tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114320612024-03-07T20:27:48.086+13:00Oh God, I think I'm a fundamentalistI believe in God... AND Jesus. Does that make me a fundamentalist? Find out as I continue my journey to make sense of faith, community, spirituality, practicality and the meaning of life. Plus - don't forget fundamentalist starts with FUN.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-11749569328696539482007-01-13T16:07:00.000+13:002007-11-04T14:32:13.611+13:00Announcing Mad Young ThingI did it. I integrated my blogging into one blog - <a href="http://madyoungthing.blogspot.com/">http://madyoungthing.blogspot.com/</a> - so this will likely be the last post on Oh God, I think I'm a fundamentalist.<br /><br />But don't worry. I'll still be talking about God a whole lot! And asking the questions that should keep us all awake at night, have we the ears to listen.<br /><br />See you at <a href="http://madyoungthing.blogspot.com/">Mad Young Thing</a>; read my posts on <a href="http://madyoungthing.blogspot.com/search/label/philosophy">philosophy</a>, <a href="http://madyoungthing.blogspot.com/search/label/spirituality">spirituality</a> and my <a href="http://madyoungthing.blogspot.com/search/label/Personal">personal journey</a>. And much, much more!Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-52162763504354541902007-01-12T20:31:00.000+13:002007-10-23T00:09:01.578+13:00Another thing......I enjoyed about <a href="http://ithinkimafundamentalist.blogspot.com/2007/01/amazing-holiday.html">A Generous Orthodoxy</a> was the feeling that:<br /><br />I haven't bought a book,<br />I've bought a <span style="font-weight: bold;">conversation</span>.<br /><br />That was exciting and completely in keeping with the trends I see in the "secular" world of business.<br /><br />Along those lines, I got all excited the other day over <a href="http://www.opensourcetheology.org/">Open Source Theology</a>. I'll no doubt dip into that in more detail later.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-55687857334555604572007-01-12T17:55:00.000+13:002007-01-12T19:10:20.880+13:00Amazing holidayWell. My apologies for such a lengthy time in between posts. I'm actually considering amalgamating all my blogs into one, considering how infrequently I post on any of them!<br /><br />It's been an amazing holiday season though. I finished <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0842318089?tag=thesimonyoungsit&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0842318089&adid=0GB8F28DFE6ZCV3HRRWM&"><span style="font-style: italic;">How Now Shall We Live</span></a>, no mean feat when you see the size of that book (491 pages minues endnotes and appendices). Then I read - in three days flat (it was the holidays!) - <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0310258030?ie=UTF8&tag=thesimonyoungsit&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0310258030">A Generous Orthodoxy</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thesimonyoungsit&l=as2&o=1&a=0310258030" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; font-style: italic;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />, which was in some ways a magnificent complement, in other ways a jagged counterpoint to <span style="font-style: italic;">How Now</span>...<br /><br />Both books deserve much thought and meditation. My fluttering surface perceptions:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">How Now Shall We Live</span> gave me a lot of confidence in the intellectual rigour of Christianity. It gave me alternative perspectives on cultural "givens" such as evolution, the role of art in society, and the idea that popular culture is a reflection of what's really going on in society. Not to say I take everything this book says on board, but it gave me some interesting points of view that I had never heard intelligently argued before.<br /><br /></li><li>However, the tone of <span style="font-style: italic;">How Now Shall We Live</span> tended to come across as combative. It made me feel angry at the seeming monopoly of Freudian, Marxist and Darwinian ideas that are presented with great dogmatism in academia and the arts. But I, and every other Christian trying to present their case, need to get over that anger, or risk appearing as another defensive conservative thinker who just can't adjust to the present.<br /><br /></li><li>A lot of <span style="font-style: italic;">How Now Shall We Live</span> is devoted to debunking other philosophies. While this was really interesting and valuable, I didn't see it as part of presenting the Christian worldview. Instead, it can lead to the dangerous intellectual practice of assuming what we believe is the exact opposite of what "they" believe. So because we don't believe in Darwinism we reject innovation and progress; because we don't believe in Marxism, we embrace market-led capitalism; and so on. Particularly this book didn't do enough for me to address the world of business that I live in. And perhaps that was not its job.<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">A Generous Orthodoxy</span>, on the other hand, made me deliriously happy in parts, because here was someone asking the same questions I have asked, and sometimes answering them a mischievous sense of humour I would love to have. It helped me get over some of the questions of life and doctrine that are really just mental masturbation or worse, an attempt to create an intellectual system of understanding God that leaves out the need for God to explain it all!