Battleship, the Movie a Glimpse at Pop Culture

It has been said that if you want to know what is going on in popular culture, watch the movies and such is the case with the movie Battleship. As far as this movie watcher is concerned, Battleship was a good movie, and a lot better than the previews made it out to be. The story was another story of our world defending itself against a seemingly superior enemy. The game of Battleship, from which this movie gets its name was seen in the strategy of defeating the enemy and there was a bit of a War of the Worlds imagery in the weakness of the enemy. The story included the usual coming to terms of what is right by our hero who of course, got the girl in the end. As for a look at popular culture, the view of the culture as perceived by the movie makers of Hollywood and what is actually believed by society outside Hollywood, perhaps they are not the same, as we will see and make note.

As we will outline in this review, the movie Battleship bears the Hollywood perception of popular culture as one in which everyone believes the theory of evolution, everyone believes there are more advanced life forms on distant planets, and America has no right being the greatest country in history. The presumption of the belief of molecules to man evolution is shown to be proven by the fact that other life forms have evolved on other planets in much the same way as they evolved here on the planet earth. Interestingly enough, however is the concession that for other life forms to have evolved on other planets is the fact that the other planets would have to have a similar atmosphere. In other words, they would have to have evolved on a planet that would be in a solar system in which the planet would be a similar distance from the sun of that system. And also, is the thought that they would have evolved to look a lot like humans. From a purely “scientific” standpoint, the “facts” presented in the movie (suspending my disbelief) might be better explained as the universe having a master designer or creator who created the universe with a similar design throughout, such as might be the case with an architect who has a certain design pattern in all his designs.

The belief that there is intelligent life, or more intelligent life on other planets is an unproven theory, yet because of a great campaign of presenting this scenario over and over, and despite any evidence, people eventually will believe anything, if it is said often enough and loud enough. American is a bit schizophrenic in its nature, believing that we are so simple we cannot be the only life forms in the universe and so proud we believe we can control the weather on our own planet.

An interesting aspect of history is the fact that unless you know your history you are doomed to repeat it. Another interesting fact of history is that it is our history which has brought us to the point of where we are at this time. For some reason the powers that be in Hollywood would like to beat up our modern culture, seeming to suggest that the sins of peoples, cultures and societies of the past should and can be correct by a people who had no part in the past. Interestingly enough, this same culture reviles in the freedoms and advances made by those who have gone on before. In other words, biting the very hand that made possible what they want to disavow. History is history, and we are the greatest country in history because of our history. We cannot change our history and really we have no reason to apologize for our history, yet we can use our greatness to pull others up and that has been what has made our country great. Perhaps if Hollywood would spend more time getting history correct and espousing the greatness of America and less time judging and condemning the past they might actually make movies that are more inspiring for building a brighter future yet.

Thoughts on Higher Things 2012

The theme for the 2012 Higher Things conferences was Twelve. Twelve for the twelfth year of Higher Things Gatherings, Twelve for the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve Apostles, that number twelve times twelve times one thousand, the total number of saints in heaven. The two plenary speakers focused our attention on numbers in the Bible and their meaning. This year our youth were privileged to one of four gatherings, the one at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I believe this was the smallest of the four gatherings with just under 500 participants.

One of the greatest features of the Higher Things gatherings is the fact that along with beginning and ending the conference with Divine Service and the Lord’s Supper, we are in worship as a large group three times a day beginning with Matins in the morning, Vespers after lunch and Evening prayer after dinner. Each group individually concludes the day with Compline before bed. It is amazing to see and hear all these young people participate and chant much of the liturgy and do so joyously.

Another little know fact about the Higher Things Gatherings is that every evening after Evening Prayer pastors are available for private confession and absolution. This year, I heard, one youth group decided to avail themselves of this awesome privilege simply to experience and better understand what great thing private confession and absolution truly is.

As a pastor, I was offered the opportunity and taught two sectionals on debunking the theory of evolution. Although I did not get a “head” count, I would estimate that between the two sectionals I was able to teach between sixty and eighty youth and adults. And along with teaching I was able to attend sectionals as well. I attended informative sectionals on angels, on stem cell research, and on Revelation chapters twelve and thirteen.

Finally, one of the highlights for me personally was that I was able to assist in the Evening Prayer on Thursday evening as the Lucifer, which is Latin and means the Light Bearer. In other words I served in carrying the candle for the service of light.

