by Brian Hobbs | May 29, 2015
I remember vividly, from my childhood, numerous trips to Disneyland. One of my favorite areas of the theme park was “Tomorrowland,” which offered a futuristic, albeit fantastic, view of what “tomorrow” could become. That is partly why I was excited to see Disney’s new movie, “Tomorrowland.”
Summary
According to the movie’s website, the plot is this: “Bound by a shared destiny, former boy-genius Frank (George Clooney), jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as ‘Tomorrowland.’ What they must do there changes the world—and them—forever.”
Positive elements
This movie offers plenty of visual appeal and bright colors. Some of the glimpses of “the future” show cool advances in technology that seem impossible to us today to make happen. The main character, “Casey,” is likeable, and there are moments when you can identify with her. The musical score in this film has some memorable flourishes, as well.
Negative elements
This movie is supposed to be far-fetched and fast paced. It fails to keep your attention the entire movie, as the twists and turns lead, not to exciting adventures, but rather dead ends. Even the evil villain of the movie is not believable, either in his personality or his wicked designs. The movie was meant for the whole family, but there are repeated times of bad language in the film, which only detracts from the family experience.
Spiritual
“Tomorrowland,” while it grapples with grand themes like fate and destiny, ends up being more of a preachy warning against the effects of socially popular causes, like “climate change.” While the movie causes us to think about “tomorrow” (i.e. the future), it does not help us think about eternity, which is the most important and permanent time of all. And we have another Disney movie in which the child/ youth has a father but no mother (e.g. Little Mermaid, Pinocchio, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and so on). That is not necessarily a bad thing to depict this reality, but it is interesting that the two-parent home is so often not shown when there was a choice for the movie maker.
Overall
The promises of “Tomorrowland” fall flat. It is not grand enough to be a classic adventure. It is not funny enough to be a memorable comedy. And it is not gripping enough to be dramatic. I, for one, don’t plan on seeing this movie again, though I would like to go back to Disneyland soon.
Rating: 1 (star out of 4)
Photo credit: tomorrowland-movie.com
by Brian Hobbs | May 28, 2015
Unlike many, I have seen only one episode of “19 Kids and Counting” and therefore am not emotionally invested in the family. At the same time, I am a conservative Christian with a larger family and can identify with some of the aspects of their family life.
I have watched from afar the scandal surface about Josh Duggar, the 27-year old son of Michelle and Jim Bob, who, some 12 years ago, molested young girls. Josh, by every report, has admitted his wrong and has not sought to defend what he did. With the future of this program in the balance, not to mention the entire family’s reputation, I offer these three thoughts.
- Criticism is coming for you
You may not have committed a crime and terrible act like Josh, but each of us has sinned and done wrong, both in our youth to today. We live in an age of perpetual outrage in which anyone’s actions can be brought to light, not only tarnishing our reputations, but utterly humiliating us beyond recovery. To the contrary, in Christ and the Church, there is forgiveness and restoration. In today’s culture, there is only condemnation.
- ‘This’ does not equal ‘that’
There’s no shortage of people calling for the heads of Josh Duggar and the family. The same society that promotes sexual liberation and pornography is decrying sexual immorality and crimes. That is understandable. What is not is how much other collateral damage is being claimed in the aftermath.
We’re told homeschooling is the problem, so do away with it. We hear not enough sex education is the problem, so train children about sex younger and younger. We’re told large families are the problem, so do better on family planning. What we see here is the reoccurring situation in which people take their pet issues and pounce on them when a controversy arises. As Christians, we must resist jumping to conclusions or creating a guilt-by-association in situations like this.
- At least we know something is wrong
In spite of a steady diet of moral relativism, in spite of the seemingly victorious sexual revolution, in spite of sexual abuse and wrong deeds being widespread, at least we know that something is absolutely wrong; that molesting a child is a serious offense. In this, we should take heart. The Bible says, “They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts will either accuse or excuse them…” (Rom. 2:15).
