October 30, 2004
Exactly what they've deserved, that is. With no last minute heroics by Brock Berlin this time, the Canes finally fell, and this Auburn fan is rejoicing!
Speaking of Auburn, tonight they beat Ole Miss 35-14 and clinched the SEC West. Our offense had their worst first half of the season, but put 28 points on the board in the second half while the defense took care of business as usual, keeping Ole Miss to 14 points.
Thanks to Miami's fall and our decisive win, we should at least hit #3 in the BCS and both polls. Personally, I'd bump us ahead of Oklahoma after their close call tonight, but the voters have a big love for the Sooners, so I doubt it'll happen.
October 27, 2004
Just in time for Halloween weekend, a MacPhisto Jack-o-Lantern:
The pattern is available on ZombiePumpkins.com if you subscribe.
October 14, 2004
For Auburn to move up past #4 in the polls, one of the three remaining teams ahead of them need to drop. Our best hope is Miami, who was a mere 40 points ahead of us in the AP poll. For Miami to drop, we'll probably need a little bit of help from their opponent this week, Louisville. As The Birmingham News reports, it's a little odd to root for Louisville:
You can safely assume that feeling won't come naturally - given the fact [that Louisville's] Petrino was courted for the Auburn job while Tuberville was getting ready to play archrival Alabama last November. But things have changed. Petrino's Louisville Cardinals have a chance to knock off Miami before ESPN cameras on Thursday night, and that gives Tuberville reason for pause. Miami (4-0) is one of only three teams ranked higher than Auburn, and the Tigers would like to see a couple of them fall to have a shot at a national title.
October 05, 2004
The Obscure Store has a funny article about an enterprising BYU student and the t-shirt business he's taking a lot of heat for:
Critics of the t-shirt say that it sounds like the wearer wishes they could (sin), but can't because of their religion. Fans of the shirt (rightly?) say that the critics are far too easily offended and have no sense of humor. You can imagine the reaction if I were to sell t-shirts that said "I can't. I'm Baptist." Jerry Falwell would be ranting about it on television.
The shirt I'd really like to sell is "I can. I'm Presbyterian."
October 04, 2004
McSweeney's offers up a list of Really Boring Books for Children. Good stuff. Right now her favorite books is her Baby Einstein bath book Water, Water, Everywhere! It's her favorite because it's waterproof, and therefore, we let her chew on it if she wants to.
For the more theologically inclined, another great offering from McSweeney's: A List of Five Favorite Heresies of the Roman Catholic Church, Disguised in the Form of Unused Episode Titles for the Hit Situation Comedy Friends, and Their Dates.
August 27, 2004
You cannot successfully merge onto I-75 doing 38 mph.
Now if I can just get the people I was driving behind this morning to read this weblog post... For all the rest of you, what are your traffic pet peeves?
March 15, 2004
Impaled on motorcycle handlebars, N.C. man proposes:
Lying on the ground with his motorcycle handlebars sticking 6 inches into his abdomen, Brian Shipwash wanted to make sure he did one more thing in case he died. So he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, broken and blood-spattered, with a ring inside and asked his girlfriend, Shandra Miller, to marry him. She said yes.
March 12, 2004
UNC lost to Georgia Tech by 1 point in the ACC Basketball Tournament this afternoon. How many times in one season can a team lose by a basket in the final seconds of the game? North Carolina has been breaking my heart this year with games like this. When they bring their best game, there's not a team in the country they can't beat, but they have been consistently inconsistent all year. They still have a berth in the NCAA Tournament, though, so maybe their fortunes will improve. I do think Roy Williams is doing a good job, and I can't wait to see where this program is three years from now.
Krispy Kreme, home of the most delicious doughnuts on the planet, has given in to the low-carb craze. They're creating a low-sugar doughnut, set to debut later this year. Truly sad news. If you can't go to Krispy Kreme for a guilt-free sugar indulgence, where can you go? I'm sure that, like low-carb offerings by fast food restaurants like Subway, these low-sugar doughnuts will sell and be successful. Honestly, though, I am just sick to death of hearing about the Atkins diet, and I'm sick of seeing commercials for low-carb foods. Stop the insanity! Oh, that reminds me, a few weeks ago I saw Susan Powter on The O'Reilly Factor railing against the Atkins craze. I think she was on crack that day because she was acting completely insane.
February 27, 2004
I have surrendered to the awesome power of "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" by The Darkness. The video is the funniest thing since, well, "Hey Ya," which is pretty recent, but you get the point. The song is ridiculously catchy and I can't help but sing along. Genia, a closet fan of Poison and GNR, still hasn't admitted her love for the song, but she will.
Tim at Instant Sunshine has a great post about one of U2's best and most underrated singles, "Discotheque." BOOM-CHA! Tim and I are apparently quite alike in our fandom of U2, but does he recognize Bono as the Pope?
