Movie Picks

Jared asked me to comment on some of my favorite movies, and I am happy to comply to his request. I love movies, though I’m not as broad in categories and genres as I would like to be. Mostly I like dramas and the occasional thriller, I appreciate a smart screenplay and a good twist ending. But as far as movies that have shaped me and have left an indelible mark on me, here are just a few (not in chronological order):

Magnolia 

  Its hard to say that I have a favorite film, but this one might just be it. One of the few movies that I like Tom Cruise’s acting, and he plays a horrible person so well so that might be the catch of it. There has been a trend lately in films to weave various tales and plotlines in and out of the overall narrative, this isn’t the first to do so, but probably does the best job. There are so many great performances, and this film is so emotionally hard to watch sometimes, but in the end I think there is a hope in this story that doesn’t make the pain of it all feel cheapened.

Gattaca

Not much of a science fiction fan, but this one is great and highly original. There are a lot of questions that are raised in this one, issues of how we use science, how societies fundamentally work, and how we view humanity. I think I’ve only seen it once but I remember it really provoked me.

The Station Agent

This is a quaint story about how humans long for each other, for friendship, for intimacy. Each character in this film is strangely familiar, flawed, and yet beautifully authentic. There are parts that seem a tad bit sentimental, but I think the filmmakers and actors don’t let it get out of hand. I love watching this movie with other people, especially those who have yet to see it.

Life as a House

Kevin Kline is one of my favorite actors, and this is my absolute favorite role of his. Tragic, funny, and deeply moving. I think Hayden Christensen (aka Anakin Skywalker) even does a good job in it! I have watched this movie so many times, and it gets me everytime.

Unbreakable

Say what you will about M. Night Shyamalan, but this and Lady in the Water are my favorite movies of this director, who I tend to really enjoy. Sam Jackson may be over the top in parts, but that is what makes him great! I love comic books, and I think this connects with me on so many levels.

Good Will Hunting

I could watch this movie at least once a day, good thing I don’t own it. Matt Damon proves he is the better half of the Damon/ Affleck duo, Affleck proves that he can ride on coat tails. I think Robin William’s performance in this is second best to Dead Poet’s Society. Plus, the Elliot Smith infused soundtrack is greatness.

The Shawshank Redemption

Okay, I know just about everybody has this in their top 3, 5, 10 all time favorite films, but there is a reason. It is just a great movie, and one that I really enjoyed the ending. That doesn’t happen too much in films for me, but I liked the happy ending for once.

The Sandlot

First movie that I ever really saw gospel parallels in! Makes me want to eat a S’more…

To Kill a Mockingbird

Atticus Finch is one of my favorite characters from a book/movie, and Gregory Peck was perfect in this role. Explores issues of social class and racism through the lens of Depression-era children. If you haven’t seen the movie or read the book, you are missing out on a great story.

What are your most formative film experiences?

Free of Charge (Part 2): Volf on Forgiving

Finally, we have come to the conclusion of my two-part series on Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace. However, there is a bit of a twist. I’m going to break down the three concluding chapters so there will actually be two more posts in relation to this one. I just couldn’t do justice to Volf’s book if I tried to wrap it up in one post. Sorry…

God the Forgiver

Volf asserts that for any true understanding of forgiveness, we must first look at the ultimate forgiver, God.  And once again, like we are apt to do with images of God, we distort how God relates to his creation in terms of forgiveness. There are namely two false images that are conjured up when we think about how God deals with offenses: God as Judge and God as the Doting Grandparent. If we think that somehow God negotiates with us, then when we back off our end of the deal or break it outright, God is indeed able to make us pay for the screwed up deal. When we fail to own up to our end of the deal, we pay for it. If, on the other hand we refuse this image, the second image is usually that of the doting grandparent, looking past our sinfulness and injustice, seeing and hearing no evil. Neither one helps us much. We fear the judge because we can’t make mistakes but so often do, but we don’t respect the grandparent because although they may comfort us at times, they look away from the injustice that is in the world and in ourselves.

From here Volf transitions us into a fuller account of how God relates to us in forgiveness, but not without touching on God’s wrath, which is a touchy subject with many but for me was refreshing to hear. “God isn’t wrathful in spite of being love. God is wrathful because God is love” (pg. 139).  The God who loves also preserves justice, and when that is not met, the result is that God is rightfully angry. God condemns because he loves, but does not destroy in his wrath, instead choosing to redeem that which has been broken.

