Image Pressure
June 1, 2007
Pressure on having the “look” faces both men and women. It's also prominent in the Christian Music industry - read this heart-wrenching exchange between Christian music artists called Coming Clean. Here is an excerpt:
Awhile back, I asked CCM if I could write this story. I felt…still feel…uneasy about that photo shoot princess moment. Not because there’s anything wrong with feeling momentarily flawless…but because that photo and many like it, in no way represent my real life. I feel rather nauseous when I consider the young girl who sees that photo and has no idea that it took 5 hours and an entire team of makeup artists and stylists to make me look like a princess. She also has no idea that even after all that, somebody sat at a computer (with my enthusiastic blessing) and point and clicked away my acne scars, my 35 year old wrinkles and the roll of flesh around my middle that makes me look like I am perpetually stuck in my 2nd trimester.
This doesn't affect women alone, note what Chris Tomlin says at the end of the article.
Want to read more about doctored magazine covers - Check this out - it will make you feel better.
The June/July issue of Men's Fitness enhanced Andy Roddick's bicep muscles -- so much so that Roddick said he stopped in his tracks when he saw the cover while walking through the airport. The tennis star dubbed the hulking masses “22-inch guns” and wrote on his blog, “If you can manage to stop laughing at the cover long enough, check out the article inside.”
Holiday Tree offensive to Judaism
November 30, 2005
My church - Redeemer Presbyterian is participating in the lighting of Concord's "Holiday Tree". We have the opportunity to sing carols at the tree lighting and then carol downtown. I'm thankful we get to sing CHRISTMAS carols. I came across this post today from a Jewish Blog - I say AMEN!
The US has lately had some controversy over municipal trees being called "Holiday Trees" instead of "Christmas Trees." Christians have objected to the name of their holiday being obscured in such an ambiguous term. In particular, Boston has been the site of a controversy this year over the naming of the tree. The man who donated the tree even said that had he known it would not be called a "Christmas Tree," he would not have given it to the city.
A representative of House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert said, "To rename a Christmas tree as a holiday tree is as offensive as renaming a Jewish menorah a candlestick".
I'll go one step further. While Christians consider the renaming of the holiday symbol an affront to their religion, I find it offensive to my Judaism. The implication is that the tree is a symbol of the various holidays celebrated in America, most notably Hanukkah that generally falls out around the same time as the Christian holiday (particularly this year). The tree is not. It has nothing to do with Judaism, Hanukkah or any of our holidays. Regardless of its historical origin, the tree has come to be a symbol of one of the most important Christian holidays. Using an ambiguous term that implies it has significance to Judaism is, in my opinion, extremely offensive to Jews (and presumably members of other religions) and is simply inaccurate.
P.S. Dennis Hastert is a graduate of my Alma Mater - Wheaton College - he doesn't get a lot of Christian press because he lives a fully developed Christian Worldview that makes a respectful impact on our culture.
TV Gets Religion
March 28, 2005
The Wall Street Journal has an article today about new fall programs that deal with religion. The article TV Gets Religion says:
It's the television industry's answer to the cash-generating power of biblical stories put through a pop-culture spin cycle. Mel Gibson's move "The Passion of the Christ" was one of the top box-office hits last year, and Dan Brown's novel "The Da Vinci Code" has sold 25 million copies. Meanwhile, author Tim LaHaye's biblical "Left Behind" novels have racked up sales of some $650 million.
Well, now we know the TV industry's motivations - but how are they planning to portray religion? CBS has a new drama with an interesting premise. It is described as a supernatural thriller about "a brilliant physicist with strong religious beliefs." Could they be thinking of Sir John Polkinghorne? Sir Polkinghorne, is a British physicist who did brilliant work calculating the paths of quantum particles and quarks, than left it all to become an Anglican priest. He has since written and spoken frequently about matters of science and faith. One of his best known works is The Faith of a Physicist: Reflections of a Bottom-Up Thinker.
