"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.

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.

Changing of the guards..

The other day I watched the inauguration of President Barack Obama. I thought that the whole ordeal is an extremely interesting example of Empire and Kingdom values. It started off with several significant politicians entering and taking seats. The whole process actually reminded me of a wedding- which is typically a very religious event.

We talked about how lots of times empires will use religious language to entice people into their view and way of life. This was definitely evident in the inauguration. For example, both Biden and Obama were sworn in with Bibles, yet one of the first things Obama mentioned in his speech was how America was a land of multiple religions and faiths. We talked about this a little bit in class, but it was interesting that in doing so, he placed America above all of the faiths. Obama used America as the greater metanarrative that ties all of us together, and our faith is secondary. In this view, we would be American Christians, rather than Christian Americans. Unfortunately this subtle difference in language can really affect the way that people view America and how it interacts with different stories/metanarratives.

Obama’s inauguration address will most certainly go down in American history as a historic event. While I am not trying to take away from the significance of what transpired, I couldn’t help but notice how he contradicted himself so many times within the same speech as well as to reassert the power of the empire. For example, Obama said that he wanted America to work along side poor nations and try to relieve a lot of their major problems, and that other affluent nations should follow along. But in a few sentences later he talked about how the American lifestyle was essentially non-negotiable. And it is this way of life that is continuing the ever widening gap between affluence and poverty. This also has interesting implications when Obama moved onto talk about environmental issues. If the American lifestyle is not going to change, how are we going to progress beyond oil and develop any of the alternative energy sources that are thrown around in political circles?

I think that ultimately Obama addressed the empire in his inauguration address. While he did allude to Kingdom values, which are great things- I think that it is really important to examine different aspects of our lifestyles and find alternatives that are more socially and environmentally sustainable. But, he chose to use the empire as a means to carry this out, rather than faith. While I think that Christians can work with the government to attain Kingdom values and changes in the world, we need to not be afraid to go beyond the government. We cannot expect it to carry out our faith for us.

Sports Illustrated

I read a couple of Sports Illustrated Magazines over the past few days. Sports Illustrated is an extremely popular sports magazine that is sent out weekly. It covers all the sports, but focuses especially on professional sports that are presently happening. Most of the content in issues I read talked about football and the Super Bowl.
It may seem like an artifact that only talks about sports would not have much to say about the empire, but in fact there are many subtle issues discussed. Sports Illustrated or SI has much to say about the purpose man. I feel like SI is telling me that men who are successful athletes are somehow better than I am. The ways many of the articles talk about the athletes seem to give me the feeling that they are superior to me. These athletes have money, power, fame, and super model wives, and SI implies that that these athletes are somehow superior to me. They are seen as heroes, but in reality they are no different then I. Unfortunately this flawed view of success is quite common in the empire; in fact it is extremely popular in magazines. Time, People, Rolling Stones, News Week, Vogue, Forbes, and of course SI all have one thing in common the idolization of mere people. All of these magazines put these “celebrities” in a class that is inherently better than us “common” people. The empire is telling us that if we aren’t a celebrity then we are nothing. The only way we will be happy is if we are as famous and rich as that person. The sad truth is many people buy into this lie from the empire. These people consume these magazines and dream of being as successful, beautiful, rich, or famous as the people in it. Thankfully there is hope. The Kingdom accepts all people; in fact the people that the empire may see as lesser the Kingdom sees as greater. This is another example of the backwards kingdom. So next time the empire tells you that you are a second class citizen just remember that makes you a first class citizen of the Kingdom; and that is what really matters.

Troy

Over the weekend I watched the movie Troy which was released in 2004. Troy is based on the epic tale, The Iliad, which is about the fall of the great city of Troy. The film illustrates how the war between Sparta and Troy affects the warriors and rulers of each nation. Throughout the film I was able to spot many things that relate to the kingdom and the empire.
Aspects of the empire are clearly evident in the film. Menelaus and Agamemnon believe that power is everything just as the empire does. Menelaus wanted to attack Troy because he believed that his power was undermined when Paris stole Helen. Agamemnon entered the war because he wanted to expand his lands and his stretch of power. Achilles lived solely for instant gratification and personal glory which was apparent in his style of fighting.
During the film certain things are portrayed as “sinful”. The film is based on legend and in the time the film was set multiple gods were thought to be the rulers of human beings. Therefore the human purpose was to serve the gods. Achilles’ disrespects religion by plundering the temple of Apollo and his actions are condemned. Later Achilles dishonors Hector’s body after Hector puts up a good fight and Achilles’ actions are again condemned. Paris’ foolishness and selfishness is condemned, as well as foolishness in general.
Although there are many aspects of the empire in the film, it also promotes the kingdom. Community is promoted in the movie and is a feature of the kingdom. Even through all of Paris’ mistakes, the land of Troy and the leaders of Troy put up a united front. Hector is disappointed in his brother but protects him, nonetheless. The film demonstrates the brutality of war and shows how corrupt war can be when it is motivated by greed. It encourages a desire for peace. Troy also shows how a single act of selfishness can affect whole nations. This encourages a desire for justice and forgiveness, rather than violence and war. Overall it was very interesting to inspect the film with new eyes that are aware of aspects of the empire and the kingdom.

The Mall

When I normally go to the mall I have something in mind that I have to get. I am on a mission. But this time when I went I was there just to observe, I could actually absorb the things that were happening around me. There were advertisements around me everywhere, even with the stores just down the hall, they were advertising their clothing just seconds away from the store. There was movie advertisement. Whether the advertisements were on posters, banners, children’s strollers or flyers. In order to get customers into their store they use those different forms of advertising, but every store in the mall had a large window with some of their best selling or best looking objects in the window. Even if the customers don’t buy anything, they just want them to get into their store and talk about it to other people. Many stores also used other ways to get people in the door by appealing to not only our sight, but also our smell. Many of the stores I walked by have an overwhelming scent.
AT the mall, there were all age groups. there were middle age women together going in and out of stores, women power walking down the halls, middle scholars hanging out in the halls and popular/cool clothing stores, children playing in the kids area, men waiting on the couches for there wife’s, and young children in strollers. It’s crazy how much advertising we see throughout our life. From the first time we go to the mall in the strollers, to when we grow old and continue to shop.
This visit to the mall was alot different than the rest of my visit. It showed me how much advertising was in the mall, and how many people are affected by it without even noticing it. I know that I have never noticed the advertisement as much, but now that I think about it, it affected me a lot.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

One of the most recent films that I saw was the Michal Gondry film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”.  This film stars Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet and it is essentially the story of their relationship.  From the start of the film, it is clear that the two characters are quite dissimilar, but somehow drawn to one another.  While the plot is not linear, the story progresses and the two main characters have a falling out and huge argument, after which Clementine (Winslet) decides to get her memory erased by a company that offers such services.  Upon learning about this, Joel (Carrey) goes ahead with the same procedure.  As the movie wraps up, they meet again on a train and, although they have no recollection of each other, are once again drawn to one another. 

            This cultural artifact really develops the depravity of the human condition.  Both of the main characters are shown without glorification, but rather have many of their faults lain bare.  It shows how sin and selfishness can destroy a good relationship.  The fact that the characters in this film are able to erase their memories rather than dealing their problems is a great example of following the draw of the empire rather than striving for the kingdom. This film to me is a great example of the pervasive control the empire has on us.  When I considered having the opportunity of erasing bad memories from my life, it is an attractive thought, but would it be prudent or even right?  I think that “Eternal Shine of the Spotless Mind” answers these questions at the end of the film.  It tells us a lot about redemption in that Clementine and Joel eventually find each other again and learn about what they did to their memories.  This movie encourages its viewers to strive for forgiveness and redemption rather than simply trying to avoid or escape from their problems and I believe that this can be a great example for us as we work towards the Kingdom. 

