RIP CCM

I was quite sad to walk into my local Family Bookstore last week and see the "FINAL PRINT EDITION" of CCM Magazine on the shelf. I don't know why it surprised me. I don't know when the last time I picked up the magazine was. I spend many days of my late youth and into my 20's reading that magazine. Cover's would make makeshift posters in my bedroom, and later my apartment. In the day's before the internet, I would scour the back pages where they listed tour information, looking to see who was coming to town. But in the day of the interweb, a guess the need for a magazine like CCM has faded away.

The final print issue had a lot of nice touches. A look back by original publisher John Styll. Lots of older artist (Randy Stonehill, Eddie Degarmo) offering their own look backs. Charlie Peacock writes a rather bleak, but very accurate assessment of the impact of CCM music on the culture and the church.

And then when I looked up info on the magazines passing. I saw that Larry Norman died earlier this year. I'm really feeling old.

We are Bad Genious!

Hey there! Just thought I would throw up a little note that I am now blogging on comics and other geeky things with several friends of mine at THE BAD GENIOUS. As my friend The General stated it on our blog; "We are a loose coalition of comic book fans and friends. United by our mutual desire to rant, rave and otherwise ramble about comic books and their surrounding culture."Click the link and check us out. Thanks.

Don't Fear The Compass

Since most of my hts seem to come from people looking for info on THE GOLDEN COMPASS controversy, I thought I would post this article from Christianity Today.

Fear Not the Compass
Many Christians are concerned about the upcoming release of The Golden Compass. Here's some good advice for how we might respond to it all.
by Jeffrey Overstreet | posted 11/30/07

Editor's note: CT Movies critic Jeffrey Overstreet has done many interviews to promote his new fantasy novel, Auralia's Colors. But lately, he's being asked about another fantasy novel, The Golden Compass, now in the news as a major motion picture from New Line Cinema, releasing December 7. The film is based on the first book of a trilogy by Philip Pullman, an atheist who has expressed his disdain for Christianity and who, in the course of his three books, has the protagonist—a young girl named Lyra—join people who are trying to kill God and the Christian faith … and they succeed. Many Christians have expressed their concerns regarding the film.

Overstreet recently blogged some common questions on the topic, and how he's answering those questions. His answers represent a calm, rational, and Christlike response in the eye of this Golden storm, so we're running an abridged version here. (You can read the full article here.)

Should Christians be afraid of The Golden Compass?
Mercy, no. Let's not be afraid. Discerning, yes. But not afraid.

God is not threatened by Philip Pullman. And people who stop to think through Pullman's story, and how he "refutes" Christianity, will see what a feeble "attack" against Christian beliefit really is.
[Nicole Kidman as Mrs. Coulter, a high-ranking official of the Magisterium]
Nicole Kidman as Mrs. Coulter, a high-ranking official of the Magisterium

Pullman has painted a picture of the church—represented by "The Magisterium" in his stories—that basically reflects only those ways in which the church has abused power. And he has used that selective reflection as an excuse to write off Christianity as a whole. That's sort of like condemning the entire produce section in a grocery store because a few of the apples were bad. (And "Magisterium" is not something Pullman just made up. It's a very real word referring to the church, particularly the Roman Catholic Church. So he's not trying to cloak his intentions here.)

It's interesting to note that Pullman's dismissal of Christianity skips over one little detail: Jesus. Pullman's story never makes any attempt to explore or refute the claims and ministry and person of Christ. He has, in effect, set up a "straw God" rather than a "straw man," and his fans are congratulating him for knocking down Pullman's flawed perception of God rather than the God of Christianity. He's not really undermining Christian belief as he thinks he is; he is undermining the abuse of authority, something altogether contrary to the gospel.

Pullman points to bad people as a way of saying that the faith is wrong. For examples of religious folk, he illustrates people who abuse power. That's not God. And Christ would frown on the persecution carried out by The Magisterium. In the history of the church, followers of Christ have been persecuted and oppressed by others far more than the other way around. So when one of Pullman's heroic characters, the ex-nun physicist Mary Malone, tells our heroes (in the third book) that "The Christian religion is a powerful and convincing mistake, that's all," well, she's not talking about Christianity at all. She's talking about Pullman's misrepresentation of the church.

