designer. At first she just doesn’t fit in to this new type of lifestyle, but soon she figures out ways to start fitting in. She changes her image, look, and some of her relationships.
After viewing the movie I think that this artifact is trying to display that in order to be happy or get where you want to get you need to do anything possible so that you can fit in. I think that it shows that the human purpose it to simply be able to make other people happy and do what you need to get far into this world. I think that a lot of people get so worked up over such petty little things. I have a lot of friends who just care about their clothes and the way that they look. Life has so much more to offer than stuff that only betters your image. We are created in the image of God, not in the image of designer clothes and mass amounts of makeup. Media, music and magazines have such a big influence on young girls of today. I know that in my case whenever I see a new beauty product or gorgeous model I try to improve my self-image.
There are some examples in this movie that prove that this is an empirical artifact. One example would be when image takes a turn for the worst. She begins to make the empire more important than her boyfriend. She begins seeing clothes as more than clothes but as fashion. She is also willing to do anything to make her way in the empire.

Shawshank Redemption

Over the weekend I had the chance to view the film, Shawshank Redemption. This is not the first time that I have seen it but it is one of those movies that contains so much that you pick up on different things each time. To be brief, this film is about a man named Andy Dufresne, who was wrongly convicted of killing his wife, and along with her another man. The consequences were two life sentences back to back. This movie follows his life through his time at prison and a brief period afterward, meeting some interesting people along the way.

It is easy to the empire being portrayed in movies that are based in a prison. In a large building filled with convicted criminals in which many develop a "me first" mentality in order to survive. The depictions of attack, and preying on new-comers as well as those who show any signs of weakness. The fact that sin has entered the world is not something that we can deny and we certainly have to have rules put in place that does attempt to limit acts of law breaking. The empire strikes the beliefs in many people in the prison environment that they have to be hard asses within the prison and have a self centered personality. 

This movie does with no doubt show the ideas that parallel the kingdom as well. As Andy carries on in his journey knocking off the years of his sentence, he runs into some interesting people. The fact that relationships develop within this story is a key thing that reflects the kingdom. A long time resident of the prison "Red" becomes Andy's closest pal. "Red" is one of the prisons inmates who gets different things from the "outside" and supplies them to the inmates in exchange for smokes. Red and Andy's relationship shows how they work together to learn from each other to survive in Shawshank. 

Two parts of this movies stuck out to me while I was watching. The first was the same clip that we ended up watching during our class early on. This was where Andy had the chance to play music into the speakers for all the inmates to listen to and enjoy. Although the music was played in Italian, there was a feeling of warmth and most definitely imagination. Each person had the chance to react to the music in there own way and take out of it what they wanted. To me this way of listening to music that was demonstrated in this film is one of the best ways to really appreciate music.
The second part was where Andy and Red were sitting down outside in the dirt, Andy wraps up a conversation by saying. "Get busy living, or get busy dying!" this line sticks out to me in this film is because of the practicality of it. To me this line is saying that it is our duty to go out in the world and make things happen. We can not just sit back and watch the world go by. As Christians, this is what the Kingdom requires of us. 

24 January 2009

"Babylon is Fallin'" by Slightly Stoopid

I seriously love Slightly Stoopid! They are a reggae/punk/psychedelic band from Ocean Beach, CA. For the most part their music is a fusion of mellow surf rock with different influences. A lot of their music is inspired by the sounds of Bob Marley, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sublime, Dr. Dre, and Led Zeppelin. Many of their songs glorify smoking pot (which is bad) or scorn long lost love, but “Babylon is Fallin’” has a surprisingly spiritual message. This song is pretty much crying out on behalf of the Kingdom. It identifies how messed up the world has become (“everybody losing control/people use and abuse this world/and now they’re just taking a stroll/these times have changed”). In the second part of the song they claim that time will tell when all the wealth is gone and people have to start giving their love. They claim, however, that if you open your eyes to these problems you can end up in heaven. As Christians, we know that that’s not the way it works. Giving your love in the name of the Lord isn't a bad thing, but counting on that alone to get you into Heaven doesn't produce the desired outcome. The song ends with the band identifying that there is hope for us (“there is light at the end of the darkness/why don’t you come out and see…”). I think that this song has a good message (besides the fact that the band claims that Heaven is yours if you just open your eyes and give your love). This song recognizes the problems with this world: people taking without reciprocating, and the fakeness of wealth and power. It shows that there is hope beyond what we know now. This song condemns the falsity, “utopia,” and seduction of the Empire, and cries out for the victory, purpose, and change available in the Kingdom. Finding this song was definitely a pleasant surprise giving that this band is normally totally Empirical and stoned.

