Hot off the Press!

Since I know very little about the tv stations on my cable dial above the 100 mark, i was suprised to find out that the The Sundance Channel is not in fact a "Christian Programing" cable network. As some of you sigh an aggravated "duh", I was actually tunning in the other night to see this brand new show "One Punk Under God". Catchy title you might say, but an even more interesting show. If you can remember back in the 80s Jim Bakker has a big fall out with the church. i won't really visit that topic except to say that through that hurricane of events, his "victimized" son, Jay Bakker, went wayward in rebellion for what happened to his family. After coming out of his "backsliddin" years(and i hate the term "backsliddin"), he decides to start the first Revolution church to which he is also the pastor. What does this have to do with the Sundance Channel you might ask?

He is the "star" in this new show One Punk Under God. It's a documentary show that follows his day to day life and the issues/struggles he faces in his personal life and in the life of his ministry.
I was able to watch it for the first time last night, and I must say that i was impressed. It's boarderline reality TV, but they approach issues in a way that are not usually seen on the lower teir cable channels.

If you're expecting you're typical G Rated cheesy christian programing, you will be suprised....but in a good way i hope, and you don't have to agree or disagree with the content of the show to benifit. If i could offer some criticism, it is well produced, but with anything where you are cutting out the boring parts, things could be taken out of context. Watch out for single clips that are inserted throughout the show soley intended to add drama.

Without diving any further into the content, I recomend this show to christians and non-christians alike. scene kids and preps. rednecks and thugs. Give it a view and even if you don't like it, try to learn something about life or atleast yourself in the process.


Adam’s thoughts on the topic:
1. I remember reading about Jay Bakker back when his first book came out, and I remember that there were several people who went to LU who where from ATL and took part in the Revolution Church meetings, and I remember at the time thinking hey that's a good idea... there are people who for whatever reason feel like they cant fit in here or there and so they are just looking for a place where odd balls can fit in and Jay took the initiative to show that Christians should be the ones accepting those people.

2. After reading the discussion boards on the website I think it is strange that so many people are so hard on him... some people’s complaint is that he is not really a punk... right there are not many real punks to begin with so lets just drop that whole judgmental thing... its just a catchy title to draw attention to the program. Then people said he was a sell out for doing a show and that he was capitalizing monetarily on Christian Faith... Once again why is it that Christians get called judgmental and then people start doing the very thing they accuse Christians of when they want to put Christians down. Finally I saw a lot of people who just hate Christians for whatever reason and I thought it ironic that a guy like bakker who had all the reasons in the world to hate Christians and then turns that around to show other people the love of Christ, but they still have hardened their hearts... I think that goes to prove that the sinful nature of man is as complex as man himself.

3. I have not actually seen the show so I cant be so discerning, however, I think it is always a positive when the media (even if it is the Sundance Channel) shows different aspects of faith and culture out side of what NBC ABC and CBS normally stick too.

Originali-TEE

With Christmas fast approaching and the deadline to get gifts in the mail Monday I thought it may be a cool idea to throw an idea at you that recently heard about on NPR. Visit the website www.threadless.com; A short survey of the story, a few years back some college kids get together and want to start an internet company... the idea the come up with... a website that sells T-shirts. You may think this is not so unusual, however, the site also has a myspace element in that all the designs for the shirts are submitted by memebers and then placed online for review. So basically the memebers decide what T-Shirts are printed, and then obviously they buy them. This seemed like a novel idea to me so I went online to check it out, and I loved it so much I bought a T-Shirt on my first visit... the T-Shirt is titled "the Communist Party" if you don't get it then you probably don't need to visit the website, but if you do this site is just right for you. www.threadless.com.

Conviction

JEREMY: if i asked you why you believe what you believe about spiritual things, what would you say?

ADAM: Scientifically I would say there are a number of factors that cause me to have faith: my parents… my being raised in a church... my friends... my wife... people have a great influence as well as the Bible... Which if you don't believe is the word of God, then you would just chalk up to other people again. But really its personal experience... seeing God act... having the Holy Spirit move me... divine insight into scripture... personal predisposition to belief and faith...
Then if you really want to get into it, I can say that faith is the only thing man really has that animals do not... animals work on logic... man works on faith... why is that... why would we have faith in anything if we are just another type of animal? It wouldn't work...
why do we all want to have faith?
why do we want to believe in something?
why do we feel the need to answer the question of the meaning of life?
because we have a common creator who has engrained those aspects of his character on our lives... have you ever heard of the common conscience? It basically says that we all have a common ancestral conscience where we get all our ideas... that explains why themes like creation, and hell, and just about anything come up in cultures across the globe that have had no interaction with any other culture...
why do we have that...
is it because God created us all?
Is it because our heart beats for God and we are just slowly killing it through sin?
I think so.

JEREMY: does it ever seem to you that Christians more than non Christians cant really explain why they believe what they believe? I mean, they might respond with "because the bible says so"(which is actually a perfectly true answer, but it doesn’t really answer the question) or they might say, because I grew up that way and have always thought it to be true.
you know, but what makes you think that your beliefs are the real truth? and when it comes down to it, I think Christians forget about personal conviction and "seeing God act". the real trouble comes in when a false teacher(or any person who believes something other than the real truth) gives their response to the question exactly the way you just gave me.
I think people really know when what they believe is really the truth or if its something a little more self serving. and I believe that false teachers can think they know the truth almost 99% the same way you and I know the truth, but it’s that 1% that we have which they don’t. that’s the part I don’t know how to explain, but that’s the part that separates the truth from the self-serving beliefs of false teachers.

ADAM: I think the ability to doubt is one of the most beautiful aspects of the Christian Faith... over an over again in the Bible people have doubts... and over and over again those people take those doubts to God and have them quelled. It is part of human nature to doubt your beliefs, and God understands that and expects you to doubt... but so often our pride or our ignorance keep us from just telling God “hey I am having doubts”...
Christ is more than willing to reach out and help you...
I think you know your faith, or your teaching, or your religion is false when there is no room for doubt and questions.

Why do I even bother?

Recently my sister Lou told me about a great DVD that she had seen. The title of this movie; "Little Miss Sunshine." Normally when I hear about indie movies that NPR and the rest of the critical liberal arts crowd love, I wait a while before jumping on them... hence I didn't see Crash until last summer and even worse I did not see Paradise Now until last summer. The reason I tell you this because maybe I should make a change.
Last week my wife and I wanted to rent a movie one night so we went out and rented, not Little Miss Sunshine, but Super Man Returns. Alas I was disappointed, some of this could be because Batman Begins has set a new water mark for comic book movies and some of it could be because it was boring... Smallville is way more interesting... and dare I say contains superior acting!
So that was a bummer, but apparently I did not learn my lesson. I have hear tons of buzz about The Departed... it sounds like a movie I would love... I like gritty underworld type stories... however when my wife and I again set out to see a movie this week we chose to see another buzz flick... Borat. I have been kicking around a way to verbally thrash this movie all week long, because I thought it was awful. Now I know some of you will say... "Adam you don't like it because you are not smart enough to get the satire and social commentary" Trust me I got it... and I can tell you there is more satire and social commentary in Jackass another movie whose sole premise seems to be pulling stunts on completely innocent people. Anyways I have been trying and trying to think of the right thing to say, and I have decided that my disgust at this movie is summed up in my simple rejection of it. I don't think its funny, witty, satirical, or insightful.
I am going to go and watch Shaun of the Dead tonight, because that movie actually is funny and more insightful than you may think.