I don’t feel the need to defend the Duggar family with all my might, but I am not going to cast stones at Josh Duggar or any of them. He knows it was wrong—and that his sins have followed him more than a decade later—and he is willing to suffer the temporal consequences. He also appears to have received eternal forgiveness, which is found in Christ Jesus alone (John 3:16, Rom. 6:23).
In conclusion, we Christians need to take a strong stand against sexual abuse, and never let it happen among our people and churches. We, as a society, need to let go of our unwillingness to forgive and our insatiable appetite to destroy, tarnish and humiliate someone found in sin.
Because who knows? Next time it might be you or me in the spotlight.
by Brian Hobbs | May 26, 2015
Have you ever received a text message at an unwelcome time? I’m talking about at 5 a.m. when you were fast asleep, or during an important ceremony; or while you are driving in bad traffic.
Text messages. They are a new fixture of social life, and they are one of the persistent and present forces in our daily life.
Studies show that the average person looks at his phone at least 150 times a day. The average number of text messages sent and received daily far exceeds that. With each text, we are entering someone’s life without being physically present. Often, we are pushing those who are in the person’s presence aside, demanding their attention.
In Christianity, Jesus tells us to consider our actions through the Golden Rule. The Bible says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” (Luke 6:31).
When Christ was speaking these words, of course He was not directly talking about digital technology or behavior, but the principle can apply. Here are some pointers I have learned, to better monitor my digital manners.
1) Watch the clock
Back in the day, it was considered rude to call someone during certain hours of the day, say before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m. In fact, if you got a phone call in the middle of the night or after 10 p.m., it was a sure sign that something is wrong. Text messages have broken all of those rules, and we send texts at all hours of the day. Just because you are awake, doesn’t mean the other person is, so pay attention to when you are texting.
2) Don’t interrupt
I recently sent my friend an unnecessary text message, even though I knew he was out on a date with his wife for their wedding anniversary. He texted me back instantly. I regretted it instantly. Here’s a couple, trying to share a moment of intimacy in a harried and hurried world, and there I was, barging my way in their conversation. Sure, my friend could have turned his phone off or ignored the text, but when I knew he had something going on, I could have waited until later. Try to apply the manners you would in person to when you text.
3) Be Present
According to a new book about digital technology called Mind Change: How Digital Technologies Are Leaving Their Mark on Our Brains, “Twenty-four percent of users of U.S. adult social networking sites reported a curious phenomenon in 2012—that they missed out on a key event or moment in their lives because they were so absorbed in updating their social networking site about that event or moment.” In doing this, we not only miss our own moments through social media and texting, we lure others away from what is going on in their lives as well. Going forward, we can make a more intentional effort to live our lives instead of trying to cater to our online audience and encourage other people to do the same.
4) Communicate with the proper medium
Digital communication can be difficult, because it is hard to interpret humor. There is no digital body language, and emoticons only go so far. Moreover, some messages are too weighty or important to communicate by text. There is a difference between a text that says “I’m running late to dinner…” and “Grandma just died.” With every text you send, ask yourself, is this a message I would want to receive by text, or would call or in person be more suitable?
In the end, we are all learning etiquette and manners of sending and receiving text messages. By applying these and other rules, though, we can go far to applying the Golden Rule to the world of texting.
by Brian Hobbs | May 13, 2015
A new study published by the Pew Research Center suggests that Christianity in America is on a fast decline.
Pew said, “The United States remains home to more Christians than any other country in the world, and a large majority of Americans – roughly 7-in-10 – continue to identify with some branch of the Christian faith. But the major new survey … finds that the percentage of adults (ages 18 and older) who describe themselves as Christians has dropped by nearly eight percentage points in just seven years, from 78.4% in an equally massive Pew Research survey in 2007 to 70.6% in 2014.”
That is not all. “Over the same period, the percentage of Americans who are religiously unaffiliated – describing themselves as atheist, agnostic or ‘nothing in particular’ – has jumped more than six points, from 16.1% to 22.8%.”
Most of the drop was seen among mainline Protestants and Catholics, but Evangelical Christians are in decline as well. Or at least those who say they are.
