OFF TO THE LEFT COAST

Apologies for the derth of posts lately. I've been preparing for a trip tomorrow to the left coast. You can see the weather I'll be enjoying, and virtually look at what I'll be looking at, though. Saturday, rather than being in Alabama, I will be at the Pacific coast and going to an apple pressing.

It's a business trip--really!

CRYING FOUL

Have you thought tv has gotten even worse? Well, you're right. Profanity on television has increased a shocking amount:

During the so-called 'family hour,' from 8-9 p.m., foul language increased by 94.8 percent between 1998 and 2002, the study found. It rose by 109 percent during the 9 p.m. hour in the same period.

That's just pathetic.

DEAN A BIGOT?

Joyfulchristian points to evidence.

PRIME-TIME FOR GOD

Television networks are banking that God in primetime will be a ratings winner this fall:

This week networks will present a staggering array of new shows, each one painstakingly chosen to tap into viewers' latest moods. A surprising number of executives have put their money on piety, and this season's spirituality is far more peculiar than past feel-good shows like "Touched by an Angel."

CBS has "Joan of Arcadia," a gritty crime drama about a high school student whose visits from God converge with the police work of her father. Fox has two: "Tru Calling," another moody crime drama where God, not forensics, guides the heroine, and "Wonderfalls," a sitcom in which a benevolent higher being uses a sarcastic young slacker to work his wonders. Advertisers who complain that there is no novelty or break-out surprise to the 2003-4 season are not looking closely enough. An eschatological shift in programming can be found all across television, from HBO's "Carnivàle," a 12-part battle between Good and Evil set in the Depression, to Showtime's "Dead Like Me," in which the dead return to earth to help others make the transition to the afterlife, albeit in a hip, sardonic way. But the spiritual power awarded pretty, nubile heroines is by far the most striking element, a backlash against Buffy, Zena and "Girls Gone Wild."

The good news is, religion will be on tv. The bad news is, religion will be on tv. While one is encouraged to see the culture at large recognize religion and spirituality, what invariably happens is God and religion on tv rarely has little to do with the God and religion of the Bible. It's spirituality as Hollywood imagines it ought to be. God in the image of Hollywood is a far cry from the real thing.

DISCIPLES AND DISCIPLESSES

The German Evangelical Church is "translating", or as the headline says, Church rewrites bible in feminist language. I think the "rewrites" is accurate:

The German Evangelical Church is translating the bible using feminist language.

More than 50 translators are working on a new edition of the holy book.

They are rewriting passages which are seen to discriminate against women, and are also using "unbiased and just" language.

The term disciple is to be changed to "disciples and disciplesses" and forms of address such as Lord or Our Father are to be omitted.

The translation project will run to 10,000 copies printed by the Gueterslohe publishing house in 2004.

I had a friend in college whose job at the Catholic Newman Center was to change the scripture readings to make the language "inclusive". One would think that people would be satisfied with the fact that salvation is inclusive instead of worrying themselves over the fact that God is politically correct enough. If God chose to reveal Himself as "Our Father", I should not only be content with that, but joyous over it.

OK, THIS IS SILLY

I was watching the local Birmingham news last night, which was covering a speech by Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore. I've generally supported Moore and his Ten Commandments monument, and I hope he's soon reinstated to his position on the court.

Now here's the silly part. Apparently this community has erected a granite monument that looks more or less like a tombstone memorializing the removed Ten Commandments monument! It's a monument memorializing a monument! I suppose I appreciate the sentiment, but, well, that's silly.

I can't find a news article referencing it, but if I do I'll update it here.

WAITING FOR A DIFFERENT MESSIAH

The New York Times has an interesting (and very lengthy) piece on the Jewish Lubavitch group who are looking for their own Messiah. They knowho he is, but he died nine years ago, Menachem Mendel Schneerson. It also explores the interesting dichotomy between messianic and non-messianic Jews, and how Christianity has caused many Jews to leave behind an integral part of Judaism, the looking for the Messiah.

YAWN

ADL's Abe Foxman charges that Mel Gibson’s views are anti-Semitic:

Abraham Foxman, national director of the Jewish civil rights organization, insisted he was not calling Gibson an anti-Semite. But Foxman said the actor “entertains views that can only be described as anti-Semitic.”

Foxman, however, entertains views that can only be described as tiresome, but I'm sure it's good for fundraising.

LAWYERS START A CHURCH

No, really, they are.

