Film Comment: Summer of Fear

Summer of Fear, the somewhat misleading title of this 1996 made for television movie, gives the viewer no idea of what is about to happen. When you think you know what is going on, you don’t. The story does not actually produce fear in the viewer but more of an anticipation of what is about to happen, since you soon realize that something is not quite right with Simon. People expecting “blood and guts” have called it “too tame to be a thriller.” Admittedly, this is not an Oscar winning film. It is more like a film one would expect from the Lifetime Movie Network. (The film should not be confused with the more intense 1978 Wes Craven film, also titled Summer of Fear. Both films are based on the novel, Simon Says.)

Echo Bridge Home Entertainment posted this plot synopsis on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB.com):  “When Lucas Marshall and his family are attacked en route to their summer vacation, a passing drifter comes to their rescue. But soon after being welcomed into their home, the stranger engages the family in a treacherous game of deceit and manipulation, forcing them to realize that his encounter with them was no accident.” The film features several television actors who were once quite ubiquitous on television but who now are seldom seen.

Lucas (Gregory Harrison), a city-living middle class businessman, inherits his aunt’s summer home in a small town. While he and his family are traveling to the home for a summer of relaxation and home remodeling, they are carjacked by two thugs. The men seriously damage Lucas’ foot and ankle and he watches helplessly as they sexually molest his wife.

The only thing which prevents the men from raping the wife (Glynnis O’Connor) is the arrival of Simon (Corin Nemec), a local teenager, who chases the men away with his shotgun. The shotgun turns out to actually be just a large walking stick. Simon is a very resourceful and talented young man.

Gratefully, the family invites Simon to the summer home for a day. Soon, Simon is using their boat, fixing the malfunctioning clothes dryer, cleaning the house’s gutters, wooing the the teenaged daughter, becoming a buddy to the young pre-teen son, and, eventually, successfully seducing the mother. Simon is clearly in charge, taking over the family from the loving but ineffectual father and husband.

This is a story of deceit, guilt, psychological horror, hints of incest, anger, resentment, adultery, and a very dark, long-hidden secret seeking a resolution. It is an example of how “the sins of the fathers” can come back to haunt the children for generations to come.

Lucas ends the dangerous situation non-violently by bravely telling the truth. In the effort, he finally wins the respect of his family. He also seems to have finally come to respect himself.

Though this movie presents itself as a horror film, it ultimately is a drama about a disturbed family. Very prominent themes are personal responsibility, the destructiveness of keeping “secrets,” the generational effects of hatred and revenge, and the redemption which can come from “clearing the air.”

福音歌 (The Gospel Song)

This is absolutely beautiful!  William Chong’s daughter loves her daddy and helps him sing his song.  William is a gathered worship leader at Howick Baptist Church in Auckland, New Zealand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OAPxinCISU

聖潔神以愛成為
完美人承擔我罪
十架上受苦犧牲
祂受死我得永生

Holy God, love becomes

Perfect bear my sins

Sacrifice on the cross of suffering

His death I have never

Shèngjié shén yǐ ài chéngwéi

wánměi rén chéngdān wǒ zuì

shí jià shàng shòukǔ xīshēng

tā shòu sǐ wǒ dé yǒng

Since the Alpha

Three persons in One,
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
One since the alpha.

Coming Home Late

“The minister was waiting up for his teenaged daughter who was out far past her curfew.  When she finally came home around 3:00 a.m. he bellowed, ‘Good morning, child of the devil!’

The girl answered respectfully, ‘Good morning, Father.’”

From the Big Book of Church Jokes, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.

The Sins of the Fathers

Yesterday in the post on The Road to Perdition, I said that the film's story is based on the idea of the"sins of the fathers."  Here are the biblical references.

“Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;” Exodus 20:5

“And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” Exodus 34:6-7

“Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,” Deuteronomy 5:9

And the Christian promise:

“In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge.

But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jeremiah 31:29-34

Feticide Laws

On Tuesday, 23 October 2012, police in Walker, Louisiana (USA) responded to a 911 call to find that a man, possibly under the influence of psychoactive drugs, had stabbed his seven month pregnant wife and cut the baby out of her body.  There is an unconfirmed report that the child was stabbed in the head. 

The mother survived but the baby died.  The father has been charged with one charge of feticide and one charge of attempted second degree murder.  Second degree murder is a non-premeditated killing from an attack so dangerous that a result of death is a real possibility.

Thirty-eight of the fifty United States recognize the “unborn child” as a human homicide victim.  The laws vary in their details, with some covering differing periods of a pregnancy.

In 2004, then United States President George W. Bush signed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act which views unborn children as humans if they are injured or killed during the commission of a list of specific federal crimes, including terrorism.

