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?
18 January 2009
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.
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.
17 January 2009
Defiance
I went to the movie Defiance today. It was directed by Edward Zwick and was released yesterday into theatures. It was about two brothers, Tuvia (Daniel Craig) and Zus (Liev Schreiber), who escaped from the Nazi-occupied Poland and help a community of Jews remain free human beings. They join a Russain Red Army resistance group and fight to remain alive while being hunted by the Germans.
Defiance expresses the importances of human freedom. These people who were fighting to remain alive would rather be free and hunted than enslaved and "safe" in ghettos. Their purpose was to remain human beings and not become animals even though they were being hunted like animals. Tuvia says, "If we die, at least we will die as human beings." All of these Jews believed in the creation as told in the Bible, and there were references made towards the Old Testemant stories of Moses and the Red Sea, David and Goliath, and God's covenants with his promised people. The teacher that was among them was the religious leader for them and he actually prayed saying that they were tired of being his people and going through this mess.
The community of Jews in the movie were crying out for the Kingdom. They were being oppressed by Germans with their anti-sematic tactics. The Jews wanted freedom and they were the poor and weak that the Kingdom of God says will be first. They definatly are fighting against empire and are living their lives wandering through the forest fighting for life in search for Kingdom. This artifact shows moments of pacifying to the empire as well. The Jews in the forest cannot remain peaceful and give in to the violence that is oppressing them and use it against themselves at times and as revenge. The empire has affected them as oppressed people and caused them to fall into a trap of anger and rage. The empire is powerful but the striving towards Kingdom and true freedom is stronger.
This movie makes you hope for the community to achive their goal of freedom and escape the oppression. It shows you how to value your life because you could be gone in one pull of a trigger. By putting yourself in the place of those who are oppressed, it gives you a better look at how to view the Kingdom and how much you should try to achieve it. You can see the fall in the movie by looking at the attitudes of the Germans. They love their families and do not know that they ard doing anything wrong. The soldiers are "doing their jobs" and are following orders. Sin is so twisted within us that we allow ourselves to become entangled in false ideas and it becomes a true part of what we believe and soon after we are killing Jews without thinking anything is wrong. Sin is deep in the system and isn't something that can be seen. The german soldiers weren't really "bad" people. They fell victim to the empire they were in just like we can do. We just see the devastating effects of their sins and not the sin itself.
The Jews believe that they can get through this. It didn't make any direct references to redemption or to Jesus for obvious reasons that they don't believe in Jesus as God. It does however show that there is hope for those who are being oppressed by the empire. There is something more than living in a world of sin and it is worth fighting for. They were striving for Kingdom and were willing to die for it, just as Jesus did for us.
This movie affirms many qualites of the Kingdom where everything is turned upside down. The weak and the oppressed are the ones that shall be first. They value nature and use their imaginations to make houses and shelters and even chess boards from wood and other materials. It no longer mattered who was cool and who wasn't becuase life was a bigger issue. The Jews didn't center their lives on Jesus which is a criticism of the Kingdom but they did show that the empire does effect everyone and the stiving for the Kingdom involves a sacrifice that puts yourself last and you look out for others. If the community were only looking out for their indivudal selves, they wouldn't have been able to survive.
Overall, I think Defiance was a great movie as entertainment and as a artifact to exemplify the Empire and Kingdom.
Anberlin
I attended both the Anberlin discussion and concert, held yesterday. I thoroughly enjoy the concept of having a time of discussion with the band to discuss their music as an art. Not being used as a time for autographs or pictures, we were able to come together as students and ask them about their music without the typical hype of the press. The first question was raised by Ken Heffener, an inquiry he always asks at these discussion sessions: what are you members of the band reading? Answers ranged from Christian Classics to Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts. From there, a number of questions were asked. They talked about how their music "control" hasn't changed since they switched to a major record label and what influences the songs they choose to play for a set at concerts. One question I thought particularly pertained to Pop Culture in the Empire was a question about why they made the decision to be a “secular” Christian band. First of all, Steven Christian answered that he didn’t like to use the word “secular” but instead refer to it as a “general market.” He clarified he did not want to be in the Christian music industry (which is the fastest growing music industry—17% a year) for the money but rather play for the general market just to get the word out there. In this way, Anberlin has had the opportunity to tread the same stage as hit bands such as Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance. By doing this, their lyrics which are filled with personal stories, emotion, and heartache can make in impact on a typically unreachable crowd.
Using their concert as a “Cultural Artifact” I felt that their music, though seemingly non-Christian, cries out for the Kingdom by proclaiming hope. Sinfulness and falleness are portrayed lyrically in brokenness, loss, and pain that accompanies out human lives. Further, amidst the troubles of this world, salvation exists. I’m not entirely familiar with all their work but from what I’ve heard, they don’t blatantly preach the gospel from their music. On this observation I raise a question: If the band is considered to be a witness amidst the empire, what part of their music “draws” the un-churched toward Christian circles if the gospel of grace/salvation is not more clearly presented?
