by Brian Hobbs | Jul 12, 2016
It’s all the rage. Pokémon Go is the virtual video game app taking America by storm. The game combines so many of our society’s wants (e.g. immediate and unlimited entertainment), habits (e.g. excessively looking at our phones) and tendencies (e.g. escapism), all into one fun app.
We’ve heard commentators talk about the great upside, such as more exercise and a more social form of video gaming. We’ve also heard of the tremendous downsides, such as endless distraction, nothing to show for our time and efforts, as well as opportunities for perverts and predators to do harm. There are a lot of good blogs and articles out there that do a better job than I could, analyzing that.
What I wish to do here is to talk about the fad itself. News reports show that Pokémon Go is an overnight success, and a very profitable one. If there’s one thing that history and human nature shows us, it’s that fads fade.
In his classic book, Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, Charles Mackay examines some of the more shocking fads and mass delusions throughout history.
One of those fads he describes is tulip mania, where by 17th Century, Dutch (and other parts of Europe) became obsessed with the buying and selling of tulip flower bulbs. According to Mackay, tulips became more valued than gold, wherein entire family fortunes were wasted on the flowers. That’s because after years of soaring value, one day, people woke up to the fact that tulips are just that: tulips.
The Pokémon Go game is historically popular. But at the end of the day, it’s just a video game.
The question for Christians is what to do with this cultural moment. There are those (like me) who simply want to roll our eyes at the fad. The better route would be to learn about the game, perhaps even participate (in moderation), so as to build bridges with people who need to hear the Gospel.
If we allow the game to overtake our lives and attention and thereby set aside more important things like prayer, Scripture and real-life human contact, then we not only will have missed an opportunity, we will have wasted our lives. If, however, we instead can harness even a fad for the sake of the Gospel, then it will all have been worth it.
by Brian Hobbs | Jul 7, 2016
What if there really were a land of giants? I’m not talking about tall NBA players, but real-live giants. In the new fictional fantasy-genre family movie, The BFG, based on the book by British novelist Roald Dahl (who authored Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach, among others), we get to see our world collide with theirs.
Plot summary:
According to a movie site, The BFG tells of “ten-year-old Sophie (who) is in for the adventure of a lifetime when she meets the Big Friendly Giant. Naturally scared at first, the young girl soon realizes that the 24-foot behemoth is actually quite gentle and charming. As their friendship grows, Sophie’s presence attracts the unwanted attention of Bloodbottler, Fleshlumpeater and other giants. After traveling to London, Sophie and the BFG must convince Queen Victoria to help them get rid of all the bad giants once and for all.”
Positive elements:
The young girl who plays “Sophie” is charming and convincing. The actor who played the “Big Friendly Giant” was superb as well, as was “Queen Victoria.” I am a fan of British culture, so there were several scenes and moments throughout that made me glad. The best aspects of the movie is that it shows good versus evil in absolute terms instead of relative terms. We also get to see a lot of character development in “Sophie” and “the BFG.” With some twists and turns throughout, the movie has a heart-warming ending.
Negative elements:
Some of the giants could possibly frighten young children. There is talk of kidnapping, at several points. While it’s mostly a clean movie, there is an extended scene that relies on “bathroom humor.” Christian parents must also be sure their kids know what parts are pure make-believe.
Spiritual content:
We do not hear mention of God in The BFG. There is a great deal of talk about dreams, and the “BFG” himself delves into dream manipulation and making. Always his intensions are for good, not harm, in “dream making.” Parents could take the opportunity to talk about, in Christian theology, what dreams are and are not. They also could use it as a springboard to talk about how the Lord God used dreams in Bible times.
Overall:
Stories about giants typically do better in books than in movies, such as Gulliver’s Travels. Yet The BFG comes as close as any I have seen of showing the power and presence of what giants would be like (not that they’re real). The movie was slow in parts, and people—especially children—who get bored easily in movies may not appreciate this one. The BFG is by no means an instant classic, but it is a unique, neat story that was well done on the silver screen.
