Gospel.com Blog

This week’s film roundup from Past the Popcorn:

Top boxoffice be dogged… sometimes films are just bad. This week, though, there’s nary a howler in the bunch, dog days of the cinematic calendar though it be. Jeff Walls had a dandy week, catching the eye candy that is 300, the entertaining morality tale that is The Ultimate Gift, and the amusing if gender-bending Gray Matters (clearly not everyone’s cup of tea, but fairly well made nonetheless). And he ranked them in just about that order.

Jenn Wright also raves about the documentary Maxed Out–for its financial lessons, if not for its occasional spin. Kathy Bledsoe also liked the re-release of 1939′s The Rules of the Game, and Mike Smith was pleasantly tweaked by The Host, a Hong Kong monster flick.

Finally, Greg Wright interviewed Steve Stockman, the director of Two Weeks, who had some interesting thoughts about the interplay of business and art.

Break out your drawing tools and your imagination! The Second International Christian Comics Competition, hosted by the Comix35 ministry, is underway? Entrants (who can be from anywhere around the world) have until June 13, 2007 to submit a short, original comic that is either evangelistic in nature or which displays an aspect of Christian discipleship. Winners receive a cash award and will be published in a compilation. See the full contest rules for details.

One of the most memorable and powerful elements of Easter worship is music–Easter lays claim to some of the most moving and introspective hymns in all of church history. As Lent continues, take some time to learn more about the magnificent songs of Easter over at the Center for Church Music. They’ve got in-depth information (lyrics, histories, sheet music, etc.) about many famous Easter hymns (scroll down the page for the list of Easter songs).

Their current featured song is the Easter classic “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”. If you’re not familiar with the story behind it and other Easter tunes, it’s the perfect time of year to learn more!

This month, Youth Ministry Exchange is publishing articles addressing sexuality in our culture. Amy Sondova recently interviewed J.R. Mahon from xxxchurch.com to talk about reaching the “porn generation.” Mahon says, “We are literally growing a porn generation; a generation that think it’s cool to have porn stars inside of their brains. Man, we always say we hate to think what marriage is going to look like in ten years. These 14-17 year-olds are gonna get married in 10 years and God knows what’s going to happen to marriage.”

Mahon continues with a call to action for youth workers. He points out that we need to get beyond just acknowledging that it is a problem and actually do something about it within our local church: “the bottom line is that if you’re not getting out of your pew and back into your community and praising the Lord, then you’re full of crap.”

It’s a thorough and thought-provoking discussion about one of the most difficult cultural issues the church faces. Read the whole thing.

What does high-speed ministry look like? Ask the folks at Fast Track Ministries–they’ve got a passion both for motor sports and for the people behind the wheel. Fast Track aims to “show Christ’s love to the racers, their pit crew, and families by working alongside them on the track”–to share the Gospel message with the men and women of the motor sports world. Stop by and learn more about them at their brand new website, and read the “chaplain’s corner” message, which gives the concept of “going live” a fresh devotional twist.

As promised, Answers in Genesis has published a thorough review of the The Lost Tomb of Jesus, the controversial documentary that aired over the weekend. To say that they weren’t impressed by the film’s theological and archaeological claims would be an understatement–read the full review for the details.

If you’ve been paying attention to the news lately, you can’t possibly have missed the controversy over the “Jesus tomb” and claims that Jesus’ remains have been discovered. So is there any substance to the claims? A few Gospelcom Alliance ministries have been voicing thoughts on the issue, including GetReligion, which has published several informative blog posts about it. Answers in Genesis has also published a brief response to the much-hyped discovery, and promises additional updates once they’ve had a chance to view the controversial video this weekend. If and when other ministries speak up about the controversy, we’ll make note of them here.

Oh, and one film that should die a quick, painful death. It’s the Friday film roundup from Past the Popcorn:

Leading the pack of new releases is David Fincher’s Zodiac, which Greg Wright finds oddly entertaining in spite of itself, if only midly so. He positively gushes, though, over Days of Glory, Algeria’s official submission for Best Foreign Language film at the Oscars. Wright compares it favorably to Patton and Platoon, and says the performances are the best you’re likely to see — in spite of the subtitles. He also finds Two Weeks, the new Sally Field fatal cancer dramedy, spot-on and a needed dose of reality.

Mike Brunk also finds redemptive value in the, shall we say, earthy Black Snake Moan, while Jeff Walls finds Wild Hogs a big bore.

Wrapping up the schedule is Mike Smith’s interview with documentarian Katharina Otto-Bernstein, and Greg’s thoughts about Amazing Grace‘s not so amazing historical liberties.

Christians have been known in the past for their loud condemnations of films containing immoral or inappropriate content–and so it might come as a surprise that American evangelicals go to more movies each year than their non-Christian counterparts! In a recent column, Jim Dahlman looks at this trend, and at what it might mean for an evangelical culture that has long had an uneasy love/hate relationship with pop culture.

Are evangelicals becoming more discerning and mature in their attitude toward mainstream entertainment, or are they lowering their guard against dangerous secular influence? That depends on who you ask–read Dahlman’s essay for the story.