Pastoral Aesthetic Quotes- 15

"Like an artist who transfers mental images and colors to canvas, so the visioncaster paints a picture in the imagination of his audience."

--Andy Stanley in Visioneering, p. 90)

Pastoral Aesthetic Quotes- 14

"Epic poetry and Tragedy, Comedy also and Dithyrambic poetry, and the music of the flute and of the lyre in most of their forms, are all in their general conception modes of imitation. They differ, however, from one another in three respects, -the medium, the objects, the manner or mode of imitation, being in each case distinct."

--Aristotle (in Poetics)

The End of LOST & 24

Recently, 2 popular television series ended. I was a neither a fan or regular watcher of either LOST (ABC) or 24 (FOX). Millions of people are. I was told, however, that the series' finales both offered up a decent dose of sermon illustrations. Maybe that is true.

But it sort of brings up a larger question. Do I need to see everything to be truly culturally attuned? I don't think so.

The drawback, of course, is being accused of not liking something, taking offense, and reacting when you have not seen it. This, unfortunately, is rampant in Christian circles. What I am trying to say, is that you run the risk of operating solely on the principle of "someone told me to be offended, so I am". But then again, you also run the risk of praising something you have no clue about (as in Mark Twain's definition of a classic).

What about you? were you a fan of either of these shows? If so, how did/does it affect your preaching? Do you feel the need to check out every reference you preach on or criticize?

Movie Review- Iron Man 2

So, I finally saw this film. I say it that way because I had been wanting to see it since it was released a few weeks ago. Before I begin the actual review, I should state two important things:

1. I love superheroes, and the movies made about them.
2. I don't read comic books. I used tot read and collect them. And of the ones I did read, Iron Man was NOT one of them. It wasn't from a lack of interest. I just discovered I was reading too many titles that could not be supported by the budget of an unemployed teenager.

Now, onto my analysis.

Iron Man 2 is exactly what you want in a sequel: familiar characters and stars, enough of a recap of the original work, a sort-of picking up where the story left off, and it should not be as good as the original. The Godfather, Part II is the only known exception to this last criteria.

The film carries on the story of titan of industry, wealthy playboy, and technological genius Tony Stark. Stark, in the Iron man armor, has brought about a type of world peace. This has not escaped the notice of the United States government, who wishes to acquire the technology and use it for themselves. Stark refuses to sell to them. Meanwhile, in Russia, a heavily-tattooed physicist is making plans to get revenge on Tony Stark for perceived injustices committed against his father by Tony Stark's father during the Cold War. He tries to accomplish this by constructing a a rip-off (based on original designs) of Iron Man's (and Tony Stark's) ARC reactor. He then constructs a sort of exoskeleton which brandishes electrically-charged whips in each hand.

The film is essentially, even if unintentionally (I suspect intentional, though) about contrasts. Let me provide a few examples. Malibu, where Tony Stark resides, is always sunny and has perfect weather. (I have never been there, but I am told this is pretty accurate.) Russia is depicted as being gray, always overcast, and almost always snowing. Further, the film contrasts the sleek, sparkling, and sexy Iron Man armor with the crude exoskeleton of Whiplash. Then we are faced with the contrast of motives. The film contrast the (supposedly) pure motives of Tony Stark/Iron Man with not only the motives of revenge displayed by Whiplash, but also the motive of the United States government (is it to wage war or preserve peace?).

GOSPEL HANDLES

There's a fascinating line by Whiplash in the film when he describes his motive for wanting revenge on Tony Stark. He says, "If you could make God bleed, people would cease to believe in him." What do we, as Christians (and pastors) do with that? After all, we believe that, on the cross, God DID bleed. How would you preach this?

Also, the story that unfolds in the film, is partially a Gospel handle itself. It starts with a "very good" design (the Iron Man armor) which is then co-opted by something/someone evil, made to create chaos and bring about death, and finally is redeemed. What other Gospel Handles did you see? I can think of at least two.

CLERGY HANDLES

There are no depictions of clergy in this film.

All in all, I found this movie to be solid for a sequel. There were some parts that dragged, but on the whole it was pretty good. The lulls are salvaged by good performances by Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, and especially, Gwyneth Paltrow and Mickey Rourke. Also noteworthy was the brief part played by Garry Shandling.

Pastoral Aesthetic Quotes- 13

"The act of singing together is deeply and indelibly human. When we sing, words are given greater range and power than when we speak. Something is shared in singing that goes beyond the words alone. Among Christians, this something has taken shape over many centuries in a practice that expresses our deepest yearning and dearest joy: the practice of singing our lives."

--Don E. Saliers (in "Singing Our lives" in Practicing Our Faith: A Way of Life. p. 180)

Pastoral Aesthetic Quotes- 12

"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them."

--Ray Bradbury

Pastoral Aesthetic Quotes- 11

"Technology is a mode of revealing. Technology comes to presence where revealing and unconcealment take place, where aletheia, truth, happens."