Once

The movie Once was a very inspiring and powerful movie. It shows the power of music over human emotions. It also deals very strongly with the subject of longing. This movie left me with a feeling of awe afterwards, causing me to stare into space and think about my own deep longings and love for music and life. 
The story of Once is based in Dublin, Ireland, and centers around a man who remains nameless the whole movie. He is a single man who lives with his father and works at the family Hoover Vacuum repair shop. However, he is also a very talented singer/songwriter who spends his off-time and nights on the streets of Dublin, playing the songs he has written on a guitar so old and worn that his pick has chipped away the face of the guitar, revealing the inside of the guitar's body. His songs are full of sadness, longing for a woman who has left, leaving him alone and wishing for the times of the past. One night, as he stands on the street, absolutely belting his heartfelt lyrics, a young woman walks up to him and stands and listens, and then puts 10 cents into his guitar case. This meager offering starts a conversation, after which it is agreed that the girl will bring her broken Hoover vacuum to his shop the next day. 
The story which follows is one of a growing friendship between the man and woman, who both remain nameless the whole movie. Their friendship is based around the man's guitar playing and the woman's piano playing. They both play songs full of longing for their lost loves. Their songs both ask what they've done wrong, what they could do better, and wish for the happier, brighter days gone by. 
The whole movie, as you watch, you begin to long for the happiness of these characters, and you feel elated when something good happens, and feel crushed when something bad happens. As each stage of the movie goes by, the characters sing songs that build on one another, and show their confusion, pain, and hope.
Finally, the man decides to travel to London to try and get his love back. This breaks the cycle of apathy he had been in. This shows the apathy of the empire. We get caught in our own apathy, wishing for things to be different, but never doing anything about it. When the man finally decides to do something about his apathy, he finds true happiness. The same goes for the woman. She contacts her estranged husband, and they finally begin to build their relationship.
This movie shows us how our longings can finally push us into action, and can then lead us into true change and redemption. The suffering that the two characters have gone through leads them into true change and action, allowing their lives to be better. This movie fills me with hope, and inspires me to break cycles of apathy, constantly wishing for things to be different, and to actually do something about it. I think this movie shows us, beautifully, the power of longing and the impact it can have in improving our lives.

The Office: Prince Family Paper

In the latest episode of The Office, Michael is sent on a mission to find out about a competitive paper firm.  On his mission he takes the ever corky Dwight.  As they are about to go into the other paper company, Michael goes on and on to the camera about business being "survival of the fittest" in which the big shark, eats the littler shark, and so on until the tiniest organism shark is eaten.  He sees business from a clearly empirical standpoint.  It is all competition and greed.  Part of your businesses purpose is to take down other businesses on the road to success.  
However, as Michael enters the office, he realizes that it is a very family oriented business.  They only people that work there are the owner, his wife, and his son.  They have a large client base, but are completely dependent on their companies success for their well being.  These people are very kind to Michael, offering him coffee, helping him fix his car, and telling him all about their business.  They trust Michael.  Eventually, the owner of the Prince Family Paper company gives Michael their entire list of top clients.  This is the best possible result that Michael could have hoped for, and his boss would be very pleased.  However, after getting to know the Prince family, Michael realizes that he doesn't want to give the list to his boss because he knows that it will hurt the Prince family's business.  
In this part, Michael represents the kingdom.  "Live, and let live!"  he exclaims to Dwight, when Dwight insists that they should give the list to their boss.  Michael realizes in this moment that business is not solely about competition.  He realizes that business can be personal.  People's livelihoods are invested in their businesses, and when bigger corporations take them down, they are ruined.  Michael doesn't believe that competition should completely drive a company.  He recognizes the greed of this own company when he says "our sales our fine!  we dont need this clients!"  
However, Dwight is a representation of the empire in this episode.  Dwight is bound and determined that they must give the client list to their boss.  He says that it is the best thing for the company, and the Prince Family Paper company is weak and does not deserve to be in business.  After an epic chase around the office and a struggle for the list, Dwight eventually snatches the list from Michael, and forces his hand in calling their boss.  After Michael gives into the empirical values, Dwight comforts him by saying "guess who's stock just went up!"  to which Michael replies with "It bittersweet".  
This episode of The Office is a great example of the conflict between to empire and the kingdom.  It questions the way that the empire does business.  Big companies are notorious for taking small businesses clients and putting those companies out of business.  And they are driven by greed and competition, a perfect example of empirical values.  Unfortunately in this episode, and for much of the real business world, the empire wins.  