 

The House Bunny

This weekend I watched The House Bunny. This is one of those movies that you see previews for and just think will be a movie for a good laugh and some great lines. But after watching it I got more than just laughs out of it.

The main premise of the movie is character Shelly gets “kicked out” of the Playboy mansion and is left to fend for herself. After some wondering she stumbles upon a “not so popular” sorority that is in dyer help just to stay afloat as a house. Shelly becomes what is called a 'house mother' and helps out these, what one would call 'nerdy', girls in the way she knows best. And this is where I think the Empire really comes out. In order to help them the believes they need new hot, sexy looks and then will get the attention from the other fraternities. With those things alone, good looks and hot guys, the sorority will be able to get the pledges that they need.

Now with that said, Shelly has the best of intentions while doing this because she is helping in the only way she knows how. So where could the harm be in that? But really when you think about it, don't we all have the “best of intentions” when we try to help or do something? Everyone here is just trying to do their best and make things right and that's when the sin of the world really comes out. No matter how hard we try to make things go the right way how we intended them to be, something, somewhere gets messed up and everything is ruined.

As the movie goes on this becomes very evident. Not just the girls outward appearance changes. They start to be snotty and judgmental to girls that are just like the way that they themselves once were. They went to such lengths to help the sorority, that they didn't care any more how they acted and who they hurt. After one of the girls realizes this she calls all of them out on it and they all then realize the monsters that they have become. After they have seen this the first thing they do is blame Shelly for it all.

I really see characteristics of this movie in the Empire. We change for something or someone and when things go wrong and aren't the way they were supposed to be, we automatically want to blame everyone but ourselves. But then there is always redemption and the movie stays true to it. The girls all realize the wrongs they did and that Shelly was only trying to help and that they can help the sorority by just being themselves.

Really we all can learn from this movie and try to look at the situation as the whole picture and just think hard before our actions and the things we say. This movie is good for laughs but not only that. As weird as this sounds, it made me step back and examine the way I live my life and come off to people. I would recommend everyone to see it.

Anberlin

I went to the Anberlin conversation on last Friday before their concert. Anberlin is a rock band with Christian members, not a Christian rock band. They write a variety of songs from rock to slow and everything in between. I was expecting to stand in one of the rows of seats, but the pit was lowered and I was able to get right by the stage. Calvin had a sound crew come in to set up a system that would be more fitting for a concert of this style.
I was also able to go to the concert, but I want to focus on the conversation. I found this to be helpful in finding out what Anberlin is really about. One thing that caught my attention was how they chose to be a general market band not just a Christian band even though Christian music is the fastest growing music industry at 17%. They are trying to reach everyone that they can with their music. I fell that Anberlin is crying out for the Kingdom. They have made a conscience effort to reach as many people as they can with their music not try to get as much money as they can. Anberlin is trying to lead by example by doing what God has called them to do with their music not what they want to do. We need to do what God calls us to do weather it is what to major in or choosing a spouse.
I did not know much about Anberlin before Friday but that did not matter. I enjoyed both the conversation and the concert and I would love to hear more of their music live and talk to them about their music.

The Bucket List

The movie I chose as my first cultural artifact is The Bucket List. This movie is about two men, Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, who meet in the hospital where they are diagnosed as terminally ill with less than a year to live. To make the most of their last days, the two go on a trip across the world to do everything they feel they should before they kick the bucket.

The reasons for the adventure around the globe are pretty similar for each of the two friends. Because Carter (Freeman) has spent most of his life providing for his family, he feels like he missed out on doing a lot of the things he wanted to during his lifetime. He agrees to go on the trip with Edward (Nicholson) because he feels that he deserves to do what he wants for once. An excellent example of someone who exhibits qualities of the empire, Edward, a billionaire who has spent much of his life working to earn as much money as possible to enable him to enjoy a lavish lifestyle, thinks of this trip as just another one of his many thrill rides in life.

Although each of these men has similar reasons for going on the trip, their desires for the trip are based on different ways of thinking. Edward’s additions to the bucket list are all based his desires for instant gratification and his mentality that his money can buy him happiness. Carter, on the other hand, has more kingdom oriented goals such as hoping to witness something majestic or helping someone for good.

At first, this movie seems to endorse the empire much more than the kingdom, but when looking beyond the basic storyline of an expensive trip around the world for personal enjoyment, the themes in the movie cry out for the kingdom. Over the course of their trip, Carter and Edward both change each other and discover that the most important part of life is not where you go or what you see but rather the relationships with your family and friend. Both men realize that without love and friendship, all the money in the world will still leave you feeling empty. On top of a pyramid they discuss the purpose of life and Carter expresses agreement with the ancient Egyptians who narrowed it down to two questions. “Have you found joy in your life?” and “Have others found joy in your life?” If everyone made sure the answers to these questions were “yes” and they focused more on their relationships than money and experiences, the world would look a lot more like the kingdom of God.

The Bucket List

The Bucket List tells the story of Edward Cole and Carter Chambers, two terminally ill patients who make up a list of things to do before they die. From skydiving to racecar driving, these two men create a special friendship as they tour the globe. At Carter’s funeral, Edward tells of how Carter taught him to be a better person, changing him from a crotchety old man to a person who loves and cares for others.

The two main characters are polar opposites at the beginning. Carter is a faithful husband, believes in God and prays to Him. He tells the story of a man who hears God through the great Himalayan Mountains, and wishes to experience that same voice of God firsthand. Carter wants to help people and make others lives better. At the beginning of the movie, he says, “You measure yourself by those who measure themselves up to you.” Carter could be thought of as representing the kingdom.

Edward on the other hand does not believe in a higher power. At one point, when he is faced with pain and the reality of his situation, he begins to cry out to God, but then stops himself, fearing that someone will hear him. He lives for himself and does not care for those around him. In a heartfelt discussion with Carter about faith, he says that he simply “can’t get his head around the concept.” He could be thought to represent the Empire.

The movie does not get into the specifics of what they think is sin and redemption. However, through an analogy to the Egyptian view of heaven, Carter asks, “Did you enjoy your life? Did you bring joy to other people’s lives?” While he does not say to avoid sin and evil, his actions prove that he advocates a life of service and bringing joy to others. There is no need to be saved of anything in the movie, just to live a good life by helping and caring for others.

This movie shows qualities of both the empire and the kingdom. Edward shows an attitude of self gratification, believing he can buy his way to happiness and success. While the life Edward leads seems fun and exciting, it is a seductive world in which the reality doesn’t match up with what it is advertised to be. Instead of feeling wonderful, he feels alone. In Carter, we see the way that the kingdom is upside down. Instead of the wealthy man being happy and having all the right answers, it is the poor mechanic. He abounds in love and joy and takes up the attitude of a servant to help others. He displays a Christ-like attitude. Although not a Christian movie, the Bucket List displays a message of servant hood and hope that goes hand in hand with the kingdom and the message of the gospel.

