by Brian Hobbs | Mar 27, 2014
“God Is Not Dead,” “Son of God,” “Noah”… there’s no shortage of movies now in the theatre designed to appeal to Christians. So why go see a movie like “Muppets Most Wanted”?
I asked that very question to myself, as I plunked down the money to see this, the latest installment of Muppets movies. Nevertheless, in search of some good, clean entertainment and a nostalgia-based affinity for the Muppets, I joined the crowd to see “Muppets Most Wanted.”
Plot Summary
According to the Internet Movie Database, “While on a grand world tour, The Muppets find themselves wrapped into a European jewel-heist caper headed by a Kermit the Frog look-alike and his dastardly sidekick.”
Positive Elements
In our digitized age of computer generated images (CGI) in movies, there is something refreshing about using puppets. All of the beloved Muppet characters had their quirky personalities on display—Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, the Swedish Chef, as well as my personal favorites, Statler and Waldorf (the two grumpy old men critics).
There were cameos from celebrities throughout, some of whom I recognized and know a good amount about (Celine Dion, Josh Groban) and others I don’t (Lady Gaga and Sean Combs). The acting throughout the movie was humorous and believable. I am not a big fan of Tina Fey, but her role was spot on.
Negative Elements
Though I did not have my children with me at this movie, I know many who did. Hollywood cannot resist putting in questionable language, in particular during one of the scenes in a Russian “gulag” the characters don’t watch their words, making it uncomfortable. One of my biggest complaints is the frequent use of the imitative phrase, “What the… [blank]?” I recognize they are not saying the whole phrase, but children pick up on this. Finally, though it was presenting in non-serious ways, there are love interests and some romance that could cause some children and families pause.
Spiritual Content
Without spoiling the plot, there is a wedding scene that takes place in a church setting. While many movies would have politicized the definition of marriage issue, Muppets did not take the low road. There is another scene in which the grim reaper is depicted. If children are present, these could provide springboards to discussions. The themes of loyalty, honesty and friendship are also present.
Overall
“Muppets Most Wanted” is by no means an instant classic. I thought it was 20 minutes too long and lacked some of the creativity we have seen in other Muppet films, including “A Muppet’s Christmas Carol.” That being said, the movie provides a couple hours of comic relief, through subtle humor, slapstick hijinks and some good, Muppet music. Parents, be sure to watch this before having the whole family tag along, but you can consider it for a movie rental or a trip to the theatre.
Rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
Photo Copyright: Disney
by Brian Hobbs | Mar 25, 2014
Update: On March 26, news reports show that World Vision has reversed its decision. The story is developing, and here is a link to the letter: http://ow.ly/i/525Mz/original Please pray for World Vision and its leaders.
On Monday, March 24, Christians were met with news that World Vision International, a prominent evangelical Christian relief organization, would now hire people who are in same sex “marriage” arrangements.
Richard Stearns, president of World Vision U.S. said, “Changing the employee conduct policy to allow someone in a same-sex marriage who is a professed believer in Jesus Christ to work for us makes our policy more consistent with our practice on other divisive issues. It also allows us to treat all of our employees the same way: abstinence outside of marriage, and fidelity within marriage.”
Russell D. Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, was among the first to react in his blog, russellmoore.com.
“At stake is the gospel of Jesus Christ. If sexual activity outside of a biblical definition of marriage is morally neutral, then, yes, we should avoid making an issue of it,” said Dr. Moore. “If, though, what the Bible clearly teaches and what the church has held for 2,000 years is true, then refusing to call for repentance is unspeakably cruel and, in fact, devilish. . . . We empower darkness when we refuse to warn of judgment. We empower the darkness when we refuse to offer forgiveness through the blood of the cross.”
Once again, the issue of homosexuality has served as a line in the sand for professing Christians. As someone who agrees with Dr. Moore and the Southern Baptist view, I wish to offer a few observations about World Vision’s position.
