Film Comment: Sinners (2025)

 

Sinners is a movie which is intended to be about racism, cultural oppression, colonialism, black culture, anti-religion, and anti-Christianity. As usual, I can make Christian observations about the film which are probably unintended by the director.

“Son, you keep dancin’ with the Devil, one day, he’s gonna follow you home,” from a pastor father to Sammie, nicknamed Preacherboy, who is aching to become famous for his outstanding blues guitar and singing talent. Sammie hooks up with two morally fluid brothers who are opening a juke joint. This sets up a conflict when two white men and a woman show up that night wanting to join in the fun. The problem is that they are vampires.

One man about to be killed/turned into a vampire begins to loudly quote the Lord’s Prayer. All the vampires join in and help complete the quotation. This seems to be intended to show that Christianity has no power against evil.

A Christian response: the frightened man’s words were just that, words, and they did have no power. There is a difference between knowing and believing. The power is not in the words. They are not a Magick spell. God is not our genie in a bottle. The words have power only as they are used by the Holy Spirit.

Satan can quote scripture. He quoted Psalms 91:11-12 while tempting Jesus to misuse his authority (Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13). Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44).

Breaking the Fourth Wall

 

            In film-making, there is a concept called breaking the fourth wall in which one or several characters acknowledge the existence of the viewing audience and address the viewers as if they are participants in the ongoing events.

            The first, second, and third walls are like a box around a stage set: the back wall and the two side walls. The fourth wall is the wall visible to the characters in the play but totally transparent to the people watching the events as they occur. Traditionally, the actors and narrators are assumed to be unaware that they are being watched by the audience.

            Breaking the fourth wall occurs when a character in the play or film glances at the audience or camera, makes movements like a wink or a knowing smile which betray a knowledge of the existence of the audience, or actually speaks directly to the viewers. Occasionally, the narrative itself becomes self-aware. Examples of this phenomenon occur in the films, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the Marvel Deadpool films, and The Neverending Story, which can be seen to exhibit as many as seven levels of fourth wall breaking.  

            What does this have to do with this Christian blog? Well, this is in reference to the Bible itself. The Bible is holy, but as an object it is just a book, ink on sheets of paper, or, in our current modern days, the arrangement of millions of pixels on your cellphone screen.

            There are widely varying levels of reverence for the physical book itself, with some actually bordering on idolatry, but the physical book is just that, a book.

            Two ways of understanding the Bible are as a tool or as a weapon. Both understandings can be biblically supported.

            So, back to the subject of this post. Sitting on a shelf or lying on a desk the Bible is just a book. The thing which only Christians can understand is that once it is picked up and opened, the Bible is itself indwelled by the Holy Spirit, the same person who inhabits each of us. Just as we can use the Bible, so can he. It is one of the many ways he can speak directly to us.

            The Holy Spirit is aware as we read the biblical text and he guides us to new insights, the meat of the gospel, new levels of understanding which we as believers can gradually comprehend as we mature. How do we know this? The Bible tells us so.

            One of the activities of the Holy Spirit is the Reminding Ministry. He will guide you in the Bible to the answers or understandings which you need to further mature as a Christian.

            Isaiah 11:2; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:1-4, 6:19-20; Hebrews 5:12-13; John 14:17,26, 16:13; Romans 8:9; Colossians 1:27; 1 John 4:15.

We Three Kings of Orient Are

 

 “We Three Kings” (original title: “Three Kings of Orient”) is a Christmas carol written in 1857 by John henry Hopkins, an Episcopal rector in Pennsylvania. It is based on Matthew 2:1.

The Bible never says that three kings visited Jesus in a manger on the night of his birth. John and Mark do not mention the incident at all because they talked about Jesus as an adult. Luke talks of the shepherds but not the magi. Only Matthew, in 2:1-16, relates the event, saying that during the time of Herod, who died in 4 BC/BCE, that magi “from the rising of the sun” (the east) arrived to see and worship the king of the Jews, whose star they had seen.