Fiction Family

This past Wednesday, Calvin College brought in a band called Fiction Family. This band contains a combination of lead singers from Switchfoot and Nickel Creek; John Foreman and Sean Watkins respectively.  Using the Ladies Literary Club to create a small, warm feel, this acoustic band produced a fun, entertaining night. With this being only the bands second time performing in concert, it brought with it a sense of relaxing and comfort, which greatly added to the night.

Music to me is one of my passions, and I enjoy greatly the fun of listening and enjoying, as well as playing and experimenting. When it comes to this particular band, although they are not under a Christian label, lyrically there is definitely a connection between them and their passion to the kingdom of God. This is specifically evident in the words sung by John Foreman when he uses scriptural text and intertwines it into songs. In saying this there is no doubt that evil has corrupted this world even through this band. There songs constantly talk about heartbreak pain and suffering through broken relationships, and these are evident to be ideas and situations that are effected by the fall and sin.

The good news is that I believe that there is a better way to live and that it has been demonstrated. In Deuteronomy 30, Jesus says “Choose Life” and to me that is the main goal of these fun entertainers. The Kingdom of God was evident in this concert as well. First of all the passion they showed in their music, and for their music was evident as a viewer. You can tell if an artist is faking it, and when it came to this band the emotion that was drawn out through song was evidently presented to make the lyrics believable. Although this band did not go about spoon-feeding the message of God in their songs, the ideas that poked through were ones of love, and hope; even in this world of brokenness.

The words of imagination and community work well in this concert setting. As the band played there was no way knowing what songs they were going to perform because of the fact that they have not released record as of yet. This created an environment where you could pull out a lot from the music and make it your own because of the fact that it was the first time to listen and enjoy it. This outing to the Literary club also created a warm feel of community by the physical size of the convert hall but also the laid back, relaxed feel of the performers that certainly rubbed off on the audience.

This bands passion and desire to create music not only to enjoy but to instead make you think about the empire and its effects on you makes it worthwhile to go and see. This new team started off with a bang, and I am sure that they are going to strive and succeed in making new music that focuses on the lyrics and links those lyrics to the suffering and brokenness that many people experience in this world today. This band cares about the relationships that build when the connection between them and their audience is made and I think that is key in creating a world that can place the Kingdom of God in front of the empire.

Changeling

Changeling is based on a true story from 1928. It is about a working mother (Christine Collins) whose child, Walter Collins is kidnapped. After some time, the Los Angeles Police Department said to have found her son, but during their reunion, she realizes that they have found the wrong child. The police department, not wanting to be embarrassed by the public and media basically force her to keep the orphan child who claims to be her son. She faces the corrupt police, and fights to get answers to where her son might be. She also fights for all women who at this time period were considered to be inferior and women were not to challenge the police and if they did, they wouldn't live to tell their story. She finds help from a reverend, who understands what the corrupt police do and is willing to stand out against their actions.

This movie strives for truth, justice, and peace. These words intertwine with some topics that the Bible talks about. God is all those three words; truth, justice, and peace. There are some examples in this movie and storyline where their are types of evil, and the corruption of the police. There is also a scene where the movie mentions a man who has killed many kids off the street. They are about to hang him and before he gets hanged he asks for someone to pray for him and also states that God has forgiven him for what he has done and gives himself hope that he won't be going to hell. He repents to God and asks him for forgiveness. This was very interesting and made me think. Can God allow someone that has committed alot of murders to go to heaven? Life and death in this movie is put on the line because there were so many risks that Christine Collins took and could have been killed for, but she still did it because she strived for three words that we as humans try to live by; truth, justice, and peace.

The Constant Gardener

This movie is about the English Ambassador in Kenya and his wife, a curious journalist. While Justin takes devote care of his garden and works in his office, his wife spends a lot of time doing research about a pharmaceutical company that distributes drugs to prevent patients from AIDS. What seems suspicious to Tessa is that this company also distributes for free, drugs for tuberculosis. At this moment, she starts doing research some intense research. She founds out that this company DIPRAXA, is trying the tuberculosis drug in humans. Also, one of the top diplomat, realizes that Tessa is so close to know the truth, he sends somebody to kill her. After Tessa dies, Justin starts following the same path she did, and he also gets killed.

One of the stories this artifact is telling, is how the human beings loves hierarchy and power. We see this clearly shown in the movie when we appreciate Tessa’s house and the people in the village. In my opinion I don’t think there’s nothing wrong with this difference, but if this becomes ignorance then I think we certainly have a problem. In other words, if a diplomat ignores the reality of Kenya, then he has a problem. However, the movie shows not ignorant diplomats but diplomats that knowing the truth do nothing about it. Because again, the drugs are not affecting them.

However, not all characters are as mean as one can think. Tessa and Arnold, both doing research about this new drug, represent in my opinion the kingdom. Tessa and Arnold, not only do research, but Tessa especially, loves Africa and African people. She takes care of them and it doesn’t matter to her that she actually is the Ambassador’s wife. The empire, in this movie can be seen in Pellegrin and Sandy, because they know what Tessa is looking for, and that if the knows the truth it can be a scandal. What amazes me is the amount of power the both have, in terms of information and contacts. A lot like the huge data base in “The Persuaders”, with the only difference that Sandy and Pellegrin choose who to worry about.

I can’t remember if it was in the movie of in the book, when Justin says: “Tessa used to shop in the God’s will”. Tessa belongs to both worlds. In one she is married to this diplomat and the other was her passion. In Tessa’s first world to shop in the God’s will is sinful, sinful is also breaking the rules the Embassy created. Sinful, in this world is going further than your home and your roles. That’s why nobody, except Justin, liked Tessa, but all of them covered their upset very well. After all they are diplomats. One of the things I could identify the second time I watched this movie, was some envy in Sandy, because Tessa was free. Tessa could do whatever she wanted to.

As a conclusion I can sat that this movie shows how the empire is going always to win, but how hard they have to try. What I love about this movie is that it presents the Empire as something normal, and how, sometimes, the normality is evil. How they think that in order to be safe they have to kill people who disagree with them. Those strategies happened in reality but in other terms. When I see this movie I keep remembering the people who disappeared, in Chile or Argentina during the 80’s because some of them were against dictatorships. I don’t think this movie is far from reality and that is why it criticizes the Empire.

Anberlin

I attended the Anberlin concert in the FAC Friday, January 16 hosted by Calvin College. The concert was heavily attended by people all across West Michigan, not just by Calvin College students, which made the concert more enjoyable and crazy at some points. The first several rows of seats were removed and a platform was put in creating a “mosh pit” in the front full of several hundred screaming fans. Although I only went to the concert to hear the music, I was entertained not only by the music, but also by the how the band performed and how the other fans interacted with each other.

I have known Anberlin for a long time and have been a fan ever since I heard their music. Their music has a wide variety of heavy rock to slow moving music. I enjoy everything they write, although the slower songs have a closer place in my heart.

Dealing with the empire side of things: Anberlin is not an openly “Christian” band. Their title does not carry the Christian name with it, however, that does not mean that they do not profess the lord’s name. Some say that because they do not have the Christian name attached that they are not good Christians or something like that. Some say that Anberlin is being taken in by the whole empire and because of that do not want to put the Christian label and be associated with Christians. This, however, is not true and is the complete opposite of what they are trying to do. Because they do not have the Christian title, they have more access to secular crowd and can have an influence on their lives.