What a great joy and privilege that we as a congregation have been able to make attendance at these youth gatherings available for our young people. I pray that you will see the benefit of these gathering and continue to support (especially financially) our youth who would like to attend and our adults who would volunteer their time for these gatherings.

What Does Feng Shui Have to Do with It?

I had a friend come to visit, and while we were visiting he kept looking at my house, kind of in a weird way. He kept mumbling about how things are not really laid out very well, at least not very efficiently. He said my couch and recliner were not in good spots. He said my bedroom furniture was wasting precious walk room. He even said my patio furniture was not place right to get the most out of my yard. He said he had come across this wonderful system of how a house can be laid out for maximum efficiency. He said it was called Feng Shui.
 

My first thought, after he told me about this Feng Shui, was that I had heard about Feng Shui, or at least I thought I had, and if memory served me correctly, it was some sort of Chinese belief about “how to balance the energies of any given space to assure the health and good fortune for people inhabiting it.” When I suggested to him that “Feng Shui is based on the Taoist vision and understanding of nature, particularly on the idea that the land is alive and filled with Chi, or energy,” and I felt that as a Christian perhaps we should not be dabbling in these other religious beliefs. He laughed and said I was being silly.
 

My friend developed a plan for better organizing my house according to the teachings and belief of Feng Shui all the while assuring me that by simply putting into practice some of the styles of Feng Shui, in no way would this be interfering with the substance of my faith. As a matter of fact, he went on to suggest that it might even help me better my faith practice.
 

After a few weeks my house was completely Feng Shui-ed. At first I thought it was pretty good, I did have more space or at least it seemed so. But one thing I noticed. Whenever I would have guest, they would always remark about my new decorating. They would inevitably ask about my decision to redecorate and why I decorated the way I did. I would then explain about this Feng Shui concept.
 

Interestingly enough some of my friends decided they wanted to Feng Shui their own homes and apartments. It was almost like I was a Feng Shui evangelist. And after a while my friends and even my acquaintances asked me about my religious affiliations, some even asking if I had leanings toward Buddhism. Even more fascinating is the fact that some of my friends began visiting Buddhist temples and becoming more and more involved the Buddhist culture.
 

I never realized and would never have guessed how changing one’s style could have such an effect on changing one’s attitudes and beliefs. I guess it is true that we do practice what we preach, that our actions to show what is in our hearts and that how we act does affect how others perceive us to be.

 

In the book of Leviticus God gives His people a way to worship Him. God gives His people various rites which serve to point to the ultimate Savior. In the New Testament the One that was promised and the One to which all the Old Testament pointed was born. After His ascension one’s “birthright” especially as one of the children of Israel, was no longer important, yet what was important was the continual worship of the One who saved all people.
 

Although the ceremonial law of the Old Testament was fulfilled in the One to whom it all pointed, Jesus, the moral law of observing a day of rest was never negated. Through time the worship practices of the Old Testament were reshaped into the worship practices of the New Testament. In the church of the Old World, before the discovery of the Americas, the practice of worship continued to carry on those same aspects that God had originally given His people in Israel, such practices as Confession and Absolution.
 

At the Reformation, Martin Luther took great care to retain the worship practices of the Church because he knew they were an important part of what we call “Divine Service” or God service. Such important practices today include making the sign of the cross at the invocation and so remembering our Baptism; confessing our sins and hearing the words of absolution; speaking back the very Word our Lord has given us in the liturgy; hearing God’s Word read and proclaimed; and of course, being strengthened through our participating in the Lord’s Supper.
 

Unfortunately, there are many in our world today who have either completely abandoned what God has given or simply have disregarded much of what has its roots in what God has given in Leviticus. And interestingly enough, those same people have born witness of another belief system that is not all together what God has given. Thus, there is often the question concerning one’s denominational identity according to the worship practices one exercises. It should be of no surprise that as we practice what we preach and we preach what we practice, and then when preaching and practice do not correlate, one or the other must change. If we change our style of worship it affects our substance, and if we change our substance it affects our style. It is no wonder many people are confused about what is happening in our own churches. May the Lord forgive us for mucking with the Divine Service He has given to us and through which He comes to give us all the gifts and blessings He has to give.
 

Please quit trying to Feng Shui my Divine Service!