I haven't yet seen The Passion of the Christ. so I can't comment directly on the film. There are some excellent reviews out there, including one by Ebert which is surprising in its understanding of the Gospel. One thing I would say, though, that nothing in recent memory has prompted this much discussion of Jesus in the society at large. People aren't just discussing this movie, they are discussing Jesus. I've been watching the news a lot lately, and I've seen countless people proclaiming the gospel on national television because of this film. It may be a pragmatic point of view, but I can't help but think this is a good thing.
February 02, 2004
I awoke from a nap this evening and stumbled out into the living room to find my beatuiful bride intently watching The WB's The Surreal Life. I have to admit, I had found myself wanting to watch this inevitable train wreck, but I was still surprised to see Genia tuning in... to a marathon of the show, no less!
It was every bit as ridiculous as I expected. I mean, can you really top throwing Vanilla Ice, Ron Jeremy, and Tammy Faye into a house together? Amidst all the chaos, what surprised me was the fair portrayal of Tammy Faye as a woman of faith. In the one episode I caught, we saw her making an unpopular Biblical stand against seeing a psychic, being genuinely concerned for and loving towards a worried roommate, and boldly but non-judgementally testifying about her faith. Ron Jeremy, questioning her about her stand on the psychic, asked "Can anyone really follow everything the Bible says?" Tammy Faye simply said "I try. I mess up all the time, but I do try." The show does, of course, try to get some dramatic milage out of her being different from her roommates and out of her larger-than-life personality type, but I was surprised and encouraged to see her being represented fairly.
January 23, 2004
For those of you who don't know, Genia and I got married the day after my 20th birthday. She was 22 at the time, so we would definitely fall into the category of "people who got married young." We often get met with questions as to why we wanted to get "tied down" so young or why we didn't wait until finishing college. The cultural norm, even within the church, seems to put education, status, and money above marriage these days. Genia and I bucked the trend, as did my younger brother Joel. So I like to defend the notion of getting married at a young age when I can.
Right now there's a good discussion going at the Boar's Head Tavern about young marriage, which came about as one member asked for advice on how to counsel an 18 year old friend who just got engaged. There are a couple great articles on the subject that offer well-reasoned defenses of getting married young.
First, this post by fellow blogger The Dane argues in favor of young marriage from a solid Biblical perspective. His essay is thoroughly centered on Christ, with whom all things are possible. He reminds us that the scriptures teach "it is better to marry than to burn." The church at large believes Paul when he says "it is better to marry than to burn." The problem is that they have added "but it is better still to sign a True Love Waits pledge card, and wait... an unnaturally long time, until you're older, more educated, and wealthier."" The Dane also readily handles the question of immaturity:
That is one of the beauties of the marriage of believers: God will work between the two who are one and mold them further toward the image of his Son. Is not his grace sufficient for all things?Another excellent essay, from Orthodox writer Frederica Mathewes-Green, relates the subject of young marriage to the problems of teen pregnancy and the expectation of immaturity that our culture has placed on teens. I was pleased to see her calling for us to raise our expectations of an age group that has gone in a couple of generations from working hard and raising families to mooching off of their parents and partying in Cancun as they "find themselves" and "enjoy their youth." Mathewes-Green's essay also challenges natural families and church families to surround young couples with support, both practical and spiritual, another factor that made it easier for young couples to marry in times past.
Overall, I think there are a good number of reasons to support young people who wish to get married, and to challenge the perspectives of those young people who feel they should wait until they have acheived the cultural definition of success before getting married.
November 05, 2003
Just a quick recommendation. Head over to CEO Blues and read Dan's excellent posts detailing his Outward Bound journey one day at a time. You should, of course, start with his account of day 1, get caught up by reading about day 2 and today's post about day 3, and diligently follow along for the remaining 18 days. Included in today's post is this tale of cross-cultural slang, misinterpreted:
After supper the taller of the Veroniques leaned over and whispered to me in poor English this line... this is a word for word quote... "Hey, do you want to go commando?"
Let?s pause here for a moment to reflect. I have known this female for 48 hours. She has just asked me if I want to remove my underwear. I am confused, very very confused.
Without looking too shocked I managed to ask her what she meant by "go commando". She then proceeds to tell me that it is the French term for playing pranks on people. I laugh and tell her what it means in English. She gets embarrassed, but laughs hysterically. Matt almost exhales a lung laughing when he hears this.
October 25, 2003
There's some great SEC football being played today. Right now I'm watching Alabama play Tennessee and the score is surprising, to say the least. The Crimson Tide are up 6-3 at half time. Tide fans have to be a bit disappointed, though, because they could easily have scored two touchdowns. Twice they've been inside the 10 yard line and blown it -- once leading to a field goal, once to a blocked FG attempt. This inability to finish seems to be the defining attribute of Alabama's team this year. They could be a 2-loss team if they could just finish well.