On the Kingdom point of view: Anberlin uses the lyrics to portray its Christian perspective and tells of the struggles of life and how God is the only way. Since they just out into the Empire saying that they are like one of them and then, in the kingdom, they throw their Christian ways and actions. Throughout each of their songs, although they are not openly Christian in all of their songs, they are never vulgure in any of their songs. They remain positive throughout and several songs have Christian undertones.

I enjoyed the Anberlin concert and was edified throughout. I am glad that I attended and I would go again in a heartbeat.

Across the Universe

On Friday I watched the film “Across the Universe.” It tells a love story based around a collection of The Beatles most popular songs sang by the characters of the movie throughout the plot. The story centers on Jude and Lucy who are in love with different people in the beginning of the story and end up falling in love. They grow closer together through the movie and then grow farther apart as she becomes more involved in protesting the Vietnam War. They break up and he leaves America to return to England. Then of course they end up together in the end.

 

The movie displays very well that people are created longing for things. Jude longs for freedom and something new and a handful of characters long for someone else they long for love. The movie displays some ways people fulfill their desires to feel good by using drugs and alcohol. Drugs were popular to use in the culture of that time and using them meant fitting into the crowd. Even though this crowd was against the empire of an America fighting war it showed that this crowd that might seem anti-empire in some ways could become a new empire that controls peoples’ decisions. The movie also showed themes of living in community and friendship, good ideas that fit in the kingdom. Their community perhaps did not have the most God honoring way of life but they did look out for each other. Characters display gifts and passions in art and music. Characters also stand up for what they believe in by protesting the Vietnam War.

 

The main point and in my opinion the best that comes across in the movie is that of all the stuff in the world what people need most is love. This is clear in the Beatles’ song “All You Need is Love” that closes the movie. This theme is important as it rings true in the love of God and all the other people in life. I find the movie does not necessarily point to God but makes a good point that love is more important than all the junk the world is selling you and money is not much good because it can’t buy you love either. Overall the movie had some good themes and displayed the power and beauty that is displayed in music and art and the movie is a great tribute to one my favorite bands the Beatles.

Fiction Family

This past Wednesday, January 14, I attended the Fiction Family concert and following discussion at the Ladies Literary Club.  Fiction Family is a band composed of Jon Foreman from Switchfoot and Sean Watkins from Nickel Creek.  The band was formed quite recently and is more of a side project for both members than a central platform.  In fact, Wednesday was only the band’s second show ever and their first album has yet to be released.

 

Although Fiction Family is not on a Christian record label and do not openly identify themselves as a Christian band, themes of the Kingdom of God can be seen in both their music and actions.  Jon Foreman is widely known to be a strong Christian, as can be seen in some of his solo songs and songs from Switchfoot.  During the segment of the show when Jon Foreman played some of his own songs by himself, it was not hard to pick out the things that glorified the Kingdom of God.  The song “Your Love is Strong” was essentially a musical rendition of the Lord’s Prayer, and the song “Somebody’s Baby” echoed with themes of brokenness and a need for love, whether divine or human.  Sean Watkins’ songs were not as explicitly Christian, although they too had many anti-Empire characteristics.  Many of his personal songs spoke of brokenness and hurt over a lost loved one, emotions that only entered our world through the fall.  In addition, the overall view of love that was put out from his music seemed to be a refreshing change from much of the music we hear today that often speaks of the opposite gender as a prize to be won or a token to grasp.

 

In my opinion, Fiction Family rejects the Empire and glorifies the Kingdom just as well as any artist that may be on a Christian label, however, they do it far more subliminally than these artists.  In the songs that Fiction Family sang together, I don’t think that the word “God” or “Jesus” was ever used.  Nevertheless, underlying messages of hope were evident in each song.  The lyrics often spoke of a sense of optimism about the future, or even just the love of a woman that brought happiness to the singer.  The band also seemed to be more focused on other people than just themselves, a concept that is very foreign in much of the popular music today. 

 

The primary way that Fiction Family differed from many of their peers, however, was by enjoying what they did.  Too often do we see musicians that do what they do with very materialistic incentives in mind.  When Ken Hefner spoke to our class, he explained that he believed that the Empire had reduced music to being just a consumable.  Fiction Family is a great example of a band that counteracts this problem.  The band members seemed to thoroughly enjoy what they were doing.  They smiled and laughed frequently, had plenty of energy, interacted with the crowd, and more.  In addition, by listening to the conversation with the group after the concert, I could tell that they just loved playing their music.  I don’t think they would have cared if nobody ever heard what they wrote, they just wanted to put it out there.  After all, there is probably a good chance that their tour is not going to make them a whole lot of money from playing at venues as small as they are.  They seemed to be free from the capitalistic mentality of some many musicians today and were solely playing because they loved to play.  In my opinion, this enjoyment of music is also a great example of the redemption of man.  I don’t know that there are much better ways of glorifying God than by taking the gifts that he has given to you, using them as well as possible, and enjoying life in the process.

 

Fiction Family is a brand new band with much promise.  The depth and subject matter of their songs is a refreshing contrast to much of the mainstream music that exists today.  I look forward to seeing what they do in the future.

 

 

American Idol

Earlier this week I indulged in one of the first two-hour specials of the ever-popular television show “American Idol”. On the show, people audition in front of four judges (traditionally three, but they needed to spice up the eighth season) for their chance “to become the next American Idol”. The show is chock-full of personal testimonials from contestants, freak-show quirks, and inspirational stories that keep the viewer riveted. Eventually as the season progresses, contestants drop like flies for missing a note or having a flat performance; then, only one is chosen as the “American Idol”.

American Idol can be a roller coaster of entertainment, deceit, and monotonous brainwashing. It gives an ultimatum for human purpose: either you can sing or you can’t. (there was one exception to this in the premiere episode when a girl auditioned in nothing but a bikini…but I’ll get back to that) Either you are marketable or you’re not. A freak-show or a Superstar. A contestant that can’t sing is treated as though they are worthless and wasting the judges’ time. They are then put on parade for viewers to mock, and feel pity for. Sure, it’s humorous when your parents sing badly to the old songs they loved back in the day—but imagine if they were doing it on T.V. for entertainment purposes and then shot down to feel worthless?

The empire wants us to consume and idolize. It’s in the show’s name: American Idol. We are told to vote for the “Idol”, sucked into watching each episode, every performance, every critique so that we can furiously dial the number for our Idol. It’s commercializing a person with talent. Take the girl in the bikini I mentioned earlier for example, she didn’t have a good singing voice (which was admitted by every judge) yet she still passed on to the next round simply because she was wearing basically nothing. She’s being idolized for her body.

American Idol has contributed to American Pop Culture in some positive ways. It helps the music business with finding new artists. It gives a chance for businesses to advertise through sponsorship. And what would life be like with out a little William Hung? Honestly. Even he got a record deal.

The Kingdom of God in “The Lion King”

On January 10, I went and watched “The Lion King” in the Fine Arts Center. I haven’t watched this movie in a very long time, and I have only seen this film once before. So I was very surprised to see hints of the Kingdom of God in this film. It was a very interesting experience to see a film through a Christian perspective. While watching this film I saw longing, hope, sin, and redemption as the theme, but even though I saw these harmless themes could this be Disney’s way of selling their movie? Could it be they are selling their movies with these themes because Americans can relate to these Christian themes? Are they just using these themes because that’s what we the consumers want to see and learn? I have concluded that it doesn’t matter to Disney what they teach children unless it will make a profit; after all Disney is a part of the empire- with its sole goal of making money.