<br /><br /></li><li>However, <span style="font-style: italic;">A Generous Orthodoxy</span> didn't go anywhere near the fundamental questions of is there a God, how do we know we've got the right one, is Jesus God and is the Bible God's word? Well, it did touch on the last question, but only in asking what that means. So the fundamentals were taken as given, and that's probably right for this book - otherwise it would've been a huge volume!</li></ul>What I loved about <span style="font-style: italic;">A Generous Orthodoxy</span> was its big picture of God's work in creation. This was a theme also in <span style="font-style: italic;">How Now...</span> but <span style="font-style: italic;">Orthodoxy</span> put it in a way that grabbed my imagination more.<br /><br />It also arrived at a joyously unfinished conclusion, stating that, while objective truth is out there (and in here), we will never have it all. <span style="font-style: italic;">How Now...</span> gives a sense of finality, which is at once comforting and profoundly disturbing. I think I prefer the state of deliriously relaxed uncertainty in <span style="font-style: italic;">Orthodoxy</span>, and its description of our journey of discovery which we go on together, in community. The need for that was the greatest lesson learnt and desire of my heart in the past three years.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1165714071944729282006-12-10T14:27:00.000+13:002006-12-10T14:27:52.006+13:00A risky God<a href="http://prodigal.typepad.com/prodigal_kiwi/2006/12/choosing_to_liv.html">Great quote</a> on the Prodigal Kiwi blog, and one that echoes my feelings after seeing The Nativity with my mate Darrell on Friday.<br /><br />It struck me that Jesus was such a risk-taker. Of all children born, he had a choice, and he put himself into the most dire and risky environment. And also risked Joseph and Mary's lives too. <br /><br />It's a call to adventure. Too often it seems like simply a call to the oppressively impossible. It's impossible sure enough, but that should give us inspiration. Not despair.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1165190158961901512006-12-04T12:55:00.000+13:002006-12-04T12:56:01.023+13:00Are we ready to welcome the Church of the Mongrel Mob?<a href="http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s06120013.htm">Are we ready to welcome the Church of the Mongrel Mob?</a><br /><br />Very cool. And very challenging. Sam Chapman, whom I have met, has lived his life in community for as long as I've heard of him. This is not mere talk, this is shared life. And it's working, as this article shows. I thank God for what He's doing through Sam et al, and ask, what can/should I do?Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1163651000984972412006-11-16T17:23:00.000+13:002006-11-16T17:23:27.386+13:00Slate blogs the Bible. - By David Plotz - Slate Magazine<a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2141050/">Slate blogs the Bible. - By David Plotz - Slate Magazine</a><br /><br />This is very cool. Just heard about this on NPR's On the Media podcast. David Plotz is going through the Bible, verse by verse, and blogging about it. <br /><br />Sounds like he's taken some flak for reading and interpreting the Bible unmediated, mostly from rabbis. However I believe the Bible - mysterious as it is - speaks for itself. I hope David finds the Bible reading him as he reads it.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1163363505780845182006-11-13T09:28:00.000+13:002006-11-13T09:31:45.790+13:00Walkies<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/1600/IMG_3069.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/320/IMG_3069.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Got some fancy new shoes on the weekend after my other ones fell to pieces. They're nice - they measured my feet and how I stood beforehand. Good feeling, knowing you're stepping into something that's made for you.<br /><br />Made me think about how the Christian life is referred to as a walk. It takes persistence, but it also means God has prepared my path. I don't know if He's given me cushioned soles though!Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1162964340674036822006-11-08T18:39:00.000+13:002006-11-08T18:39:00.723+13:00What repentance looks likeYou can read <a href="http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5120850,00.html">Ted Haggard's apology to his congregation here</a>.<br /><br />I didn't know much about Ted Haggard except that he was high profile in the US Christian community and also featured in Jesus Camp.<br /><br />It was really sad to hear of another Christian leader's fall, and hypocrisy. Sad because of the harm it does to Christianity's image, but sad too because it makes me think of the things not yet sorted in my life. There but for the grace of God go I - even if not in the same way.<br /><br />But what gives me hope is the truly repentant tone of Haggard's letter. There is no PR spin here, nor is there deflection of blame. This is what repentance looks like, and although it's scandalous that this has happened at such a high level of leadership and therefore responsibility, truth is we are all very broken people. It'll be interesting to see the church's response to this, although at the same time that's best kept behind closed doors and not made into a media circus.