Category - Faith

An interesting story has surfaced today with news that a Victorian man is suing the 7 Network over use of the name “Jesus Christ” as a swear word in the British-made series Prime Suspect. He says the practice is insulting and disrespectful to Christians.

“It is high time that television stations like yours be called to account for your defamation of the name Jesus Christ, a practice that insults hundreds of thousands of Christian believers,” Mr van der Linden said in his legal documents.

I heard Mr van der Linden on ABC radio this morning. When I heard the introduction I thought he would be a ‘religious crackpot’ but he spoke very well and made a number of good points.

The reason he chose the particular programme he did was because an episode looked at the vilification of Muslims. Apparently the show was based around stopping such vilification while at the same time people were using “Jesus Christ” in a derogatory way without seeming to notice the irony.

I don’t know that legislating against such usage is the right way to go but I admire this guy for standing up for the name of Jesus.

It was very interesting to hear many talkback callers ring after his interview to say that they agreed wholeheartedly.

What do you think? Should we take matters like this to court in order to uphold the name of Jesus? How else could we change the habits of those who use the name of Jesus as nothing more than an exclamation?

Posted by Rodney Olsen

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An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was. “Well,” said the farmer, “it was good. They did something different, however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns.”

“Praise choruses?” said his wife. “What are those?”

“Oh, they’re OK. They are sort of like hymns, only different,” said the farmer.

“Well, what’s the difference?” asked his wife.

The farmer said, “Well, it’s like this – If I were to say to you “Martha, the cows are in the corn”‘ – well, that would be a hymn. If on the other hand, I were to say to you:

Martha, Martha, Martha,

Oh Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA,

the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows

the white cows,

the black and white cows,

the COWS, COWS, COWS

are in the corn,

are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn,

the CORN, CORN, CORN.

Then, if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times, well, that would be a praise chorus.”

The next weekend, his nephew, a young, new Christian from the city came to visit and attended the local church of the small town. He went home and his mother asked him how it was. “Well,” said the young man, “it was good.

They did something different however. They sang hymns instead of regular songs.”

“Hymns?” asked his mother. “What are those?”

“Oh, they’re OK. They are sort of like regular songs, only different,” said he young man.

“Well, what’s the difference?” asked his mother.

The young man said, “Well, it’s like this – If I were to say to you ‘Martha,

the cows are in the corn’ – well, that would be a regular song. If on the

other hand, I were to say to you:

Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry

Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth

Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by

To the righteous, inimitable, glorious truth.

For the way of the animals who can explain

There in their heads is no shadow of sense

Hearkenest they in God’s sun or His rain

Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced.

Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight

Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed

Then goaded by minions of darkness and night

They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn have chewed.

So look to the bright shining day by and by

Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn

Where no vicious animals make my soul cry

And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.’

Then if I were to do only verses one, three and four and do a key change on he last verse, well that would be a hymn.

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I was visiting Phil Baker’s blog and followed the link to this article about the variety of Jesus’s people worship.

While I’m sure that the article was written for the sake of humour, I think it helps us consider something deeper. Are we really worshipping Jesus or our own shallow interpretation of who he is?

I think as soon as we have our idea of who Jesus is locked away in our minds we start worshipping an idol. We must avoid the temptation to ‘create God in our own image’.

We will never get a true handle on who Jesus is this side of eternity.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

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An interesting article in Newsweek this week talks about the struggle that many pastors have against pornography.

Some 40 percent of clergy have acknowledged visiting sexually explicit Web sites, according to a 2000 survey conducted by Christianity Today and Leadership magazines. The results surprised some pastors, says Eric Reed, the managing editor of Leadership, a magazine aimed at Protestant clergy. “They said, ‘Wow, I’m surprised the numbers are so low’.”

The article doesn’t look at the issue in great depth but it is a reminder that no matter who we are, we are never too far away from our sinful nature.

Pornography is degrading at every level and has the potential to rob us of so much in our lives.

I’m grateful that I’m part of a small group of guys who can talk openly about the kind of temptations that are around every corner. I guess that many pastors and others in Christian leadership are struggling silently because they’ve failed to make themselves accountable to others. We need to give others the license to ask us the tough questions, not just about porn but about every area of our lives including our walk with Jesus.

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There have been a few questions about the portrayal of Satan and the ugly baby in Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ.

This article from Christianity Today is very helpful in getting into Mel’s mind as to why he did things the way he did.

When asked why he portrayed Satan – an androgynous, almost beautiful being played by Rosalinda Celentano – the way he did, Gibson replied: “I believe the Devil is real, but I don’t believe he shows up too often with horns and smoke and a forked tail. The devil is smarter than that. Evil is alluring, attractive. It looks almost normal, almost good – but not quite.

“That’s what I tried to do with the Devil in the film. The actor’s face is symmetric, beautiful in a certain sense, but not completely. For example, we shaved her eyebrows. Then we shot her almost in slow motion so you don’t see her blink -that’s not normal. We dubbed in a man’s voice in Gethsemane even though the actor is a woman … That’s what evil is about, taking something that’s good and twisting it a little bit.”

But what about the ugly baby?

“Again,” said Gibson, “it’s evil distorting what’s good. What is more tender and beautiful than a mother and a child? So the Devil takes that and distorts it just a little bit. Instead of a normal mother and child you have an androgynous figure holding a 40 – year-old ‘baby’ with hair on his back. It is weird, it is shocking, it’s almost too much – just like turning Jesus over to continue scourging him on his chest is shocking and almost too much, which is the exact moment when this appearance of the Devil and the baby takes place.”

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