How does God forgive?Volf provides scriptural metaphors: (1) God doesn’t reckon it to us, no debt to owe (2) God covers sin, God hides it (3) God puts wrongdoing behind his back (4) God removes sin from us as far as the East is from West, separaring it from us (5) God blots out sin (6) God sweeps away sin like mist (7) God forgets our sin. 

So what about justice then? How does God deal with his wrath and heart for justice if he forgives those who trespass? Moral law is a part of God’s being, not something above him nor something he is constrained to serve, he is also not above it, and to suspend his justice would mean that he would cease being God. Here is where atonement comes into the picture, for God does not speak forgiveness but instead acts it out. Volf argues that the satisfaction theory of atonement can help us put things in order more correctly, though not totally. Jesus, on the cross, took our place and paid the price for what we owed, and God therefore forgave us in the process (144). Volf here makes an important distinction, for Christ was not reconciling an angry God to a sinful world nor was he reconciling a sinful world to a loving God, instead Christ reconciled the world to himself, as part of the Holy Trinity in the act of salvation. Drawing on the inclusive substitution theory of the atonement, Volf places high emphasis on our union with Christ, and that Christ’s death is really our death to, and this is part of our sin being separated from us. We also partake in the resurrection of Christ, and his righteousness becomes ours through transformation and imputation, thus helping us to put off our old selves and embrace our new selves.

But how can we respond to such forgiveness? Simply in faith. We receive with open arms what we could not give to anyone else or to ourselves, and we embrace Christ. God gives, we receive. It is not a work, it is an act of sheer grace. But that is not all of it, for we must learn what it means to repent. To receive forgiveness, we must accept both the accusation of our guilt and the release from that guilt. We accept the accusation by confessing our offenses and repenting of them, and if we fail to confess, we fail to be forgiven (153). We are released from guilt when we believe and rejoice in God’s gracious gift of salvation. Volf uses the metaphor of a gift package that has been sent but has not been received, it is simply stuck in the middle. That is how God’s forgiveness works, for it is always offered, but not always received. If it is not received, complete forgiveness does not happen.

So how does God’s forgiveness change us? Volf simply believes that we start to pay it forward, that God’s initial act of forgiveness pushes us to live that out ourselves in the contexts that we live in.

But how should we forgive? What does that look like for us when so many of us are messed up ourselves and are lost on where to begin?

That will take us into our next part Friday…

Revisions

Okay,

 I have finished the Volf book and currently I am working on the first draft of the second part of my series to Free of Charge, should be posted tomorrow night. I will just warn you ahead of time and say that my conclusion to Volf’s book is going to actually be in three parts now. There is just too much information on forgiveness and its implications, and I feel that to gloss over it would be a travesty. Not that I have so many readers to worry about, just that I need to work that stuff out myself and writing it down helps me think about it more. So hope those who are out there will like what is coming up…

What do you think?

So I just changed the template on this blog, and I wanted to know what you all think of it? Personally I think the look of this one is more in tune with the idea of journeying and pilgrimage, but I am willing to give that up because I really liked the look of the recent template so there is a chance I may change it back. Sometimes I just get antsy and want to change everything quickly and look at something different. However, I do want to open this up for those who may care to have an opinion. Also, Rob may have something to say about it!

myTunes

Over the last decade, music has profoundly impacted my life and has led to some real formation in how I approach this world and interpret it. I wonder how you deal with music? Is it something that allows you to get out certain feelings? Does it convey something in you that you would not be able to articulate yourself? Is it just an escape? Does it deal with life as you experience it or is it just a distraction?

This will probably be a continual post as there is a lot of music that I appreciate, but I wanted to post a few albums that have had a deep impact on my life. Whether it is the overall message conveyed, the simple artistry and beauty of it all, or the lyrics, these few albums have staked a claim in my life:

Coldplay/ Rush of Blood to the Head: An obvious pick in some respects, simple and yet beautifully rich, an album for those who wear their hearts on their sleeves at times.

U2/ Best of 1980-1990: I almost put Joshua Tree on here but I felt that this album itself really shaped my devotion to this band. Bono is an understated lyricist, and The Edge’s sound is unique and piercing. This album is special to me because I listened to it around the time I started to see Christ really move in my life.

Damien Rice/ O: Haunting and yet mellow.

Glen Phillips/ Winter Pays for the Summer: I love Phillip’s voice and I think he writes some great stuff. I’m a huge Toad the Wet Sprocket fan so I think that I was immediately drawn to his music though this is a bit different than Toad’s work.

Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s/ The Dust of Retreat: Cool sound, simply put.

Pearl Jam/ Binaural: I first listened to the band with this album, then went backwards on to Yield, which is my favorite, but this one got me hooked so I think I’ll add this one instead for now.

Ron Sexsmith/ Retriever: Love this guy, he’s probably my favorite British musician

Sun Kil Moon/ Ghosts of the Great Highway: I watched Shopgirl one day, heard about this band, and have been a fan since

 

  

Toad the Wet Sprocket/ Coil: Probably no other album has shaped my life as much as this one

Derek Webb/ I See Things Upside Down: Honest music + honest musician = greatness

Pete Yorn/ Music for the Morning After: Just cool rock music

Books Series and Other Thoughts for the Day (Daniel)

Ok I’ve been kinda busy today so there won’t be much blogging, but I will just say that I will finish part 2 of my review on Volf’s Free of Charge on Wednesday. The weekend was full of activities so I did not have a chance to finish the book, thus delaying my second post.

I will be doing two book review over the next two weeks, next week I will delve into The Burning Word by Judith Kunst, which is about reading Scripture under the guide of Jewish midrash. I will give a definition of midrash early next week and then we’ll be under way. The week after that I will be reading Missing the Mark by Mark Biddle, which is about the idea of sin in biblical theology.

So let’s get to thoughts for the day:

(1) Kobe Bryant is going off lately in games, scoring 50 and 60+ for the Lakers, but what do we think about him so far and what will his legacy be? Will we remember him more because of the hard fouls, the poor sportsmanship, and the rape charge/extramarital affair? Is he going to be considered one of the greats?

(2) What did you think of the NCAA Tournament this weekend? Even though they defeated my Tar Heels, I sorta like the story behind Georgetown, with the sons of John Thompson and Patrick Ewing coaching and playing for the Hoyas respectively. I really don’t want to see Florida win it again, not much of a Noah fan even though I like Billy Donovan. I think that UCLA’s coach Ben Howland is a lot better coach than I gave him credit for earlier, taking his Bruins to two straight Final Fours.

(3) I’m a little late to these films, but recently I watched Before Sunrise and Before Sunset and let me just tell you that if I every marry, my future wife and I will have to watch those films before we decide to get hitched. Great dialogue, fantastic scenery, and two well-trained actors just imitating life.

(4) If you’re in Tulsa tonight, come play volleyball with some friends and me at 71st and Riverside. We’ll be there at 6pm and if it rains then we’ll watch a movie at someone’s house.

Okay that is it for today…

Convergence? (Rob)

Coming up with this name was weird. It was one of those times where I just threw a name out there, and it stuck. I had previously used “Anomaly Productions” for a few shows I had put together. But, I really haven’t changed, fundamentally, what I think about how the Church should actively engage the arts.

I’m sure my perspective has been highly tainted my personal experience in Seattle. But, actually, over time I’ve seen the “functional” ideology behind that perspective. Being “in” the world is only seen as vital if it’s inherently evangelistic. Even if that evangelism is unspoken, the goal is always there. In my opinion, no matter how you spin it, that turns people into means rather than ends.

So, for me, I have to go much further back. Is creativity inherently good?

I’m sure most Christians would say it’s “okay” to enjoy a movie or a book or a CD from someone who isn’t a believer. But, what does that mean? Is that it, it’s just okay? Or, is it admirable? Is it good?

I started asking these kinds of questions several years ago. For me, it couldn’t just be okay. If every thing we do is either worshipping God or worshipping idols, then nothing is neutral. Everything matters. Qoholeth is wrong.

For some reason, most people don’t consider that (I would venture to say all of) “Christian music” (or any other thing with that label) is only called that because of the primary writer. The majority of other people involved (from other musicians in a band, to publishers, to producers, to distributors) are not Christians. It is the bottom line business world.

So, in reality, it would be utterly impossible to use that definition of something being “Christian” to say what is “good” for Christians to enjoy. It doesn’t exist.

If we witness a child drawing a picture, using different media to create something, do we start questioning their motives? Do we ask them if they love Jesus? Can we not enjoy what they have created, simply because it is creative?

What is the difference? I’ll use Marilyn Manson as an example, because he seems “extreme” (because most people don’t know anything beyond MTV). Is he not a creative artist? How about the other musicians in his band? Are they not playing their instruments well?

If we say, yes, he is creative, and yes his musicians are good, then why can we not enjoy his music? (Let’s assume that, overall, the music doesn’t suck). Obviously, he isn’t claiming to be a Christian, so we can’t hold him to any kind of standard. We can’t (like Focus on the Family) judge his content.