<br /><br />Interesting and insightful analysis from Gordon McDonald <a href="http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2006/11/the_haggard_tru.html">here</a>.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1162587988987677932006-11-04T10:05:00.000+13:002006-11-04T10:06:28.996+13:00QuoteJust spring-cleaning my desk and found a quote I'd scribbled down. I don't remember who said it but it was a guest on In the Studio with <a href="http://www.michaelcard.com/">Michael Card</a>:<br /><blockquote><br />"We wouldn't know Him (God) for all that He is, if we didn't see Him in and through all that He made." </blockquote>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1162412915096969452006-11-02T09:07:00.000+13:002006-11-02T09:28:35.143+13:00More thoughts on "The New Atheism"Continuing from the last post, a few more thoughts.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Everything you hinge your life upon is false"</span><br />According to the article, a lot of self-identified agnostics are really "polite atheists" who are shy of declaring their atheism because, in effect, it says to their believing friends: "Everything you hinge your life upon is false." <br /><br />That may seem a bit on the nose, but it didn't faze me. Because, in effect, that's what I'm doing to people with a naturalistic worldview when I present Christianity - real Christianity - as a coherent, rational worldview with moral consequences. That's why I don't present it unsolicited too often - because if it's real, sorry, if Christ is real, then He will change your whole life and belief system, not just become an add-on to your life.<br /><br />Yet how many people have not heard this? They make a commitment expecting it to be X, and then hear later that it's supposed to be Y. No wonder it's hard going for some, and many have been turned off church forever.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why Wired?</span><br />I heard an excellent <a href="http://blog.wired.com/podcasts/">podcast</a> (which I got through iTunes' feed, and can't find on Wired's podcast blog!) in which Wired's managing editor (I think?) interviewed Gary Wolf, the author of the article. In it, the managing editor asked, "Why is this a Wired article?"<br /><br />Wolf answered along the lines that the Wired economy is built on technology, which in turn is built on science, and that these Intelligent Design people are standing in the way of true science.<br /><br />It's an easy statement to make, but it's utter bollocks.<br /><br />Another podcast I've been listening to, <a href="http://www.idthefuture.com/">Intelligent Design the Future</a>, seems to be a lone voice trying to remind the media that:<br /><ul><li>Intelligent design is as fair a conclusion to draw from nature as evolution</li><li>Scientists who believe in ID are still scientists</li><li>Intelligence in design doesn't necessarily mean the designer is supernatural<br /></li><li>These scientists often face censure from their colleagues for not toeing the Darwinist line</li><li>It's Galileo all over again, but this time the Darwinist majority takes the place of the Catholic Church, getting really mad with those who dispute their dogma</li></ul>On that third point, intelligence in design doesn't necessarily mean the designer is supernatural, sometimes words get in the way of real understanding.<br /><br />If you're an atheist or an agnostic reading this, how about we substitute the word "supernatural" with "extradimensional"? Does that make the picture any more plausible to your scientific understanding?Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1162228160799138612006-10-31T06:00:00.000+13:002006-10-31T06:09:20.830+13:00Interesting article on "The New Atheism"A very thought-provoking read from Wired Magazine on <a href="http://www.wired.com/news/wiredmag/0,71985-0.html?tw=rss.index">"The New Atheism"</a>. I admire the author's honesty with the shortcomings of the anti-faith and its proponents. As expected, the article didn't go very deep into the "other side", instead simply paying a visit to a charismatic, not very intellectually rigorous church.<br /><br />Still, even with that, this article doesn't give me cause to worry about my faith. The logic is impeccable - if God is not real, then don't act like God is real, be an atheist. And the counterargument should give religious people food for thought: if God is real, live like it, don't just play at it.<br /><br />People like Dawkins pour scorn on agnosticism, yet I believe agnosticism is also a viable, if uncomfortable, place to be. I'm realising myself that, as Henry Blackaby says in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805401970?ie=UTF8&tag=thesimonyoungsit&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0805401970">Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing His Will</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thesimonyoungsit&l=as2&o=1&a=0805401970" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />, Truth is revealed, not discovered. I'm learning stuff in the past few weeks that I thought I knew for 15 years.