Thoughts related to specific news articles
For all of you interested in the philosophy of education and the climate of education in our country today, here is a great article by Dr. Shirley Mullen, President of Houghton College. She is a critical yet positive thinker. http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/higher-education-examination-429/.
I seldom watch movies, I generally have other things I would rather do. But I made an exception yesterday for the movie, Son of God. My wife and I went with Harrison and Carol Griffin to a theater and watched it.
The movie is made from scenes from the Bible series. This allowed the directors also to set the movie with earlier clips such as scenes from the birth narrative – clips that gave Son of God greater “sitz im leben,” to use a German theological phrase. The phrase means the clips at the beginning set it in life and culture and times much better than if it had just started at the adult ministry of Jesus.
The Moroccan countryside used for the filming seemed so fitting. As one who lived and traveled in Morocco for three years, I was aware of how much the countryside there reminded me of the Biblical narratives. This movie only added to that feeling. Yet, the time transport, so to speak, was so good that it became a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it depicted well the conditions, clothes, culture, etc. of Jesus’ day. But on the other hand, it removed the story from mine and made it just a little harder to identify with the real life drama in the lives of Peter, Jesus, John, Judas, two Mary’s, Caiaphas, and Pilate.
Overall, I found watching the movie to be a powerful faith experience. I sat in silence for some time afterward, not wanting to talk or be spoken to, just absorbing the impact of what I had seen. It reminded me of what I knew from the Bible, forcefully bringing to mind the Biblical stories and pushing me to interact with them emotionally and spiritually. There is so much about Jesus to admire in the film, as there should be, his wisdom, his power, compassion, fairness, his lack of fear of power. Most of all, one admires his courage to go to the cross knowing that it was coming. This is true to the Biblical narrative as he predicted his coming death at the hands of the Jews.
I recommend the movie. If a person knows little about the Bible, it will educate. If a person knows much, it will remind and challenge. But most of all, it will help you all to be inspired by Jesus. I recommend taking friends as it will provide opportunities for discussion and for the Holy Spirit to work in the minds and hearts of people. It is not perfect as many liberties have been taken with the biblical narrative, but it is definitely inspirational. I recommend reading the Gospel of John again to compare and answer questions. For those of my readers who haven’t seen it yet, I suggest you stop reading here and go see it. Then come back and read my more detailed comments that follow.
1. The depictions of the Sea of Galilee with its first century boats were excellent. The scene where the disciples are caught in a storm and Jesus invites Peter to walk on the water is so well done. It is Biblically true, very convincing, and it captured the true sense of Jesus inviting Peter to experience the power of faith.
2. The calling of Matthew is very moving. It shows Jesus’ ability to see the person, to override the perspective of both friend and foe in order to find the healing wholesome, kingdom enhancing path.
3. The scene of the woman caught in adultery was so powerful. While I did not hear a mention of the sin of which she was accused, nor did Jesus write on the ground during the pregnant silence as he did in Scripture, one still got the message clearly that in our treatment of those who error, we must be aware of our own sins and work for restoration.
4. I really like the fact that Mary Magdalene was included in the scenes with the disciples. The Bible mentions that there were a few well-to-do women who traveled with the disciples (Luke 8:1-3). Mary was one of them. The film narratives involving her are all created for the movie but her inclusion is a plus.
5. I thought the movie accurately portrayed the political tension between Pilate and the Jewish leaders. While most of the narrative was fictional, it reflected the situation which the Bible depicts.
6. Overall, I appreciated the Last Supper scene because it had a real sense of the drama and importance of the moment. The interaction of Jesus with the disciples is rich with feeling.
7. My wife and I were both particularly struck by the powerful juxtaposition of the three prayers during the Gethsemane sequence. All were sincere in their own way. But Jesus was the only one truly in touch with God and living out his faith morally and with integrity. Both Caiaphas and Pilate found it acceptable, even rationalized that it was proper, to accept compromise of what they knew was right to protect their positions. Obviously, the prayers of Caiaphas and Pilate’s wife are not in the Bible but the film’s deliberate contrast caught the message of the NT that Jesus came into this world to introduce a kind of piety that surpassed the hypocrisy and idolatry of his day.
