Christ and Pop Culture

Jesus made it very clear, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:20). He holds us to a standard where “good” simply isn’t enough. So what does this mean, then, for “good” men? What does this mean for the just and upright, the honorable? What does it mean for good cops like Richie Robbins, who once found 5 million dollars and turned in every cent of it? And Richie is an especially worthy cop to mention here. He, along with his team, brought down Harlem’s most dangerous drug lord and crime boss: Frank Lucas. Their story is the highlight of the big screen this fall as Ridley Scott’s latest film American Gangster has stormed the box office.

Last night’s CNN-Youtube debate was fascinating for a number of reasons. One was the moment that a sarcastic-looking kid basically asked a question about biblical inerrancy and the following took place:

Let’s say you want to research preschoolers, but your study requires children who are NOT able to recognize Sesame Street characters. So you, “interview,” one child. And another. And another.

Nielson Media Research has shown that it will take a long time to finish your study, because as of 2004 they found that 99% of American preschoolers recognized the Sesame Street characters.

Ridley Scott’s newest film, American Gangster stars a cold-blooded killer who is also a hip, likable, Robin Hood, family man type played by everyone’s favorite actor, Denzel Washington. He kills and beats numerous people in the movie, and most of the time it turns out pretty well for him.

I like to talk. In general, I feel that I usually know what the right thing is to say to a person when they need advice or admonishment. But there’s one situation where I don’t know if I’ll ever have the right words: when a person has lost a loved one. What is there to say that could ever come close to what they are going through? The sorrow, the questions, the guilt, the shock, what words exist that could be shaped to be commensurate to their experience? As difficult as these situations are, imagine if it was your job to summarize the entire life of a person within one or two sentences, not to offer eulogies or condolences, but to give readers or viewers a succinct statement that expressed what the person did with their life. Whenever I read of a murder, a suicide, or an accident, I try to note how the reporter sums up the life of a once living human in 12 words or less.

He’s so nervous he could vomit. And of course who wouldn’t be when the world’s worst terrorists were shooting machine guns (and crossbows?) at them? But poor Chuck Bartowski is not cut out for this job. He’s not a “secret agent man,” he’s a computer repair man at the local Buy More (the fictional equivalent of our Best Buy Geek Squad). Ever since secret government information was imprinted onto his brain, however, he’s found himself tangled up in one caper after another. But the major theme of Chuck is not the average man world terrorism (though this in itself is a fitting topic for discussion and the show has something to say about it too). Rather, the recurring theme of this delightful new comedy is “truth.”

Daniel Boorstin is my favorite historian. He has written widely and well on some of the key players, events, and influences on both world and American history.

Perhaps my favorite piece of his work, though, is an article he wrote discussing the role of the historian called, “The Historian: ‘A Wrestler with the Angel.’” He points out that the greatest challenge for the historian is to discover the things that TRULY move history.

Look around and you probably don’t see a lot of Christian art. Walk into a Christian bookstore, and you probably don’t see a lot of good art. Look… well, anywhere and you probably won’t see a lot of good Christian art. So is there such a thing?

In response to our recent podcast, Sniping for Christ, Seminarian writes:

“Are we giving young adults and men further justification that they do not need to grow up? Later, an assertion is made that ‘Movies touch on the deep things of life.’ Sure, they might, but for many we would have to expose ourselves to sin first, and most teens don’t sit and ponder the questions afterwards anyway.”

On November 20th, one of the most anticipated games of the year will be released for the Xbox 360, Bioware’s Mass Effect; when it arrives on my doorstep, I will have the choice to encourage alien, unnatural, sexual immorality.

The threat of terrorism in our back yard has made this a new world that we live in. It has made our government wrestle with new questions and find new answers, and all at break neck speed. I have never been happier to not be involved in politics myself, let alone to be the president. These days there is political tension over everything, least of which is the subject of “rendition.”

These days, churches use all sorts of things to aid in evangelism. Movie nights, Super-bowl parties, and yes, even Halo 3. Recently Owen Strachan posted on his blog about this growing video-game evangelism trend. We liked what he had to say so much, we thought we’d have him on the show to talk about it.

It is arguably the most famous hymn in the Christian tradition and more non-Christians know it than any other: Amazing Grace. The author of this august hymn is John Newton (1725-1807), an 18th century English Puritan. The hymn has been used, however, in various songs throughout history since its publications, for example: The American rock band The Eagles used it as the chorus to “Peaceful Easy Feeling”. The most recent use of the song is in a particular track from a Christian alternative band: The Almost.

In light of the Writer’s Strike, I’ve been feeling sort of guilty at just how broken up I am about the whole thing. I find myself wincing at the idea of The Office disappearing in two weeks. I cringe at the thought of a giant break after the first eight episodes of Lost. I just assumed this was a sign that I was way too into television.

David blogged recently about the iPhone, examining what Christians should think of such a device. One observation:

“…it has the potential to become a god. Lining up to buy the iPhone may just suggest the worship of materialism that is rampant in our country. It may suggest the reign of Mamon on our “Christian” continent.

Beyond the foundational issue of idolatry is the issue of responsibility. How many people will fork over the hundreds of dollars required to buy this phone, and the thousands it will cost to keep it running every year, and will fail to live up to their other duties? Such scenes remind me of the Apostle Paul’s words, ‘all things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful.’”

South Park has had a consistently successful run ever since it’s debut in 1997. Created and written by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, who also do the majority of the voices for the show, it is aired on Comedy Central, a network known for edgy, line-crossing comedy programs that are often marked by intelligently satirical qualities. South Park is no different. While the show often tends toward easy humor such as excessive profanity and fart-jokes, it also has moments of skillful insight.

It goes without saying that without Harry Potter there would be no show. What else would David have to bring up every single episode – relentlessly – without bringing up Rich’s brilliant (Or misguided?) claim that Harry Potter was a Christ figure?

Well, J. K. Rowling is clearly messing with our heads. A few weeks ago, she announced to the world, “I always thought of Dumbledore as gay.”

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With Halloween upon us, everyone will be itching to be frightened, and these days movies are just a bit more popular than the haunted house. Of course, this used to mean suspense, ghosts, maybe a murderer on the loose. But now, for some reason, it means staring at unlimited amounts of [...]

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In this show David and Rich discuss the current cultural emphasis on the idiocy of men. Also, they list their Top Five Stupid Films. Enjoy!

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Remember back in the day, when Rich and David used to disagree on things? Man, those were the days. Fortunately, those days are back, and now Rich and David are convinced that the other is completely wrong! It makes for spirited conversation, and an interesting show!
This time around, David and I [...]