But here's a question worth considering: Why does Pullman have this wrongful impression of the church in the first place? Could it be that he's encountered arrogant, judgmental Christians? Could it be, to some degree, Christians' fault?

At any rate, no, don't be afraid. The gospel will survive the publishing phenomenon of Pullman's trilogy—and any movies that come from it—without so much as a scratch. It's not worth getting all worked up about it.

Do Pullman's stories pose a threat to children?
Yes, if … And that is a very big "if."

Pullman's trilogy poses a threat if our children read these books without any discussion about the claims made by the characters in the story, or without any parental guidance. The stories pose a threat if their parents and teachers are not reading the books too, and participating in the experience, talking about what the storyteller is doing.

They also could pose a threat if parents forbid these stories in such a way that the child becomes fascinated by the forbidden book. In elementary school, I discovered that adults had crossed out certain words from storybooks like Huckleberry Finn. This became the most interesting aspect of the book for me: I held the pages up to the light, fascinated by what had been crossed out. If we make these books seem more powerful and dangerous than they are, and outlaw them, we have just thrown fuel on the fires of curiosity. Better to teach our kids discernment, so that if they do read the books, they can see Pullman's deception for themselves. (And this raises the question: How many adults are discerning enough to read these books "with eyes to see"?)

Teachers who encourage children to accept Pullman's naive definition of Christianity are encouraging religious illiteracy, and exposing their own. In extreme cases, they're glorifying religious bigotry. The author has said, "If there is a God, and he is as the Christians describe him, then he deserves to be put down and rebelled against." For a man who likes to talk about the value of "tolerance," that's a pretty striking show of the opposite.

I've read The Golden Compass, and didn't find anything offensive. What's the fuss about?
This conversation—and the concerns that have resulted—isn't just about The Golden Compass, only the first book in the trilogy. That's like making The Fellowship of the Ring our subject instead of the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The conversation is about His Dark Materials, the entire Pullman trilogy. The Golden Compass is just the first chapter, laying the foundation for all that will come after it. It is in parts two (The Subtle Knife) and especially three (The Amber Spyglass) that we get into the most controversial material. We won't see those movies for a while.

Is Pullman overrated? Is he a good storyteller?
Pullman is an amazing storyteller, with one of the most formidable imaginations since J.R.R. Tolkien himself. I was enthralled by The Golden Compass when I first read it: Colorful characters, fanciful creatures, a strong sense of mystery, and a compelling story about young and vulnerable characters being oppressed and abused by adults.

In the second and third book, when those cold-hearted and abusive adults turn out to be the good guys, exploiting children in their quest to destroy God, my feelings about the story changed. As Pullman's agenda became more important, my favorite characters began to lose their personality and color. So, we must take into account that, beneath the formidable imagination, there is a dagger concealed within this extravagant overcoat—and the intentions of the fellow preparing to use that dagger.

It's interesting that a man of such extraordinary imagination would have so little regard for the storytellers whose work his style resembles. Pullman scoffs at the stories of Tolkien and Lewis. He says, "The Lord of the Rings is just not interesting psychologically; there's nothing about people in it." And his scorn for Lewis's fantasy world has been widely documented. Pullman has said, "I hate the Narnia books. I hate them with a deep and bitter passion, with their view of childhood as a golden age from which sexuality and adulthood are a falling away." He has called the series "one of the most ugly and poisonous things" he's ever read.

But Pullman is following in the footsteps of Lewis and Tolkien. Like them, he has created alternate worlds of fantasy that vividly manifest his own particular worldview and his perspective on spiritual matters. Tolkien and Lewis established the foundation of modern fantasy storytelling, adding to what George MacDonald imagined before them. And Pullman continues that tradition, especially in The Golden Compass.