The United States courts have declared that these laws do not apply to legal abortions.  My question is, “Why not?”  Is the only difference that the murdered child is wanted and the aborted child is not? 

Honoring Your Father

The New York Yankees professional baseball team defeated The Baltimore Orioles 7-2 last Saturday night in the American League Division Series.  The team found out on Thursday from a newspaper report that manager Joe Girardi’s father died before the Saturday game. Girardi learned of his father’s death while on the team bus travelling from Yankee Stadium to Grand Central Station for a train ride to Baltimore for the game.  Why would Girardi have continued to manage his team and tell no one of his loss?

The answer: he was honoring his father.  One of the things his father taught him was to “finish the job.”  The father, Jerry Girardi, once illustrated the principle by finishing a home plumbing repair even though he broke his thumb during the repair.

“So I thought that’s what my dad would want me to do, so that’s what I tried to do.”

Honoring one’s parents means respect in what we say and what we do.  It is an attitude, a decision for action based not only on love but also on the position of authority into which our parents have been placed by God.  It is based not only on merit, what they “deserve,” but also on direct instructions from God.

What the Bible says about what Joe Girardi did.

“Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12

“Honor thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” Deuteronomy 5:16

“Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Matthew 19:19

“For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:” Mark 7:10

“Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;” Ephesians 6:2

“Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.”  Luke 18:20

“For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.”  Matthew 15:4

“Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.”  Mark 10:19

“And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you: 19Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever.” Jeremiah 35:18-19

“My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:” Proverbs 1:8

“A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.”  Proverbs 13:1

“Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.”  Colossians 3:20

Jesus practiced what the Bible taught.

“And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.”  Luke 2:51

“And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”  Matthew 26:39

Why Life Begins at Conception, Part 3

(The posts in this series may not occur on consecutive days but they will make the most sense to you if they are read in consecutive order.)

This is a very simplified presentation of human conception and the passage of genetic information from the parents to the offspring.  (An aside: how can any rational, normally intelligent person see this level of complexity and order and still deny at least the possibility of an intelligent designer?)

The information may seem to be complicated and overwhelming, but at least a simplified basic
understanding is necessary for a scientific attack on abortion.  That is what I will attempt to provide for you here.  It is necessary to start at the beginning, DNA (deoxy-ribonucleic acid).

DNA is a spiral molecule consisting of two strands paired together in the shape of a helix.  DNA is present in every cell of the human body and, in every one of those cells, the DNA contains ALL the information necessary to build and maintain the entire body.

DNA is a very complex and a very simple molecule.  It basically is two strands joined by matched pairs of bases.  Only four bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine) are used.  Combinations of these four bases contain the entire genome; the genetic code which determines a person's hair color, voice, skin color, height, body type, number of fingers and toes, intelligence level, athletic ability, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. The code determines everything about your physical body.  Literally everything, and genetic science says that all that information about you as an individual is present from the moment of conception.

A very simplified explanation is this.  In the sperm and egg cells, each cell receives one strand of the two DNA strands.  At fertilization, the two strands join to form one complete strand.  So, half of the information comes from the mother and half from the father.  The fertilized egg then is a hybrid of the two source cells, made from them but entirely different from them;  a fully separate genetic code, a separate individual.

More in the next post.
.....................................
If you wish to know more, see these links.

Very good:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss3/DNA2.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss3/dna.html&h=543&w=351&sz=42&tbnid=8CP_Dkmi3Hub9M:&tbnh=84&tbnw=54&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dimage%2B%2526%2BDNA%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=image+%26+DNA&usg=__DNAoHOES8pL7lQS_Oaj3PGM13so=&hl=en&sa=X&ei=uDw6UOT9OY2s8QTIrYG4AQ&ved=0CCMQ9QEwBA

Simplified:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA

DNA to RNA to proteins

http://dna-rna.net/

Detailed information on proteins:

http://www2.chemistry.msu.edu:80/faculty/reusch/VirtTxtJml/proteins.htm

Chromosomes

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/D/Down.gif&imgrefurl=http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/C/Chromosomes.html&h=318&w=430&sz=29&tbnid=4sRt4QRwm30RKM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=112&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dimages%2B%2526%2Bchromosomes%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=images+%26+chromosomes&usg=__9giWb2_ajTIbvehrthPPLzjuZwA=&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hkA6UJ36EoT89gS6joGwCg&ved=0CBoQ9QEwAQ

http://images.yourdictionary.com/chromosome

Coming Back

In an article in the 6-8 April 2012 edition of USA Today entitled "Religious 'Reverts' Coming Back to Faith," Cathy Lynn Grosssman quotes  a man named Bruce Boling who quit attending church as soon as he left home.  "Once I grew up and didn't have to go anymore, I just quit."