This month Ken Myers has a great interview with Sir John Polkinghorne.
So will CBS look to Sir John for inspiration? Doubtful, here is a subnopsis of NBC's entry to the newly religious fall TV season, "Book of Daniel":
In "Book of Daniel," for example, actor Aidan Quinn plays a pill-popping Episcopal priest who has the ability to talk about his drug addiction with a hip, modern-day Jesus. The show is still a work in progress, but for now Mr. Quinn's character also is dealing with a daughter arrested for selling marijuana, a brother-in-law who embezzles money from the church and is found murdered, and a gay son.
Ipods and Social Isolation
March 27, 2005
Ipods cause social isolation and are being banned in schools, according to this article. Now if we could ban instant messaging, text messaging, social emailing and talking on the cell to the person down the hall. Just kidding - but there is some truth.
This week I took my sign language class to visit a Deaf school. One of our Deaf hosts spoke a little about the history of Deaf education. He also spoke passionately about social isolation, technology and the loss of community in the Deaf community. One of the factors he spoke about where the ubiquitous presence of Blackberrys, Sidekicks (text messaging, instant messaging, cell phone combo's), and the internet. Where the Deaf used to get together on weekends at Deaf clubs and socialize they can now stay home and email or text message. The internet, video relay (live video phone), and other technologies allow the Deaf to work and live in the broader hearing community - but as good as this is - it has increased the sense of isolation the Deaf feel.
After church today - I had an interesting conversation with a friend who pointed out that even hearing people are experiencing a sense of isolation with the increase in technology. Of course - I don't know if she has discovered blogs!!!!
I came home and read about Ipods keeping kids focused inward rather than reaching out and dialoging with their friends. What's my son doing now - sitting here in the kitchen tuned into his Ipod. Something for me to think about!
Academy - Hope is Lost
January 30, 2005
I didn't post about the omission of the Passion of the Christ as a nominee for Best Picture. I agree with Mel Gibson - "no surprise". But after seeing two of the nominees this weekend Sideways and Million Dollar Baby I am appalled!!!!
How, how could these two morally bankrupt, meaningless, vacuous movies compete with the Passion of the Christ.
Guess it's back to Netflix for us.
Update: Hotel Rwanda received a nod with Don Cheadle's magnificent performance. This is a GREAT picture - everyone should see it and skip the rest.
Million Dollar Tragedy
January 30, 2005
Warning: If you want to see Million Dollar Baby don't read further. What is Hollywood up to now? Surprise, surprise they now add euthanasia to their list of acceptable choices. After all "it's all about choice" isn't it? Wittenberg Gate has a thoughtful post on euthanasia that should be read before rooting for the Academy Awards (guess which movie doesn't get my vote). This review by Emanuel Levy goes even further - Hollywood now takes shots at spiritual redemption and euthansia all wrapped up in one movie.
Million Dollar Baby is a spiritual, even religious, movie about the search for redemption of an old Irish Catholic who's become disillusioned with the church and the lack of significant family relationship. Through his relationship with Maggie, Frankie redeems himself and experiences a moral and emotional rebirth at the most tragic circumstances.
Tragic - you can say that again!
Million Dollar Tragedy
January 30, 2005
Warning: If you want to see Million Dollar Baby don't read further. What is Hollywood up to now? Surprise, surprise they now add euthanasia to their list of acceptable choices. After all "it's all about choice" isn't it? Wittenberg Gate has a thoughtful post on euthanasia that should be read before rooting for the Academy Awards (guess which movie doesn't get my vote). This review by Emanuel Levy goes even further - Hollywood now takes shots at spiritual redemption and euthansia all wrapped up in one movie.
Million Dollar Baby is a spiritual, even religious, movie about the search for redemption of an old Irish Catholic who's become disillusioned with the church and the lack of significant family relationship. Through his relationship with Maggie, Frankie redeems himself and experiences a moral and emotional rebirth at the most tragic circumstances.
Tragic - you can say that again!