<br /><br />Ultimately, my personal argument against atheism is my relationship with my Creator. It's not empirically verifiable, and that's okay. But it is something I need to walk out every day, otherwise I undermine what I'm saying here.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1161823103839316152006-10-26T13:25:00.000+13:002006-10-26T13:39:48.086+13:00The world's best-selling book, minus the main characterI think modern, secular Western culture doesn't quite know what to do with God. We have two millennia of Christianity's undeniable influence and yet, in intellectual circles anyway, we have banished him or explained him away.<br /><br />Perhaps this is part of the thinking behind <a href="http://shop.abc.net.au/browse/product.asp?productid=162477"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Honey and the Fires: Ancient Stories retold for our Times</span></a>.<br /><br />It's "a modern, secular retelling of some of the most powerful stories from the Bible", according to its publisher the ABC.<br /><br />On one hand, I'm pleased. People who may otherwise ignore the immense spiritual and cultural heritage available in the Bible will get a glimpse of the exciting tales told between its covers.<br /><br />On the other hand, something very important is missing here. God!<br /><br />It begs the question: can you have the Bible without God? And in many places the author, playwright Roger Pulver, does a beautiful God. But the heroes of the Bible included here: Joseph, Daniel, Esther ... all did their acts of courage because of a belief and a relationship with their Creator.<br /><br />Mixed feelings. But the best thing you can say about anything is that it makes you think. It makes me think, how often have I tried to live life without God - it appears a lot less complicated, after all!<br /><br />But inevitably his Reality comes crashing into my life, full of grace and mercy. And I wouldn't have it any other way.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1160799508120033632006-10-14T17:15:00.000+13:002006-10-14T17:18:28.130+13:00Checking in: cartoons, PK, and WorldviewJust a brief hello, more to come soon (hopefully!)<br /><br />I've finished Derek Prince's War in Heaven (review to come), read and finished Arthur Katz' Ben Israel - veeeeeery interesting - been to Promise Keepers, and begun reading How Now Shall We Live? Also very interesting.<br /><br />I also met Brendan aka <a href="http://www.cartoonsbyjim.com/">Jim the cartoonist</a> at a recent PR event. Lots of overlapping experiences and different perspectives - hope to keep in touch with him regularly.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1157433615011740782006-09-05T17:09:00.000+12:002006-09-05T17:20:15.030+12:00Fodder for Christian writers and artistsSome food for thought for Christians who want to write and create art that touches people of all persuasions.<br /><br />First up, an interview with screenwriter and professor <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/global/printer.html?/movies/interviews/craigdetweiler.html">Craig Detweiler</a> about film, and a 2-part interview with CS Lewis, possibly the last he ever gave, <a href="http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s06090016.htm">here</a> and <a href="http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s06090017.htm">here</a>.<br /><br />Some gems:<br /><br /><blockquote><p class="artquestion">What lessons would you most like to see Christian filmmakers learn?</p> <p class="arttext"><b>Detweiler:</b> We surely don't need any more End Times films. We don't need any more films that mean what they say and say what they mean. I think we have to discover the lost art of subtlety and subtext.</p> <p class="arttext">At Biola, we start our filmmakers with visual aesthetics. We let them know that film is not meant to be an illuminated Bible. This is an art form that is visual by design. It does not need words to convey the message. What I'd like us to do is figure out what lighting, sound, color, props, and set design <i>say</i>. I'd like us to discover the power of silent film, to discover how Dreyer's <i>The Passion of Joan of Arc</i> worked and continues to work, how <i>Sunrise</i> continues to work, how <i>The Last Laugh</i> continues to work.</p></blockquote><p class="arttext"></p> ---<blockquote><br /><br />Wirt: Can you suggest an approach that would spark the creation of a body of Christian literature strong enough to influence our generation?<br /><br />Lewis: There is no formula in these matters. I have no recipe, no tablets. Writers are trained in so many individual ways that it is not for us to prescribe. Scripture itself is not systematic; the New Testament shows the greatest variety. God has shown us that he can use any instrument. Balaam’s ass, you remember, preached a very effective sermon in the midst of his ‘hee-haws.’</blockquote><br /><br />---<br /><blockquote><br />Lewis: There is a character in one of my children’s stories named Aslan, who says, ‘I never tell anyone any story except his own.’ I cannot speak for the way God deals with others; I only know how he deals with me personally</blockquote><br /><br />---<br /><blockquote><br />Wirt: Do you believe that the Holy Spirit can speak to the world through Christian writers today?