After he married and had children, he thought church might be good for his relationship with his children.

"I thought if I went back, it would make me a better father.  What I found was it made me a better me."

A Christian Father

One day in 2008, a two-year old boy named William Bronner "Cornbread" Burgess fell into the family swimming pool and drowned.  How his family, and especially his father, responded is an inspirational Christian story.

Rick Burgess and Bill "Bubba" Bussey are "Rick and Bubba ," a nationally syndicated radio team whose humor is based on their Southern heritage.  There is much more to them than the average morning radio talk show hosts.  They appear primarily on secular radio stations but never shy away from clearly stating their Christian faith.

Juno Whips It

The two Ellen Page (b. 1987, Canada) movies, Juno (2007) and Whip It (2009) are usually seen as female empowerment films. I loved these two films and agree, but see another consistent theme, strong families headed by men who take seriously their responsibilities as fathers.

In Juno, a teenager has to respond to finding herself pregnant. The "boy" is Paulie Bleecker (Michael Cera), an immature and nerdishly nerdy nerd. I mean it; nerd.

Fighting back his urge to punch Paulie in an unhappy place, Dad (J.K. Simmons) decides instead to support his daughter Juno in whatever decision she makes.

At the abortion clinic, Juno can't stop thinking about what the lone protester outside, a Chinese girl (Valerie Tran) has told her. Juno makes her decision; to bring the baby to term and place the child with a family she chooses. Her dad supports her all the way.

In Whip It, Bliss Cavendar is destined, according to her mother (Marcia Gay Harden), to be a beauty pageant queen, just like Mom was. Mom is going to make sure of it.

Seventeen year old Bliss unhappily works as a waitress at the Oink Joint, a barbecue diner, and dreams of escaping little Bodeen, Texas ... and her mother.

While on a shopping trip to Austin, the nearby big city, Bliss sees THEM; roller derby girls, and her future opens up before her. She pulls out her long discarded roller skates and actually makes the team roster of The Hurl Scouts, eventually becoming their star player.

At the height of her success, everything suddenly unfolds until Dad (Daniel Stern) decides that his role as Father is more important than the unrealistic fantasies of his wife and his own indecision and cocooning from real life. He chooses his daughter and his family.

Neither of these movies are Christian films, but there are two things I find significant about these comedies.
1. The fathers are treated as important to their families. In much of modern entertainment in films and television, the father is presented as absent, disinterested, or as an ineffectual doofus. Think of Al Bundy.
2. The main characters, Juno MacGuff and Bliss "Babe Ruthless" Cavendar, take responsibility for their own lives. In much of modern culture, everything is someone else's fault. I'm the way I am or I did that because ... 1,2,3,4, etc.

In Whip It, Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig) tells Bliss to "Be your own hero," In other words, don't depend on someone else to straighten out your life. You have to make the choice.

**************************************************************************
The movie title, Whip It, refers to a classic roller derby move in which two players skate arm in arm and a third holds onto the outstretched leg of the second skater, who whips the third skater forward at a very fast speed.

The First Three Words of the Bible

בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ
Bereishit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve'et ha'aretz. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Bereishit (בראשית)in Hebrew means "at the head of." Since the first letter bet (ב) is closed on three sides, and since Hebrew is read right to left, the midrash Bereishit Rabbah 1:10 says that interpretation can only go in the open direction, ie. don't worry about what came before. The three middle letters are the same word as in Rosh Hahanah ("the head the year"), the beginning of the year. Bara (ברא) means "filled" or "fattened." Elohim (אלהים) is a name of God.

Some Christians see even more in these first three words of the Bible. The first letter of the sentence, bet ב, is the first letter of ben (son). The second letter of the sentence, resh ר, is the first letter of ruach (spirit, breath). The third letter of the sentence, alef א, is the first letter of abba (father) and of the third word, Elohim (אלהים). Father, Son, and Spirit, with the third word of the sentence being "God." Also, the name. Elohim אלהים, is a plural form and the first letter, א, in its simplest form consists of three strokes.

My Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad

A joke from A Comedian's Guide to Theology by Thor Ramsey (2008, Gospel Light, Ventura, California).

"...God is not a man but could easily kick your butt if needed. I wonder how Jesus responded to the kid who bragged, "I bet my dad could beat up your dad.""
"My dad created your dad."

My Father Died Today

    My father, Bonnie Frank Mann, died today.  He had a Scottish grandmother and his name means "handsome farmer."  He was a good man.

     In his career he was a mechanical engineer with the United States Pipe and Foundry Company.  His most important accomplishment was that he was the first profoundly deaf man elected as a deacon in a Southern Baptist church in the state of Alabama.