1. There were many times that closeness to Scripture was compromised. Often I felt the Scripture’s story line was more powerful. The most egregious example for me was in the scene depicting the raising of Lazarus. Not only did they miss the important verse about Jesus weeping at the grave, but what is this kissing his dead head business? It is quite clear in Scripture that Jesus did not enter the tomb of Lazarus, nor did anyone else. Jesus shouted from outside the tomb, “Lazarus, come out!” The Bible says that Lazarus came out still bound in grave clothes that had to be removed by celebrating friends. To me the Bible’s version has far more drama. I really wish the movie had followed the narrative of John 11 much more closely.
2. Simply from a story point of view, the film’s portrayal of Nicodemus was enjoyable and appropriately complex. But it was also about 90% conjecture. For example, there is no indication in Scripture that Jesus’ questioner concerning taxes was Nicodemus or that the questioner was sent directly by Caiaphas. In fact there are only 3 mentions in the Bible of Nicodemus. The night visit to Jesus is recorded but it occurs first of the three incidents in John’s gospel (John 3:1-15) rather than later as in the film. Second is the interaction with the high priest (John 7:50-52). The film inexplicably omitted the priest’s comment about Galilee, even though it had been set up well by the laugh scene when Jesus’ Galilee location is first mentioned to Caiaphas. Last, after Jesus is dead, the Bible says, Nicodemus accompanied Joseph of Arimathea in asking Pilate for the body of Jesus (John 19:38,39). I use this as an example of the fact that the person watching the film must be constantly aware that what you are seeing in the story lines is a mix of Scripture and created narrative. In the case of Nicodemus, Caiaphas, Mary Magdalene and Pilate, much of it is fictionalized to make the movie work.
Another thing I could not help but note as I watched the movie was the missed opportunities to include powerful stories from the NT that were closely related to those that were included and would have revealed great additional information about the Son of God. I’m sure that one of the key reasons why some of the following were missed was editing to reach an arbitrary time length goal for the film. But these omissions are nearly inexcusable.
1. There was no little boy in the feeding of the 5000 scene. It would have added to the human drama of the scene and portrayed Jesus as the lover of children that he was. The boy is mentioned in John’s gospel too (6:9).
2. In the Upper room scene, the movie omitted Jesus washing the feet of the disciples, another unique part of John’s gospel narrative in the Bible (John 13:1-17). By that act Jesus taught humility, modeled servant leadership and countered bickering among the disciples. It should have been included.
3. The conflation of the two Sunday night appearances of Jesus in the film made for several missed opportunities. According to the Bible, on Easter night, Thomas was not there when Jesus appeared in the room. The next week Jesus appeared again and Thomas was there. Separating the two appearances of Jesus as in the Bible would have made Thomas’ unbelief more credible and contextual. The upper room door was locked when Jesus appeared, a fact the film misses too. The opportunity was missed also for Jesus to breathe on the disciples and give them his Spirit (John 20:22). In addition, he assigns them his mission in that upper room.
4. I was amazed the movie did not include the John 21 scene of Jesus appearing to Peter and the disciples on the beach. The scene was all set up in the film by the treatment of the three denials and Peter’s bitter remorse. It speaks of Jesus’ forgiving nature. The Bible story also features John, the apostle who narrates the film, providing another needed touch point with him, which the film needs. Including this scene would have added another post resurrection appearance to the film as well, something the film also needed.
As I said in the beginning, I recommend this film. It is not perfect. There are scenes I wish had been tweaked and others I wish had been included that were not, but still, even with these considerations fully in view, I believe the film will have the wholesome effect of building up its viewers in faith and in admiration for Jesus. I pray that it also invites and pushes all of us to read our Bibles more so we can get the Apostle John’s story first hand, from the pen of the writer. To use a modern cliché intentionally, “The book is even better!”