I believe this film incorporates some Christian ideas into their story because it is a good way of selling their movie. Who wouldn’t want to watch a movie where a character is evil or sins, yet still finds redemption? Redemption teaches a young audience hope, and this pleases the parents because the film teaches good values. So parents would then think it is worth the money to purchase products that relates to this film because it would remind their children of good values such as hope, and this in turn pleases the empire because we are being good consumers. The themes of sin and evil are seen in the film through Scar. Scar plots and kills his brother Mufasa, and then accuses Simba of causing his father’s death making Simba run away. Simba also has sinned. He has fallen into sin by being disobedient to his father because he longed to be king, and he thought to be king you had to be brave because his dad was brave, so he went to the land his father forbidden him to go. Later he was manipulated by Scar and was involved in a stampede, which caused his father’s death. He runs away and after he becomes an adult he has a chance to make amends. He finds his opportunity for redemption if he were to go back home with Nala and help rescue the Pride Lands. But he doesn’t take the chance because he sees no hope there for him because he does not want to face the guilt of his father’s death. But later he meets a wise old baboon who helps him to see that there is hope that he can rescue the Pride Lands and that he can find redemption while saving his home. Throughout this film these ideas of sin, brokenness, and redemption plays a big role in keeping the audience interested because it is appealing to the adults. It is appealing to the adults in the audience because they find comfort in knowing that their child will be forgiven and would still be innocent in the eyes of the Creator even after the child has sinned. This is a good thing for the empire because they can use the Christian themes to make money.

The film portrays life in the Pride Lands as happy and well balanced, which is evident in the harmonious lives of the animals in the Pride Lands and the fact that all animals are connected in the great circle of life. This idea that all the creatures in the Pride Lands are connected is like the idea of a Christian community, where in the Kingdom of God everyone lives as a community loving one another. Also the Kingdom of God is evident in the film when Mufasa tells Simba that “everything the light touches is [their] kingdom.” Also when Mufasa mentions the land where it is shadowed is not theirs, this represents the empire. This portion of the land is not claimed by the Kingdom of God, which shows us that the empire still exists and has a hold on the creatures/people still enslaved by the shadowed land/empire. There in that land it is desolate like the empire. The empire is desolate because in the empire the land is wasted by man-made things such as factories and corporations, which destroys the air and environment. Factories and corporations make the people still held by the empire lonely because people still trapped by the empire believe the false happiness the empire feeds them through ads, which makes them believe buying more things will make them happy. I believe this film is supporting the empire because the people who made the film know these qualities such as sin and redemption can make a big profit.

“The Lion King” was a good film, and it did portray qualities of the Kingdom of God, but the empire used that to its advantage to attract consumers like flies to a light to buy more goods relating to “The Lion King.” Through this film the empire shapes young children to be consumers because when a child likes a certain movie they are compelled to want goods relating to that movie. “The Lion King” has shaped many of us, but has it shaped us for better or for worse? I think “The Lion King” shaped us to learn good values, but also shaped us to be good consumers. The empire is a dangerous it leads us astray from the Kingdom of God, so even if a film is good we have to be careful and see why the empire is telling this story. And once we know why we can protect ourselves from the empire.

The Lion King

An American classic, Walt Disney's The Lion King is the highest grossing traditional animated film in history, and it was the highest grossing animated film for all time until the release of Finding Nemo in 2003 (Wikipedia).
There are several messages that this movie really hammers home. Perhaps the most famous phrase from The Lion King is the "Hakuna Matata." It means 'no worries'! That is the key phrase that characters Timon and Pumba tell the young lion Simba. Simba mistakenly thinks that it is his fault for his father's death. But Timon and Pumba teach Simba the new way of thinking.
On a shallow level, "Hakuna Matata" seems to give the message that one shouldn't care about what happens; anything goes, who cares?, whatever. This could be a dangerous attitude and mindset because it encourages alack of responsibility and remorse.
But on a deeper level, it also talks about putting your past behind you. Someone (and I have no idea who) said that we cannot "...let our past mistakes define who we are." We cannot live our whole lives in a fit of self pity and dispair because of our past failures, but we must rise up and start anew; second chance.
And a second chance is what Simba gets. He gets a second chance at reclaiming a past friendship with Nala, a second chance to return to his friends and his family, and most importantly perhaps, to ascend Pride Rock and reclaim his rightful place as King.

This movie can be tied to God's Kingdom in many ways. I think that this movies "circle of life" idea can be associated to the "shalom" of God's Kingdom. This movie got it right because it shows how things are supposed to be; times of peace and prosperity and justice. In God's Kingdom there will be "shalom" and in this movie, there was always a push for things to be the way they are supposed to be.
This movie can somewhat be tied to the empire in that honestly, everything is not as it should be all the time. What with a power-hungry Uncle Scar who will stop at nothing to gain power, hyenas invading the Pride Lands, famine and drought, there is much work to be done as far as restoration and healing are concerned.
And thats not even to get into Simba's personal problems. He feels unready; unworthy. He feels ashamed of his past and struggles with who he was meant to be. Thankfully, he does finally find redemption and is able to take his place in the "circle of life".

Mean Girls

Tina Fey's "Mean Girls" follows a high-school junior Cady on her first day of public school. Cady has grown up being home-schooled in Africa. She quickly makes two friends, Janis and Damian. Because Cady knows nothing of American teenage culture, she seemed to be the perfect candidate to be taken under the wing of the "popular girls," or the "plastics" as described in this film. Because Janis hates the group's queen bee, Regina, she encourages Cady into becoming a spy. Cady along with Janis and Damian form a plan to ruin Regina's reputation by robbing her of her slim body, attractive boyfriend, and loyal followers. In doing so, Cady loses sight of the person she was before entering public high school. 

"Mean Girls" portrays the social clique system that is present in most high school environments, and how teenagers find ways to cope with it. It depicts how our culture is incapable of controlling inborn instincts of adolescent females to gossip, spread rumors, and threaten their closest friends in order is rise to the next social level.

A major theme of the movie is the culture shock Cady experiences after leaving her sheltered lifestyle for the corrupted modern world. It also tries to make a statement about negatively treating peers based on appearance or social standing. As well as it presents a major goal of a culture-bound high school environment, which is the instinct to form exclusive and judgmental groups, in hope to increase one's social status. 

This movie illustrates the nature of evil and redemption by exposing throughout the majority of the film each of the main characters flaws. Evil tendencies were among all of them, not just one particular person. It demonstrated that the kingdom of God is messy, but redeemable through the ridiculously caddy and mean girls, who in the end become friendly and welcoming. 

"Mean Girls" is a tremendously entertaining movie with plenty of humorous one-liners that represent how modern-day adolescence is, especially for females. 

The Mission

The artifact that I chose was a movie. The movie was called, “The Mission” and it was playing in the Fine Arts Center. The movie is about a Jesuit Priest who is setting up missions around the Spanish states. He then moves deep into the South American Jungle to start another mission for the Guaraní Indians. At the beginning there is a man named Rodrigo who goes into these jungles and captures the native Indians and makes them as slave. When Rodrigo went back to his home town to sell the natives, he ended up getting into a large fight over a girl with his brother and ends up killing him. Because he killed his brother he felt so much shame and ended up going to the church. Father Gabriel decides that Rodrigo should travel to the mission and as his punishment carries a large sack of armor with him. They reach the mission and Rodrigo falls in love with the people. However, there is controversy as to whether the missions should stay or not, and in the end, the court decides to destroy all the missions. However, the mission deep in the jungles, where Rodrigo is decides to fight back. The entire mission gets destroy and the Spanish and Portugal people end up killing all the people who were in the mission. Even though the movie is very sad, at the end we see a little bit of hope. There is a small canoe filled with about six young children, which leaves us to belief that the mission and the Guarani Indians will continue.