And that is the bigger story behind this story: nominal Christianity in America is what’s dying. As Ethics and Religious Liberty President Russell Moore points out, that is a good thing. He said, “We do not have more atheists in America. We have more honest atheists in America. Again, that’s good news. The gospel comes to sinners, not to the righteous.”
The Pew study, therefore, should not cause panic, but it should cause us to pray and act. Even if Christianity were to die a slow death in North America, there are still large parts of the world which are experiencing New Testament-growth of the Faith.
In his book, The Next Christendom, author Philip Jenkins predicts that the future of global Christianity would be southward (e.g. South America, Asia and Africa). Throughout the ages, the move of God has crisscrossed the globe. While we pray and believe God will bring revival to our land, we know that the Lord will not forsake His people and that the church of God will prevail (Matt. 16:18).
After all, in 1971, Soviet Russian Communism seemed unstoppable. They ruled more than half of the world, including China, Cuba and large parts of Eastern Europe. They had every armed weapon the United States and West did and a level of peace and prosperity not previously enjoyed before the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. Who would have predicted that in a few years, it would crumble?
In a similar way, today the secular, evolutionary worldview is on the march and looks unbeatable. This secular mindset has taken over once Christian strongholds, including universities and hospitals.
Yet you could easily make the case that secularism, not Christianity, is about to die, and that religion in general is on the rise. Sadly other religions are on the rise, including Islam and Mormonism, but that should give us hope that spiritual hunger does not die.
In the end, the Pew study offers a good reminder for Christians in Oklahoma to share Jesus while there is time, especially with our children and young people. It is also a call to live out our faith so non-believers will see that our lives and lips match, and to pray like never before. We believe God can do a great work; indeed we believe it, no matter what a new study may say.
by Brian Hobbs | May 5, 2015
“The stereotype is the husband buried in the morning newspaper at breakfast, preferring to read a news agency report of the latest scandal in a European government, the scores of yesterday’s athletic contests, and the opinions of a couple of columnists whom he will never meet rather than listening to the voice of the person who has just shared his bed, poured his coffee, and friend his eggs, even those listening to that live voice promises love and hope, emotional depth and intellectual exploration far in excess of what he can gather informationally from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Christian Science Monitor put together.”
That somewhat dated quotation comes from Eugene Peterson, published in a book by R. Kent Hughes called Disciplines of a Godly Man in 1991. The chapter focused on how couples—and men in particular—let inanimate objects of lesser importance take them away from the immediate people around them, including their own spouse.
Fast forward 25 years, with the advent of the smartphone, and today men, women and children live in a distracted age. Smartphones are utterly dominant in culture, taking over once sacred spaces, including the dinner table and worship services. These phones (or at least we using them) have taken over every day spaces too, including drivers stopped at a traffic light and even people while in the bathroom.
Smartphones, if we are not careful, will become the number one thing preventing us from important things like prayer and time with your spouse. These tools of technology, of course, provide a huge convenience and offer many positives for families, including photograph/video opportunities. Moreover, the Internet of today is far more social than it was in its original form.
Yet too often, the tools of technology control us, not the other way around. Gandhi, of whom I am not an admirer, once said, “I do not hate technology. I hate the tyranny technology exercises over man.” If he only had lived to see today, imagine how shocked he might be.
Because of these tendencies, I recommend a few helpful hints, so smartphones don’t rob you and your spouse of time together.
Set it aside. If you’re like me, having your phone within reach is too tempting. Take time throughout the day to set it down, out of reach, so you won’t be tempted.
Set some ground rules. If you have children who have phones, you might consider setting a rule of “no phones at the dinner table,” or “give Mommy and Daddy your phone at night,” so the temptation to check the phone at all hours in not there.
Give it up. I spoke with a Christian lately who had become so addicted to her smartphone, she was spending 10 hours-plus a day on it. Part of this included work, but most did not. She realized that with her phone, she was gaining the whole world wide web, but at the same time she was losing her soul. In the end, she gave up use of her phone temporarily, so as to reconnect with their family and their life. God did answer her prayers, and their family life is much improved.
These are just some ideas that might help. What ideas have helped you?