Several questions come to mind:

1.      Who were the magi and how many of them were there?

No one knows exactly who these men were but many later traditions say that they were possibly astrologers from a learned priestly Zoroastrian caste in Persia. They were not occultists but were considered to be masters of the then current understanding of science.                                                     

The idea that there were three wise men possibly derives from the fact that they brought three gifts: gold. Frankincense, and myrrh. Some Christian traditions say that there were twelve magi.

2.      What was the star?

No one really knows. Was it a supernaturally moving star that settled over Jesus’ location? (Matthew 2:9). Was it an otherwise unknown comet? Was it a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn (7 BC/BCE) or of Saturn and Venus (6 BC/BCE)? Was it a transient astronomical event like a distant supernova? (The first historically documented supernova observation did not occur until 1006 AD/CE).

3.      Where did the magi visit Jesus?

The wise men came to see Jesus in a house “oikian” (οἰκίαν, Matthew 2:11), not in a manger “phatne” (φάτνῃ, Luke 2:7).

4.      How old was Jesus when the magi arrived?

Luke 2:1-16 describes how, on the night of Jesus’ birth, angels appeared to announce the birth to shepherds who ran to the stable to see the “brephos” (βρέφος). A “brephos” was an unborn child, newborn child, or an infant.

Matthew 2:1-18 relates that that the magi visited the “paidion” (παιδίον) in a house. A “paidion” is a young one, a little one, or a child.

After a message from God warned them about Herod the magi returned home by a different route. Matthew 2:16-18 tells how Herod, in a fit of anger, jealousy, and insecurity about losing his position as king of Judea, ordered what is now known as the massacre of the Innocents. All boys under two years old and younger living in the area in or near Bethlehem were to be slaughtered.

Matthew 2:13-16 tells how God warned Joseph of Herod’s evil plan to kill Jesus. Joseph left for Egypt with Jesus and Mary.

The Gospels

              Modern history can basically be described as two types. Geschicte, a German word meaning in English “story.” This is a factual recounting of what happened, giving dates, events, and provable facts.

The other type of history is described by the French word, histoire. This is an attempt to explain the meaning of things which have happened and why the events are important. There have been many different attempts to interpret history from widely varying viewpoints: religion, politics, feminism, LGBTQ interests, economics, military themes, and philosophy, are just a few.

All four of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) contain elements of both types of history to varying degrees. Mark and Luke are more historical while Matthew and John are more interpretive. All four are considered to be historical biographical narratives presented for theological treasons.

Unlike many modern biographies, none of the Gospels attempt to exhaustively tell us everything that Jesus ever did or said. John 20: 30-31 even tells us, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” NIV

The gospels are all written to present their good news using different approaches and emphases. They want to tell us who Jesus was and what he did for us. They are theological documents.

Matthew stresses the Jewishness of Jesus. He shows how Jesus is the long-awaited Jewish Messiah who fulfills the Hebrew scriptures.

Mark shows Jesus in fast, urgent, and determined action. He does what only God can do. He is the Christ, the suffering Son of God.

Mark repeatedly uses the phrase kai εὐθὺς “and immediately.” This phrase carries the idea of “without any delay or hesitation” or even of “suddenly.” Mark stresses the urgency of Jesus’ message to which we should respond immediately.

Luke was a physician and a detailed historian. He had a scientific approach to his writing, seeking out eyewitnesses to the events he related. He wanted to show how Jesus fit into God’s plan for history.

            John is the most overtly theological of the gospels. He presents Jesus as the pre-existent God revealing himself to man. He clearly states the purpose of his book in John 20:31. “ … these are written that you may believe^[a] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” NIV

Lead Me Not Into Temptation

I saw this printed on a hand towel. I do not know the source of this riff on The Twenty-Third Psalm.

"Lead me not into temptation ... oh, who am I kidding ... follow me, I know a shortcut."

We all know many shortcuts. Every human is tempted numerous times each day.  Even Jesus was tempted. The Bible records one major temptation episode that Satan launched against Jesus but surely there were many more.  Two are very obvious.