This movie can be related to the class because we see that at the end of the movie the empire ends up winning. We can also relate it to the “engaging Gods Word” text. In that book we here about the creation, fall, and redemption. In the movie we see the missions being create and working well, and then we see the entire mission and everything that the priests had created be destroy. However, in the end we see a glimpse of redemption with a generation of young Guarani Indians who survived the attacks on them.

Golden Globe Awards

Last Sunday, I watched the Golden Globe Awards. The Golden Globe Awards show on TV stations around the world in order to acknowledge the incredible talent and success involved in movies and TV shows of the previous year abroad and in the United States. There are categories such as “best foreign language film” and “best actor in a motion picture, comedy, or musical.” It starts with interviews and commenting on wardrobe on the red carpet. Then it moves on to the award ceremony during which the actors, directors, and other film and TV crew eat dinner. As the awards were presented and actors and directors came to the stage to receive their award, my roommate and I noticed how drunk many of them seemed to be. One man even brought his drink on stage with him. In some ways this surprised me that this would be allowed, but I suppose this is just a small representation of the empire. It reminded me that in the empire, our society as a whole looks up to celebrities for no reason other than the fame and glamour that surround them. It really makes me wonder why we allow these people to get on the stage and make a fool of themselves.



Overall, the ceremony was a great display and recognition of the talent and diversity in God’s Kingdom. From the intricate dress designs to the variety of film and TV shows that received awards, it is obvious how much talent from God was at the award show. In order to produce such masterpieces, creativity and imagination were definitely necessary. It also showed that excellence and creativity are not limited to the United States and acknowledges the many cultures from around the world and the community that is formed when they all come together at the award ceremony.


As I was reading the Redemption chapter of Plantinga’s book, I came across this question: “Is it fraudulent for advertisers to sell us products by way of ads that titillate rather than inform?” (p. 101). In other words commercials these days attempt to get at our emotions and feelings to grab out attention rather than really being truthful to us as consumers which can certainly be misleading. I found that this was especially relevant to the commercials that showed during the award ceremony. For example, there were several credit card ads that gave no information on APR or the like that could prevent a viewer from choosing that credit card. Instead, it only showed what a person can get when he or she uses the credit card and promotes that money and spending money always equals happiness. It provides a false image for credit cards and neglects to address the fact that credit cards must be paid off. Similarly, a Cadillac commercial used a Grey’s Anatomy actress to try to lure in customers who admire her or the luxury that she presents as she drives the car. These commercials encourage us as humans in the empire to consume and buy unnecessary things and imply that this will lead to happiness.

V for Vendetta

The other night I watched the movie V for Vendetta. The movie was originally released in 2005 and stars Natalie Portman as Evey and Hugo Weaving as V. It was written by the Wachowski brothers from the Matrix trilogy. The movie takes place in the future (like 2030ish?) in Britain, and is essentially about a ‘terrorist’ named V who sets up a plot to destroy the British parliament building.

I thought that the movie was an extremely good example of Empire and how it can get out of control without really realizing it. The movie was interesting in that it was a story told from the point of view of the ‘other,’ rather than the dominate culture that typically writes history. As the movie progresses, the viewer learns more and more of how the government has actually deceived people to attain the level of power that the chancellor has.

I’m sure that people who have seen this movie or even know a little bit about it often think of the illusion to World War II and Nazi Germany. The government uses red and black flags and has a symbol that is very similar to a cross. The chancellor is also a very passionate, charismatic speaker- similar to Hitler. He is responsible for several horrible biological weapon attacks, and has the ability to cure the virus (which is how he becomes chancellor). He then uses the media to reinforce his vision of what a country should be. Their motto is extremely religious and reads, “Strength through unity, unity through faith.” The government uses a story of how ‘Godless America’ has turned into a ‘leper colony’ because things descended into chaos, this reinforces the idea that not only is the British government superior, but also that God is on their side and they are doing things the right way. The government constructs an extremely regimented and controlled society. Everyone has curfews and is monitored in everything that they do.

I think that one of the things that this movie does really well is to show how easily an empire can use the media, and subsequently stories in pop culture to reinforce views without questioning them. The empire teaches that different is dangerous- thus justifying their genocide of other races, sexual orientations, religions, etc. It teaches the general population to be complacent because if they start questioning things or try to do something different, everything will fall into chaos.

Then V comes along and messes up everything. He takes over a TV station and plays an extremely empowering video to the people of Britain. He explains how the empire has used fear and conformity to control the people beyond what they should ever allow, and that people have the power to change things back to what they should be.

This movie has some very encouraging Kingdom values within it. I think that it shows how it is important to stand up for what you believe in, even if that means dying for that belief. It also shows how it is important to question things and to not be just another mindless consumer lost in the mainstream. The movie offers a hope to those oppressed by the empire and allows them an alternative view of life that is possible.

One of my critiques of the movie is that V believes that violence can be used for good to bring justice to those responsible for the horrendous crimes against their own people. However, in the end V almost seems apologetic for what he has done. Evey teaches him how to love again. I think that this is an extremely powerful scene because it shows how love can even change the heart of a ‘terrorist’ and that redemptive violence does not solve everything.

Anberlin

Recently I attended Anberlin's concert at Calvin College. Going into the Concert I was a little leery about having it in the FAC. Sometimes the environment can hamper the experience of a concert and personally I'd rather be close to the band with a little more room. Luckily they lowered the pit providing a nice open area in front of the stage. The turnout was excellent for the concert. I'm pretty sure it was sold out, and for a good reason. Anberlin did not let anyone down. I'm not a huge fan of theirs but I was impressed by the show they displayed.

Before the concert I got a chance to go to a discussion panel with the members of Anberlin. Students got a chance to interview and ask the band questions without all the media nonsense. One of the questions/topics that stood out the most to me was when one student asked why they decided to identify with the mainstream market instead of the Christian. They responded that they want to be viewed as a band of Christians not just a Christian band. They are working in the mainstream music scene to bring the hope of Christ. They don't directly profess to Christianity in their songs, but there is still evidence of their faith in the lyrics. This is a band participating in tours like the warped tour, bringing music with hope to a scene surrounded by music and people who are angry and or crying out for more. Anberlin is most definitely a band working in the Empire for the Kingdom of God.

If Anberlin were to work the Christian music market they could make a good living. The Christian music market has a lot of profit in it. Instead of pursuing the money of the Christian market the band is pursuing footholds in the empire by going mainstream. This approach is no easy one and profits aren't always the best. One member said they've done shows where at the end of the night the band was paid three hundred dollars in profit. That's not much once it gets divided up. This is evidence that this band has their priorities in line. Its not all about making it big and getting rich. They have a much higher goal in mind.

Anberlin is doing a great thing in a time when people are crying out the most. The way they hold and display themselves is very intentional. They have definitely earned my respect. Given a chance I will be seeing them again.

