Don't See Indiana Jones IV

Warning - last night I saw "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE!!! When the dvd comes out, don't rent it. When it's finally on TV and you can watch it for free, don't even watch it then.

Words fail to express how bad this movie was. The thing is 2 hours and 4 minutes long, and there was only one second of it I enjoyed - it was the part where we saw the Ark of the Covenant again.

Even though words fail, I'll try: banal, boring, bad-cliche-ish, sleep-inducing, embarrassing, horrific, over-cooked, amazingly poor CG stuff, and so on.

About the poor CG stuff - just watch (if you can) the scene at the end of the movie when the giant alien space ship (yes, that's right) rises out of the earth with boulders swirling beneath it and Indy staring at the thing.

There are CG prairie dogs, CG monkeys, CG ants, and the cheesiest CG-i-est nylon aliens you'll ever see (looks like they're right out of the box from K-Mart). And the crystal skull - how can it be described? Even a rubber-suited, zippered Godzilla would find this plastic lego-ish thing beneath him.

I went to Indy IV expecting a nice blast from the past. Instead, I couldn't wait for it to pass. It was far worse then I had thought it would be.

Now I am left in a strange world of incomprehension as I see that Rotten Tomatoes gives Indy IV a 63% rating. What? How could anyone recommend it? Here's some comments from big-time reviewers.

"The character and plot contrivances are dumber than ever, but this is basically vaudeville, not narrative, and the thrills keep coming. (Once Indy has survived a nuclear blast early on, going over three waterfalls in a row without wetting his lighter is par for the course.) Spielberg's extravagant action, much of it staged on what looks like old sets for King Kong, includes pointed steals from The Naked Jungle (1954), Land of the Pharoahs (1955), The Ten Commandments (1956), and his own Close Encounters, E.T., and A.I."

"Almost on the template of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Crystal Skull" ends with an invocation of awesome power even as it connects with another '50s theme of paranoia in one of those grandiose special-effects sequences for which Lucas's Industrial Light & Magic shop is so well-known. Does it pay off? Maybe not quite, but the movie sends you out as it should, exhausted and happy, and you won't begin to think about its flaws for hours." (Not so for me... I'm thinking about it now, and it's the morning after. And I thought about the flaws immediately after and during the thing.)

"Most of the high-tension moments are transparently fake, with actors swaying in front of a green screen. When Indy lowered himself between the wheels of a speeding truck in "Raiders," you knew you were seeing a risky deed accomplished in reality. Here, when cars race along a cliff edge you think, "Nice computer graphics." The genuinely ooky live snakes, rats and insects from the earlier films are replaced with CG ants that simply don't have the same bite. Worse yet, the fuzzy-friendly Lucas inserts colonies of icky-cute prairie dogs, and tribes of monkeys in an inane passage where Mutt swings on jungle vines Tarzan-style."

The Chicago Tribune calls IJ IV a "cockamamie story."

That's right. I'm relieved - some reviewers saw what I saw (or didn't see). If you go and see this disaster don't say I didn't warn you about it.

Jesus Came to Bring Fire to the Earth

In Luke 12:49 Jesus tells us that he has come to the earth to bring fire, and adds “I wish that it were already kindled.” In our church we sing some worship songs that cry out for God to send us His fire. What might that mean? What did Jesus mean when He said He’s come to bring fire on the earth? Do we know what we’re really asking for?

The first thing Jesus means by this has to do with “judgment.” For many people the idea of judgment is offensive. It’s one of the things some people don’t like about Christianity. But the Real Jesus did talk about fire and judgment and crisis, and I think that’s a good thing and to me it makes a lot of sense. And, by the way, anyone who says it’s wrong to talk about judgment is themselves making a judgment. So I conclude that the judgment-thing is unavoidable. The deeper issue is always: what is the truth? All truth divides.

In Luke 3:9 Jesus says that “every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” Jesus views people, and you, like fruit trees. You exist, from Jesus’ POV, to produce fruit. In this regard there are only two kinds of trees; viz., trees that bear fruit and trees that don’t bear fruit. There are no quasi-fruit-bearing trees. This is an either-or situation (also called, by theologians, “Two-Way Theology). To bear fruit or not to bear fruit; that is the question. To find the answer to that question is, precisely, to render a judgment. The fire Jesus brings renders such a judgment.

From this it follows that Jesus-fire purifies. A refiner’s fire falls on a lump of gold and burns away all impurities and leaves pure gold (Micah 3:2-4). In this sense such a fire, ipso facto, judges. It burns away the “either” of impurity and leaves the “or” of pure gold. In this sense, when you cry out to God “Baptize me with fire!” you’re asking for God to refine your heart so that He will burn away impure things and leave a heart pure towards Him. It’s a heart-cry for holiness. It’s a way of seeking first God’s kingdom and His righteousness. Jesus says that He came to bring fire to the earth, and part of what this means is that He came to call forth a pure “Bride.”