Jesus surely was tempted to heal his good friend Lazarus before the man died but he intentionally delayed his arrival. Lazarus' sister was angry and disappointed with their friend, but Jesus had a reason for his delay. Read the story at John 11: 1-44. "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

Jesus clearly dreaded what was to come for him on the cross and he was probably tempted to do exactly the thing which he said he could do (Matthew 26:53). He did not do it because it would have meant that Satan had won. "But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?"

Jesus is the only person who has ever live a life totally free of sin. Here is the hard part. He was tempted just like we are. Hebrews 4:15

Spam Phone Calls

I received a phone call from Woonsocket, Rhode Island (USA) and totally ignored it. In fact I deleted it. I do not know anyone in Woonsocket or the entire state of Rhode Island. The call was either a wrong number or what is called "spam." (The derisive word "SPAM" comes from a canned spiced ham product which many people consider to be awful but which many others enjoy. It has a reputation similar to that of the also unfairly maligned fruit cake.)

Spam phone calls are a particular problem in the United States. Massive numbers of automated phone calls are sent by businesses trying to increase their profits or are sent to deliver a particular message (often political) to as many people as possible.  This type of Spam is merely a nuisance. In 2017, the United States Federal Trade Commission received 7,157,370 complaints about spam calls. The problem is escalating. There were 4.5 billion reported spam phone calls in the United States in June of 2018. These spam phone calls are essentially total garbage.

A second type of spam calls is is intended to be hostile and is criminal. One form of these aggressive attacks is intended to completely clog up phone lines and render them useless. This is a form of denial of service attack.

An even more criminal type of spam attempts to deceive or trick as many people as possible to respond to the call and to voluntarily give out their personal information such as bank account numbers, credit card numbers, computer sign-on passwords, etc. The motive here is to steal money.

In today's world  everyone is constantly surrounded by what is essentially SPAM; totally worthless garbage. Messages flood at us from television, movies, radio, music, books, news organizations, junk mail, flyers, and other people. The vast majority of it is secular or explicitly non-Christian. Some of it is malignantly anti-Christian.

There is an old saying in the Southern United States about a person so holy and high-minded that he or she is of no use in the real world. This is not what God wants. He wants us to let Him use us for His purposes here in the real world. We are told to he holy (separated) because God is holy, but we are also told to be "in the world but not of the world." Essentially, do not be useless.

Ignoring the vast majority of the garbage swilling around us does not mean that we must have no interest in culture, or learning. or books, or music, or sports, or fashion, or outdoor activities, or politics, or any other thing. It does, however, require us not to chase after every wind (especially those which we know stink). It also requires us to learn to recognize "the stink" even when a little perfume has been added.

Leviticus 11:44,45; 19:2; 20:7, 1 Peter 1:16, John 15:19; 17: 14-16, Ephesians 4:14, Ecclesiastes 6:9

Bible Printer's Errors: The Pilate's Tile Bible

These Bible Printers Errors are all in the English language.  They are from printed editions of the King James Version of the Bible created during the time when the printed text had to be hand set using individual letter keys. There are probably just as many variant printed texts in other languages created during the same time period.  Proofreading is very important.  Sometimes one word, or even one letter, changes the entire meaning of a passage.  The following is an example to prove the point.

WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE SAID:  

“And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

WHAT IT SAID:

“And Pilate wrote a tile, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS."

This is from the 1612 “Pilate’s tile” Bible. The text is from John 19:19.

Jesus Spoke Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek

The New Testament is written in Greek, the common language of the Roman Empire at the time.  It was the Greek language which helped spread the gospel across the then known world. Some, myself included, believe that God arranged events so that at the arrival of Jesus there was one essentially global empire with one universally understood language. Communications across the Empire were much faster across great distances than we today would imagine.

The languages of the subjugated peoples were still in use and the Jews spoke Aramaic among themselves. The sacred language in use in their synagogues was Hebrew and they considered it to be a great honor to speak and read before the congregation.  Jesus would have been conversant in both languages and he also read before the congregation. The Samaritan Woman at the Well would have been speaking Hebrew. (Luke 2: 39-52; John 4:4-26: Luke 4:16-21)  Some of Jesus' sayings  in the New Testament are presented in untranslated Aramaic. ("Talitha cumi" and "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani!")