<br /><br />Lewis: “I prefer to make no judgment concerning a writer’s direct ‘illumination’ by the Holy Spirit. I have no way of knowing whether what is written is from heaven or not. I do believe that God is the Father of lights -- natural lights as well as spiritual lights (James 1:17). That is, God is not interested only in Christian writers as such. He is concerned with all kinds of writing. In the same way a sacred calling is not limited to ecclesiastical functions. The man who is weeding a field of turnips is also serving God.”</blockquote>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1157413088744630242006-09-05T11:30:00.000+12:002006-09-05T11:38:08.756+12:00Prayer in ParliamentI was checking out TVNZ's <a href="http://tvnz.co.nz/view/video_index_skin/video_index_group">live Parliament video feed</a> the other day, and was taken aback by the beautiful words of the prayer uttered when Parliament begins:<br /><blockquote><br /> Almighty God, humbly acknowledging our need for thy guidance in all things, and laying aside all private and personal interests, we beseech thee to grant that we may conduct the affairs of this House and of our country to the glory of thy holy name, the maintenance of true religion and justice, the honour of the Queen and the public welfare, peace and tranquillity of New Zealand, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.</blockquote>Wouldn't that be a fantastic prayer to pray, if people meant it?<br /><br />I was also surprised at the explicit reference to Jesus Christ. This is a deity-specific prayer, as opposed to the usual "Oh my God" you may hear sometimes.<br /><br />Apparently, there's a move afoot to remove Christ's name from the prayer, and predictably there's <a href="http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s06090013.htm">opposition, as this article details</a>.<br /><br />It's an interview with David Major, who's had a lot of influence in the political world. A quote:<br /><blockquote>In the 1990s Mr. Major was chief executive of the National Party under Prime Ministers Jim Bolger and Jenny Shipley. He said saying grace was a regular feature of dinner parties at Premier House, whereas now grace was not even said at a state banquet.<br /><br />“All that’s come to a halt, and we’ve let it happen.”</blockquote>I'm concerned at this attitude. As Christians, shouldn't we be more concerned that the prayer is being spoken and assented to by people who mostly don't have any relationship with God? Isn't that taking the Lord's name in vain?<br /><br />So if there's a move to take Christ's name out of the official prayer, I would support it. Sadly, because the ideal is that everyone may know Christ for who He really is. But sadly, I suspect all this prayer will remind people of is New Zealand's historical roots, and a religion that used to make sense.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1157328516596484112006-09-04T11:36:00.000+12:002006-09-04T12:08:36.643+12:00Lessons from my cat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/1600/IMG_2978.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/320/IMG_2978.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Millie's a boy with a girl's name. Long story.<br /><br />But he teaches us a lot about God.<br /><br />I used to read the Psalms and hear songs where it says, "I seek your face, O God."<br /><br />It was one of those phrases that just washes over you unless you think about it.<br /><br />Until one cold night, when Millie wanted to cuddle up in bed. He literally sought my face, tickling my nose with his whiskers in the process.<br /><br />Why does he like my face? It's probably not as warm as my armpit, or as soft as my belly. But Millie seems to understand how I'm feeling when he looks at my face.<br /><br />Communicative creature, isn't he?<br /><br />And I guess that's what we're all about too. Communication. Connection. I've even written about it today on my <a href="http://leadershipissues.blogspot.com/2006/09/other-people.html">other blog</a>.<br /><br />But how often do I forget that my relationship with God is a relationship? Because I deal with information all the time, sometimes I feel the answer to my spiritual needs comes from more information. It's not so.<br /><br />Just relaxing and realising that I am always in the presence of a Friend is all it takes.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1156979537408244842006-08-31T10:46:00.000+12:002006-08-31T11:12:17.456+12:00Capes Fear<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/1600/B000A2UBN4.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/320/B000A2UBN4.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/1600/dvd_cape_fear_01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/320/dvd_cape_fear_01.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />(Not a misprint; I'm talking in plural, like <a href="http://sourandsweet.wordpress.com/2006/08/29/trader-joe/">the womens</a>).<br /><br />For Marie's psycho studies, we had to analyse several films and get some psychological themes from them.<br /><br />An ideal assignment! I was glad to offer my two cents with this.<br /><br />First one was <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://diyfilmschool.blogspot.com/2006/08/finding-forrester.html">Finding Forrester</a>, the next one was Martin Scorcese's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101540/">1991 remake </a>of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055824/">Cape Fear (1962)</a>.