I am very disturbed by the alarming trend in the moral tone of some GM advertising. I do not usually watch much television, but I do enjoy the winter Olympics and GM has been advertising heavily on NBC during the Sochi games. I am saddened and disappointed at the low moral level reflected in some of the ads. In addition, as a person who has driven more GM cars by far than any other brand, and currently drives a Chevy Equinox, I even feel a little betrayed.
Let’s begin with the lowest one. You know the one I mean. “I can’t believe you got a tattoo on your…” The viewer is left to imagine some kind of outrageous drunken night before which the male driver may not even fully remember and which his wife or girlfriend riding with him seems to take in stride as semi-normal. Is this coarse humor the best they could do to advertise connectivity? This follows the disturbing habit of much media to proffer that which gets noticed without taking any responsibility for its ethical content or probable influence. I prefer following St. Paul’s advice, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29 NIV).
Then there is the ad by Cadillac that would turn off any morally mature person. It is the epitome of hated American arrogance that gives us a bad reputation around the world. The man talks about how we left the keys in a car on the moon because we’re the only ones going back. We left because we got bored. The further implication is that we can drive Cadillac because we only take two weeks off in August rather than four like the Europeans. What snobbish nonsense! The writers of that ad were obviously not schooled in history or Christian ethics either. “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18) and “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6) have not been part of their reading.
Finally, take the case of the young babysitter who, after noticing the Tahoe’s fine and expensive leather interior raises her price $20 on the spot. Raising the price based on presumed ability to pay is the stuff of tourist trap street vendors, not normal business dealings. It is hardly an example of honesty or wise interpersonal relationships. It is also a counter-productive ad because the person driving the Tahoe will feel cheated. (Also note that the baby sitter will be unlikely to be rehired.) So the implicit ad message is, if you buy a Tahoe you get to be taken advantage of. People would much rather be respected by honest dealing than by looking rich enough to be taken advantage of!
These ads do not reflect good moral thinking at GM. I pray for better from a blue chip American company.
I have been reflecting today on two completely independent items that I read. The first was an article about the problem of officers being ejected from the Army in alarming numbers for character issues of various kinds. Here is the quote.
“The number of U.S. soldiers forced out of the Army because of crimes or misconduct has soared in the past several years as the military emerges from a decade of war that put a greater focus on battle competence than on character. Data obtained by The Associated Press shows that the number of officers who left the Army due to misconduct more than tripled in the past three years.” http://news.yahoo.com/ap-exclusive-misconduct-forces-more-soldiers-145434065.html
Having been in the military myself for a few years, I am aware that young officers are college graduates. I reflected that this is not the only place where college educated people seem to be showing disappointing levels of moral character. The halls of Congress and the governors’ offices of several eastern states in recent years have provided too many high profile examples of moral failures. One would hope that higher levels of education would lead to higher maturity of character too.
The other item that I read was in a letter from Dr. Shirley Mullen of Houghton College. It alluded to one of the fundamental causes of this observed counterintuitive and disturbing decline in character.
“Earlier this month, New York Times Columnist David Brooks addressed more than 300 presidents of America’s private universities and colleges at the Presidents’ Institute of the Council of Independent Colleges. At a time when much of the dialogue about higher education in America is about cost, graduation rates, job training, and student loans, Brooks pleaded with the presidents not to forget what society needs most from college graduates: character and wisdom. He then proceeded to assert that the only sector of American higher education that has an explicit strategy for the development of character and wisdom is the Christian college. It is not often that Christian colleges are called out for praise within the larger world of American higher education!”
It does not take a genius to see the relationship between these two quotes. Christian colleges represent only a very small slice of American higher education. That means most of American college graduates spend their college years in institutions where character and wisdom are not part of the agenda. When these are not part of the agenda, students often use their formative years as something of an unholy “moral holiday,” a time when they throw off restraint. With no one even attempting to guide this time of experimentation, the results are frequently predictably disastrous.