Many Jews probably spoke only Aramaic and Hebrew, but to function in the Roman environment it was very helpful to also speak and understand Greek. Jesus was able to talk to Pilate (John 18: 28-38) and the Roman soldiers  (Matthew 8: 5-13 ), answering them in Greek It is unlikely that Pilate or the centurions understood a single word of Aramaic.

Flowers for the Living

Annellies Marie Frank (1929 - 1945), better known as Anne Frank, was only fifteen years old when she died in the Bergen-Belsen Nazi concentration camp in Germany. She and her family were hiding with the help of brave Christians in concealed rooms behind a bookcase in a building where her father worked in Amterdam. After the Jewish family was eventually betrayed and arrested, Miep Gies, one of their protectors, was able to rescue and preserve Anne's diary. The book was published as Het Achterhuis (in English as Diary of a Young Girl.)

The diary contained Anne's thoughts on many subjects such as growing up, sexuality, her hopes to become a meaningful writer, and her present situation. One very thoughtful quotation is, "Dead people receive more flowers than living ones because regret is stronger than gratitude."

Anne understood that we should appreciate the people around us. Christians, especially, should understand this. As I have said before, since Jesus was willing to shed His Blood for our salvation and since His Blood is of infinite value and is freely offered to everyone, this means that each of us is of infinite value. We should be always ready to explain this Good News to anyone who will listen. (1 Peter 3:15)

Also, one of the things which non-believers noticed most strongly about the early Christians was how much they loved each other as Jesus told them to (John 13:34-35). For example, in this quotation from the Roman convert and Christian apologist Marcus Minucius Felix in his book, Octavius. The book is presented as a dialogue between a pagan and a Christian. The pagan is talking in this quotation.

"And now, as wickeder things advance more fruitfully, and abandoned manners creep on day by day, those abominable shrines of an impious assembly are maturing themselves throughout the whole world. Assuredly this confederacy ought to be rooted out and execrated. They know one another by secret marks and insignia, and they love one another almost before they know one another; everywhere also there is mingled among them a certain religion of lust, and they call one another promiscuously brothers and sisters, that even a not unusual debauchery may by the intervention of that sacred name become incestuous: it is thus that their vain and senseless superstition glories in crimes."

From Minucius Felix, Octavius, R. E. Wallis, trans. in The Ante-Nicene Fathers
(Buffalo, N. Y.: The Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887), Vol. 4, pp. 177-178.

Female Images of God: A Housekeeeper

God is depicted as a housekeeper who cleans and sweeps through her entire house to find one lost coin.  The lost coin becomes her focus until it is found.

“Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?  “When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’  “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15: 8-10 (KJV)

Jesus zealously holds onto those given to Him.  These verses are part of the foundation of the doctrine of the Eternal Security of the Believer.  Some describe this as “once saved, always saved.”  The doctrine states that Jesus will not allow anyone who truly belongs to Him to be separated from Him by anyone or anything.

“… Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.” John 18:9 (KJV)

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.” John 10:27-30 (KJV)

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 (KJV)

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: Links to Several Posts

Recently, there has a major burst of interest in the post on this blog about the messianic prophecy of the Star of Bethlehem.  Christians traditionally have believed that the Old Testament is full of references to Jesus and prophecies about Him.  Jewish scholars, of course, deny this and accuse Christians of misinterpreting scripture.  They say that we take words and phrases out of the context of the surrounding text.  Essentially, they are saying that we are practicing eisegesis.

Eisegesis (εἰς, eis, Greek = “into.”) is the process of interpreting a text or portion of text using one's own presuppositions, agendas, or biases. This is commonly referred to as reading your prior suppositions into the text.

