Contemplating Contemporary

I couldn't make this up if I wanted to. It shouldn't be any surprise by now that whenever a major film series comes out, someone will make up some kind of theory about it being filled with subliminal messages or analogies for other things. Sometimes, it's accurate. Remember this? Other times, it's a bit of a reach. The other day, I heard a fantastic theory (and I don't mean that in the sense of it being very, very good) that Thanos, the "Mad Titan" of Marvel infamy, is an analogy for Jesus. ... Alright. Apparently, Thanos comes to Earth in order to purge half of humanity. He thinks of himself as the saviour for the other half of humanity, reasoning that they will experience a new world ripe for the taking without the others. Okay, so, not a great start. Naturally, I found this pretty ridiculous, but it got me thinking about the ways that film represents Jesus. Of course, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the natural firs...

Spotted in: Clearwater Beach, Florida I've often wondered about the actual value (or lack thereof) that "gimmick" and "novelty" Christian hoodies bear. I witnessed a bicycle and trolley cab in Clearwater Beach, the operator of which bore the sweater pictured above. Does it accomplish anything? My reaction, at first, I am not proud to admit, was doubt. "Is this person really a Christian, or just a man who wants to drum up more business from Christian tourists? Is it just a gimmick? " It made me feel uncertain, though as a Christian, it was also pleasing to see this representation of Christ. I was reminded, though, of one non-Christian I once spoke to who very vocally said, "There's no realistic way a person can walk on water! It's ridiculous!" That  is the question I pose: do such things make a joke out of our faith? Do we just look foolish? Certainly, our faith may seem foolish on the surface, but the very nature of the accusa...

"Something to read in your spare time?" That was the question I was asked by a young man of maybe 26 years as he held out a pamphlet to me. His movement was so sudden it startled me - I couldn't help but wonder if he had to operate under the guise of waiting for a bus or some such thing so that security wouldn't remove him from the parking lot of the Square One shopping centre in Mississauga. I looked at the pamphlet - "Common Questions About God" was the title on it, clearly some piece of literature intended to point people in the right direction, but I couldn't help but wonder if his methods were on target. Some people find themselves reading whatever happens to be in their hands at the time when they're on a long trip. Since this young man was outside the GO bus terminal at Square One, he might have had the right idea, if anyone would take the pamphlet from him. My girlfriend joked to me when I told her the title, "That's what I ha...

Yes. Today I encountered Petra for the first time (a sad statement, to be sure, as I'm sure anyone who knows them would tell me). Something I should explain: I have been a fan of classic rock and roll for many  years. So when Mark and I were discussing an assignment, and Petra came up, he was listening to it, looked at me, and said, " Shoot , man. They're good ." Naturally, I had to investigate. Petra was formed in the mid-70s, and enjoyed relative success until the early 90s, after which they began to fall off. The first Christian band to be featured in the famous Hard Rock Cafe, Petra's soaring success and influence painted a picture of a Christ who belonged in more than just churches. "You can love the rock And let Him free your soul" Naturally, their lyrics were challenging for some listeners from a Christian background. They faced heavy criticism from traditionalists, yet the charts could not lie; Petra reached incredible succes...

How could I not talk about it? Kanye West has officially dropped 'Jesus is King', his hip-hop/gospel/worship hybrid album. For many reasons, there has been a whirlwind of different opinions of this project. 'How you get so much favour on your side?' 'Accept Him as your Lord and Saviour,' I replied Thou shalt love thy neighbour, not divide I'ma ride, that's on God West, who claims to have had a massive paradigm shift, turning from his former ways (which glorified a hedonistic lifestyle) to a new, Christ-centered lifestyle, writes in his lyrics a number of different things that seem, at least at a cursory study, theologically accurate. He seems determined to renounce his old ways. Told the Devil when I see him, 'on sight' Clearly, West seems convinced of his transition into Christian faith, or at least has a desire to convince everyone else. No matter the case, he has set Christian ideology on the world stage. There is nearly no li...

Disclaimer: In no way am I endorsing The Boys  for consumption. The content of this series is extremely graphic. The Boys  is a comic series set in a world where superheroes are corrupt, greedy, selfish, and - frankly - human. They are liable to misconduct in many ways. When they step out of line, "The Boys" take them down a notch. Annie January, a.k.a. "Starlight", is a superheroine in this universe, and surprisingly, she's one of the few characters who (at least at the start of the series) has her morals intact. She grew up Christian and stayed true to her beliefs, but with her introduction to "The Seven", the premier hero team in America, she is forced to grapple with what she believes about the world. She finds herself questioning if God is even real, and if so, why would He test her with the things she faces? Eventually, she determines that God was never testing her, and the challenges she faced were brought on by her own ambition. In a st...

It's okay if it's about music with Jesus in it, right? Dean Brody writes in his song  Black Sheep , "I was raised in a small town underneath a steeple/Raised with the good book in my hand//Though I loved the Shepherd/I didn't mix well with his people/So one day I jumped the fence to find new lands". As I drove down the highway this morning with my car tuned in to a local country station, I heard this song playing, and the words caught my attention. As I turned it up and listened, I was struck with a thought: this song is... startlingly scripturally accurate? In fact, Mr. Brody has done something atypical for a secular musician (though, as I like to joke, country really is God's secular music) - he's managed to provide a fairly accurate depiction of God in his music. He sings: "Sometimes late at night I get thinking about my Shepherd/How it broke His big old heart to see me stray//But if I know the hound of Heaven/He's left the flock to f...