It's also worth noting that his characters are interested in truth, freedom, friendship, justice, and love. People are drawn to Pullman's trilogy for the powerful writing, but also because it is another story about an oppressed minority rising up and striking back at an Arrogant, Cruel Authority figure—just like the heroes of Narnia rise up against the wicked White Witch, and just like Tolkien's Fellowship rises up against Sauron and his tyrannical power. The big difference is that Pullman has cast history's greatest champion of the oppressed—their Redeemer—as the enemy. He would rather leave us to our own fractured will, which is certain to doom us very quickly.

What does Pullman say about his own beliefs?
Pullman told the Sydney Morning Herald, "If we're talking on the scale of human life and the things we see around us, I'm an atheist. There's no God here. There never was. But if you go out into the vastness of space, well, I'm not so sure. On that level, I'm an agnostic."
[Pullman says God should be 'put down']
Pullman says God should be 'put down'

On the one hand he says, "What I am against is organized religion of the sort which persecutes people who don't believe. I'm against religious intolerance." But then elsewhere he says that if there is a God, and he is as Christians describe him, then that God should be "put down."

For Pullman, embracing the questions of science, mathematics, art, and literature is a rejection of religion. He seems ignorant of the fact that much of modern science was discovered and established by very religious people, and that mathematics inspires many to faith, and that art is one of the primary avenues for religious discovery and expression.

His opinions have taken quite a turn recently, perhaps to make the movie seem more appealing. Now, he's saying things like this (in a Today interview): "As for the atheism, it doesn't matter to me whether people believe in God or not, so I'm not promoting anything of that sort. What I do care about is whether people are cruel or whether they're kind, whether they act for democracy or for tyranny, whether they believe in open-minded enquiry or in shutting the freedom of thought and expression. Good things have been done in the name of religion, and so have bad things; and both good things and bad things have been done with no religion at all. What I care about is the good, wherever it comes from."

That's quite an astonishing change of tone there from "My books are about killing God."

Why is New Line Cinema conspiring against Christians?
They're not. Just last year they produced The Nativity Story, and not so long ago, brought us The Lord of the Rings films. New Line is a film studio, a business trying to make money—not a conspiracy of blasphemers. And in the wake of their extraordinary success with Tolkien's stories, they went to the obvious follow-up—another fantasy saga that has become an international bestselling sensation.

Why are so many people, including many Christians, drawn to this story of people who fight against the church?
People are drawn to stories about brave souls who stand up against oppressors. And, for many people, the church represents fear, power, and condemnation.

The best way to make Pullman's stories look like gospel truth is to respond by acting like the villainous Christians in his stories. The best way to expose Pullman's lie is to respond like Christ himself: With grace and truth, not wrath and condemnation.

I'm not saying we shouldn't point out where he is wrong. His story is deeply flawed, and his religious bigotry is shameful. We should not ignore that. But we also should not ignore the excellence of his artistry.

We should encourage people to compare the church of Pullman's universe with the church in the real world, and how it is growing and ministering to so many needs—all around the world. We should remind people of the church that serves, and that Christ would not have wanted an oppressive church.

But isn't Pullman attacking all religions?
He calls the "God" character in the series "Yahweh." And his characters specifically condemn Christianity as "a powerful and convincing mistake, that's all." (Allah, on the other hand, isn't mentioned.) Pullman has said he wrote these stories "to undermine Christian belief"—quite a different claim than undermining religion in general.

Pullman's characters come to the firm belief that Yahweh is not the creator of the universe. In fact, he's just a big liar. And later in the series, when the Almighty shows up, he's a feeble, senile joke. And they kill him.

Isn't this just the Harry Potter controversy all over again?
No. This time, there really is a serious problem. But God forbid that we respond to Pullman the way we've responded to J.K. Rowling. We've just been through a decade in which fearful, judgmental people have burned Harry Potter books, called J.K. Rowling a witch, and warned us that children who read her books will become warlocks. (This reminds me of those folks who told me, when I was ten, that if I saw The Empire Strikes Back, I might be lured into Buddhism.) What we missed with Harry Potter was the power of fairy tales, which use magic metaphorically and symbolically to help us understand mysterious concepts and appreciate the marvelous, otherworldly reality of grace.