Tennessee, for their part, is having the same problems that turned the momentum against them last week against Georgia -- turnovers. They gave up three big turnovers to Alabama in just the first quarter. The Vols just aren't playing as well as they were against Auburn and prior to the momentum-changing fumble before halftime against Georgia. That said, I think Tennessee will come back and win this one over the Tide. We'll see...
Update: This game turned out to be a fight to the death, going into a fifth overtime with stellar performances by both teams. Tennessee did end up with the victory, 51-43, but Alabama showed the quality of their play in keeping it close through such a tough game.
October 16, 2003
Did my eyes and ears deceive me, or did I just watch Billy Corgan, dressed up like a J. Crew catalog, sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" on television?
October 13, 2003
Just in time for my upcoming U2 pilgrimage with Joel, I came across a helpful how-to article on road tripping, courtesy of The Morning News. It's a fun read with some good tips, like this one:
Driver Controls the Music
Passenger gets two vetoes per three hours or 150 miles, whichever comes first. No exceptions.
Not that Joel and I should run into that problem. We already have a listening strategy mapped out -- 10 hours of driving, 10 U2 albums.
October 11, 2003
It was a defensive showdown at Razorback Stadium today, and Auburn was masterful. Arkansas, who had averaged 44 points per game before today, was held to a single field goal. Their star rusher, Cedric Cobb, was held to less than 100 yards for the first time this season, while Auburn's Cadillac Williams gained over 120 years in the first half alone and scored the only touchdown of the game. Twice Arkansas drove past the 10 yard line, only to have Auburn's stellar defense prevent them from getting a touchdown.
Auburn has knocked off the 7th ranked team in the country two weeks in a row. Looks like we're headed back into the Top 25, and our chances of winning the SEC West are improving. War Eagle!
Update:
The polls are in, and Auburn moved to #19 in the AP Poll and #25 in the ESPN Coaches Poll. A tough schedule lies ahead, but we're great in the underdog role. We still have to play LSU, ranked #10, and Georgia ranked #4.
October 06, 2003
Saturday night we saw the Auburn Tigers that we were promised in the preseason hype. They dominated the Vols for most of the game and came away with a huge upset. It was glorious to behold, and my hope is renewed for the rest of the season! Next up, Arkansas...
September 25, 2003
Last night was the season premier of The West Wing and it was amazing. For my money, there is not a better show on network television. Nothing else has captivated me the way it does since The X-Files. In the premier last night, one of the most brilliant plot twists started to take shape. The decision to have Bartlett to invoke the 25th amendment and temporarily grant power to his next-in-line, a Republican and obvious political enemy, was a fascinating choice for the show. Casting John Goodman was brilliant as well. He's the perfect antagonist. He's a caricature of real Republicans to some extent, but the stark contrast between his character and Bartlett makes for a lot of drama. I think it's going to be a great season.
September 20, 2003
On the left is Angle-Grinder Man, the UK's self-proclaimed "Wheel-clamp Superhero / Vigilante" as well as an "philanthropist entertainer type personage." He works tirelessly to remove wheel-clamps from the cars of Londoners (free of charge) and to work for political change.
He says "My obsession with Wheel-clamping is actually a rebellion against a much deeper malaise. Namely, the arrogant contempt that politicians hold for the people who put them into power, and whom they claim to represent."
Pictured on the right is Terrifica, New York City's own Superhero for Single Girls. ABC News Reports that "For the past seven years Terrifica has been patrolling New York's party and bar scene, looking out for women who have had a little too much to drink and are in danger of being taken advantage of by men."
In her own words, her story is born out of dealing with her own vulnerability and mistakes: "The reason why Batman was dark was because he kept seeing his demon [the murder of his parents and his need to avenge them] every time he did what he did," Sarah says. "I guess that is essentially the same thing with me. I experience the same hurt and pain over and over again [as Terrifica]."
September 06, 2003
If you ever want to win a football game again, learn how to protect your quarterback so he isn't on the run every single play.
September 02, 2003
Bono and the Pope, among many others, have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize to be awarded later this year, and this article is an interesting comparison of the two -- their works, beliefs, and methods. It's a good read if you are a fan of Bono and admire his charitable work.
In this confusing, ever-changing world, the Pope and Bono dispense the most coveted and elusive intangibles of all: certainty and purpose and belief. They do this by sharing some remarkably similar traits. The Pope is a churchman who embraced showbiz while Bono is a showman who embraced faith. Both have done so with a messianic clasp.
