Religion

Taking pains

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The other day, Phil posted about his belief (with which I highly concur) that witches and occultists and various kind of spiritual practitioners have no actual power to curse a Christian (or, probably, anybody else). This is the view I’ve taken (I think pretty consistently) in my fantasy novels—that magic is illusion, and all that is necessary to counter it is a cold bucketful of reality.

In the comments, Greybeard brought up “a very popular little book about an obscure Old Testament character who was noted for the prayer he prayed.” He was referring, of course, to The Prayer of Jabez, by Bruce Wilkinson. I’ve never read that book myself (for reasons I’ll explain), but I have a more positive view of it than some, because the people I knew who did try to put its principles into practice did so with view to submitting to God and seeking to expand their fields of service, not their personal prosperity.

Still, I had a grudge against that book, and still do. Because, from all I’ve heard of it, it fails to address the central, primary meaning of the Jabez story. It’s a story that applies to me in a way it probably doesn’t apply to most people, and it irked me that all these people were co-opting my story for their own purposes. It seemed to me a Nathan’s parable (2 Samuel 12) sort of thing—“You people have lots of Bible stories you can use for your inspiration. There’s only one that applies to my situation. Why can’t you just leave it to me?”

The story of Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:9-10) is not a story about how to procure God’s blessing. It’s a story about an abused child who overcame his trauma by appealing to God. Continue reading Taking pains →

Fiction

Lee Unkrich of Toy Story 3 Talks Movies

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Unkrich: First of all, we don’t make movies for kids, we don’t think of it that way. We try to make good movies, period. We know that kids are going to be part of the audience, and we have a responsibility to make it appropriate for them, but we’re not trying to create quote-unquote kids’ entertainment. Yes, I think a lot of kids’ entertainment has gotten more antiseptic over the years, and parents have gotten more and more protective — and for a lot of good reasons — but I think it has been too much.

When you look back at the origins of children’s literature and entertainment, you have stuff like Grimm’s Fairy Tales, which are very dark, and they were about teaching kids about the world, and that there are bad things about the world, and gave examples of kids overcoming those bad things. We’re not trying to teach anybody any lessons in this film, we don’t have a message, but we do put characters in situations where they do behave in a very emotionally truthful way, and I think it’s good for kids to see something like that.

Fiction

No Ordinary Family: Good, Lots of Potential

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I’ve been watching ABC’s No Ordinary Family online since it debuted. My wife and I saw the premiere on an actual TV while on vacation, and we’ve been enjoying it. The show was given a full season in late October, so I guess ABC is uncertain of its reception. I think it has great potential. I can’t write about it here without at least minor spoilers, but even then I want to spill my guts on deeper issues too which will amount to major spoilers, so watch for the notation if you care to avoid certain things.

If you’ve seen any trailers for the show, you’ve seen about as much explanation they’ve given us for why the Powell family has super powers (which is a word the show writers’ use too much–powers. I’m using my powers right now, but I call it typing or writing. I would love to see and hear less of this word in the show.) In short, the family goes to Brazil for a vacation. Their plane crashes, and sometime after they return home, they discover they have changed. It went by about that quickly in the pilot episode.

ABC's No Ordinary Family

Jim, the father, is a police sketch artist and not respected by the rest of the department. When he becomes incredibly strong and bulletproof (nigh invulnerable as The Tick would say), it’s like a dream come true. He has said he failed as an artist before taking up the police work, but I gather he is drawn to the strength of these civil guardians. Now with his great strength, he can help them, but as it usually goes, he works undercover. He has the help of George, a district attorney friend, who is probably the kind of friend every average-man-turned-superhero needs. Continue reading No Ordinary Family: Good, Lots of Potential →

Goofing

I'm not nuts after all!

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Photo credit: Koyaanis Qatsi

On a day like this, fraught with historic significance, one that may alter the course of our republic, it is only meet and right that we should consider a topic of the greatest pith and moment.

I refer, as you must have already guessed, to the topic of nuts in food.

Philip over at the Thinklings has posted an essay that testifies both to his extreme good taste and his courage.