And we encouraged a generation of children to believe that you can't be a Christian and also value fairy tales—a devastating deception. As Lewis and Tolkien have discussed and proposed, fairy tales reflect the truth of the gospel in a unique and timeless way. In fact, Lewis became a Christian through discussions with Tolkien about fairy tales.

Many Christians also overlooked the fact that, in damning the Potter series, we were persecuting a Christian woman who has admitted that the process of telling those stories was a journey of sorting out her own faith and persistent doubts. We missed that there were Bible verses woven through the stories and glimmering with truth.

But Pullman is a different storyteller. He says, "I've been surprised by how little criticism I've got. Harry Potter's been taking all the flak. I'm a great fan of J.K. Rowling, but the people—mainly from America's Bible Belt—who complain that Harry Potter promotes Satanism or witchcraft obviously haven't got enough in their lives. Meanwhile, I've been flying under the radar, saying things that are far more subversive than anything poor old Harry has said. My books are about killing God."

Okay, maybe we shouldn't boycott and complain. But what should Christians do?
These recommendations come from my humble opinion, and you're welcome to disagree.

Essentially, don't behave in ways that the Magisterium in Pullman's books would behave. You'll just make his stories more persuasive, by confirming for the culture around us that Christians only really get excited when they're condemning something.

Instead, respond with grace and love. And truth. Admit that, yes, Christians have committed grave sins in the name of Christ, and that those shameful misrepresentations of the gospel have made many people fearful of, and even repulsed by, the church. But Christians have been called to serve the oppressed, proclaim freedom for the captives, bring healing to the sick, to seek justice, to love mercy, to walk humbly, and to bring good news of "great joy." And by God's grace, many are living out that calling. They paint quite a different picture than what Pullman has painted.

Finally, educate yourselves and equip your kids with questions—lenses, so to speak—that will expose the problems in these stories. (Worried about padding Pullman's pockets by investigating the books? Fair enough. But there's always the library.)

What questions might you and your kids ask as you read Pullman's books? Some suggestions:

* If we cast off all "authority" and set up "free will" as the ultimate source of guidance, where will that get us?

* Has the world shown us that the human heart is a trustworthy "compass"?

* Does free will lead us always to the right choice?

* If the heroes accept the "truth" of the alethiometer (the compass itself), aren't they letting themselves be guided by just another source of truth—another "Authority"? But didn't the story tell us "Authority" is bad and we should only follow our own hearts?

* If there are "many truths," then aren't these heroes being as self-righteous and wicked as the oppressors by demanding that their version of the truth is better than others?

* What is so inspiring about the battle between the bears? Hasn't this story led us to a place where it's just "survival of the fittest" all over again? Should we really hope that the world falls into the hands of the strongest fighter, rather than into the hands of love?

Finally, pray for Philip Pullman. Pray about the influence of his work. And pray for humility and wisdom in your own response. Pullman is just a man who, somewhere along the way, got a very bad impression of the church. It's also worth noting that Pullman's father died in a plane crash when Pullman was only seven years old. I don't know if that had anything to do with his view of God, but many men who have struggled with the idea of a loving, caring, benevolent God are those whose fathers abandoned them or died while they were young. Boys without fathers often grow up with deep resentment, and having no focus for that pain, they target God.

I want to be careful here: I am not explaining Pullman to you, because I don't know him. But that detail made me stop and think about how little I know about his experiences and motivations. Shouldn't I be praying for him instead of condemning him? Shouldn't I be looking for ways to show love and respect to the man, even as I look for ways to expose the flaws in his work? Pullman's not likely to reconsider his notions about God if those who believe in God organize a full-scale assault against him and his work.

More Golden Compass Bru-ha-ha

Looks like no one is happy with this movie:

'Golden Compass' incenses both Christians and atheists

By Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY
Rarely can one movie annoy stalwart defenders of Christianity and atheists alike.
Now, The Golden Compass, based on the first book of British author Philip Pullman's trilogy, His Dark Materials, has done it.