<br /><br />Both of these movies are so well-made, and Scorcese's version (or let's say writer <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0834338/">Wesley Strick</a>'s version) so deeply layered, that it was very disappointing for me to feel that the story is ultimately unprofitable on a philosophical or personal level.<br /><br />I guess that's a roundabout way of saying that both Marie and I felt a bit like we'd wasted two good hours after watching this. It was certainly exciting, terrifying, plumbed the depths of the human psyche, but ultimately it had nothing to redeem it, not even a protagonist we can sympathise with.<br /><br />In the behind-the-scenes featurette, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000560/">Nick Nolte</a> says that it's about stripping away the masks we wear, and sometimes violent suffering is the only way to do that. I guess so, Nick, but I'd prefer to get that message from a film like <span style="font-style: italic;">Sideways</span>, which does it in a much gentler but still powerful way.<br /><br />Strick's version of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cape Fear</span> is achingly empty of hope. Danielle's voiceover at the end is a message of stoicism, a message of just pressing on.<br /><br />From a how-to-make-a-movie department, there were some great touches. Layering the Max Cady character as a psychotic, Bible-quoting avenging angel was an interesting touch that made his character really, really scary, as well as his superhuman strength.<br /><br />Using the original music from 1962 was inspired, but also made the movie idiosyncratic, perhaps too much for mainstream audiences in 1991. However, Scorcese says it was the movie that earned him the most money of all his films.<br /><br />Psychological themes aplenty here, though:<br /><ul><li>Fear</li><li>Obsession</li><li>Sexuality</li><li>Repression</li><li>Deception</li><li>Dysfunctional families</li></ul>That's just a few.<br /><br />Because we were so dissatisfied with the remake, we thought we'd check out the original. What a difference 30 years makes!<br /><br />Not that we really liked the original that much, but it's very telling about the acceptable standards of culture at the time. The original can't even say the word "rape", yet the remake shows some pretty gruesome verbal and visual violence (nothing explicit though, except Robert de Niro taking a bite out of Illeana Douglas' cheek).<br /><br />The original was much simpler and more straightforward than the remake, but the acting was top notch. Robert Mitchum especially is such a great actor. Was, rather. Shame.<br /><br />However, again with this one I wondered why? It's another entertaining, terrifying wild ride, but at the end the only message I get out of it is that some people are so bad they should be locked in a cage forever. What's so great about that?<br /><br />Maybe I should stop looking for the transcendent or the uplifting in every movie, and just see how well they've designed their roller-coaster ride. However, knowing a tiny bit about how hard it is to make a movie, I really wonder what's in some people's heads who just go crazy over this sort of story.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1156673230041889212006-08-27T21:50:00.000+12:002006-08-27T22:07:11.906+12:00Politics and ChristiansI don't understand why so-called liberal people, who would no doubt like to be thought of as open-minded, have only one category for evangelical Christians: people like George W Bush.<br /><br />Over on the Journz email list that I'm part of, the conversation steered towards the current debate in NZ schools about <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3774001a10,00.html">religion vs. spirituality</a>. It didn't take long before the discussion turned towards state religion, and fear and loathing of evangelicals.<br /><br />On the one hand, they have a point. Christians have a bad track record when you give us power. Point taken.<br /><br />On the other hand, I asked people to explain their fear and loathing of Christians - particularly ones who take the Bible literally, particularly if they come from America.<br /><br />It makes me mad - but that's not likely to help.<br /><br />My theory is, most of these people - and I'm generalising here - have some form of Christian background. May have been Sunday School lessons as a child, or a Christian grandparent, or whatever.<br /><br />Whatever their exposure to cultural Christianity, they feel it is a thorough enough exploration of the faith and therefore warrants no further investigation. Their early experiences - often unpleasant - effectively immunises them against the true gospel.<br /><br />What's the true Gospel? How long have you got?<br /><br />Seriously, though, I've come to realise that while doctrine is fairly important here, what's most important is to see the message incarnated. Lived out by a real person. Otherwise it makes very little sense.<br /><br />I'm helped in understanding this emergent viewpoint by What's So Amazing About Grace, particularly its chapter on Christians in politics. Some quotes:<br /><blockquote><br />"The church... is not the master or servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool."<br />Martin Luther King, Jr.