cosmopolitan

The other day I was in my friend’s room and decided to pick up one of her magazines. Her roommate is gone for second semester but the magazines are still mailed to her room. The magazine that I decided to pick up was cosmopolitan. However, I thought I would be reading this by myself, but instead two of my friends decided to sit beside me and we all looked at it together. Normally when I read a magazine I don't really read it. I flip through the pages looking at the pictures, and if something catches my eye, I might read it. If nothing does, there is always hope at the back of the magazine where people tell some of their most embarrassing moments. However, I decided to really look into this magazine. Some of the things in the magazine disgusted me. Whether it was the pictures or some of the topics that were in the magazine. Almost every page you flipped through was either implying sex, or outright talking about sex. I know that my parents do not allow me to receive magazines like that anymore because I have 3 brothers and also many people that come to my house, whether its friends or family members. My parents don't want those kinds of magazines lying around the house, and they do not approve of what they are implying.
The magazine cosmopolitan was clearly the empire works. I found nothing in that magazine that was implying the kingdom.

Greys Anatomy

This last Thursday I watch the show Grey’s Anatomy. This show always has multiple stories going on in one episode but I want to focus on just one. There was a man who was in prison for murdering five women. He was sentenced to the death penalty. About a week and a half before he was going to be executed, he was stabbed with a sharpened toothbrush. He was rushed to the hospital and had to be given full care. He had many complications and they had to do surgery on his brain to help swelling to go down. At this same time there was a young little boy who had many health issues. He was in need of a transplant or he would die. It was very sad because he was extremely young and had many loved ones that could not stand to see him go. Not only was the family extremely consumed by this whole ordeal but the staff was working around the clock to do everything in their power to save this boy. When this man found out about the young boy, he wanted to give his organs and die in the hospital rather than in the prison. Some of the staff agreed that it was a good idea because he was going to die in a week and this boy had is whole life ahead of him. But others thought it was wrong since they took an oath to give their best to save their patient’s life. To them it went against the rulebook. There was one person that had a little compassion for the man on death row and that was Meredith Grey, everyone else only gave him the care they had to and nothing more.
They came to the conclusion that they should all do what was best for their patient’s health and didn’t allow the man to die. The young boy ended up getting organs from another donor and lived. The man on death row did have to go back to be killed. When he walked into the room he could see all the angry family members of the people he had killed. Towards the back of the room he saw Meredith’s face which was the only friendly face in the entire crowd. She decided to show him compassion in a room full of hated.
Through out this entire show compassion was easy to find. Lots of the staff had compassion on the little boy, the woman who had to pull the plug on her husband had compassion on the little boy as well, and Meredith had compassion on the man who everyone gave up on. The empire would not ever give that man a second chance but those who know Christ know that we need to forgive and have compassion on everyone, even those who seem like a lost cause.

23 January 2009

High Fructose Corn Syrup

Recently in class we watched King Corn. A film about two guys who decide to grow corn on an acre of land for a year to see the whole process of exactly what happens to corn from start to finish. In the film they discovered that a major part of the corn crop goes to making high fructose corn syrup. This syrup is used in a wide variety of products. In fact, if you go down to the local gas station or walk through a grocery store, a majority of the food there contains this corn syrup. Even the beef we eat is most likely corn fed beef. This might not be so disconcerting if this high fructose corn syrup was good for us. However, our bodies can't break down large quantities of this syrup. Since its in a large quantity of our foods we have a high intake of it. This disturbed me. If you look at a majority of the juices or sodas you will find that it contains high fructose corn syrup. Statistics show that if you drink one pop a day you are two times more likely to get diabetes that someone who doesn't drink much pop. This is due to partially to the corn syrup. That's a scary fact.