What do you call 1000 lawyers at the bottom of the sea?

A good start.

SUMERIAN RELIC RECOVERED

The 'Lady of Warka' face has beenrecovered from its hiding place and restored to the Iraqi National Museum. The relic is considered one of the two most valuable pieces in the museum:

“The Lady of Warka was one of the most important antiquities stolen when looters broke into the Iraqi Museum. Many people in Iraq and in the world will be delighted with its return,” said Jabir Ibrahim, head of the department.

Ibrahim said his department received information in mid-August about a group of people trying to sell the Lady of Warka. The negotiations collapsed for unknown reasons, and the relic was subsequently hidden in the orchard, Ibrahim said.

The artifact, from the ancient city of Warka in southern Iraq, was recovered Tuesday in a joint operation conducted by U.S. military police and Iraqi police.

At 5,200 years old, the relic predates Abraham (from Iraq as well) by over 1000 years.

RUSSELLO INTERVIEW

ZENIT, a Catholic news site, has a two part interview with Christopher Dawson expert, Gerald Russello that is worth your time (Part 1 & Part 2). Russello provides interesting insight on Christianity and culture from a Catholic perspective.

Also take time to read Mr. Russello's article, "The Relevance of Christopher Dawson".

And you can buy the book of Dawson's writings he edited, Christianity and European Culture.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THEOLOGY STUDENTS?

Michigan and ten other states say no. Teresa Becker claims that is discrimination, and is suing the state of Michigan to reinstate the scholarship they revoked when she declared her major in theology.

FEATURED BOOK: CHESTERTON'S ORTHODOXY

Well, I've started this associate/affiliate thing with Amazon.com and Christianbook.com, which enables me to funnel you to product links so I can build vast wealth. With the kind of numbers we get here at theosebes, it should only take several hundred years. I've decided I ought to use the feature for good, not evil, so in that spirit I've decided to periodically have a featured book. It's a book that either I'm reading or have read and want you to read, too.

I've recently started G.K. Chesterton's book Orthodoxy. There is an annotated paperback edition available at Amazon. Christianbook has a hardcover edition available bound together with his book Heretics at a clearance price. That's the edition I have, since I like clearance prices. Or feel free to use the old paperback copy you have, or stop by your local bookstore and buy a copy.

I'll be posting quotes and thoughts as I read through it.

FOCUS ON 'LUTHER'

Liza Bear gives us a nice overview of this fall's Martin Luther movie.

HANDEL'S MESSIAH IS 'EXPLICIT'...

or at least Apple's iTunes thought so.

THIS IS CANADIAN CULTURE?

A fellow named Donald Harman Akenson who is a recipient of the Molson laureateship for contribution to Canadian culture (whatever that is) tells us there's no real defense for making a film faithful to the Gospels. Akenson writes, "Of the Four Gospels, the Gospel of John is the closest to being hate literature." You like to see the Gospel of Love being called "hate literature." You see this whole Jewish-Christian thing is just a funny little squabble that got out of hand:

The Fourth Gospel is part of a nasty exchange of polemics between two sects of Judaism (something the prologue of Mr. Drabinsky's production recognizes fleetingly). This obscure argument would have mere curiosity value except for two huge magnifiers.

First, these two sects were the only viable survivors from among the two or three dozen Jewish sects that had flourished in Jerusalem in the late Second Temple era. Then, in 70 AD, Rome destroyed the Temple and nearly levelled Jerusalem. Of all the forms of Judaism, only the descendants of the Pharisees adapted sufficiently to survive: The main group became the founders of modern Judaism, and a second bunch, a slightly off-brand set, the followers of Yeshua of Nazareth, became the forebears of Christianity.

Even so, the rivalry of these two groups would have been merely a cat fight in a Middle Eastern sandbox had not the Roman Empire turned Christian in the fourth century, a win for the Yeshua crowd. Suddenly, arcane polemics of the first century AD were broadcast empire-wide and eventually worked their influence on governmental policies in dozens of Western countries for several centuries.

Sadly, for the good Mr. Akenson--stalwart of "Canadian culture--Christianity actually had influence on Western countries "for several centuries." I think one could safely say that.

Akenson concludes:

Why would anyone want to be faithful to such a text? It can be redeemed by informed, discriminating and gentle scholarship. But, to film a literal version of the Gospel of John is like filming a faithful version of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

Garth, Mel, you're missing the point. To claim faithfulness to the text of the fourth Gospel is not a defence of your films.

