Preaching Today Blog

Preaching and Pop Culture: Friday Pop Culture Roundup (November 6, 2009)

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. This Is It (PG)
2. Paranormal Activity (R)
3. Law Abiding Citizen (R)
4. Couples Retreat (PG-13)
5. Saw VI (R)

Notables: Pop singer Michael Jackson died during the final stages of preparation for his highly-anticipated "This Is It" tour (50 sold-out dates in London). In fact, when you read reports of the last few months of Jackson's life, it sure seems like it was the pressure of these make-or-break shows (plus one very, very troubled life) that sent him spiraling into drugs and wild abuse of his body. Nonetheless, people want to see what they never got a chance to see. So producers dutifully combed over hundreds of hours of video and cobbled together a glimpse into what might have been. Here's a review from the folks at CT Movies. A lot of other reviews for This Is It insist that there is nothing morbid about going to see this one. But I'm not sure how it can't rattle you from beginning to end. You're watching archived footage of a man wasting away for entertainment's sake. Even the title is eerie to the point of turning your stomach. Count me out. (Of course, I was never a Jackson fan, so this isn’t geared toward me.)

Weekly Intersections (November 4, 2009)

Many of you know about the tragedy that struck Christian recording artist Steve Curtis Chapman's family a little over a year and a half ago. Chapman has just released his first album since he lost his daughter (entitled Beauty Will Rise), and Christianity Today's Mark Moring has just posted a moving interview with Chapman about the journey he and his family have been on.

Notes from Today's Webinar on Preaching the Gospel from the Law of Moses

by Steve Mathewson blowery@christianitytoday.com Special Topics

Here are the notes from today's webinar by Steve Mathewson. Just below the notes are links to many of the helpful resources he mentioned in his presentation. Stay tuned for more webinars in the future!

Weekly Intersections (October 28, 2009)

Popular atheist Richard Dawkins is putting together a book for young adults that answers all the big questions in life. The working title is What Is a Rainbow, Really? It's safe to assume his answer to the book's titular question will not begin with these words: "Well, let's turn to Genesis 9…"

Webinar: Preaching the Gospel from the Law of Moses

On November 3, at 10:00 am (CST), PreachingToday.com is going to host a special webinar on how to preach the Mosaic Law in a way that leads to completeness in Christ. Steve Mathewson will be the main presenter, while I'll play the role of host. Steve is pastor of the Evangelical Free Church of Libertyville, Illinois, and has taught preaching for the doctoral programs at Denver Seminary and Western Seminary, and the Master of Divinity program at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is a regular contributor to PreachingToday.com, and the author of The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narrative.

The webinar is less than two weeks away, so be sure to sign up as soon as possible by clicking here. The cost is $9.95.

Preaching and Pop Culture: Friday Pop Culture Roundup (October 23, 2009)

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. Where the Wild Things Are (PG)
2. Law Abiding Citizen (R)
3. Paranormal Activity (R)
4. Couples Retreat (PG-13)
5. The Stepfather (PG-13)

Notables: The only thing worth looking into is Where the Wild Things Are. Director Spike Jonze—along with Gen X hero/author Dave Eggers—are behind this adaptation of a beloved children’s book that runs just a little over 300 words. How do you get an hour-and-half movie out of that? Well, you interpret its big ideas and add, add, add anything that can exist within those big ideas. Jonze and Eggers felt the big ideas bravely explore the darker, harder side of childhood and their movie boldly does the same. The reaction? Well, it made over $30 million dollars, but folks are passionately for or against it, with seemingly no middle ground. Interestingly, people love and hate it for the same reason: it’s willingness to explore the darker side of childhood. Check out the review from CT Movies for more thoughts on this one.

Weekly Intersections (October 21, 2009)

As if most of today's girls aren't self-conscious enough, folks are actually complaining that Barbie's ankles are too fat.

Take a few minutes to read The Defiant Ones, an essay about a disturbing trend in today's children's books.