Fire-baptism is also about an impartation of power given by the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist said that after him comes a more powerful One who will not baptize with water but baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Luke 3:16). The initial Spirit-fire-baptism happened in Acts 2, where the Holy Spirit comes on people accompanied by what look like “tongues of flame” (Acts 2:3). This Spirit-baptism-fire event brings “power” (Acts 1:8-9) for real Jesus-followers to be His “witnesses.”

So, when we cry out to God, “Baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire,” we’re asking God for two things: 1) purification of the heart; and 2) power to be witnesses to Jesus and His Kingdom and all that this entails. And it is precisely this that then makes a separation or division. It creates a di-vision; viz., two visions of reality, or two visions of the truth.

Willow Creek's Big Mistake

See this CT article on Willow Creek's move away from seeker-sensitive services.

From the article:

"Since 1975, Willow Creek has avoided conventional church approaches, using its Sunday services to reach the unchurched through polished music, multimedia, and sermons referencing popular culture and other familiar themes. The church's leadership believed the approach would attract people searching for answers, bring them into a relationship with Christ, and then capitalize on their contagious fervor to evangelize others.

But the analysis in Reveal, which surveyed congregants at Willow Creek and six other churches, suggested that evangelistic impact was greater from those who self-reported as "close to Christ" or "Christ-centered" than from new church attendees. In addition, a quarter of the "close to Christ" and "Christcentered" crowd described themselves as spiritually "stalled" or "dissatisfied" with the role of the church in their spiritual growth. Even more alarming to Willow Creek: About a quarter of the "stalled" segment and 63 percent of the "dissatisfied" segment contemplated leaving the church."

Willow Creek, years ago, began to "get deeper" and more spiritually "challenging" when they brought in teaching pastors like John Ortberg. But the result was that attendance dropped.

"Greg Pritchard, author of Willow Creek Seeker Services, told CT the church "sporadically has recognized it was not teaching a robust enough biblical theology and needed to turn the ship around.

"It is a huge shift," Pritchard said of the church's planned changes to its services. "But they're still using the same marketing methodology. Willow appears to be selecting a new target audience with new felt needs, but it is still a target audience. Can they change? Yes, but it will take more than just shifting their target audience.""

I have always known that Bill Hybels wants people to meet the Real Jesus. But I felt that I could never attend a Willow Creek-type of church because it did not go deep enough. I hope Willow Creek begins to focus on the Real Jesus in the midst of the outrageously affluent culture that surrounds it, and that Jesus would be enough to draw passionate followers that will transform that culture.

Hybels says:

"We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ‘self feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.

In other words, spiritual growth doesn’t happen best by becoming dependent on elaborate church programs but through the age old spiritual practices of prayer, bible reading, and relationships. And, ironically, these basic disciplines do not require multi-million dollar facilities and hundreds of staff to manage."

My own feeling is that God will honor this kind of honesty and humility and wants to pour out his grace on Hybels, who remains for me an example of what it really means to follow the Real Jesus.

Does Science Make Belief in God Obsolete?

Get a free booklet on the topic "Does Science Make Belief in God Obsolete?" The discussion happens on The Templeton Foundation's website here. There are essays by: Steven Pinker, Micheel Shermer, Kenneth Miller, Christopher Hitchens, and others. This is a nice free resource!

N.T. Wright Vs. Bart Ehrman on Suffering

N.T. Wright and Bart Ehrman debate the problem of suffering here - "Is Our Pain God's Problem?"

10 Months That Will Change Your Life

Come spend 10 months with us that will change your life!

At Redeemer God has called us to begin Redeemer Ministry School (RMS). Our first class will arrive this coming September. I’d like you to consider being a part of it. Here are some reasons why.

• I will personally be giving you the best of my own training and ministry experiences. These include:
  • Ph.D in Philosophical Theology, Northwestern University
  • 11 years in Campus Ministry at Michigan State University
  • I currently teach at three theological seminaries (Palmer Theological Seminary in Philadelphia; Faith Bible Seminary [Chinese] in New York City; and Payne Theological Seminary (African-American) in Dayton)
  • I am Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at Monroe County Community College
  • I’ve taught in India, Singapore, Vancouver, and other places around the planet.
• RMS will be unique in its academic component.
  • Because of my academic training and experience I will shape RMS to have a high level of excellence, especially in the area of biblical studies, spiritual transformation, and apologetics. This will not be your basic Bible study class. We’re going to take you deep into the things of God.
• This academic component will be complemented by a focus on experiencing God and demonstrating the power and life of the Kingdom of God in the real world.
  • In this sense I believe in the total gospel of the Real Jesus, to include the two ways Jesus brought in the kingdom, which are: 1) Proclamation of the good news; and 2) demonstration of the power of God.
• I have assembled a great team of leaders and teachers that will give you a lot of things you could not get in other ministry environments.
• We have some special things lined up for you. For example, in late October I’ll travel to New York City to teach and preach at a very large, dynamic Chinese church in the heart of Queens. What’s exciting for me is that I’m working with the NYC Chinese leaders to bring our RMS students there for the week. What you will learn about Jesus, about leadership, and about communicating Jesus in another culture will be something you could never get out of a book.
• You will be in our church’s culture for 10 months and be a part of the amazing things God is doing in our own ministry environment. Which is cool for me, since God has given us an amazing church family.