The reason for the decline of Western civilization can be seen clearly when one honored for contributing to Canadian culture can, in effect, place himself in the position of having a more positive influence on culture than Jesus Christ did.

Suggested reading for Mr. Akenson:
Christianity and Culture, by T.S. Eliot
Christianity and European Culture, by Christopher Dawson (edited by Gerald J. Russello)
The Roots of American Order, by Russell Kirk

ARCHAEOLOGIST DEFENDS JAMES OSSUARY

Andre Lemaire, who first identified the inscription on the reputed James Ossuary, stands by his original claim despite the Israeli Antiquities Authority declaring the inscription a fake:

"You have a problem with the patina of the beginning of the inscription (James, son of Joseph)," Lemaire said. "There are two interpretations: either it was a fake, or it was the result of a cleaning."

The inscription cut through the ancient limestone box's patina, proving the writing was not ancient, the Antiquities Authority ruled. "The inscription appears new, written in modernity by someone attempting to reproduce ancient written characters," according to a summary panel released of its findings.

Lemaire believes that the first part of the inscription was cleaned by an antiquities dealer who was trying to improve the readability of the inscription. The second part of the inscription, "Brother of Jesus," would be more likely to be added later, but has a patina with no evidence of being cleaned, he said.

"They found traces of patina even in the first part," Lemaire said.

"The members of the committee, I know some of them," Lemaire said. "They are not specialized in inscriptions; when you read their report carefully, they disagree between themselves. Their conclusion is not clear; it's not justified. It could have been cleaned. They just mention that possibility, then they forget it."

And what might be their motivation?

Lemaire accuses the Antiquities Authority of not wanting to deal with the possibility that the inscription on the box is authentic.

"The problem is of identification; who is this man?" Lemaire said. "Very probably, this was the James that was the brother of Jesus. For them, the best way to get rid of this problem of identification is to tell that it is a fake."

Sounds plausible to me.

THAT NAGGING QUESTION

Scientists are debating various models of how the cosmos began, from black holes to "white holes." Behind their cosmic fantasies is the elephant in the room:

[Blake] Temple [, a mathematician at the University of California at Davis] can’t say where the matter we see today originally came from. What existed before the Big Bang? This, in fact, is a thorn in the side of all cosmologists, and it may never be answered because we can’t see time and space as it existed prior to time as we know it.

I would be willing to suggest a viable answer.

CARDINAL ENDORSEMENT FOR MEL

NRO has an interview with Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos on The Passion. He addresses its powerful imagery and dismisses charges of anti-Semitism. Of particular interest are his comments on its faithfulness to the Gospel accounts:

Gaspari: Is Gibson's version of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ faithful to the Gospel accounts?

Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos: Mr. Gibson has had to make many artistic choices in the way he portrays the characters and the events involved in the Passion, and he has complemented the Gospel narrative with the insights and reflections made by saints and mystics through the centuries. Mel Gibson not only closely follows the narrative of the Gospels, giving the viewer a new appreciation for those Biblical passages, but his artistic choices also make the film faithful to the meaning of the Gospels, as understood by the Church.

We'll have to wait and see what these extrabiblical "insights" consist of. I understand a certain artistic license in the making of movies in order to fill out a narrative. The goal with such narrative fill is that it stays true to the Gospel narrative, and in no way contradicts it. Let's hope that's the case with a movie of such promise.

SACRED GROUND?

A new plan for the World Trade Center will not infringe on the destroyed WTC's "footprint". I think that's a sensible (and sensitive) concession and memorial to those who died in the tragedy.

What bothers me is this use of the word "sacred" to describe the WTC site. The linked New York Post article uses the phrase "sacred ground" in its headline today. Of course, "sacred" conveys a religious significance. The Angel of the Lord told Moses from the burning bush to remove his sandals as Moses was treading on sacred ground, made that way by the Lord's presence. But in our secularized culture there is no clear idea what "sacred" really means. The 9-11 attacks have entered the American consciousness as not merely a national (and personal) tragedy worth remembering and memorializing, but also as a sort of civil-religious "holy day" of remembrance, the ground of the attacks being "sacred."

When we use words such as "sacred" loosely, we lose the true significance of their import. I mourn with those who lost loved ones during the 9-11 attacks; I support appropriate memorials and recognition. I do not support this secularized notion of "sacred," a concept that diminishes the true sacredness of God and the things of God.