Rating: 2.75 out of 4 stars
Photo credit: Disney
by Brian Hobbs | Jul 5, 2016
Do you recall this famous scene from Jurassic Park, the original movie? The tour groups are at the new theme park, parked right outside the T-rex exhibit, when the power goes out in a massive storm which stalls the car. Suddenly the largest and most monstrous dinosaur went on the loose. Meanwhile, the weasel lawyer abandoned his vehicle that had two kids in it, making the young girl say in fear, “He left us! He left us!”
On July 4, 2016, legions of Thunder fans could be heard with that same sort of panic, when superstar Kevin Durant announced he was leaving the OKC Thunder for the greener pastures of the Golden State Warriors, our bitter Conference rival.
Following the sad KD news, and through some shock and grief of my own, I thought of some life lessons that helped me, and I hope help other Thunder fans:
- Be thankful for what you have, not knowing how long it will last. In the wake of KD’s departure, I heard one of my best friends say, “Don’t be mad at what was lost, be glad we ever had it.” This is true in sports and in life.
- Sports can bring happiness and heartache. Even the best teams don’t win every game. At some point in sports, you will be thrilled and let down. While we enjoy spectator sports, we need to understand that you cannot have the ups without the downs.
- I’m sad but will get over it and still cheer on our team. Like all Thunder fans, we wanted KD to stay. But sports are about the team, not the individual. While we wish he had not left, and certainly not for our arch rival, let’s keep our chin up and, to quote Thunder GM Sam Presti, “Carry on.”
- People will eventually disappoint you; only God is completely reliable. Kevin Durant is not perfect. You’re not perfect, and neither am I. If we are counting too much on others for our happiness, we will eventually be let down. Trust in God, for He is our rock and redeemer (Psalm 46:1).
- Enjoy sports but don’t put your hope and happiness in them. Put your hope and happiness in the Lord Jesus Christ. Hundreds of years from now, few to any will remember what basketball team won the championship in 2017. In the grand scheme of eternity, it will not amount to a hill of beans who was on what basketball team. Let’s not get too caught up in this moment to where we lose sight of the eternal things, namely Jesus Christ, who is the “same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb. 13:8) and who offers us eternal hope and happiness.
by Brian Hobbs | Jun 27, 2016
“In one of the most significant rulings on abortion in decades, the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ruled in a 5-3 decision on Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt to overturn (a Texas state law) designed to regulate abortion clinics in a way that would protect women’s health,” reports Joe Carter of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.
Of the ruling, ERLC president Russell D. Moore, a true champion for life, poignantly said, “This is a grievous affirmation of the Court’s commitment to a radical abortion ideology, one that puts unborn children, women, and families at the mercy of a ruthless industry. The Court’s laissez-faire attitude toward the abortion industry reminds me of the tobacco lobby’s work in the legal battles around cigarettes. Nothing but a completely uncontrolled and unaccountable abortion mechanism will suffice. This isn’t ‘reproductive freedom’; it’s the sacrificing of life and human flourishing for the sake of profit.”
It is unclear to me how far-reaching the SCOTUS ruling will be. Does this law affect just the Texas law or all state-attempts to regulate the abortion industry? There are a few things that the ruling does make clear to me:
1. Even with Scalia, we would have lost this one.
Since Justice Scalia’s passing, the Supreme Court just has not been the same. If he had been alive to rule on this, there is no question he would have joined the minority opinion, if not written it. With his vote, however, the pro-life side still would have lost 5-4. If the vote would have been 4-4, the lower court ruling could have stood. But, alas, Justice Kennedy voted the wrong way.
2. We need a pro-life court, but we also need more than that.
Hillary Clinton immediately praised this Supreme Court ruling. At the moment, I am unaware of Trump’s thoughts on the ruling, but some in the pro-Trump camp think this will sway people who were dubious about Trump to go ahead and vote for him, just in hopes of a better Supreme Court nominee than Clinton would give.