A Cinderella Story

Tonight I watched a Cinderella story with my friends on ABC Family.  This movie has always been counted a favorite among me and my friends, but now i feel like I'm seeing it through entirely different eyes.  This teeny-bopper movie is the typical hollywood portrayal of teen romance and life in high school, a completely inaccurate depiction of what life is like or could possibly be like.  

When i think about the reasons i loved this movie so much, i've realized that the reasons i loved this movie are completely routed in the empire.  

This movie is about finding "love" and transcending social groups within a high school setting.  It's the typical hollywood love story.  Filled with bullies, mean girls, and cheesy lines about finding true love.  I think it gives a false portrayal about what it means about human purpose.  These kind of chick flick movies are what lead teenage girls to believe that being beautiful, popular, and having the most handsome, popular guy as a boyfriend is what gives meaning to life, and is what will help them achieve true happiness.  

It sucks us deeper into the empires deception of true happiness.  The Empire convinces us that finding love, getting into a good college, being independent, and taking a stand are the perfect formula for happiness.  The Empire teaches us that everything will always turn out happy.  There are always happy endings.  And we find these happy endings through the empire.  The Empire will show us how our life should be, and it will teach us how to attain that life by becoming popular, beautiful, and by getting that guy that everyone else wants.  

In the world of a Cinderella story, the main character Sam, faces all kinds of "evil" in terms of the Empire.  She has a step-mother and step-sisters who order her around, treat her like a slave, and keep her from any sort of life.  This is on top of the stereo-typical mean high school cheerleaders and popular guys.  And it is their interference that is keeping Sam and the object of her affection, Austin, apart.  The empire deceives us into believing that is always someone else's fault that things are not working out for us.  Sam and Austin experience conflict with each other because all kinds of other outside sources.  It has nothing to do with the fact that they do not communicate or hardly know a thing about each other.  

The redemption in this story is when Sam goes to Austin and basically yells at him telling him "I want to be myself, I am okay with myself", and after taking some time Austin walks off the field of his biggest football game of the season to tell Sam exactly how he feels about us.  I think that a comment made by my friend Rachael captures exactly what the Empire wants us to get from this movie "Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed at the climax of this movie, when Austin kisses Sam, "I just love this part!  I wish a guy would walk off the field for me and kiss me in the rain!" 

However, i think this movie has redeemable qualities for the Kingdom as well.  Even though it is done in stereotypical teen movie fashion, it teaches a lesson about being yourself.  I think its a good thing to learn to be satisfied with the person God created you to be and to love yourself.  Sam is unable to find happiness before she is happy with who she is.  I think this is true to life.  Until you come to terms with the person God created you to be, you can't really be happy or know love.  I think it also teaches a good lesson about overcoming adversity,  Sam overcomes the evils in her life just as the kingdom can help us overcome adversities in ours.  

This movie is probably not the best example of finding the kingdom within the empire.  It is probably a really good representation of the empire and what the empire wants us to believe about life.  I think it adds a lot to teen insecurities and has a lot more a negative influence than a positive one, and i think this class has helped me see that a little more.  

Anberlin

On Friday night, I went to the Anberlin show in the FAC. I have been a fan of Anberlin since I was 14, and they have risen to the prestigious level of my favorite band. They have influenced me in so many ways; their music, their image, their scene, their conduct, and, most importantly in my mind, their portrayal of Christianity to the world. This has been an aspect of them that, as I have followed and learned more about them, that I have come to admire.

Anberlin has decided to not market themselves as a Christian band. To some, this is a huge turn-off, and for others even rises to the level of being an offense so great as to not like the band. Anberlin instead has decided to market themselves as just... a band. However, when someone learns about the members of the band, they will find out that all of the members are dedicated Christians. This fact comes through in their lyrics. Their lyrics, unlike "Christian" bands, do not openly admit to their faith, but they show that these men believe in something more, have morals and standards, and are proud of this fact.

When it comes to the Empire, it could be argued that since the band are not openly professing their faith in their lyrics or at their shows, as other bands such as Relient K or Underoath do, they are giving into the standards and indulgences of the Empire. To some, this means that the band are giving in to the Empire and are trying to just slide under the radar and pass unnoticed. And also, Anberlin's lyricist and singer, Stephen Christian, deals with some of his demons in his lyrics. He deals with breakups, confusion about life, and anger at others in his lyrics. These are issues not usually dealt with so roughly in other bands' lyrics.

However, on the Kingdom side, Anberlin never slides into darkness or evil to express these fears and feelings. They keep their level of "PG"-ness to a moral, respectable level. They show that Christians feel these emotions too, and aren't just smiling, Bible-toting spreaders of cheer. We are real people too, with as wide a range of emotions as everyone else. And they also show control in expressing these feelings. They don't cross into negative thoughts of depression or suicide, or use their anger as an excuse to sin. Also, their conduct on stage, in interviews, and in interactions with their fans show are completely positive, never allowing themselves to come across as arrogant or crass. They conduct themselves as men of character.

Because of these facts, Anberlin have earned my respect and admiration. They show that Christians can be relevant and involved in a rock scene known for sex and drugs without giving in. They stand up for what's right without being offensive. They show love, and don't judge. For these reasons, I believe that Anberlin are strong role models and icons for Christians to look up to and emulate.  

The Movie "Wanted"

The movie "Wanted" is about a guy who doesn't know who he really is until he finds out that he is born assassin. After many hours of training and studying the targets that he has to kill, he goes out on his own and kills his targets. The movie is filled with various twists that keep the movie alive. 

This movie is a prefect example of how the empire likes to take things way out of proportion. Many of the scenes throughout the movie portray events that are so incredibly unrealistic. This movie also is a perfect example of how evil is created in the empire. Many young people view movies like these and fill their brains with thoughts of hatred and evil. The empire that we live in is filled with things like this that pull us away from being the people of God that God wants us to be. I feel as though if some people saw this and were on the verge of doing something to someone else, that this movie would push them over the edge. I feel as though this movie could give people the frame of mind that doing the things that occurred in this movie were good thing and would cause these other people to want to be like the actors in the movie and do the things in real life that were acted out in the movie. From my perspective, the only thing that this movie says about human purpose is that we are all her to kill each other some time or another. 

Most things that the empire produces for the the people that live in it have a negative effect on them. Unfortunately most things that the empire produces pull people farther away from their personal walk with God rather than bring them closer to God. Hopefully the empire will somehow change sometime and produce things that draw people closer to God rather than away from Him.

Posted by Brett Ellens

Wall-E

I decided to watch Disney and Pixar's movie "Wall-E" this weekend. "Wall-E" is the name of the last garbage compactor robot that remains on planet Earth after it is abused by humans. In the movie, Buy n Large Corporation, which somehow has control of the entire government, suggests the humans go on a five year cruise in space while robots clean up the Earth they have polluted and nearly destroyed. The earth is abandoned after the five years and said to be uninhabitable. The five year cruise turns into 700 years, as no life can be sustained on the planet. The people on the cruise ship, the Axiom, were normal sized humans but many years later are now extremely overweight. The "passengers" on the Axiom, ride around the ship in lazy boys and are pampered by robots all around them. In essence, they have "the perfect life" yet they are constantly being advertised to, just like humans are today. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a cup! Why not?

One of the main themes of the movie involves humans and how the empire controls them. On the ship the passengers see an innumerable amount of advertisements, including clothing. "Try Blue! It's the new Red!" Lines like the one above show how ignorant and conformist the people on the ship are. The truth is that many Americans today are just like that. We want to be cared for and pampered. In "Wall-E" humans purpose is to buy things from Buy n Large to make their lives easier.