There is also an interesting insight into young Bono's faith and mission:
Aged 20, Bono wrote to his father about "offering each day up to God, meeting in the morning for prayers, readings, and letting God work in our lives - I hope our lives will be a testament to the people who follow us and to the music business where never before have so many lost and sorrowful people gathered in one place pretending to have a good time."
August 25, 2003
"When Mormons talk about Kolob, that magical, heavenly place where God lives, I'm pretty sure they're just talking about Super Target." --Dooce.com
August 21, 2003
With the college football season rapidly approaching, I've been hearing alot about my favorite team, the Auburn Tigers. Last year they had a pretty good season, with a couple of disappointing close games. This year the excitement is building as they are ranked #6 in the preseason poll and picked to win the SEC. Last year, watching Auburn games were more fun than ever thanks to the one and only Andrea Yeaman, Auburn fanatic and all-around hilarious friend. Sadly, we left her behind in Atlanta, and Genia is a Crimson Tide fan, but I'm still going to follow my team. I wonder if there is an "Auburn place" in Chattavegas like The Bucket Shop in Atlanta?
With all this talk about the virtues of Diet Coke, I thought I would take an opportunity to defend the honor of the one drink to rule them all, Coca-Cola Classic. The Coke website says it best:
Dr. John S. Pemberton knew what he was doing when he trademarked Coca-Cola in 1887. Coca-Cola is without a doubt, the most popular drink in history. Nothing tastes quite like it.
Now, I'm not going to claim that popularity necessarily means one thing is better than another. For example, Britney Spears (Pepsi spokeswoman, coincidentally or not) is wildly popular. Yet her music sucks. There is a difference in the application of popularity in her case. Her music is force-fed through all channels such as radio (Clear-Channel) and television (MTV). An impressionable youth hardly stands a chance of avoiding her music, and has to go far out of his way to find a hidden gem like Pedro the Lion or Far Star. Moving from pop back to soda, Coke and Diet Coke are equally accessible, as are Pepsi and Diet Pepsi in most countries. There are plenty of soda choices, and people overwhelmingly choose Coke.
Then there's the taste itself. Coke is sweet, but not too sweet. And the burn... the way it lights up your throat when you swallow it. There really is nothing like it. Diet Coke is too sugary and a little flat tasting. Pepsi is too sweet and has no discernable bite. Dr. Pepper, while not bad, just doesn't compare. Go to the gas station and buy a cold Coke in a glass bottle. That is the finest drink on the planet, in its purest form, and surely it is heaven sent.
Finally, consider this: Bono didn't sing "If Diet Coke is a Mystery..." did he?
August 12, 2003
There's an extremely lengthy discussion going on at MetaFilter about sex and abstinence before marriage. It all started with this article from the Seattle Times about a Christian couple who will have their first kiss at their wedding ceremony. Not surprisingly, the majority secular crowd at MetaFilter has not only mocked the couple for their extreme take on abstinence, but also the idea of waiting until marriage at all. It was unsurprising but still disappointing how lightly sex is taken by the participants of the discussion.
Chastity and fidelity are hardly even considered virtuous to the secular world anymore. I definitely commend the couple for taking seriously the Christian belief that sex is reserved for a husband and wife only. One common objection to this belief is "what if we aren't sexually compatible?" Honestly I think that's bunk, though. If two people love each other and are committed to working together to make a life, with some practice and patience they can have a fulfilling sex life even if it isn't hot the first time -- or the first twenty. Aaron interjected this relevant scripture into the MetaFilter discussion:
"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly." --Psalm 84:11I personally find the "no kissing" boundary the couple in the article set for themselves to be a little extreme, but they aren't saying it's absolute truth, just a personal conviction. Besides, the general logic is solid -- setting boundaries a little farther out than what you definitely don't want to do. If they set their boundary at "heavy petting" how likely is it that they'd be able to refrain from going just a little farther in the heat of the moment and having sex? But if they cross the line and kiss, they may be disappointed in themselves for a time, but they have still kept true to the major commitment of abstinence. I learned this general concept of "moral margin" from Andy Stanley at North Point and I think it's worthwhile.
The article had a passing mention of a social researcher who claims that religious couples often have longer lasting marriages. This was discussed somewhat at MetaFilter, but I don't think anyone hit the nail on the head. The only people who gave any creedance to the claim only went so far as to say that two people who share religious beliefs are alike enough to have a good chance of making it work. This, of course, denies any power in the religion itself. Here's what I believe: if two people who come together in marriage are committed to a faith in Christ, to loving each other as they love themselves, to sacrificing for each other and submitting to one another, to patience, kindness, and faithfulness, then their marriage will work out. It's not easy but it is that simple.
August 04, 2003
By means of all created things, without exception, the divine assails us, penetrates us, and molds us. We imagined it as distant and inaccessible, whereas in fact we live steeped in its burning layers.