All in all, I highly respect the talent present in Anberlin and look forward to what music will be released in the future.
Using their concert as a “Cultural Artifact” I felt that their music, though seemingly non-Christian, cries out for the Kingdom by proclaiming hope. Sinfulness and falleness are portrayed lyrically in brokenness, loss, and pain that accompanies out human lives. Further, amidst the troubles of this world, salvation exists. I’m not entirely familiar with all their work but from what I’ve heard, they don’t blatantly preach the gospel from their music. On this observation I raise a question: If the band is considered to be a witness amidst the empire, what part of their music “draws” the un-churched toward Christian circles if the gospel of grace/salvation is not more clearly presented?
All in all, I highly respect the talent present in Anberlin and look forward to what music will be released in the future.
24
Recently a favorite television show of mine, 24, began airing its new season. Each season of the show takes place over a twenty-four hour period and each hour-long episode takes place in real time, hence the name 24. The basic plot is based around the main character Jack Bauer a CTU (counter terrorist unit) agent who is forced to go to great lengths to prevent bombs, viruses, assassination attempts, and usually save someone he cares about at the same time in one extremely stressful day.
This show has become extremely popular over the years (It is in its seventh season) for a number of reasons. For one as a viewer puts it “This is the most creative, intelligent, well-written, unpredictable, and suspenseful program that I have ever seen”. Which after watching the show I would have a difficult time disagreeing with. It ends every episode with unbearable cliffhangers, which force you to watch the next episode and is filled with plot twist after plot twist.
On a deeper level than just being entertaining, however, I believe that 24 appeals to the American viewer’s sense of national pride. In many Hollywood and the television and movie corporations have used horrific events of September 11th to their advantage in creating countless movies and shows that are based on the United States in some form or another overcoming various terrorist situations. At its roots 24 is yet another example of this type of propaganda to the American people that in many ways are even used to encourage and comfort them, as I have never seen a movie or show in which the United States fails to put the evil that is terrorism in its place. 24 was created in November of 2001, just two months after these terrible attacks, which is testimony to the truly amazing abilities of the television corporations to see an opportunity seize it.
This characteristic of the empire is not necessarily bad; I for one have enjoyed and endorsed most all of these Hollywood creations. We, as creatures of the empire, long for entertainment and the impressive abilities of our film industry simply supply us with what we crave. We must, however, if we are to break free from the empire and live for God's Kingdom we must be active in the empire and stand by making choices and doing things we would normally be unwilling to do. We must be aware of the the evil that surrounds us in our society and use our discernment to make decisions to support what glorifies God's Kingdom and not the empire.
This show has become extremely popular over the years (It is in its seventh season) for a number of reasons. For one as a viewer puts it “This is the most creative, intelligent, well-written, unpredictable, and suspenseful program that I have ever seen”. Which after watching the show I would have a difficult time disagreeing with. It ends every episode with unbearable cliffhangers, which force you to watch the next episode and is filled with plot twist after plot twist.
On a deeper level than just being entertaining, however, I believe that 24 appeals to the American viewer’s sense of national pride. In many Hollywood and the television and movie corporations have used horrific events of September 11th to their advantage in creating countless movies and shows that are based on the United States in some form or another overcoming various terrorist situations. At its roots 24 is yet another example of this type of propaganda to the American people that in many ways are even used to encourage and comfort them, as I have never seen a movie or show in which the United States fails to put the evil that is terrorism in its place. 24 was created in November of 2001, just two months after these terrible attacks, which is testimony to the truly amazing abilities of the television corporations to see an opportunity seize it.
This characteristic of the empire is not necessarily bad; I for one have enjoyed and endorsed most all of these Hollywood creations. We, as creatures of the empire, long for entertainment and the impressive abilities of our film industry simply supply us with what we crave. We must, however, if we are to break free from the empire and live for God's Kingdom we must be active in the empire and stand by making choices and doing things we would normally be unwilling to do. We must be aware of the the evil that surrounds us in our society and use our discernment to make decisions to support what glorifies God's Kingdom and not the empire.
Mall Pilgrimage
After reading a chapter from Jon Pahl's Shopping Malls & Other Sacred Spaces and viewing The Persuaders, Rob and I encouraged all of our students to "make a pilgrimage" to a local mall and see what they noticed. So, folks...what did you see?
15 January 2009
Fiction Family
I went to see Fiction Family at the Ladies Literary Club on Wednesday. The band was created by Jon Foreman from Switchfoot and Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek. They are a very new band and this was their second concert ever, so almost no one had ever heard any of their music before. I wouldn't say that their music was explicitly Christian but the themes were good and their belief in Christ showed through their work. They each did solo stuff during the concert as well as playing together. There was another band that opened for Fiction Family but I don't remember their name.