The movie is sure to be as anti-Christianity as the fantasy novels, says William Donohue, head of the Catholic League, which fights anti-Catholic bias. He wants parents to avoid the PG-13-rated film.

Evangelical clergy and scholars also are concerned that Pullman's fiction is dangerous to faith, says Baptist Press news service.

But Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists, worries over rumors that the film has been "watered down" and is not anti-God, anti-Church enough.

Neither has yet seen the film, which opens Dec. 7.

Among the points of contention:

The movie refers to the ominous "Magisterium." But is this simply a totalitarian "authority," as the filmmakers say, or does it refer to the Roman Catholic Magisterium — meaning the pope in communion with the bishops?

Are mystical particles called "Dust" a euphemism for sin?

That's the implication in Random House's teacher's guide, which suggests students "use the Bible, a storybook, or an encyclopedia to read about the Garden of Eden and the fall of Adam and Eve."

In the publisher's interview with Pullman, he says his books depict "the Temptation and Fall not as the source of all woe and misery, as in traditional Christian teaching, but as the beginning of true human freedom, something to be celebrated, not lamented."

A spokeswoman for New Line Cinema did not return requests for comment. On the studio's website, however, director Chris Weitz extols Compass as a story of "things that matter, like the human spirit, loyalty, kindness and free will."

The Catholic League will have none of that. "We're just taking Pullman at his word," says Donohue. The League produced a pamphlet, The Golden Compass: Agenda Unmasked, debunking Pullman on 95 different points; copies have been distributed to every Catholic bishop in the USA.

"The movie is just bait for the books, which are worse," and the chance to make more movies, Donohue says. "We don't want unsuspecting Christian parents to … take the kids to the film, buy the trilogy, and unknowingly introduce their children to the wonders of atheism and the damnation of Catholicism."

Johnson calls it "a sad state of affairs when the Catholic Church has to go after a kids' movie. Remember when (the late Rev. Jerry) Falwell went after (Teletubby) Tinky Winky," claiming he was gay? "If clergy really were powerful, they wouldn't have to go after movies."

She frets that New Line has edited out or blurred the most atheistic parts of the books, potentially depriving young people of inspiring humanist role models.

Young people can readily find challenges to religious teachings, she says: "Everything undermines theology. Atheism is reality. It's positive action over prayer. It's evidence over faith, reason over dogma."

Debbie Elliott Frieden, co-founder of TeachWithMovies.org, has read the trilogy and eagerly awaits the movie. She says families have nothing to fear.

"There are so many characters and worlds they visit and life-and-death struggles to grip kids' attention that few will be diverted to questioning their religion or atheism," says Frieden, who produces learning guides for parents and teachers about cultural issues in films.

"You can have faith and ask questions."

Go To Church- Get a Hot Wife

This is got to be the weirdest ad for a church I have ever seen, and I've watched a lot of crazy preachers on TV.

The Golden Controversy

I checked my e-mail last week to find three E-mails warning me about the new movie coming out in December, THE GOLDEN COMPASS. The Emails all went something like this:

Hi,

There is a movie coming out in December called “The Golden Compass.” It stars Nicole Kidman and it is movie marketed at children/families. I watched the trailer, and it looks like an exciting children’s adventure film. However, the movie is based on a trilogy of novels (“His Dark Materials”) by an author is unapologetically atheist. The books are intended (even the author admits) to be the atheist’s response to the Chronical of Narnia series. The first novel, on which the movie is based, is supposed to be seemingly mild, but in the third novel the “Adam and Eve” characters witness the death of Yahweh, or God.

Here are a few links for you to check it out on your own.

Goldencompassmovie.com—official movie site
http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp --verifies that this is true, not myth
This segment is copied straight from Wikipedia:

The His Dark Materials books have been controversial with some Christian groups. Journalist Peter Hitchens has claimed that Pullman actively pursues an anti-Christian agenda, having stated, "This is the most dangerous author in Britain."[3] Hitchens views the His Dark Materials series as a direct rebuttal of C. S. Lewis's series.[4] This also appears to be the view of Pullman.[5]

The Golden Compass movie seems to be an exciting children's tale, sharing much with the Chronicles of Narnia. For example, both The Golden Compass and Narnia feature children facing adult moral choices, talking animals, religious allegories, parallel worlds, and concern the ultimate fate of those worlds. They even begin the same way, with a young girl hiding in a wardrobe.

