Just Under the Surface

While in line at the grocery store I noticed the text on the tee shirt worn by the man standing behind me. He was grumbling about the current shortages of some items on grocery store shelves. I suppose that he thought his tee shirt was witty or funny but it may have spoken more than he meant to express. The text was


                                DON'T MAKE ME VIOLATE MY PAROLE! 


The message is a subtle threat. He is expressing that "I am angry and seething inside and if you irritate me in any way I may respond with physical violence." Any police officer can tell you that there are many people like this. I suspect that the numbers of these sociopathic people would horrify you. We live in a fallen lost world.

(For those who may not know, parole is the early release of persons from criminal incarceration based on their good behavior while incarcerated.)

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.

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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.

Whether From False Motives or True, Christ is Preached

Just the other day, while I was at work, one of the other technologists brought me some religious materials from the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries which someone had placed on the windshield of his car.  The people I work with know that I attended seminary and am knowledgeable about other religions and about cult groups.

I told him what I knew about Tony and Susan Alamo.  Tony was born in Missouri (USA) in 1934 as Bernie Lazar Hoffman, Susan Lipowitz. A Jewish convert to Christianity, was born as Edith Opal Horn.  When they first met, they were both already married to other people.  After they each obtained divorces, they married in 1966 and had their names legally changed.  As Tony and Susan Alamo, they established a Christian evangelistic ministry in 1969 and also sold Tony Alamo brand clothing.

Tony Alamo was convicted of tax evasion in 1994 and served a four year prison term.  In 2008, he was arrested for possession of child pornography. In 2009, Alamo was convicted of ten counts of carrying minor girls across state lines for sexual activity.  He was sentenced to 175 years in prison.

The Tony Alamo Christian Ministries are still active, with churches in the United States, India, and Africa.  Those of the ministry’s materials which I have seen appear to be orthodox.

I have no idea of the sincerity, or lack of it, of Pastor Tony Alamo but I would believe that regardless of who or what he is, his converts are truly Christians.  The power of the Gospel to save is not dependent on the worthiness of the one who delivers it.  Listen to Paul. 


“It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.   The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.   The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.  But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”  Philippians 1:15-18

The Bible warns against being deceived by false teachers.  This would be those who teach doctrines contrary to what is clearly taught in the Bible. (Galatians 1:8)

Unworthy teachers may teach true doctrine for insincere, selfish,  or malicious purposes.  The Gospel is more powerful than they are and, when truly preached, is effective for salvation. 

Film Comment: Island of Despair

Godard, Rohmer, Truffaut, Chabrol, Almodovar, Oshima, Fellini, Rossellini, Bergman, Curtiz, Hitchcock, Frankenheimer, Chaplin, Ozu, Welles, Mizoguchi, Zefirelli, Polanski, Ford, Capra, Scorsese, Penn, Malle, Wilder, Allen, Burton, Cameron, Bertolucci, Spielberg, Naruse, Bunuel, Melies, Zhang, Kurosawa, Woo, Besson, Brooks.  Jesus Franco is not one of them.

Jesus Franco Manera, with over 190 films to his credit, is one of those unstoppable film directors (like the immortal Ed Wood) who don't let a lack of money and no real directorial talent stand in their way.  They love making movies and churn them out year after year, sometimes making as many as twenty in one year.

Most of Franco's films exist in multiple versions, with varying lengths, varying content, released with different scenes included for different countries, and most also exist in badly edited pornographic versions with inserts (yes, that is the technical term) of material totally unrelated to the rest of the film.  The producers heavily cut up the films, doing whatever was necessary to get people into the theater. 

The film I viewed for this post is possibly Franco's most accomplished effort, with big name actors (Mercedes McCambridge, Herbert Lom, Maria Schell, Luciana Paluzzi, and Rosalba Neri) and what seems to have been at least an adequate budget.  The film, just as do most other Franco films, exists in a pornographic version; I'm sure this was to the later horror of the legitimate actors who appeared in the non-pornographic version which I viewed.

Island of Despair (1969), originally titled Der heisse Tod (The Hot Death), is best known as 99 Women.  It is a WIP (Women in Prison) film, one of the first.  A group of 99 female prisoners are held in a castle prison on an island where they are stripped of their identities, known only by their prisoner numbers.  The main prisoner is 99.

The brutal superintendent (McCambridge) is an Iron Maiden who rules with a sadistic hand.  Under her administration, prisoners frequently have lethal "accidents."  She also has an arrangement with the corrupt governor (Lom) of the men's prison on the other side of the island.  He visits the women's prison to make use of it as his own personal harem. 

The government has become aware of the horrible conditions in the women's prison and sends an earnest prison reformer (Maria Schell) to correct the situation.  Of course, everything goes horribly wrong, and, at the end of the film, the reformer sadly leaves the prison which she knows has not changed at all.  The hopeless situation remains hopeless.  The reformer leaves with the female prisoners standing in the prison yard, staring at her back as she goes through the gate.

Christians often come across hopeless situations which seem to be beyond redemption.   People many times do not wish to hear what we have to say.  We may be tempted by their rejection to simply turn and walk away, to exit the gate.  And, realistically, we may not effect any change no matter what we do.  So, what is "success"?

In his book, Share Jesus Without Fear, William Fay points out that "success is sharing your faith and living your life for Jesus Christ.  It has nothing whatsoever to do with bringing anyone to the Lord.  It has everything to do with obedience."  Obedience, not results, is success for a Christian.  Results come from the work of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit indwells every believer.  "... we have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, living in us ..." 

News: Chinese Christian Pastors Given Prison Time

In Linfen City, Shanxi Province, China, on 25 November 2009, Yang Rongli and four other house church pastors were sentenced to multiple years of prison time for "illegally occupying farming land" and "disturbing transportation order by gathering masses." Thier real crime was refusing to register their churches and accept governmental control of their worship services and other activities.