<br /><br />"A coziness between church and state is good for the state and bad for the church."<br />G.K.Chesterton</blockquote>So my sense of mission this week - every week - is to seek opportunities to courageously live out my faith, choosing actions that will be backed up by the words of God.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1156633676596723142006-08-27T11:07:00.000+12:002006-08-27T11:07:56.813+12:00Christianity & Islam - religions of peace?I often hear people - Muslim and non-Muslim - saying that Islam should not be judged by its extremists like Osama bin Laden, any more than Christians should be judged by the Crusades, the Inquisitions or even the current US Government.<br /><br />Is that a fair comparison? <a href="http://www.ctlibrary.com/6312">This article</a> in Christianity Today draws on primarily Islamic scholarship to contrast the two belief systems' approach to war.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1156362898584227502006-08-24T07:31:00.000+12:002006-08-24T07:54:58.633+12:00Sex-crazed cultureBreasts are wonderful things. But the main street of Auckland's largest city is not really an appropriate place for them.<br /><br />What's strange is the overwhelmingly good publicity the mainstream media has given the "Boobs on Bikes" parade. From the <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10396427">NZ Herald</a> to Newstalk ZB, the coverage has been nominally neutral, but has made opposition to the parade sound hypocritical. <a href="http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/audio2/23080502.wma">This interview</a> with city councillor Noeleen Raffils makes her sound stupid (although she didn't help much by citing an anecdote that seemed irrelevant), and then a <a href="http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/audio2/23081047.wma">follow-up interview</a> with parade organiser Steve Crow is on very friendly terms.<br /><br />People talked about the parade as if it weren't linked into the Erotica Lifestyles Expo, a promotional tool for the porn industry. Steve Crow is full of it when he talks about freedom of speech. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Porn is not about freedom of choice any more than smoking is about freedom of choice.</span> You choose to get in, and it's a very hard choice to get out.<br /><br />Instead of championing the Larry Flynts and Steve Crows of this world, let's recognise them for what they are: misled people misleading others to indulge their desires and fulfil their needs in an inappropriate way. Their attempts to normalise porn makes a mockery of the sacredness of sex and sexuality. Why don't we see this?Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1156136606375376652006-08-21T17:03:00.000+12:002006-08-21T17:03:26.403+12:00Who says no one goes to church?<a href="http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s06080095.htm">Who says no one goes to church?</a> - an interesting article from Challenge Weekly.<br /><br />Particularly sad and interesting was this quote:<br /><blockquote><br />"Wayne Kirkland, of Signpost Communications, says there is little doubt that people are responding to Jesus’ invitation to be his disciples.<br /><br />“However, for every one of these new disciples, perhaps six or seven others have either failed to become established or have dropped out after some time. Regardless of how many of these ‘dropouts’ were ‘genuinely converted’ in the first place, we have a tragedy of major proportions.<br /><br />“Thousands of New Zealanders are tasting something of Christianity and rejecting it. Thus, thousands are becoming inoculated against genuine attempts to reach them in the future.”</blockquote><br /><br />That's echoing the thoughts going through my head about how many people don't get a chance to really know what the Gospel is really about; instead, they get exposed to something that is close enough to fool an outside observer, but lacks the credibility which the 1st century Gospel had.<br /><br />It's not because the Gospel's changed, it's just that its proponents - people like me - have not lived out the Message in all its fulness.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1155692511837859592006-08-16T13:25:00.000+12:002006-08-16T13:41:52.070+12:00What is Worldview?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/1600/Photo%20147.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/320/Photo%20147.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I recently bought a copy of Chuck Colson and Nancy Pearsey's <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=as2&path=ASIN/084235588X&tag=thesimonyoungsit&camp=1789&creative=9325">How Now Shall We Live?</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thesimonyoungsit&l=as2&o=1&a=084235588X" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; font-style: italic;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> It's all about worldview, a term I used to hear frequently during my time in Christian radio. I never gave it much thought back then, because I was working with people whose worldview is similar to mine.<br /><br />In recent years as I got more philosophical in my thinking, I resisted the idea of learning a "Christian worldview". It sounded like brainwashing, sort of, "you can't think for yourself, let us tell you what The Church thinks about this, and don't bother thinking for yourself."