Christian biblical scholars stress the need to practice exegesis of biblical texts and not eisegesis.  (Exegesis ἐξηγεῖσθαι (exegeisthai) The English meaning of this Greek word is “to explain,” or “to interpret.”  The idea is that the interpretation comes from within the text. This comes from the etymology of the word: ek (out) plus egeisthai (to lead), “to lead out.”

So, when Christians search the Old Testament for messianic prophecies about Jesus, are we guilty of practicing eisegesis?  The short answer is no and this is because Jesus Himself told us to do this.

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” John 5:39

“For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me.” John 5:46

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke 24:27

Listed below are the messianic prophecies discussed so far on this blog.  There will be others.  Click on the link to go to the post.

The Star of Bethlehem

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2012/07/messianic-prophecies-from-bible-star-of.html

He Will be Called Out of Egypt

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2010/02/messianic-prophecies-from-bible.html

He is the Light of the World

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2010/02/messianic-prophecies-from-bible_24.html

Herod’s Slaughter of the Children of Bethlehem

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2010/03/messianic-prophecies-from-bible.html

He Will Be from Nazareth

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2010/04/messianic-prophecies-from-bible.html

They Will Give Him Vinegar for His Thirst

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2010/06/messianic-prophecies-from-bible.html

A Prophecy Not Yet Fulfilled

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2010/07/messianic-prophecies-from-bible_29.html

He Will be Sold for Thirty Pieces of Silver

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2010/10/messianic-prophecies-from-bible.html

He Will Bring Light to the Lands of Zebulon and Naphtali

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2011/09/messianic-prophecies-from-bible-he.html

He Will Die Among the Wicked But be Buried With a Rich Man

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2012/01/messianic-prophecies-from-bible-he.html

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2012/05/messianic-prophecies-from-bible-he.html

God Has a Son

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2012/04/messianic-prophecies-from-bible-what-is.html

  

His Body Will Not Decay

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2012/12/messsianic-prophecies-acts-1610.html

Thanksgivingkuh

When I first heard about Thanksgivingkuh, it somehow did not sound right to me.  It is a sort of comical take on the extremely rare occurance of the American secular holiday, Thanksgiving, and the first day of the Jewish religious holiday, Hanukkah, occurring on the same day.  The next time this convergence will occur is on 28 November 79,811.   Since the Hanukkah festival lasts for eight days, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah have and will continue to occur on other days within the eight-day period over the years.  The last time both holidays fell on the first day of the festival was on 29 November 1888.  Hanukkah 2013 began on Wednesday 27 November because the Jewish day begins at sundown.  Since the Jewish calendar is lunar-based and on a nineteen year cycle, the festivals move around in date much more than in the common Gregorian Calendar.  Hanukkah begins each year on the 25^th day of the month of Kislev.

Thansgivingkuh (Thanksgiving + Hanukkah) cards have appeared along with a menurkey (menorah + turkey).  A menurkey is a turkey decoration whose tail holds the candles normally place in the sacred menorah.

I asked a Jewsih friend what he thought of Thanksgivingkuh and he said he had not heard of it but that he was amused. My friend did not share my feeling that the merging of the two holidays, one secular and one religious, was somehow sacrilegious.  Though Hanukkah is a religious holiday, many American Jews see it as overly secularized and commercialized.  Some see it as a time to give gifts so that their children will not be upset about not celebrating Christmas.

Hanukkah celebrates a Jewish military victory in 165 BC/BCE over the Greek/Syrian army of Antiochus Epiphanes after which the candle in the Temple burned for eight days on a supply of oil sufficient for only one day.  The battle ended on 25 Kislev. This was seen as an affirmation from God of the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.  The word “Hanukkah” derives from the Hebrew verb חנך   which means “to dedicate.”  The festival is mentioned in the New Testament at John 10:22-23.  The events of Hanukkah are recounted in the apocryphal books of 1 and 2 Maccabees.

Rachel Gurevitz, the Senior Rabbi at Congregation B.nai Shalom in Westborough, Massacusetts, sees Thanksgivingkuh as a chance to discuss Jewish and American history with children, seeing a convergence of meaning in both holidays.  Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, on the Fox News Channel, said essentially the same thing.

