February 4, 2010

Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)

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A brother in the South told me to see it.

My wife wanted to leave after the first ten minutes.

Though I won't recommend it to the intellectually stifled/stunted or nascent to Christendom because it's counter-productive to introduce the frontier to folks who haven't stepped into the forest - the profanity and violence along with other implied perversions will dissuade engagement of the important/vital/apocalyptic message embedded in The Book of Eli among those who insist on separating entertainment from education/enlightenment and vice versa - I agree with Roger Ebert: "I'm at a loss for words...It grips your attention, and then at the end throws in several WTF! moments...They make everything in the entire movie impossible and incomprehensible...Now do yourself a favor and don't talk to anybody about the film if you plan to see it."

Hint.

The big message is about today's big problem in America from top to bottom; revealing the etiology of our civilization's rise and fall.

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Lots of films about the last days are being produced and watched.

Go figure.

The Book of Eli is among that genre's best.

Starring two of our best actors - Denzel Washington (Eli) and Gary Oldman (bad guy) - it's about a prophetic/apocalyptic guy (Eli) on a mission from God to get the world's last copy of the Bible into the hands of the good guys for reasons that you'll have to discover for yourself in keeping with Ebert's caution/counsel.

Set sometime after a devastating nuclear war has rendered America just about listless/lifeless, Eli gives new meaning to Sword of the Lord.

Enough.

You've got to see it to...

Just don't say I recommended it.

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Staying with swords, Tim Tebow is about to slice away at one of America's most sacred cows on Super Bowl Sunday by starring with his mom in an ad that is sending the abortionists into apoplexy.

Supposedly, the ad heralds the merits of being pro-life.

Of course, nobody but the creator (Focus on the Family) and broadcaster (CBS) of the ad have seen it; which hasn't stopped anybody from assuming content.

Admittedly, it doesn't take much discernment to hazard a good guess that it ain't gonna get him an invite to the White House.

Leading the Gators to two national college football championships and winning a Heisman along the way while highlighting his game-day eye black with Bible verses, TT doesn't shy away from a love for Jesus that compels him to love people by pointing them to Him for the confident living and eternal life concomitant to commitment to Him as personal Savior and Lord over all matters of life.

Noting pro-abortion as the politically correct position/mantra of these, uh, last days, TT, they say, is putting lots of $ at stake by, uh, coming out as a pro-lifer before the NFL draft and cashing in: "...the Super Bowl controversy is playing out at exactly the same time as the mounting criticism of his passing skills and his suitability for the pro game. Given the NFL's well-known aversion to controversy, is he putting his draft prospects in even greater jeopardy by aligning with Focus on the Family and its anti-abortion stance?" (Tom Krattenmaker, USA Today, 2/1/10).

Time out!

First, only people who have not actually played the game aren't experienced enough to know it's more about the fight in the dog rather than the size of the dog in the fight; ignoring the Eric-Liddell-Kurt-Warner effect on athletic success.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, those armchair quarterbacks who never took an actual snap are quick to say TT will end up at HB, TE, or LB.

I prefer to pay attention to people who've been there and done that: "Who cares what Mel Kiper thinks?...He's probably the greatest college player ever!" (Tony Gonzalez)..."You're talking about a guy who is a leader, a guy who would walk into a lion's den with a pork chop on his chest!" (Tony Dorsett)..."They always said about me I never had the skill set to be able to be an elite quarterback!" (Kurt Warner)..."You don't have to worry about the talking heads. They're just there to talk!" (Maurice Jones-Drew)..."As a coach, I always like winners...TT doesn't have the classic throwing motion. He doesn't have the accuracy, maybe, right now...the big thing is he makes the people around him better. And he's won...I think he's going to be a great player in the NFL!" (Tony Dungy).

KD: "He is Peyton Manning with mobility and a bigger version of Michael Vick with proven poise, leadership, and a brain."

I hope the Giants are smart enough to draft him; 'cause God knows they need a leader with some passion.

Second, what's so bad about an athlete having an expressed conscience in a country that still kinda protects free speech?

Sally Jenkins (Washington Post, 2/2/10): "I prefer the idea of Tebow's pro-life ad to, say, Jim McMahon dropping his pants...Apparently NOW feels this commercial is an inappropriate message for America to see for 30 seconds, but women in bikinis selling beer is the right one."

Jemele Hill (ESPN, 2/2/10): "Tebow reportedly will appear in a commercial with his mother...But it won't be one of those deals where he and mom imitate the Manning brothers and challenge each other to an Oreo-licking contest...I'd rather see an athlete behave with conviction than degrade himself to make money. I'd rather hear Tebow talk about what God has done for him than read another story about an athlete who beats up his wife or girlfriend."

Oswald Chambers (long time ago): "A servant of Jesus Christ is one who is willing to go to martyrdom for the reality of the gospel of God...Paul did not say that God separated him to show what a wonderful man He could make of him, but 'to reveal His Son in me.'"

Eli (movie): "You can either carry the cross or be the one banging in the nails."

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I met a woman in a local supermarket who left our family of faith at First about ten years ago.

She said, "I've heard about your service for people like me who left the church...[scroll down to the 2/1/10 edition of KD]...but I want to tell you why I left. It's because of people like..."

I interrupted, "I really don't care why you left. If you love Jesus, you will forgive 'em and receive their forgiveness. Besides, Christians have no right to tell the world how to get along if..."

She interrupted, "But it's important for you to know why I left! I was wronged. I am still so furious about..."

I interrupted, "Furious? Wronged? Friend, if you were so right, that means you're still right. But if you were and are so right, why do you sound and act so wrong? Why do you sound and look so miserable? People who know they're right have what Oswald Chambers called 'strong calm sanity.' Frankly, you're not very calm or sounding very sane about something that happened a long time ago."

She threw up her hands and walked toward the meat counter.

I thought of verses that will judge those who left but don't show up on 2/15/10 to show they know Jesus as reconciler: "But know this: difficult times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of religion but denying its power. Avoid these people!" (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

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Blessings and Love!