As a longtime advocate of Christian colleges in general and of Houghton College in particular, I have said for years that parents need to invest their college dollars in colleges were character matters and where good character is formed, not destroyed; colleges like Houghton. For this reason, when our daughter was choosing a college my wife and I said to her, “We are going to be investing a lot of money in this; you pick the college, but it has to be a Christian college.” We knew she liked new places, so it was a surprise when she picked her mother’s alma mater, Houghton College. Houghton did not disappoint!
Houghton College has been recognized in many ways in the past for its combination of excellent academics and affordability. Recently it has achieved an additional commendation. According to the College’s news site, “Houghton College has ranked number 76 on Kiplinger’s Personal Finance list of the country’s best values in Liberal Arts colleges. Kiplinger’s annual list ranks 100 private universities and 100 liberal arts colleges.” Way to go Houghton!
Houghton was also recognized by the New York Post for doing something about the cost of a college education nowadays. The college is offering to help students repay their loans if they don’t land a job after college that pays at least $38,000 per year. The Post says, “How refreshing to see a school willing to bet on its students’ success by throwing its own purse onto the pile.” Three more cheers for Houghton!
http://nypost.com/2013/11/30/ny-college-promises-to-help-students-pay-loans/
I have prayed publicly for two weeks that our government leaders would have the wisdom to solve the current political impasse and get our government functioning again. Tonight I read an excellent article from United Methodist Women that tells about how vulnerable poor people are in the current situation. It gives more moral impetus to the need for our political leaders to get their act together.
http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umw/news/articles/item/index.cfm?id=1246
See you at the pole is a national day of prayer for students. I was happy to see it made at least one internet news page. Our nation needs courageous young people who believe in prayer and in the freedom to pray in public. May God increase their numbers.
http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/a-rather-remarkable-day-2.html
A new study has found that immigrants help the prosperity of areas where they live. I have seen this first hand in the boost immigration has given to some neighborhoods in Syracuse NY and Utica NY. But they would not be surprised at the results of the study if they had read the words of the wise man recorded in Proverbs. “A large population is a king’s glory, but without subjects a prince is ruined” (Proverbs 14:28 NIV 2011).
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505143_162-57602552/can-immigration-speed-the-economic-recovery/
I never thought I would see the sad day when the US government argued against both educational and religious freedom. But it has just happened. It sounds more and more like they are borrowing pages from totalitarian rulers of the 20th century. The article below details a frightening argument advanced by the Justice dept. against the German homeschoolers who were seeking asylum. The hidden agenda is obvious. Use a low profile case to set a precedent against homeschoolers and religious schools in general. If the arguments against the rights of parents to choose the education of their children that are advanced here were to become case law, it would soon endanger Catholic schools, Jewish schools, Amish schools, etc, as well as homeschooling. This is unconscionable, un-American and even devilish as it represses religion too.
I do not overstate the case as there are several fundamental freedoms disregarded and violated by the Justice department’s arguments. First, the government serves and acts as an agent for the parents when it creates schools, not vice-versa. The fundamental rights belong to the parents, not the government. Second, if the schools created in a local area violate the religious or educational values of a family, it is the parent’s duty to seek or provide proper schooling for their children apart from the inadequate school. If the reasons for change are religious, to force the family to attend the public school in violation of their religious principles is to violate their religious freedom. If the reasons are educational, to force the children to attend the inadequate school is likely to suppress their achievement—their right to seek their own best welfare or happiness as the Declaration of Independence put it. Either way, to deny the validity of such choices in America is unheard of until now.
http://www.christianpost.com/news/banning-homeschools-teaches-tolerance-of-diverse-views-justice-dept-argues-99354/
I’ve been saying for many years that a church’s website has now become it’s primary way to get information to prospective attenders. Here’s an article by a blogger on Christian Post agreeing with my premise.
http://www.christianpost.com/news/seven-plus-one-deadly-sins-of-a-church-website-96661/
It can help us here in Kirkville to take the next step in our already developed website. It can also serve to guide those developing plans and capabilities for new websites such as my new friends in Copper Hill CT are now doing.