-- Teilhard de Chardin
August 01, 2003
An interesting read, this article in England's Spectator discusses the cultural divide between the North and South in the United States. The author's premise is that the US is still divided along the Mason-Dixon line when it comes to honour and how to respond to an insult. In a few short paragraphs, he takes this premise and relates it to the Civil War and current American foreign policy, including our preemptive attack on Iraq.
July 07, 2003
Via a discussion on MetaFilter I read about a movie theater in Kansas City catering specifically to adults. Not in the X-rated way -- it's not about that at all. Here's the scoop: They don't allow any children under age 6 or unaccompanied children between ages 6 and 16. They don't show G or PG rated films. They sell beer. And they are making an effort to show independent films. Of course, there were local parents who were outraged, but in my opinion that's just stupid. It was simply one privately owned business seeking to market to a certain type of customer base, and I have to say that it will probably be a rousing success. In Atlanta, we had a movie theater called the Buckhead Backlot that served bar-type food and beer, and it was a fun place to watch a movie. We also had a couple of theaters that catered to the independent films. Put the two concepts together and I think !
you'd have a pretty popular movie theater. In fact, in the MetaFilter discussion, several members mentioned theaters of this type in other cities, so it's being done. It's something I'd like to see in Chattanooga, and I think it would go over quite well downtown or in the Coolidge Park area.
June 26, 2003
Via Obscure Store, I found an article in Fortune Magazine about Krispy Kreme: The Hole Story, how Krispy Kreme became the hottest brand in America. It's a great read because it is such an unusual success story. It's growing by leaps and bounds, and has people in northern cities lining up for blocks to get the first hot doughnuts from new store locations. Yet they do no national advertising.
To this day the company has no traditional media advertising budget. It's simply much cheaper and more effective to give away doughnuts. Before entering a new market, such as Boston at the end of June, Krispy Kreme inundates TV and radio stations and newspapers with free doughnuts.There's also a great bit of local history in the Krispy Kreme legend:
"A l!A hot doughnut sounds pretty great right about now. If only Krispy Kreme !
ot of people think that all our traditions go way, way back, but not all of them do," says company marketing chief Stan Parker. Take the famous hot doughnuts now sign. Everybody knows that when a Krispy Kreme store flips on its neon hot doughnuts now sign, the doughnuts are coming right off the line. Around 1980 the folks in Winston noticed sales at the Chattanooga store were going through the roof. HQ decided to send a man up to Chattanooga for a look-see. Turns out the store manager, Bob Glidden, had printed up an ordinary block sign that read hot doughnuts now. But his customers complained that he kept the sign up all the time, even when his doughnuts weren't hot. So Glidden went down to J.C. Penney and bought a window shade. When he wasn't making doughnuts he pulled the shade closed; when he was cooking, he pulled open the blind and customers streamed in. Bingo, a sales tactic was born!
would give us a store on South Broad!
June 07, 2003
Through a post on MetaFilter I found an essay called The Abolition of Work by Bob Black. It turns out it was originally written and published in 1985, but it seems very fresh and relevant. It is extremely interesting, but long and pretty dense in places. His thesis statement is as follows:
Work is the source of nearly all the misery in the world. Almost any evil you'd care to name comes from working or from living in a world designed for work. In order to stop suffering, we have to stop working.So we see immediately that the author is building on a different foundation than we as Christians do. Our foundation, of course, is Jesus Christ, and the Bible tells us that the source of all misery is our fall, our separation from God. However, Jesus also said that "the love of money is the root of all manner of evils" and money is, after all, why most of us work. It can also be said that work was ordained as part of the curse after the fall, so in a sense he isn't miles away from reality. The following quote is also pretty wild:
Discipline is what the factory and the office and the store share with the prison and the school and the mental hospital. It is something historically original and horrible. It was beyond the capacities of such demonic dictators of yore as Nero and Genghis Khan and Ivan the Terrible. For all their bad intentions, they just didn't have the machinery to control their subjects as thoroughly as modern despots do. Discipline is the distinctively diabolical modern mode of control, it is an innovative intrusion which must be interdicted at the earliest opportunity.I'm sure any of us that aren't in their "dream job" can relate to the sentiment of work being like a prison, but to compare it to Genghis Khan and Ivan the Terrible is off the charts! For all his interesting points, the author cannot overcome the simple fact that what he is proposing is not practical.
Another interesting thing to note is that Black lays a measure of blame on the "Protestant work ethic" and Calvinism. He even goes so far as to say that if Calvinism were being introduced today instead of being a centuries old theology that it would be labelled a cult. Pretty harsh words. On the subject of the protestant work ethic, I found via Josh Claybourn an article in the New York Times discussing how that work ethic is the reason America Outpaces Europe in industrial measures.
