Subjects in the Labels List (Labels Which Begin with the Letter A, range aa to al)

             This blog is ακωλυτως, unhindered. (Acts 28:31) Any subject is fair game. Below is a listing of the LABELS which begin with the letter A. All can be searched from the list which follows the last posted article on this page or by using the SEARCH button at the top of the page. Most will call up multiple postings in which they appear.

            a capella, A Contract with God, AAR, Aaron, abandonment of position, abba, abduction, ability, Abingdon Press, abjad, Abner, abortion, Abraham, Abraham Lincoln, Abram, Absalom Jones, absolute truth, abuse of power, academics, Academy Awards, acoustics, acrobatics, acrostics, acting, action figures, activism, actor, actress, Acts, Acts of the Apostles, AD, Adam and Eve, addiction to pornography, adolescents, Adolf Hitler, Adonai, Adoniram Judson, adoption, adoptionism, Adrian Peterson, Adrienne Barbeau, adultery, adults, advertisements, advice, aeronautics, affective disorders, Affirmation Declaration, Africa, African American, African Methodist Episcopal Church, Afrikaans, afterlife, age, aging, agnostic, agnosticism, Agrippa, Ahab, Ahaz, Ahaziah, Ahmadinejad, AI, AIDS, Air Force, airline, airplane, Akiane, Akira Kurosawa, Akkadia, Al Sharpton, al- Qaida, Alabama, Alabama A&M University, Alabama football, Alabama State University, Alabaster Box, Alaric, Alaska, Albania, Albanian, Albert Einstein, Albert Pujols, alcohol, Alcoholics Anonymous, Aldous Huxley, Aleister Crowley, alternate spiritualities, Alexander, Alexander Campbell, Alexander Kazembek, Alexander the Great, Alexandria, Alfred the Great, Algeria, Algonquian, Alice Cooper, alienation, Alistair Crowley, Allah, allegory, alligator, Alon Nil, and alphabet.

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.”

Names in the Bible: Hosea

The name of the Hebrew prophet Hosea (8^th Century BC/BCE, ca. 780-725) is derived from the Hebrew word for “salvation.”  Hosea and his adulterous wife, Gomer, are seen by biblical interpreters as symbolic of Yahweh and Israel.  Just as Gomer ran away to another man, God declared that Israel was chasing after other gods.  The gods were affluence, Canaanite religions, sexual immorality, drunkenness, and magical practices.

Hosea named his daughter Lo-ruhama, meaning “not pitied.”  His son he named Lo-ammi, meaning “not my people.”  Both names expressed God’s displeasure. With Israel.

What happened next is also symbolic of God and Israel.  Hosea brought Gomer back and with love and patience, restored her to her proper place.  He remained true to her in spite of her unfaithfulness.  His love was redemptive.

Christians believe that what is taught of God and Israel speaks also to them, those grafted into the tree.  The relationship between redeemed man and God is seen as an ideal marriage.  Because of our limited ability to understand, God speaks to us in powerful symbols we can understand.

The names Joshua (Hebrew: Yehoshua) and Jesus (Hebrew: Yeshua) are derived from the same word as Hosea/Hoshea and ultimately mean “Yahweh is salvation.” 

Failure of the Church Can Have Disastrous Effects

Recently here in Birmingham we had a little child die from injuries to his face and head.  His unmarried mother and her live-in boyfriend said that his injuries came when he fell off the couch.  The doctors said his injuries came from repeated blows from a blunt object, probably a fist.  Momma's alibi was that she was at a prayer meeting at church when it happened.

If the church had been doing it's job, the child would still be alive.  "What!!!????" you say.  I meant what I said.  If the church had been doing it's job, the child would still be alive.

This church was apparently tolerating a situation which it should have challenged.  Single, unmarried mothers and their children definitely belong in the church, but single, unmarried mothers who continue to have children by a series of men to whom they are not married, or single women who persist in living with men to whom they are not married, must be challenged if they wish to call themselves Christian and to remain in the Church.  Otherwise, the Church is giving tacit approval to their behavior.  If sexual immorality can be allowed to continue within the Church, what else can also be tolerated?

In 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, Paul addresses the Corinthian church which was apparently not alarmed that one of its men was living with his mother (or possibly his step-mother) as if she was his wife.  Even the pagans viewed this as incest and Paul adamantly insisted that the situation could not be allowed to stand.

The Church must perform its prophetic (speaking God's Word), teaching, and nurturing duties.  The young Birmingham mother could have been challenged about her behavior, counseled, and encouraged to repent and adopt more appropriate and biblical behavior, and sheltered if she and her child needed protection from the abusive boyfriend.  It seems that none of this was done.

Jesus, in Matthew 18:15-20, even gives the Church instructions on how to lovingly carry out it's corrective instruction and nurturing and what to do about it if its attempts at reconciliation are rebuffed.

Some readers of this blog are already itching to say, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."  Yes, Jesus said that, then He turned to the woman and said, "Go, and sin no more."  John 8:1-11.

Bible Printer's Errors: The Wicked Bible

Proofreading is very important.  Sometimes one word changes the entire meaning of a passage.    The following is an example to prove the point.  The incorrectly printed Bibles were pulled from sale and destroyed so any that survived are extremely rare and are expensive collector's item's.

The Wicked Bible (1631) is also called The Adulterous Bible or The Sinner's Bible.  It was a King James version printed by Robert Barker and Martin Lucas.  They were fined 300 Pounds Sterling and all available copies were burned.  Somehow, eleven Wicked Bibles still exist.

What it should have said:

“Thou shalt not commit adultery. “ Exodus 20:14

What it said:

“Thou shalt  commit adultery. “ Exodus 20:14