<br /><br />But that's an easy caricature to paint, and one that plays into the hands of a secular humanistic worldview, which is often just as dogmatic.<br /><br />Instead, I've discovered a need, a hunger in myself to know what a Biblical worldview is. Why can't I just read the Bible and figure it out for myself? Well, I could, but it might take my whole life. Why not stand on the shoulders of others, and get a bigger picture?<br /><br />For me, worldview is about connecting the dots. I know where I stand on issues like abortion, marriage and homosexuality. But how about the areas I regularly write about for a living, like marketing, technology and business?<br /><br />I can form my own opinions, but reading on worldview helps guide my thinking. It's not about dictating, but it is about presenting the evidence so I can decide.<br /><br />I haven't started the book yet; I'll let you know how it goes!Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1154305209801313872006-07-31T12:12:00.000+12:002006-07-31T12:20:09.820+12:00Let's talk about sexOur sexuality is central to who we are, so it's no wonder that the media and advertising uses it so much to get our attention.<br /><br />Well, Christians are no different from the rest of the world in that respect, and I was part of a packed house at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Saturday to talk about sex - specifically healing from sexual brokenness - at a meeting organised by<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.livingwaters.org.nz/">Living Waters NZ</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span><br /><br />It's so encouraging that there are many people willing to discuss this whole issue at the core of who we are, openly.<br /><br />More later on this, but I was really really challenged by the words of Tony Dolph-something (my apologies, can't find his name and I didn't write it down properly).<br /><br />He said we buy into the world's way of thinking when we seek happiness as the highest good. God never calls us to happiness necessarily, but to a relationship with Him.<br /><br />When I put it like that it seems very bald and unattractive, but at the time it was very compelling. And still is; I just struggle to explain what a profound change of my thinking this represents.<br /><br />Like I say, more on this later.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1153799882871980222006-07-25T15:50:00.000+12:002006-07-25T15:58:02.893+12:00So someone reads this!I got an email from someone who actually reads this! Wow. And not just someone, the editor of <a href="http://www.netguide.co.nz/">NZ Netguide</a>, Nige Horrocks. <br /><br />Made my day, and encouraged me to post again. But what to write about...?<br /><br />It's not like there's not a lot going on on the spiritual front - in fact God's very busy doing stuff in me... but where to start?<br /><br />I'll start with what I'm reading right now: <span style="font-style: italic;">What's so amazing about grace?</span><br /><br />It's a classic. When I was working at <a href="http://www.rhema.co.nz/">Rhema</a> many years ago I heard about it all the time, yet I haven't read it. Until now.<br /><br />It's good, very good. Re-emphasising the lessons on God's grace - which is a word in danger of losing its meaning, because when you understand grace, it is crazy. It is amazing.<br /><br />That's it for now, tune in next time for more...Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432061.post-1152491941631782272006-07-10T12:27:00.000+12:002006-07-10T12:39:01.646+12:00Thoughts on truth<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/1600/0826476082.01._AA_SCMZZZZZZZ_.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/320/0826476082.01._AA_SCMZZZZZZZ_.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I recently finished partly reading Why Truth Matters, an exhausting philosophical look at why our society urgently needs objective truth.<br /><br />What puzzled me was that I was reading familiar arguments for absolute objective truth, from a secular humanistic point of view.<br /><br />Tres strange!<br /><br />In particular this quote caught my attention:<br /><blockquote><br />"...[E]nquiry, curiosity, interest, investigation, explanation-seeking, are hugely important components of human happiness. This doesn't seem to be a terribly popular thought right now. Public rhetoric tends to aim much lower, for some reason. It seems to see us all as hunkered down, and settling. Settling for minimal, parochial, almost biological satisfactions - family, safety, money. But that underestimates us. We want more than that. We want to ask questions, we want to learn, we want to understand. That's a very human taste and pleasure. ... It seems a waste not to use human capacities and abilities. Anyone can settle for just survival and reproduction and comfort, but we can do more. That's a privilege - and it seems a kind of sacrilege not to use it."</blockquote><br /><br />They're facing the same problem faced by philosophers in the 19th century. Remove God from the equation, you can do that with your head, but your heart still wants something sacred. And if you're removed the source of all sacredness, all you have are more questions. And questions only get you so far.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0