May 20, 2003
A plethora of interesting thoughts and links regarding The Matrix are available by visiting the blog Matrix Essays. It is entirely dedicated to The Matrix, offering thoughts, discussion, and links to external essays and articles about the films and their relation to philosophy, religion, and mythology. One fascinating post is about the origin of the name The Merovingian. The following quotes hit the high points:
The word Merovingian is taken from the name of a blood line of kings who ruled what is present-day France in the 5th to 8th century... According to the book Holy Blood, Holy Grail (which is something of a conspiracy-theory classic), the Merovingians are the descendants of Jesus -- who did not die on the cross, but lived to have children... According to conspiracy theorists, the mysterious secret society that is supposedly working behind the scenes on behalf of the Merovingians is known as the Priory of Zion.
I find this fascinating simply because of the possibilities it opens up. Is The Merovingian the first incarnation "the one" perhaps? His wife, before kissing Neo, says "my husband used to be like you." The more I think about these things, the more excited I am about seeing the final film and hopefully piecing all this together. Despite its imperfections, the films are telling a captivating story.
Tonight I experienced my second viewing of The Matrix Reloaded. It wasn't as excellent as two viewings in four days would imply, though. It definitely suffered from hype, heightened expectations, and "middle chapter" baggage, but it was absolutely worth seeing. On the ride home from the theater, Genia and I, along with Joel and April, had a fairly stimulating conversation about the film, which lead to some further thoughts I'd like to entertain in this forum if you'll allow the indulgence. Oh, and if you don't want any Reloaded spoilers, stop reading now.
After my first viewing of the film, I began reading other reactions to the film online, and via MetaFilter I found a very interesting article about Gnosticism and Buddhism in The Matrix. Gnosticism is an ancient heretical offshoot of Orthodox Christianity which has some concepts in common with The Matrix. In Gnosticism, a person is "saved" basically from ignorance rather than sin. You become "enlightened" with secret knowledge, knowledge that the world you know is but an illusion, and then transcend it. There is even a concept within the beliefs of Gnosticism of enlightened ones who remain within the physical world to share this knowledge with the unenlightened, Jesus being the chief of these. Is The Matrix Gnostic or Christian? makes the excellent point, however, that in The Matrix, it is the non-physical world th!
at is the illusion, and the physical world, where Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity are "unplugged" that is the real world. So in The Matrix to be enlightened you exit the non-physical world and enter the physical world. In that sense, The Matrix is not really a Gnostic tale after all, unless Agent Smith (whom the article names the only true Gnostic of the films) ends up being the hero after all. While an intriguing thought, my guess is that it's extremely unlikely. Incidentally, the new dynamic between Smith and Neo is one of the more interesting parts of Reloaded.
We all noticed is that the city of Zion is depicted as being quite culturally primitive, even though there is a great deal of technology being utilized by the people of Zion. The people themselves are shown as very tribal, and in one scene, appear animalistic, or more correctly, hedonistic. The mission of the enlightened is to spread the truth about the matrix and the real world to those who are still plugged in -- salvation is purely a matter of knowledge. There is no mention of sin, no mention of morality. The only discernable morals are to tell "the truth" and not to betray your fellow man to those in charge of, or working for, the matrix. Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity, along with the others who are a part of their quest are in fact extremely violent within the matrix, killing "agents" who are inhabiting the bodies of those they are ultimately trying to free and ordinary citizens of the matrix. It is interesting that The Architect of the matrix tells Neo that the original ma!
trix was designed to be perfect, but the human mind could not accept it and so that matrix was an utter failure. However within Zion it is assumed that all people are by nature "good" and there seems to be no system of morality or law. Alternately, I suppose it could be argued that they are all "good" because they are the enlightened ones. This city of Zion does not seem to correspond with the Christian ideal of heaven.
One interesting issue raised by Gnosticism and Buddhism in The Matrix is that in The Matrix there is no apparent higher power, no God working outside of the Matrix and outside of the real world. There are many strong allusions to fate, predestination, and prophecy, and it is obvious that there is a "Creator" of the matrix itself, but no absolutely powerful God is mentioned. In The Matrix Reloaded there is a scene that takes place in the city of Zion where citizens attend a temple ceremony and are lead in a "prayer" by one of the rulers of the city and by Morpheus, but still there is no mention of a God.
We learn in the scene with The Architect that the entire concept of "the one" is a sort of work around to flaws that developed in the program, and that Neo is the sixth incarnation of "the one." Each one fulfills the prophecy, the matrix is reset, zion is intentionally repopulated, and it all happens all over again. Zion itself may be nothing more than a matrix within a matrix. How else would you explain that the Oracle (a regenegade program within the matrix) and The Architect know about the dreams Neo has when he's unplugged? How else would Neo have been able to stop the sentinels in the "real world" when his powers up until that point had only existed within the matrix? And how else would Agent Smith have been able to enter the "real world"?