However, in the trilogy, a young streetwise girl becomes enmeshed in an epic struggle to ultimately defeat the oppressive forces of a senile God. Another character, an ex-nun, describes Christianity as "a very powerful and convincing mistake." In the final book, characters representing Adam and Eve witness the death of "God" (who turns out to be an upstart angel, rather than the creator).

The Scopes page is one of the most requested pages on Scopes right now, so I'm guessing a lot of people (mostly Christians) are getting this e-mail. But before we all get our selfs in an uproar, Christianity Today posted a good article about this hullaballo, reminding Christians that this is maybe opportunity rather than a disaster.

Home > Movies > News

Golden Compass Under Fire
Evangelicals warn against anti-religious fantasy film, coming in December.
by Josh Hurst | posted 11/05/07

Just a little over a year ago, a major motion pictured hit theaters worldwide carrying a message full of hooey, heresy and borderline blasphemy. But rather than stage boycotts and cry foul, many Christians embraced the film as a "tool" for evangelism and for "engaging" popular culture; one even called it Dan Brown's "gift to the church."

So it was with The Da Vinci Code. Now here comes The Golden Compass, slated to hit theaters in December, and Christians are reacting quite differently. Instead of seeing the film as a tool, opportunity, or gift, some are already calling for a boycott because of the movie's anti-religious elements.

In recent weeks an e-mail has circulated—among Christians in particular—urging families to avoid The Golden Compass, based on atheist Phillip Pullman's novel of the same name. The e-mail, which cites Pullman's highly publicized hatred of the Christian faith, is one of the most requested pages at the rumor-debunking website Snopes. The e-mail even notes Pullman's dislike of C. S. Lewis's Narnia Chronicles. (One commentator even called Pullman "the anti-Lewis" and "the most dangerous author in Britain.)

The e-mail has sparked a renewed interest in the anti-religious themes in the books—and, presumably, in the upcoming trilogy of movies. The Catholic League CEO Bill Donahue speaks out against Pullman's books, noting that they "sell the virtues of atheism"—an accusation that Pullman denies.

Meanwhile, Donahue and other Christian spokespeople decry the film's efforts to remove the more offensive and overt anti-religious material from the movies, calling for a boycott of the films because of their "stealth campaign" to mislead people into buying the books. Donahue says the films have been made "innocuous" as a marketing ploy: "Pullman is hoping his books will fly off the shelves at Christmastime."

Others—like The Hollywood Reporter's Gregg Kilday—counter Donahue's boycott by asserting that all the publicity will simply serve to sell more tickets. "Historically, these warnings sent as many people to see the movie, once they were labeled 'forbidden fruit,' as they kept away."

Many non-religious columnists and commentators share Kilday's skepticism.

Follow the links to the CT article for a bunch of links to other good articles about this.

Long Time no see

It's been quite a while since I posted here at all, and I still have no time today. But I figured if anyone is out there I'd share a couple of pics of the wife and I at the new Heroes Museum here in Indianapolis.

Thanks for checking in. Perhaps I'll do the same again soon!

2nd chance

Hey there- ya all.
Good movie on dvd this week that many may not know about.



click the link and find out a bit more.

It's been a few months

...since I posted. And it will be a couple of more till I get back to this thing on any kind of a regular basis. Wedding planning and job hunting has taken over my life. May 6th I will be a married man, and life will begin to return to some kind of a normal pace. See you sometime around then.

Here is our wedding web page if you need something to tide you over.

Something inside me wishes this was photoshoped

But no, it's real



I know it's the right thing to do, but something about it seems so wrong. And even know I am a die-hard Cubby fan, I still have to root for the south siders this weekend. It will be cool if they win. I doubt I will watch a game, but I'll still be rooting for them. It does hurt a little that they made it back quicker then the Cubs though.