I am not a humorless Scrooge, but Thanksgivingkuh still strikes me as questionable.

………………………………………….

I am not sure who first pointed this out, but Hanukkah, from a Christian perspective, is very important.  If Antiochus Epiphanes had succeeded in basically exterminating the Jewish religion, then Jesus would probably not have been born as a Jew.   Jesus had to be truly human, He had to be truly divine, and He had to be Jewish.  Salvation comes through the Jews (John 4: 22).  God used the Jewish nation over the centuries to reveal Himself in a manner intellible to man’s limited understanding.  All of history before the Crucifixion was a preparation and an explanation of what God is like and what the Crucifixion and Resurrection mean.

Peter Carried a Sword

The subject of gun ownership is a hot topic in the United States right now.  People on both sides of the issue can get quite heated. “Discussions” of the subject can become quite animated.

The ancient Jews trusted God but still carried weapons.  The men rebuilding the city walls of Jerusalem had this to say.  “Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.” Nehemiah 4:9

It is shocking to some Christians when they realize that the Twelve carried weapons (Luke 22:36-38), most likely swords or short knives.  The weapons were for protection from robbers on the road and from wild animals.  Peter used his sword for another purpose. (Luke 22:49-51; John 18:1-11; Mark 14:47; and Matthew 26:51-54)

Book Comment: The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?

F. F. Bruce was one of the pre-eminent New Testament scholars of the Twentieth Century.  He insisted that the New Testament documents are historically accurate and are better attested than universally accepted classical writings.  An emphasis of his teaching was that Christianity has its roots in history.  Though some religions (such as Confucianism, Buddhism, and Hinduism) can stand independently of their actual historicity, Christianity is firmly grounded in provable dates and facts.  No credible scholar now insists that Jesus did not exist.

Dr. Bruce said,  “The evidence for our New Testament writings is ever so much greater than the evidence for many writings of classical authors, the authenticity of which no-one dreams of questioning.  And if the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all doubt.”

Here is some evidence:

There are only two known copies of Lucretius’ works.  The earliest copy comes from 1100 years after the originals were written.

There are only seven known copies of Plato’s works.  The earliest copy comes from 1200 years after the originals were written.

There are only seven known copies of Aristophanes’s works.  The earliest copy comes from 1200 years after the originals were written.

There are only eight known copies of Herodotus’ works.  The earliest copy comes from 1300 years after the originals were written.

There are only forty-nine known copies of Aristotle’s works.  The earliest copy comes from 1400 years after the originals were written.

There are only six hundred and forty three known copies of Homer’s works.  The earliest copy comes from 500 years after the originals were written.

There are only one hundred and ninety-three known copies of Sophocles’ works.  The earliest copy comes from 1400 years after the originals were written.

There are 5686 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament.  The earliest dates to about 100 years after the originals were written.  There are over 25,000 partial documents.  The John Rylands Fragment, containing John 18: 31-33, dates from about twenty-nine to thirty-five years after the original was written. 

Luke says he recorded what was “handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses…” (Luke 1:2.)

Lamb of God

Lamb of God (originally named Burn the Priest) is a Grammy Award-nominated punk/speed metal/heavy metal rock music band from Virginia.  Their lyrics often include biblical references coupled with anti-religious messages and their fan base is called the "Congregation." Other themes include politics, misanthropy, and attacks on hypocrisy.  They do not wish to be thought of as a Satanist band.

On 27 June 2012, Czech police arrested Lamb of God lead singer Randy Blyth for manslaughter.  During a concert he pushed a fan off the stage.  The man hit his head as he fell and later died.  In early August, Blyth was released from prison after making a large bail payment.

(Some videos will not play properly when you click on the triangle.  Instead,  click on the title line in the picture and the video will begin .  When the video is completed, close the You Tube pop-up window to return to this blog.)

Contrast Lamb of God with the real Lamb of God, Jesus. (John 1:29,36) The sacrificial lamb is the pure, unblemished, innocent sacrifice which takes away sin. (Exodus 12:3-6; Luke 9:31; 1 Corinthians 5:7; Isaiah 53:4-7)  Jesus pulls us towards Him rather than pushing us away.