Hopefully all these questions and theories will make more sense in light of The Matrix Revolutions, the final chapter of the trilogy. All in all, while they aren't "Christian" films or worthy of following as spiritual guides, the first two films have been entertaining and interesting. I wish I could say that about more movies.
May 19, 2003
Via Blogs4God I found an interesting article entitled If it Looks Like an Evangelical Skunk over at The Internet Monk which discusses art and the Evangelical Christian subculture. He mentions some specific criticisms of the subculture and the art being produced from within it, but the main point I got from it is contained in the following quotes:
Christians are not obligated to approve of all that comes sprouting forth from the evangelical subculture compost heap... we have an obligation, in the name of the integrity of truth, to call a skunk a skunk, even if he is carrying a Bible and singing "As the Deer."I think Christians should freely express their criticisms of the mediocrity and distortion that emerges from the evangelical ghetto, and not be the least ashamed to do so. If we critique ourselves, that only speaks more to our confidence in the truth. It also shows (surprise) humility to acknowledge none of us are beyond criticism. It is a general observation of mine that Christians are woefully afraid of engaging in criticism of their own sub-culture as if that meant they were criticizing Jesus. Believe me, Jesus did not come up with all that Y2K nonsense. Or the script for the Omega Code.
I certainly agree with the Monk and have occaisonally voiced my frustrations with Contemporary Christian Music in particular. Scott recently voiced a similar opinion. One of the things that bothers me about CCM is that the artistry seems to take a back seat to getting across a clear, nice, warm-fuzzy message. And the lyrics are nothing much to speak of. Most of it is the "Jesus is my girlfriend/boyfriend" type lyrics or a "don't worry, be happy" mentality. Even many of the songs that are supposedly about struggle are little more than "I made it through, and you can too." Did any of these people actually write songs when they were right in the middle of the trial, when they didn't understand what God was up to or if He was paying attention at all? Or is it just that the CCM culture will not all!
ow unanswered questions? Give me Peace on Earth by U2 any day. I can relate to that. And so could the Psalmist. The only CCM song I can think of in that vein is Silence by Jars of Clay, and I would almost guarantee it'll never be a single on Christian radio. The primary reason Jars of Clay is my favorite CCM group is because they are unafriad to be transparent, admit desperation, and cry out to God in a real way.
May 18, 2003
Genia and I have lived in Chattanooga, specifically St. Elmo, for about three and a half months now, and I am really fond of this city. We hadn't been here long before we started having favorite places. Our favorite Mexican place is Amigos on Brainerd. Our favorite pizza place is Lupi's downtown, but we're also a big fan of Mr. T's, especially since it's ridiculously cheap if you get take out. Buffalo Wild Wings, affectionately known as B Dubs, is a frequent choice. And, ah yes, the little ice cream shop on the corner of Market and Third... magic! It's just a window sticking out of the building next to Altruda's, but their ice cream is amazing. It tastes like homemade. My coffee loyalties are split, though. I love the comfortable setting of Greyfriar's, and Andy and I have been able to get some good strategy!
work done there, along with just good conversation. However, Rembrandt's is really special, too, mainly because of the great patio.
Last night, I found a new favorite place: McKay's, a used book and cd store. It's amazing! The book selection was huge, and not my primary mission last night, but I'm sure I could spend a lot of time searching the books. But I wanted music. I found a good number of cds I was interested in, and narrowed my purchases down to Counting Crows Recovering the Satellites, Travis The Invisible Band, and Doves The Last Broadcast. All for $24! If that wasn't good enough, a mulleted cashier flirted with my brother's wife. A femmullted cashier. We'll be laughing about that for a long time.
April 18, 2003
Genia and I have really been lamenting the amount of stupid television commercials lately. We'd pretty much decided that all commercials were stupid, and then I saw an amazing commercial from Honda called Cog. It's stunning -- you've got to see it to believe it. And actually, you probably won't believe it after you watch it, but this article says it's real. No CGI, no computer editing of the effects. Wow.
April 17, 2003
The good folks at RazorMouth are at it again. This time, we have a commentary entitled Dr. Evil's Shagadelic Kitsch, wherin author George Grant explains what Saddam can really teach us about sin. It's an interesting, and amusing, read. Check it out, and then join Joel Miller as he examines our Fickle Faith.
April 14, 2003
Ah, MacPhisto. What I wouldn't do to have been able to attend a ZooTV show! Anyway, that's not exactly the kind of vision I'm talking about. This morning I ran across the following quote from Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Community Church, which we attended for two years while living in Atlanta. Hopefully it will mean something to you, wherever you are in your journey:
"If God has birthed a vision in your heart, the day will come when you will be called upon to make a sacrifice to acheive it. And you will have to make the sacrifice with no guarantee of success."