Many of their songs spoke of girls, sadness and suffering. The songs were all new and I don’t remember the lyrics to many of them, but those things were the ideas I picked up from their music. There music did seem to be crying out for the kingdom and I think that the more I listen to them in the future the more I will see how they did that specifically. I think they wanted to portray that there is pain in life and in relationships but there is hope that we should hold on to.
I also stayed for the conversation with the artists after the show. One of the things that they said was that making music and connecting with the audience are intertwined. They said that when the lyrics connect with people in the audience then they were successful. I think that they tried to show redemption through their songs. They never tried to fake it, meaning that they honestly meant the words that they were saying. They are making money but they said that they started this project because it felt like they had a lot of chemistry together in making music. I liked that they didn’t shy away from tough issues in their songs and confronted the evil in the world. I felt like they criticized the worldly way of life that some people buy into and tried to show that it doesn’t lead anywhere.
14 January 2009
Fashion Culture in the Empire
Today, Erin O’Connor Garcia came to class as a guest speaker on fashion. She works in the Student Activities Office at Calvin and part of her job is to advise the student-run Fashion Advisory Board, which puts on fashion shows and publishes a fashion magazine periodically. Erin graduated from Calvin in 2005 and has done a lot of study since then about how Christians might have a more nuanced response than the inadequate default to modesty and thrift that perpetuates unhealthy gender roles and misses out on the artistic delight of dressing ourselves.
As part of the discussion, Erin showed “On the Street: Fashion Barometer” by Bill Cunningham, which alludes to a number of ways in which clothing functions as much more than just a covering for our bodies. When we realize that basic principle, we can more readily recognize the messages the empire is seeking to communicate by the way clothing is manufactured, advertised and sold. If I can see that the current empire of global consumerism defines my primary identity as an unthinking cog in the wheel of consumption and I want to reject that false identity, I have dozens of practical options for subverting the empire: consuming less, wearing hand-me-downs, making my own clothing or having someone make it for me, buying from companies that don’t depend on sweatshop labor…
Christians in particular really are caught in a schizophrenic place. We’re pressured to assume a posture of modesty and thrift while being sold through every means available the idea that we are what we wear, so we better wear the right thing. One response is to simply ignore the tension, ala Andrea in The Devil Wears Prada. However, ignoring the problem doesn’t hurt the empire, which defines us whether we acknowledge it or not, especially when we allow a vacuum of identity through ignorance. Another response is to live in a state of constant guilt, wearing our modestly designed and priced clothing to church while blending into other social situations like well-dressed chameleons. Guilt is exhausting and as a remedy, we may be tempted to succumb to one of the extremes—an anti-matter theology that universally disdains any artistry of apparel or a pro-matter idolatry that makes peace with the imperialist consumer identity. Yet a fourth option is to dissolve the tension by digging deeper. What would it look like to clothe ourselves with a faithfulness that honors human creativity in clothing and commerce while subverting the idolatrous intentions of the empire? Good question…
Some Articles & Resources
Better Places to Shop for Clothing
Any other (re)sources to add? Feel free to do so via the comments.
As part of the discussion, Erin showed “On the Street: Fashion Barometer” by Bill Cunningham, which alludes to a number of ways in which clothing functions as much more than just a covering for our bodies. When we realize that basic principle, we can more readily recognize the messages the empire is seeking to communicate by the way clothing is manufactured, advertised and sold. If I can see that the current empire of global consumerism defines my primary identity as an unthinking cog in the wheel of consumption and I want to reject that false identity, I have dozens of practical options for subverting the empire: consuming less, wearing hand-me-downs, making my own clothing or having someone make it for me, buying from companies that don’t depend on sweatshop labor…
Christians in particular really are caught in a schizophrenic place. We’re pressured to assume a posture of modesty and thrift while being sold through every means available the idea that we are what we wear, so we better wear the right thing. One response is to simply ignore the tension, ala Andrea in The Devil Wears Prada. However, ignoring the problem doesn’t hurt the empire, which defines us whether we acknowledge it or not, especially when we allow a vacuum of identity through ignorance. Another response is to live in a state of constant guilt, wearing our modestly designed and priced clothing to church while blending into other social situations like well-dressed chameleons. Guilt is exhausting and as a remedy, we may be tempted to succumb to one of the extremes—an anti-matter theology that universally disdains any artistry of apparel or a pro-matter idolatry that makes peace with the imperialist consumer identity. Yet a fourth option is to dissolve the tension by digging deeper. What would it look like to clothe ourselves with a faithfulness that honors human creativity in clothing and commerce while subverting the idolatrous intentions of the empire? Good question…
Some Articles & Resources
- “Beauty Will Save the World,” an interview with designer Kate Kamphausen
- “Will it last? The good of well-crafted clothing” by Christina Crook
- “The Dress Project” by Tala Strauss (a month-long experiment with one dress)
- “David & Goliath” from This American Life (an episode that explores the garment manufacturing industry in Cambodia and how it’s related to some of the big names in the U.S., like Gap)
Better Places to Shop for Clothing
- American Apparel (though problematic in its own way)
- Maggie’s Organics
- Fair Indigo
- Etsy
- shirt.woot!