I get asked this all the time now, but am I only booking Christian artists? Considering what I’ve already said, that doesn’t exist. So, no. Who do I book for shows? Honestly, I listen to a band, and if they don’t suck, I try to put a show together. I guess that’s pretty subjective, but, to me, it’s a lot more realistic than trying to find Christian musicians who don’t suck and who aren’t arrogant pricks who feel the need to evangelize from the microphone and who demand a ridiculous amount of money.

Another question that comes up a lot is how or why a church is involved in any of this. I’ll leave everyone hanging for that one.

Interestingly, I have already experienced more dismay from Christians than from those who wouldn’t say they follow Christ about what we are doing. It seems most Christians feel pretty safe being away from the people who actually make the music they like.

I’m trying to have grace for ignorance. Any tips?

There are a million things I want to say about this stuff, but that would be a post no one would want to read. Hopefully I will come back and post more soon.

The Body

Over the past couple of weeks, I have really been able to put some flesh on the bones of certain ideas that have been running through my head for a few years now. Many of us talk about what it means to live communally, to give to one another, to deny ourselves and seek the good of the other, to essentially be the church. St. Paul’s favorite metaphor for the church was the body, and I am beginning to see why that image is so appropriate.

We are all so different, with our various talents and gifts that make us unique, but whose real purpose is to channel those gifts to the people around us. Today I read Barefoot Poet’s Tribute to his  family and friends and I am reminded again of what true community looks like. The Barefoot Poet and I share the same community of Christ followers known as Rivendell Fellowship, and as I read his blog what got me most was his description of how people gave to him and his family and how he was humbled by the whole process. I just wanted to echo what BP said and state that my faith has been emboldened these past few weeks, and I have seen the body of Christ mature in ways that I thought were only talked about. I have seen the tears and pain of my friends, I have heard the confusion and anger of people searching for answers, I have observed the comforting of people lost in the chaos of life, and I have listened to them laugh because at times that is all they had to offer, and above all this and through all of this I have seen people be honest with themselves and one another, and I have seen Christ move in the lives of these people I gather with. Buzz words like fellowship and community hold a special place in my heart once again, and I just wanted to thank those who are a part of this community for helping me restore those ideas, because it is so easy to get caught up in the language of it all, and we so often forget that Christ really meant what he said.  I love you all and I am so thankful that my journey has led me to be a part of your lives too.

 Grace and Peace

Free of Charge (Part One): Volf on Giving

Today I want to give a short review of Miroslav Volf’s Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace, this will be a two part post that I will hope to conclude by Friday or Saturday. For today, we will look at the idea of giving and its sociological, theological, and ecclesiological implications. (Note: I had planned on reading Samuel Wells’ Power and Passion for Lent, and instead I chose to read Volf’s book because personally I felt as if it would be more fruitful for me at this point in life. Volf’s FofC was The Archbishop of Canterbury’s official Lenten book of 2006, Wells’ book is for 2007. So maybe I’ll just continue to be a year behind the bishop!)

Ok here we go…

“For the heart to see rightly, the hand needs to give generously.” And so for Volf, for us as individuals and as communities, the best way to live is to be generous in giving. However, in order for us to live generously, we must first see what it means to give, and the ultimate example that Volf has to offer is God. But for us to see God for who he truly is, we must first let go of our preconceived notions of how God in fact relates and gives to us. Our images of God and the reality of God never quite match up, but we can get a closer glimpse of who God is by evaluating what God is not, and Volf brings to the table two prime examples of what God is not: God is not a negotiator and God is not Santa Claus. “God’s goods are not for sale; you can’t buy them with money or good deeds. God doesn’t make deals. God gives” (pg. 27). We cannot barter with God to get what we want, he simply will not consent to our appeals to negotiate and instead he gives to us without our ability to give back, because in fact we cannot in reality give anything back to God. God is also not a Santa Claus archetype, lavishing upon us all sorts of gifts and goodies that are only there for our disposal. Instead, God calls us to be joyful receivers and givers, obliging us to channel what we have been given and imitate his giving.