February 28, 2003
John Brady Kiesling is a United States Diplomat, and has been for over 20 years. The following link is to a NY Times printing of his letter of resignation, as sent to Colin Powell. It's a very interesting read, as he states that "the policies we are now asked to advance are incompatible not only with American values but also with American interests." If you are at all interested in politics or international relations or the war with Iraq, read this letter. On the subject of war, I have to admit that I fall decidedly into the "undecided" camp -- I can see pros and cons for both sides. Idealistically, I of course prefer peace, but realistically sometimes it takes physical action to bring about peace. I do have to agree somewhat with Mr. Kiesling that we are going down a dangerous path and that we are alienating even our closest allies. On the other hand, this letter is further proof that a resistance is building.
December 19, 2002
Well, we had to do it. Genia and I went with Travis to see The Two Towers last night -- it was a last minute decision to go, but I was able to find a theater in midtown with tickets available for an 8:40 showing (which let out around midnight). Needless to say, getting up at 6:30 for work was less than pleasant, but it was worth it. The movie was excellent, as expected. It was more briskly paced than Fellowship but somehow seemed a little less dark. There were more lighthearted moments spread throughout the film, and the return of Gandalf was amazing. Go see this movie!
November 27, 2002
Ha! This is great. Seriously, if Hilary Clinton can buy a place in New York and become their Senator, can't Bono use his Manhattan address to get a place on the Supreme Court?
October 22, 2002
Last night Genia and I went to a free sneak preview of Ghost Ship. Neither of us were terribly excited about it, but it was free, so we figured "why not?" It was bad. Laughably bad. There was one expository scene in the second half of the film where Epps (played by Juliana Margoles from ER) learns what originally happened on the ship that impressed me, but the rest of the movie simply wasn't good. Bad dialogue, poor characterization, pathetic attempts at drama, and very few "scares" for a ghost movie. When the motive of the bad guy is finally revealed, it is incredibly stupid and corny. Don't waste your money!
September 27, 2002
You've just gotta read this article from the BBC.
"A study by experts in Germany suggests people with blonde hair are an endangered species and will become extinct by 2202... Researchers predict the last truly natural blonde will be born in Finland - the country with the highest proportion of blondes."
Via MetaFilter, I came across this article which talks about how a fourth grade teacher (directly or indirectly) in Seattle prompted her students to draw frightening pictures of what would happen if the city closes a local fire station as planned. The pictures include captions like "This is what will happen if you take E16 away" and shows a burning building with children inside. City Council members are in an uproar over what has been called manipulation and using scare tactics to intervene in a budget debate. I have to agree that it sounds manipulative on the surface, but the teacher alleges, in the article, that the facts were presented in an unbiased manner by a local fireman, and that she didn't force the kids to draw the pictures. Interesting read, either way.
September 20, 2002
If you are a cash money millionaire and want to show it with your smile, go visit Mr. Bling, The Online Source for Quality Gold Caps! They have the best gold, the phattest styles, and the lowest prices around. They even have an affiliate program so you can refer your friends to Mr. Bling and earn cash or blingPoints towards your own gold cap purchase!
September 13, 2002
I came across this fascinating article about Harper Lee, author of the classic To Kill a Mockingbird. Apparently this is the first time she has even allowed a reporter to photograph her in many many years, and the article includes a great deal of information given by her sister and close friends. The article goes into some detail about her history, her life in New York City (she is quite often out and about, relatively unnoticed) and Alabama (where strangers routinely drive by her house and even ring the doorbell wanting to talk to her). One thing I was pleasantly suprised to find is that although the article contains a good deal of "exculsive" material from people who know her well, they were very respectful and it doesn't come off like the tabloid "behind the scenes" trash that is so often published. If you have a few minutes to read a great article about a classic author, "http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/showcase/chi-0209130001sep13.story">check it out.
August 22, 2002
This is mind-boggling. There is a website that just opened earlier this summer called Save Karyn and the basic premise is that this girl, Karyn, racked up about $20,000 in credit card debts and came up with the uniquely American idea of setting up a website and asking all visitors to donate $1 towards paying off her debts. To date, she has collected close to $7,000 in donations and several hundred dollars from eBay sales. She is very upfront and admits that her debts are her fault and says she is working hard to reduce them as much as she can, but it still seems ridiculous that she's gotten $7,000 in donations. Her website is pretty funny, though, and it gets over one hundred thousand visitors per week -- I guess it's all a numbers game.
I wonder if I should set up www.sendjohntocovenant.org and see if people would help pay my tuition? It's going to be about $20,000 a year and I'm going into the ministry. I guess that's not very entertaining to most people, though. Maybe I could post flash movies of me dancing with monkeys and singing about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Or bananas. People think bananas are funny sometimes.