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Mary of Clopas: This woman is possibly the same as Mary Salome, who was either the wife or daughter of Clopas.  She is mentioned in John 19:25.

Julia Anne Sweeney: (b. 1959, Washington, USA) Film, stage, and theater actress. She left the Catholic Church to become an atheist and is associated with the Freedom from Religion Foundation.

William Todd Aikin: (b. 1947, New York, USA) Engineer, United States Representative from Missouri, elected 2001.  He is an opponent of abortion and embryonic stem cell research.  Presbyterian.

Jeremiah Horrocks: (b. 1618, England –d. 1641) Astronomer, mathematician, mechanic. Considered to be the Father of British Astronomy.  He was the first person to demonstrate that the moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical pattern and was the only astronomer to predict the Transit of Venus which occurred in 1639.  Puritan.

Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba: (b. 1935, South Africa) President of Namibia, elected in 2004 and 2009. Anglican. 

It Is All About Me

There will be untold millions, possibly billions of saints with the Lord throughout eternity (Hebrews 12:1 says that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses), but Luke 15:10 tells us that “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner” that repents. I believe that means that Jesus died for each one of us individually and would have willingly done so even if we were the only one.

Read the following verses aloud.  I have made one change to several of the verses.

“For I have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23

“ … the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for ME.” Matthew 20:28

“ … the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for ME.” Mark 10:45

“I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that if I believe in him I will not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

Film Comment: At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul

Jose Mojica Marins (b. 1936, Brazil) is a director/actor of what would be known in the United States as independent, non-studio films, and is credited with producing the first Brazilian horror films.  Marins’ entire life has revolved around films; his father ran a movie house in Sao Paulo and the family lived in an apartment above the theater.

Though he has made and appeared in many other films, Marins is almost exclusively known for one recurring character, Ze do Caixao (Coffin Joe), who is always portrayed by Marins.  The character is so popular that he has appeared in films, on television,  in comic books, and in documentaries.  Mentions of Coffin Joe occur in numerous songs, magazine articles, and film reference books.  He even has been parodied in the short film, The Blind Date of Coffin Joe. (2008)

Coffin Joe is the embodiment of the amoral man dedicated to one thing and one thing only, himself.  Joe first appears in the 1964 film,  A Meia-Noite Levarei Sua Alma (At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul).  The film will not be confused with Citizen  Kane but is undeniably powerful.

There is an almost constant stream of eerie background noises, including ominous music, screams, animal sounds, and echoes.  The feeling of the film is quite intense and aggressive, pushing itself at you.  Just like Coffin Joe himself.

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Coffin Joe is an undertaker in a small, very superstitious town in rural Brazil.  Joe is a sadistic and brutal man who believes in nothing and enjoys the fear, disgust, and open hatred shown to him by the townspeople.  He believes himself to be infinitely superior to  all of them, For him, they exist only for his pleasure and for the accomplishment of his desires.  They are his slaves and he brutalizes them to force their obedience to him.

The one thing that Joe wants above all else is immortality, to be remembered forever.  Since he does not believe in God or the Devil and knows that he will eventually die, Joe decides that his name must live forever; in order to ensure “the continuity of blood” he decides that he must have a son, a perfect son.

To produce a perfect son, Joe is willing to commit murder, rape, torture, or any other brutality.  He is the totality of everything which is evil about the self.

The Christian view is that the self is the problem.  The Bible assumes that everyone loves themselves and it never says that we should hate ourselves.  What it does say is that we should love others as we love ourselves.  Romans 13:9-10, John 13:34-35, Colossians 3:12, Philippians 2:3, 1 Peter 5:5, James 3:13-18, 4:7.

Instead of prosperity (the heretical doctrine of the Prosperity Gospel), the Bible promises that we can expect opposition even from our own families and sometimes, persecution.  Matthew 10:34, 16:24-25.