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.

John Croyle: (b. USA) Former University of Alabama football player who turned down a National Football League (NFL) contract to found (1974) The Big Oak Ranch, a home for boys from troubled and abusive families in Alabama.  In 1988, he and his wife, Tee added The Girl’s Ranch.  He needed $30,000 as a down payment on the original parcel of land for the ranch: Croyle’s teammate and fellow Christian, John Hannah, donated his $30,000 NFL signing bonus to make the payment.  Croyle is the father of NFL quarterback, Brodie Croyle.

http://www.bigoak.org 

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Bringing-Out-the-Winner-In-Your-Child/John-Croyle/e/9781581823516 

John Brodie Croyle: (b. 1983, Alabama, USA) Son of Big Oak Ranch founder, John Croyle.  University of Alabama college football player, professional football quarterback.

Hermann of Reichenau: (b. 1013, Swabia (Germany) – d. 1054: aka> Hermannus Contractus, Hermannus Augiensis, Herman the Cripple) Son of the Duke of Altshausen.  Benedictine monk, scholar, composer, music theorist, mathematician, astronomer, poet, beatified by the Roman Catholic Church in 1863.  He is probably the first to make a numerical-chronological listing of the Popes of the Roman Catholic Church.  He was crippled from birth, born apparently with cleft palate, cerebral palsy, and possibly spina bifida; he went blind as an adult.

Giovanni Battista Cybo: (b. 1432, Republic of Genoa (Italy) – d. 1492; aka. Pope Innocent VIII) Roman Catholic Pope 1484-1492. An opponent of witchcraft and of the Waldensians.  He appointed (1487) Tomas de Torquemada as Grand Inquisitor of Spain.

Hubert Ira Davis: (b. 1970, North Carolina, USA) Professional basketball (NBA) player, ESPN college basketball analyst.  He is the nephew of former professional basketball (NBA) player, Walter Davis.

Film Comment: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) is another in the immensely popular and immensely trite series about the coming of age of a young sorcerer, possibly the sorcerer. The stories in the series are filled with numerous and very obvious stereotypes. The content is appropriate for this forum because sorcery is a form of religion. (An aside: Yes, I do know the differences between the historical view of witchcraft and satanism, sorcery, Wicca, modern Satanism, and neo-paganism.)

As I was watching Order of the Phoenix I had a strong feeling of deja vu. I've seen this before. What I was seeing was a clearly discernable liberal or left wing message. The members of The Ministry of Magic are in denial about the return of the ultra-evil Lord Voldemort and interpret warnings of his return as attacks on their leadership. To squelch dissent, they send in a new representative, Dolores Jane Umbridge, to clamp down on the Hogwarts School. She is sweet and fuzzy on the outside but she clamps down on the students like the authoritarian bureaucrat she is. The Ministry is practicing "the politics of fear" and fails to see "the real threat."

This politicization of what is ostensibly a children's film is further shown in the name of Dolores Umbridge. "Umbrage" comes to us from Middle English by way of French,and, ultimately, from the Latin word "umbra" which means "shade" or "shadow." "To take umbrage" is to resent or be angered by some imagined insult. The idea which I believe is intended in Order of the Phoenix is somewhere along the lines of the Scandinavian perjorative "morkemann." (See my post for 24 October 2009 in the Labels List under the label: "morkemann." )