My wife has a theory, and I think she’s right. She says “Nuts are a girl thing.” I think you all put them there because it makes your food “nice”, or more impressive for company. So if you are making food for a gathering, it makes it more special to put nuts in it. Kind of like a bow on a present or getting out the nice china. If it’s for public consumption, you think that nuts make it better.

But you’re wrong. Us guys don’t like it. We just want the sandwich or the cookie. Nuts get in our way. OK, so maybe not everybody’s allergic. And maybe not every guy DESPISES nuts, but they are at least a nuisance. He eats your food in spite of the nuts, not because of them. Ask a guy why he eats your nut bread. It’s because it’s there. Ask him, “If I put out two brownies, one with nuts and one without, which one will you choose?” He’s picking the one without nuts. We deal with enough nuts in our lives: at work, on the road, in Congress. We don’t need ‘em in our dessert.

I cannot tell you with what pleasure I read this delightful, insightful think piece. All my life I’ve been choking down food containing nuts (or just skipping it altogether), and I’ve been secretly ashamed. Obviously everybody else likes nuts. I must be the strange one. Peculiar. Unnatural, perhaps.

But Philip informs me that not only is it normal to dislike nuts, it’s MANLY!

Even if the Republicans don’t take the House tonight, that makes me feel good.

Authors, Fiction

Jeffery Deaver Writes Next Bond Novel

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Author Jeffery Deaver is writing the next James Bond novel, saying it’s set in the present and that Bond will be a late 20s, Afghan War vet. Deaver appreciates the appeal actors like Daniel Craig have given to the most famous spy in the world, “but the original Bond was a very dark, edgy character.”

Religion

A broken "hallelujah," part 2

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OK, this is a classic example of why you shouldn’t write about anything before you’ve given it some time to marinate. I wrote about Leonard Cohen’s remarkable song, “Hallelujah,” last week, and now I want to refine what I said (especially the parts that were, you know, wrong).

After listening to some more covers and doing extensive research on Wikipedia, I now think (I’m not sure) I probably made unwarranted assumptions about Cohen’s intentions with the song. I realize now that there are (at least) two different versions of the song—Cohen’s original and the very popular derivatives of Jeff Buckley’s cover, which I’m learning to appreciate:

Continue reading A broken "hallelujah," part 2 →

Music, Religion

Were Not the Right Man on Our Side

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. . . For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;

His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,

On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;

Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing . . .

Happy Halloween.

Religion

The Empty Food of Idols

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One of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s early stories is called “The Hollow of the Three Hills,” in which a woman seeks counsel from a witch and receives nothing but bad news. That appears to be the witch’s point, to break the woman’s heart, and that is the reason I believe her revelations to be complete lies. The story doesn’t say the witch is lying, but I see no reason to believe she isn’t. After all, she is in the service of the father of lies.

Deception is my primary filter for viewing occultic things. On the one hand, trusting the stupid words of a horoscope is a great way to hamstring your life. On the other hand, hoping for special advice from a medium or psychic is like trusting your money to Bernie Madoff. Even if what you hear rings true to you, it’s very likely to be a lie.

So it troubled me hear a caller to a radio program about Halloween say that she understood there were witches in her area placing curses on Halloween costumes and she and her church were praying against them this weekend. I suppose prayer against the enemy for any reason is a good thing, but I don’t remember anything in the Bible and I can’t find anything online from trustworthy sources to support the idea that these curses mean anything.


Note the list of occult practices in Deuteronomy 18:9-12 (John Piper has a great sermon on this.)

“When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you.

Most of these are ways someone would seek knowledge, and the rest don’t suggest to me the legitimacy of casting spells on objects in order to harm innocent people who use them. Perhaps the “charmer” is someone who places charms on things, but is there any real power behind this? Isn’t this just another deception? I think it is. Moreover, I don’t believe Christians have a reason to fear “cursed” costumes, but the Spirit of the Lord within them is far greater than anything the devil is able to do.
Such curses have no power. They are like the empty food of lifeless idols. And though other methods of the occult are dangerous lies for anyone who trusts them, I believe these curses are worthless.

Book Reviews, Creative Culture