Preaching and Pop Culture: Friday Pop Culture Roundup (October 16, 2009)

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. Couples Retreat (PG-13)
2. Zombieland (R)
3. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (PG)
4. Paranormal Activity (R)
5. Toy Story 1 & 2 (3-D editions) (G)

Notables: I’m out of the office tomorrow, so I’m posting the Friday Pop Culture Roundup on Thursday. Keep in mind, then, that the top searched-for items listed below are from the Google Trends report for Wednesday.

There’s not much to report here. Couples Retreat looks like a basic October comedy (just funny enough to draw a decent crowd) and the success of Paranormal Activity reminds us that Halloween is just around the corner. Still, a few links to check out:

Weekly Intersections (October 14, 2009)

Wow. I missed this one entirely. Did you hear about Penelope Trunk, the woman who twittered her miscarriage? In essence, the "tweet" celebrated how the miscarriage was going to save her the time and cost of an abortion. Honestly, folks, I don't have the words for this one. The author of the article gets at some of what raced through my mind as I read about the story. As you read, be sure to pay very close attention to Trunk's vocation. (HT: Christianity Today's Her.meneutics blog)

Preaching and Pop Culture: Friday Pop Culture Roundup (October 9, 2009)

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. Zombieland (R)
2. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (PG)
3. Toy Story 1 & 2 (3-D editions) (G)
4. Surrogates (PG-13)
5. The Invention of Lying (PG-13)

Notables: Let's talk about the two newbies on the list (Toy Story 1 & 2 don't count, because they are the same 'ole flicks rereleased with 3-D treatment).

First up is Zombieland. It's a horror-comedy flick that is playing quite well with audiences. It's safe to assume there's not much you can do with the actual movie itself, but the sudden interest in an old genre (zombie movies) might hint at something deeper. Consider this little thought that Ruben Fleischer, the move's director, dropped in an interview with Movieline.com:

Weekly Intersections (October 7, 2009)

Newsweek's Julia Baird wonders if happiness is overrated. A great, short read—and a great invitation to think through the more substantive nature of joy.

What a curious little article from Time magazine: How Moses Shaped America.

Preaching and Pop Culture: Friday Pop Culture Roundup (October 2, 2009)

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (PG)
2. Love Happens (PG-13)
3. Surrogates (PG-13)
4. Fame (PG)
5. Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself (R) (PG-13)

Notables: Two newbies this week: the Bruce Willis sci-fi thriller Surrogates, and the I’m-not-sure-anyone-was-clamoring-for-a-remake-of-this-one Fame. Both were trounced by a children’s flick about meatballs and a Jennifer Anistron rom-com that looks like every other Jennifer Aniston rom-com. I’d say that’s a bad opening weekend for both. So, there’s not much to report here, because there’s not much buzz here.

Weekly Intersections (September 30, 2009)

Did you hear that archeologists recently discovered Nero's rotating banquet hall? Pretty mind-blowing. This circular space rotated to imitate the Earth's movement and impress his guests. Don't miss this line from one historian who points out the deeper message Nero was trying to get across through the hall: "The heart of every activity in ancient Rome was the banquet, together with some form of entertainment. Nero was like the sun, and people were revolving around the emperor."

Preaching and Pop Culture: Friday Pop Culture Roundup (September 25, 2009)

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (PG)
2. The Informant! (R)
3. Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself (R) (PG-13)
4. Love Happens (PG-13)
5. Jennifer's Body (R)

Notables: I can't say that anything on this list grabs me. But I can't help but feel like I need to give you a little "cinematic something" to think about. If you're looking for solid reviews of any of these films (and many more that are currently out in theatres), be sure to visit CT Movies.

Weekly Intersections (September 23, 2009)

I've got a great video for you this week. It's a recreation of a famous experiment on the self-control (or lack thereof) of children. A child is left alone in a room with one jumbo marshmallow. If they can restrain themselves from eating that one jumbo marshmallow, someone will return to give them two jumbo marshmallows. Watch what happens.