But if God gift’s do oblige us to act, how is that not a negotiation? First, God does not give according to how the receiver will act, and in fact people can deny what God has given them or spoil it by refusing to participate in God’s plans. But how are we to act in accordance with God’s gifts? Volf argues that there are at least four ways to appropriately respond to God the giver: in faith, realizing that we are dependent upon God for all that we have and so we open ourselves up with empty hands. Secondly,  we live our lives in gratitude, realizing that this is not a return gift but is instead owed in addition to the gift. Where faith is  the affirmation of God’s giving, gratitude is the honoring of that giving. Thirdly, we become available to God, and we do this by becoming instruments of God, and this is a gift that God gives to us and to the world. Finally, we participate in the flow of God’s giving, realizing that we are not the final destination of God’s gifts and that they need to flow from us to others.

So how should we give then? Volf breaks down human interactions into taking (coercion), getting (exchange), and giving (generosity). Most of the time, we either take illicitly from others or we simple make negotiations with others in legitimate ways. We fail to give generously on a usual basis. Yet we are called by God to imitate his generosity, and here Volf makes a critical distinction, for we cannot identify with God’s giving but can be similar to it (pg.62). It is a tall order to give like God, and we will fail even with our best intentions, however we can attempt to give in a way that is similar to God’s and the best way we know how. Another important note that Volf makes is linking the perichoresis with giving. The perichoresis is the dance between the three persons of the Trinity and it out of this eternal giving and receiving that gifts flow outward and spill over to us. God does not need us, but in his love and holiness gives to his creation. It is this outbound movement that should inspire us to give.

Now that we’ve seen the ultimate Giver and how we should as humans give, the fundamental question goes as such: How canwe give? Humans are by nature broken and selfish creatures, so how can we be expected to give generously? “We are getters, possibly even shameless takers, who pride ourselves in being generous givers” (pg.91). Even when we seek to give, we often do so out of selfish ambition, for chance returns, and out of guilt. If we are selfish we fear we may lose something, if we are prideful we may be too pleased with our ability to give, and if we are lazy then we will be indifferent. So what is the answer? Simply, it is the presence and activity of Christ in our lives. “By the power of the Spirit, we make ourselves open for Christ to be born in us and to set us on an unsettling and yet deeply fulfilling journey of faith” (pg. 116). This linking of the Spirit to us is intimate, and the fruit produced is ours only because the Spirit indwells us. Instead of seeing the results of our giving, Volf states that we participate in the death and resurrection of Christ constantly, dying to our selves and to our assumptions, and being raised by the Spirit to new realities and new ways to offer life to those around us. And for us to be good givers, we must cultivate our lives in community in Christ’s body, which helps craft us into being better givers, the Spirit molds us, but it is the community that values and fosters virtue (pg. 119).  Communities do not make givers, they are born of the Spirit through the good practices of communities (120).  And this ecclesial focus helps us to give to the communities around us, as the church offers itself as a channel of God’s giving.

  

Blood Diamond

 In the past few years, Hollywood has had a particularly odd fascination with Africa. I do not say that this is a bad thing, only that it is peculiar. Africa represents mostly everything that is in direct contrast to the motion picture industry and vice versa. Hollywood is affluent, tamed, and full of fabricated beauty. Africa is mostly impoverished, wild, and vastly rugged. Yet recently much of our (United States) political, social, and global focus has been on this continent. Is it simply the mystery of Africa and its undomesticated qualities that draw us near to it?

As I watched Blood Diamond, I recalled the similar feelings of loss and awe that I had when I watched films like Hotel Rwanda, Sometimes in April, The Constant Gardener, and the little known documentary Invisible Children. My friend Trout said it best as we exited the theater, “I watch that and I just feel powerless, what can I do to make a difference?” And I think that when he asked that question there was something in me that jumped, because really that is the question, and in an instant it can make you ambivalent to the whole deal. There is something that nudges you as you watch a film like this, and it provokes you to deal squarely with the content, and you realize that there is a darkness that rests inside of you because you realize that you are guilty of indifference because you know that these atrocities are not isolated and happen all around us, and you are also humbled because the reality is that there is such darkness in this world, and we are blanketed in its shadows, and you feel that to begin to alter the picture is an incredibly daunting task.

I didn’t feel that the writing for the film was spectacular, the acting was what really carried this film. Djimon Hounsou is probably one of my favorite actors, and I don’t know if I’ve seen someone be able to convey emotion the way he does, it is at once raw and authentically human. Leo’s accent didn’t bug me as much as it did in the trailer, though I still think he was better in The Departed, he really does manage bring an edgy character whose life has been dominated by violence. Jennifer Connelly was also very good as the well-intentioned journalist who struggles with what it means to make a difference. Overall, this movie was devastating and beautiful in the same moment.

I hope you check it out.