Here at Redeemer we are very excited about having our very first RMS class. Why not pray about taking 10 months of your life and learning about God and Jesus in the most intensive way ever?

And, we’ll develop community along the way, plus have a lot of fun. If you’d like to talk with me personally, I’d love to hear from you!

Blessings,
Pastor John Piippo, Ph.D
734-242-5277

Florida to Philadelphia to Monroe

I've been busy (so what else is new). Last Mon-Wed I flew to Lakeland Florida with 20 people from our church to go to the Lakeland Revival and check it out. When I got back Wed night I was dead tired.

Then my church here in Monroe did a conference with Chris Overstreet from Bethel Church in Redding California (Bill Johnson's church). For me this was a great weekend!

Today I spent 5 hours alone praying... ahhh, a very, very sweet time! I did a lot of journaling, reflecting, praying, processing.

On Friday I fly to Philadelphia to be part of Palmer Theological Seminary's commencement ceremony. I'm the Project Director for their doctoral program, and have six students receiving doctoral degrees.

Then..., on Sunday morning at Redeemer Church here in Monroe..., it's going to... EXPLODE! Because God is doing phenomenal things right now in our church.

Chris Overstreet Comes to Monroe

Tomorrow through Sunday - May 9-10-11 - Chris Overstreet, Outreach Pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California, comes to speak at our church in Monroe (Redeemer Fellowship).

I am very impressed with the stuff that God does through the people at Bethel Redding. And Chris is a very on-fire 28-year-old who loves Jesus passionately. So, I'm expecting God to do a lot of good things this weekend.

Our focus is what I call PDI.
- Proclamation (of the Real Jesus message, which is the Kingdom of God)
- Demonstration (of the power of God in healings and deliverances)
- Impartation (of the fiery power of God in the hearts of all who come)

I believe in this stuff. I've seen God move in power and love. I mean, if God is real (which I believe) then one might expect that the Maker of the universe is loving and powerful enough as well as personal enough to reach out to us.

For anyone wanting a more "rational" and "intellectual" approach to this kind of thing read philosopher J.P. Moreland's excellent book Kingdom Triangle.

Going to Lakeland for a Few Days

Tomorrow morning I'm flying to Lakeland, Florida, with 20 people from our church to check out the thing God is doing there - reports of healings and deliverances. Be back Wednesday!

I not only believe God can and does heal people today, I have seen this happen. One of the great joys I have as a pastor is to pray for people to be healed and see God heal them.

The Amoral World of Grand Theft Auto IV

The video game “Grand Theft Auto IV” just came out and is and is going to be a huge seller. All real followers of Jesus should protest and not buy it. Why?

Here’s one reason and, I think, it should be enough. In the game you can hire a prostitute, have sex with her, then instead of giving her a tip beat her with a baseball bat. See here and here to verify this. Now listen to this. “You don’t have to do that to advance in the game.” Gee… it’s just like real life. You don’t have to kill and rape people to advance in life. How profound.

“Some gamers have also reported playing the game with the intention of doing the minimum amount of violence possible - hanging out, making friends, watching the game’s TV shows or going online with the in-game internet. For some, the game’s realism has a sobering effect. “The physics of death feel shockingly real. Bodies can’t be blown apart or torn to pieces, but they react convincingly to explosions and severe impacts. Each death is a decision,” wrote one reviewer.”

Are we supposed to stand up and applaud GTA-IV for giving us a game that, just like in real life, we could choose to rape and kill but don’t have to? If so, then surely GTA-IV is unnecessary since we have real life situations. We don't need a game like this to train us to make moral choices. One could learn the horror of the Holocaust by slaughtering another 6 million Jews, but I suggest that we could firgure this one out in another way.

“”It’s going to be the biggest game of the year,” says Simon Barton from Gameplanet, New Zealand’s largest on-line games retailer. “It’s blown away Halo 3. We sold out of the Xbox version the day before release with pre-orders.” In four days he’s sold around 1500 copies of the game, including about 800 of the special edition package which Gameplanet sells for $150 (compared to $120 for the standard edition). “We’ve just got some new stock of the Xbox version in today (Friday) - that probably won’t last the weekend.”"

One gamer wrote that ”It consistently portrays women as disposable sex objects and it is inexcusable.” One could begin to think that the creators of Grand Theft Auto IV (David Jones and others) themselves view women this way. The game becomes a projection of their own decadence. Purchase it and you’re voting for the degradation of women and filling the pockets of the game’s amoral creators.

Jesus-followers will rightly consider GTA-IV as ensconced in the kingdom of darkness and as advancing the dark kingdom. This game may sell more than Halo 3. Since we can learn a lot about this world we’re living in by just watching what sells, we should pray that a move of God would counter such darkness with light.