Any other (re)sources to add? Feel free to do so via the comments.
13 January 2009
The Psalters
In class today, we listened to the song “Dig It Up” by a group called The Psalters. "Dig It Up" is a great song to complement a study of empire and the Kingdom, particularly alongside our primary text, Colossians Remixed. It implicates department stores, Wall Street, advertising and even skyscrapers ("tall, glass towers giving the finger to God") as symbols of the current empire of global consumerism, emphasizing the upside down nature of the Kingdom of God, made manifest in a "Middle Eastern hobo."
The Psalters have been at Calvin several times in the past few years and they’ll be here again in February for chapel (2/5) and a concert (2/6) during the Faith & International Development Conference. Their web site has a lot of information about who they are, including their manifesto. Embodying a calling to be refugees of the Kingdom in exile in the empire, they write songs that cry out against the empire in the voice and music of oppressed people. They also strive to model their status as refugees in their lives, living simply in community, dumpster diving, sleeping in the vegetable-oil-fueled bus they travel in. As we study the power and nature of the empire throughout scripture and in contemporary culture, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed to a point of paralysis. The Psalters demonstrate that even in the face of rampant globalization, it’s possible to do something practical as a radical witness of the Kingdom of God. They can’t live entirely outside of the empire—none of us can—but they can subvert it in communion with others…and have a pretty danceable, raucous time doing so.
08 January 2009
Corruption and Justice in The Constant Gardener
I watched The Constant Gardener in the FAC on Thursday night. It is the story of an English diplomat to Kenya whose wife is murdered under suspicious circumstances. As Justin Quayle (the diplomat) investigates the murder he unveils a plot by a major pharmaceutical to test a new tuberculosis drug on Africans; he discovers that Africans have died due to the effects of this unsafe drug. Justin Quayle dies in the end, but he exposes the corrupt pharmaceutical companies at fault.
This film has much to say about life in the empire and the kingdom of God. The main plot of the story deals with the corruption of men. Justin Quayle not only exposes unethical pharmaceutical executives, but corrupt leaders in Africa and politicians in wealthy nations. This motion picture is showing the essence and true power of the empire. We as western thinkers are not at all shocked by the corruption of many African leaders; however there is a great sense of surprise and disappointment when our western system of government is corrupt. This movie is showing that contrary to our popular view of the empire, western governments are just as corrupt as many “lesser” forms of government. It gets worse. Not only are western governments corrupt, but western capitalist corporations will do anything to make a bigger profit. This may even include lying, bribery, and unethical treatment of people. Life in the empire has corruption and dishonesty…everywhere. This film also deals with one major aspect of the kingdom of God. Justice. Justin Quayle works the entire movie to find who is responsible for the murder of his wife; and even though he pays for it with his life the men responsible are exposed. Although these men are not brought to justice in the movie, we are left to believe that there will be consequences for their actions. Injustice is one of the most frustrating things to watch and The Constant Gardener does a good job of reminding me that in the Kingdom of God there will always be Godly justice.
This film has much to say about life in the empire and the kingdom of God. The main plot of the story deals with the corruption of men. Justin Quayle not only exposes unethical pharmaceutical executives, but corrupt leaders in Africa and politicians in wealthy nations. This motion picture is showing the essence and true power of the empire. We as western thinkers are not at all shocked by the corruption of many African leaders; however there is a great sense of surprise and disappointment when our western system of government is corrupt. This movie is showing that contrary to our popular view of the empire, western governments are just as corrupt as many “lesser” forms of government. It gets worse. Not only are western governments corrupt, but western capitalist corporations will do anything to make a bigger profit. This may even include lying, bribery, and unethical treatment of people. Life in the empire has corruption and dishonesty…everywhere. This film also deals with one major aspect of the kingdom of God. Justice. Justin Quayle works the entire movie to find who is responsible for the murder of his wife; and even though he pays for it with his life the men responsible are exposed. Although these men are not brought to justice in the movie, we are left to believe that there will be consequences for their actions. Injustice is one of the most frustrating things to watch and The Constant Gardener does a good job of reminding me that in the Kingdom of God there will always be Godly justice.
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