--Martin Heidegger

Thoughts on Glee

I'm a regular watcher of FOX's hit show Glee. But, I came to it the hard way. Let me explain. My fiancee loves the show. We watch it regularly together. I don't enjoy the show as much as she does. I give it credit for being original. And I generally enjoy the music that's performed. Beyond that, I wouldn't exactly describe myself as a fan. And, I do see why the show is popular.

But, I've been doing some thinking on the issue. The show does imitate life pretty well. Let me discuss a few examples:

1. We all wish our lives had a great soundtrack. To many (if not most) of us, music is important. Certain songs seem to really capture how we feel at certain times or about certain issues. It is not hard to imagine these songs playing, or like in the case of Glee to break out into actually singing these songs as we go through our lives.

2. People constantly lie to each other. This is reflected well in the show, as are modern attitudes about lying. Think about it! We go through life demanding honesty from various persons and entities, ranging from our spouses and partners to politicians and government to corporations. But we encounter and participate in so much lying every day, our hypocrisy is quickly exposed. Additionally, we live in a culture where lying is considered to be natural, but also a display of good manners. The characters are constantly lying to each other. Art imitating life indeed.

3. We all deal with Sue Sylvester... The character of coach Sue Sylvester is interesting, if not entirely original. Fellow English major may rake me over the coals for this comparison, but I've been fighting this battle since college. Sue Sylvester reminds me of Don John in Shakespeare's play Much Ado About Nothing. Both characters are bitter, scheming, and mean for no apparent reason. I have yet to figure out why she hates the glee club so much and constantly plots their destruction. But, daily we encounter this person at school, at work, even at church. They are mean for no reason, and on the surface at least, have absolutely no reason to act in such a way.

4....but outward appearances aren't everything. Despite her own narcissism and her seemingly unending rage at a extremely talented and unrealistic high school choir, there are other facets to Sue. She has a soft spot in her heart for the mentally challenged. She has a sister with Down's syndrome whom she sees regularly, as well as a cheerleader on the squad in the same condition. She is capable of love and care, even if no one else sees it.

There are other issues to be explored. These are just some thoughts and reactions to the show I wanted to explore.

Where does this fit into ministry? First, pastors, if the show is as popular as it's reported to be, there's a good chance that our parishioners are watching. It's good to be at least a little familiar. I also think that, like me, even if you don't end up liking the show, there's at least something in there to which you can relate. Even on the most basic level, you can always glean a fresh sermon illustration from it.

What about you? Are you a regular watcher of Glee? Are you a fan? What other issues can be explored that I overlooked?

Pastoral Aesthetic Quotes- 10

"What is good Christian music? It is the combination of words that are biblically sound and music that is appropriate to the words and to their intended purpose. In authentically Christian songs the words and musical score work together to accomplish the one purpose God has for His church on earth: bringing glory to himself. If the music does not glorify God, it is not good church music."

--Robert C. Anderson (in The Effective Pastor, p.327)

Movie Review- Date Night

I saw this film a few weeks ago, but am just now getting around to posting the review. I aplogize for the delay.

This is a fun movie. I don't normally go to or even really like romantic comedies. But this one focuses more on the comedy than the romance. That said, it's still a good time. Here again, we are presented with a film that, on the surface, does not contain much theological content, but from which Gospel handles can be extracted or imported.

The film tells the story of Phil & Claire Foster, a typical suburban couple, who have fallen into a routine, or a rut. They decide to break out of their routine, and have their weekly date night in New York City. They attempt to get a table at a new, trendy restaurant, but find they cannot get a table. So, they decide to pose as another couple and take the reservation for the no-shows. A case of mistaken identity occurs, and rouble (plus hilarity) ensues.

As I said above, this is not much theological fodder. But, that doesn't mean there are no lessons to be gleaned. The first, and most obvious, is the necessity of a "date night" or it's equivalent. This is especially important in ministry. The temptation is very great to fall into a marital "routine" in the name of "doing ministry" or arguing that this is the way it has to be. True, the average date night will not have the hilarity depicted in the film, but doing something special on a regular (if weekly is impossible). And "something special" does not necessarily mean an expensive, trendy restaurant. It can mean just getting out of the house for a couple hours.

GOSPEL HANDLES

The Fosters constantly seek refuge and help from a former client of Claire's. He provides them with help. Similarly, we can go to our Heavenly Father for shelter and help. He will give aid no matter how annoying we might be.

CLERGY HANDLES

There are no depictions of clergy in the film.

Above, I discussed the need for ministry couples to have a "date night" of their own. This film would be a quality addition to that.

Pastoral Aesthetic Quotes- 9

"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested."

--Francis Bacon

Pastoral Aesthetic Quotes- 8

"Remember that many a devotional service, special-day program, Sunday or Weekday lesson, or for that matter Women's Club program has been redeemed from mediocrity through the intelligent use of great pictures, great stories, great poetry, and great music artistically interpreted."

--Cynthia Pearl Maus (in The Old Testament and the Fine Arts)