We must step back and remember, however, that the swing vote in this decision was Justice Kennedy, a Reagan appointee. While Democrats have had 100 percent “success” in nominating pro-abortion justices, Republicans have been hit and miss. This should remind us that, as pro-life Christians, all of our proverbial eggs should not be in the Supreme Court basket. As much as we need to change the court and to change laws–and we do–we also need to change hearts and minds, so abortion becomes not just illegal but unthinkable, to quote Dr. Moore.
3. ‘Texit’ talk grows.
In the wake of Great Britain’s exit from the EU, commonly called “Brexit,” there are some discontent Americans calling for a Texas political party to emerge or, even more extreme, for Texas to bolt the Union. Some are jesting about this, some may be serious. A SCOTUS ruling of this magnitude, however, probably only pours gasoline on that fire. People who make comments on “Texit,” even tongue in cheek, need to remember that words matter. In this social media world, it is easy for a joke to turn into something serious.
4. More prayer and a better long-term strategy needed to protect life.
The pro-life movement as a whole has been battling on many fronts for several decades. In the final analysis, this SCOTUS ruling may infamously rank right up there with Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Such a devastating ruling will cause the pro-life side to want an equally sweeping move toward life. That may or may not happen.
What we need now is to re-commit ourselves to praying that every unborn child would not be deprived of life. We need the church to roll up its sleeves and go to work in prayer, not looking for a quick political fix. We need patience and hope and God’s help, if we are to win.
To that end, when the Supreme Court delivered Texans such a devastating blow, I say, let’s “Remember the Unborn!” and fight onward, together.
by Brian Hobbs | May 30, 2016
With the Oklahoma City Thunder leading the Golden State Warriors 3-1 in a best of seven series, the surprised sports world fully expected Kevin Durant and company to finish off Steph Curry and the Warriors in one of the next three games.
After all, Golden State looked totally beat, plus teams up 3-1 almost always win. Then it happened. My least favorite sports magazine, Sports Illustrated, featured KD and the Thunder triumphantly on the cover, thus bringing to mind the “SI curse.”
If you are not familiar, the SI curse or jinx is the sports phenomenon in which individuals or teams in the rise get front-page glory in the most read sports magazine in the world, only to have their hopes dashed immediately following. But is it really real?
There are three ways to look at this:
1. “Yes it’s real, just look at the results.”
There are no shortage of examples: a Bud Wilkinson OU team was called “unbeatable” on the cover then lost to Notre Dame; decades later, an unbeaten Notre Dame team graced the cover then got destroyed by Alabama in the championship. The list goes on and on and on.
2. “No it’s not real, just a coincidence.”
For as many times as the curse has come to be, there are many more examples where it has not. Objectively speaking, you can make the case that being on the cover is not what led to the downfall. It was the action within the games themselves not on magazine stands.
3. “Maybe so, but not like you think.”
The Bible teaches that words have meaning, as do words of blessing and curse (look at Jacob and Esau), but not in the way sports pundits (or prosperity gospel preachers for that matter) think. You would be hard pressed to say a secular Sports mag carries such real force of blessing and curse. It is more biblical to say that being on the cover causes athletes and teams to be prideful, and to believe they have arrived before they really have.
Therefore, I think view number three is best, because it is probably not a curse per se, but it does tempt toward pride, and correspond with actual, observable problems.
So because Sports Illustrated is such a source of temptation to pride (not to mention lust through their annual Swimsuit edition), I will continue to be irritated and annoyed by the publication.
At the same time I will, by God’s grace, try to take heed, lest I myself fall into temptations of all kinds. So from one beleaguered Thunder fan to others, I’m sorry this happened. I am grateful for a great season and looking forward to the next.
In a bigger sense, while sports adds a lot to life, it’s only sports. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
But thanks be to God, eternal life is found in Jesus Christ, which has true lasting value, a value that even the greatest sports fame and glory cannot offer.