After class I went home and turned on the tv. As if to combat the information I just saw in king Corn a commercial came on. The commercial was a couple sitting in a park. The woman offers the man a bit of a pop sickle and he says, "I thought you loved me." So she said then have two bites. The man says, "don't you know that has high fructose corn syrup in it? You know what they say about high fructose corn syrup don't you?" "No, what do they say?" He doesn't have a response, showing he really doesn't know a whole lot about it. So she goes on to explain that its a cheap substitute to sugar and that its ok for you in moderation. Now given what I just saw in the movie this is kind of ironic. Ok so its good for you in moderation, but its in most of our products. We consume large amount of corn syrup with out consciously knowing it. What does that mean? How can I consume high fructose corn syrup in moderation when its in so many products?

This just shows you the efforts of a company to keep up its profits. The public is leery about high fructose corn syrup so they have to put out a video to convince consumers its ok. The market can been so manipulative its scary. This commercial definitely cries out for the empire, trying to convince the consumption of high fructose corn syrup. If you don't pay attention they will pull the wool over you eyes.

Here's the commercial:



Update (rob vg-r): Here's a response from the King Corn guys:

Griffins Game

On Wednesday I went to the Grand Rapids griffins hockey game against the Toronto Marlies. It was an exciting game and the Griffins won the game in overtime. Even though the game of hockey is a sport it was still very clear that the league is a business at heart and its main purpose is to make money and they were extremely creative in how they went about trying to accomplish this.
There were all kinds of advertising techniques used some of which I had never even seen before and I have been watching professional hockey since I can remember. Before the puck (which was delivered to the referee by a pharmacist on skates) was even dropped the team’s mascot Griffin came flying out of the zamboni entrance on a shiny new all-terrain utility vehicle which he drifted around the ice as an another mascot threw t-shirts out into the stands. Everything was sponsored by someone, from the instant replays shown on the jumbo-tron to the crazy events performed by fans during the intermission to win prizes. The team even had invented their very one Griff Gatlin Gun, which I will admit was pretty sweet, as it spun rapidly shot t-shirts high into the stands, which advertised a cosmetology school. Also during that same intermission various coupons were dropped from the rafters and rained down on the fans like confetti. With all this going on alongside the game it’s not hard to notice that we live in a very capitalist empire.
Music was also a key part in attending the hockey game. It was used quite effectively to invoke a wide variety of emotions in the fans depending on the circumstance and even creating a creating a greater sense of community as a result. In the case that the griffins scored a loud exciting song would be played alongside the goal horn, which would create a real sense of excitement among the fans and in turn them cheer louder. If the opposing team gets a penalty and is arguing the call with the referee something like “Hit the Road Jack” wouldn’t be unusual or if on the other hand a Griffin’s player received a penalty that the fans didn’t agree with a song would be played that gave the referee a hard time like “Why Don’t You Get a Job?” by The Offspring. In virtually every situation a suitable song would be played, if there was a fight the start of “Eye of the Tiger” might have been played, all of which not only served to stir up the fans emotions, but also as a result everyone got into the game more, which created as sense of community among the people who were rooting for the same cause as you, and not to mention a much greater atmosphere.
Music was not the only tool used to create a greater sense of community among the fans, there were many other tools used, even some of the promotions served this purpose in some way and there were some things that were done solely for the entertainment of the fans because if the are not entertained they won’t come back and the team will lose money. For example they did the “kiss cam”, which will focus on a couple (most times) and they will have to kiss on the camera, this seems like a simple exercise, but it can be surprisingly entertaining like when the cameraman gets a smart idea and focuses the camera on two Marlies players beside each other on the bench. Everything done during the game, even the game itself, is a direct result of the empire and capitalism, which, in this case, I would argue is a good thing as it makes for an extremely entertaining experience.