Buy n Large controls everything that happens on the ship. From what the passengers eat to what time of day it is. This movie may have a deeper message than simply the story of a doe eyed robot finding the robot girl of his dreams. It may be trying to tell us to fix things up or this over indulgence and dismay might happen to us. Buy n Large represents the empire. Both have the following qualities: consumerism, seduction, visions of utopia, conformity to cool, instant gratification, and most of all control. This film also shows the viewer that there is still hope. It tells us to keep recycling, caring for the planet, maintaining our bodies and minds and be good stewards to the earth God left in our care.

The film is crying out to tell us not be controlled by corporations and their advertisements. We should conform to Christ, not to society.

Anberlin

On Friday night I went to the anberlin concert in the FAC. Going into this concert I didn’t know that much about anberlin; only a couple of their songs. That made it a little difficult because it’s not always the easiest to understand the lyrics in a concert, but surprisingly I did get a lot out of it. One my of my friends told me they don’t consider themselves a Christian band but rather a bunch of Christians in a band. I could see this in their music and lyrics, which I didn’t find to be overtly Christian but defiantly had some Christian undertones. Overall I thought they had a great stage presence, the crowd really responded to the music, and it was a good concert.

I think that this concert and this band are defiantly crying out for the kingdom. For me it was more than the music and lyrics which pointed to the kingdom (which they did.) I think a huge part of what I liked about this concert, was the diversity in the crowd. I saw this diversity while waiting in line meeting these three guys from Ohio, in front of us during the concert seeing group of students from hope, and in general just noticing a lot of other people who defiantly weren’t from Calvin College. And together everyone was grouped to form this weird sort of community in the room, even if it was just for a night. Everyone was sharing and participating in the music and it is kind of a unique thing whenever that happens. Just joining together in community with strangers and sharing music (even if only briefly) is one way that this concert cried out for the kingdom.

The Office

I think that The Office is one of the funniest shows on T.V. The basic plot focuses around the random daily workings of a dysfunctional office staff at a small paper company in northern Pennsylvania. Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell, leads the group in a very unique fashion. Instead of the conventional, boss-like performance Michael is fueled by the need to be appreciated by his employees. The rest of the staff participates in some ridiculous office antics as well. Jim is constantly taunting his desk-mate Dwight by faxing him letters from himself, or moving his desk into the bathroom. Angela is domineering in the way she leads the party planning committee, and has brought her coworker Phyllis to tears on several occasions. The other cast members offer more sarcastic remarks and impending office romances which add to the show’s humor. The Office is one of the best, current examples of a postmodern comedy. In the first few seasons the show had really no direction. It was basically a collection of arbitrary episodes that were relatively disconnected to one another. It doesn’t present any facts or concepts it just leaves the viewer thinking “thank goodness I don’t work there.” It doesn’t try to address any kingdom issues, or seek to answer any real questions about Creation or human purpose. It more or less shows a group of people in their daily routine-selling paper, and dealing with their idiotic boss. The Office does a better job of addressing empirical characteristics like seduction, conformity to cool, instant gratification, and surveillance. It is nearly impossible to look for a deeper meaning in The Office’s script. I don’t think it is capable of answering any of the probing questions presented in DCM. It’s just a good sitcom with enjoyable story lines, a humorous cast, and ability to make people laugh.

The Mission

As the DCM films are currently being shown, I thought I would take the opportunity to see the 1986 Warner Brothers film, The Mission. A short synopsis of the film provides a Jesuit priest, Father Gabriel, who faces difficulties in trying to spread Christianity to South American natives in a Spanish state that doesn't exactly approve of this action. Aside from Father Gabriel, a key character presented is Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert De Niro) who murders his brother and is later converted to Christianity through the help of Father Gabriel. Their attempts to convert the Guarani Indians is known as "The Mission" and is later threatened by Portuguese colonials who try to enslave them in their communities with support from the Treaty of Madrid. The film closes with Portuguese forces invading the natives territory and killing nearly everyone including the priests. The men responsible for leading the invasion try to convince the Cardinal that it was a just action, yet the Cardinal expresses unparallel feelings.

It was simple to notice the corruption the Portuguese provided by putting a halt on the mission and going to the extreme of killing hundreds of innocent people. I think it parrallels the story of Jesus in that the priests were spreading the Word of God to those absent of God in the lives and just like the Roman Empire, the Spanish and Portuguese colonials killed the mission that was to carry out this action. Along with this, I think the mission serves as the kingdom and the Spanish and Portuguese forces serve as the Empire. I say this because the priests mission followed Gods will and the priests have the purpose of converting the Guarani Indians to Christianity. The Spanish and Portuguese Colonials serve as the Empire because they are the centralized political power. They extend their power and rule over the culture of the Guarani Indians and end up eliminating their culture period. It was really interesting to see the connection between the mission and the kingdom and empire aspects presented in the film. I would definitely recommend this film to anyone intersested and would like to see it again myself.

"Glamorous" by FERGIE

The song "Glamorous" by Fergie represents how some people live and how some people fantasize about living. I get the impression that this song is portraying the way that certain people live. Some people don’t have any money; they will never experience the pleasures and events that happen in a rock star life. I am obviously not Fergie and I don’t always fly first class, and I don’t have chaperons and limousines taking me places. I live in the real world where I have to work, I can’t just sing a few songs that other people have written for me and make a million plus dollars. I go to college, I work, I worry about bills, and how I will fend for myself in the future. Sometimes I wish that I didn’t have to worry about things but on the other hand I think that I learn a lot from it and it overall makes me a stronger person. I think that this artifact reaches out to the empire. It is glorifying worldly pleasures such as : money, fame, etc. This artifact gives me no hope; the one hope is that if I ever were to become famous I would be able to look forward to living the high life. But what comes after that? This song doesn’t say anything about the real world, and about what the focuses should really be about. I think that this artifact tells a lot about some of the origins of sin. Some people get so overwhelmed with money and fame and the glories of the world that they don’t stop to realize what life is truly about. I guess one way you could relate this song to the Bible would be the story of the prodigal song. He asked for all the money that was entitled for him and he left. He decided to live the high life until he was out of money and had nothing left. Are the people that make a lot of money and spend it on worldly pleasures truly happy, or are they just happy for that time being?

Eagle Eye

I recently watched the movie Eagle Eye. Eagle eye is a robot/computer used in the military that can hear every phone call, control every camera, and hack into any computer system. She can use any piece of technology to do what she wants, for example, control traffic lights and security systems. Eagle eye knows everything about everyone. She can find out what someone’s career is, where he or she lives, who his or her family is, and any other intimate detail about that person. Eagle eye had basically had control over everything.

In the movie, eagle eye’s main focus was to make sure that the Constitution was always being upheld, but she took it too far. The president made a wrong decision and that led to the death of many innocent people. Since this was an injustice, eagle eye took it upon herself to seek revenge and attempt to kill him. She was trying to kill him because she thought that it was better for the people if the president was dead. So she decided to rectify the problem by taking matters into her own hands.

In the end humanity was able to overcome the evil of technology by each doing their own part. Even though all of these main characters were chosen against their own will, in the end they were all willing to give up their lives to save many other people. This shows that good ultimately will overcome evil, no matter how bad it seems. No matter how bad circumstances seem, God will always work through the hearts of people to keep this world going. Good always wins.