Methinks he doth protest too much
Stearns went well out of his way to insist this action was not a compromise. “This is not an endorsement of same-sex marriage. We have decided we are not going to get into that debate. Nor is this a rejection of traditional marriage, which we affirm and support. We’re not caving to some kind of pressure. We’re not on some slippery slope. There is no lawsuit threatening us. There is no employee group lobbying us,” he said.
Anytime someone is that emphatic against the obvious explanation for a decision (in this case, sweeping social change in attitudes on homosexuality), you have to wonder what really did factor into the decision. It is difficult to maintain that Stearns, or any of us, have not been affected by the media and movement pushing the change of public opinion on the issue of same-sex “marriage.” Indeed, only those among us who are willing to be mocked and considered abject fools appear to be the ones who really have our position unchanged and are not threatened by outside pressures.
You can’t eat your cake and have it too
Stearns public statements give the impression that he thinks this move in no way makes a statement on the same-sex “marriage” debate. Where he is mistaken is that actions speak louder than words. You cannot condone the marriage of, say, two men (one of whom will serve the ministry as an employee) and say you are not, at least tacitly, giving approval to the very idea of same-sex unions.
Denominations are valuable
In decades past, deep divisions among Christian denominations have proven a barrier to working together for the Gospel and common good. As the culture grows increasingly hostile to the Christian worldview—especially as it pertains to traditional moral principles—groups that normally would not affiliate are moving closer together. Consider how Roman Catholics and Southern Baptists are working together on the issues of stopping abortion, protecting religious liberty and upholding marriage.
For decades, parachurch organizations and trans-denominational groups have served capably and brought Christians of all stripes together. But in a day when more and more of these groups are losing their moral bearings, as we saw with Exodus International and now World Vision, it becomes evident that it probably will not be a generic, watered-down Christianity who will advance of the Gospel and preserve the Faith in the future, but rather coalitions of solidly-grounded Christian denominations, ones who are committed to our roots and the enduring virtues of the Bible. This World Vision episode suggests more dominoes are sure to fall, and those left standing may very well be the denominations who are least susceptible to change and cultural whims.
It’s all about the worldview
Somewhere along the line, World Vision’s leaders experienced a change in worldview. Many professing Christians and churches sadly are sliding along this slippery slope. Only God knows where this ends. Yet when your worldview on a core issue like Christian ethics and sexuality can change, there is no telling on what view you will compromise next. Our worldview (or way of looking at the world) must be defined, developed and checked against God’s unchanging Word. If it is not, then in our worldviews, we will sow the wind and reap the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7).
by Brian Hobbs | Mar 25, 2014
On March 25, millions of Christians around the world are joining in prayer for Hobby Lobby Stores and its founders, the Green Family. Some may find it strange that God’s people are rallying around a for-profit company, but I for one am joining with others in prayer. Many Christians feel an affinity for the Green family, who have generously supported missions and ministry around the world for years
Though most of us who pray are also shoppers at Hobby Lobby, the prayers are really directed toward the preservation of religious liberty in America, our most cherished freedom, as the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments related to the lawsuit filed by the company in September of 2012.
To be specific, the Oklahoma-based retail company Hobby Lobby is challenging the federal Health and Humans Services (HHS) mandate, which–among other requirements–forces employers to provide employees with free contraception pills.
Throughout the public debate, Hobby Lobby and other faith-based businesses and groups challenging this unjust law, have been a target for so-called reproductive rights groups. Despite what critics may say, Hobby Lobby has a strong case. First, the business owners of Hobby Lobby, a private company, have constitutionally-protected rights to freedom of religion and speech, and the HHS mandate is a direct affront to this. Secondly, how can the HHS mandate proponents expect companies owned by Christians to subsidize drugs like the “Morning-After Pill” that can end pre-born human life?
When originally asked, CEO David Green cited opposition on moral and biblical grounds. He said, “By being required to make a choice between sacrificing our faith or paying millions of dollars in fines, we essentially must choose which poison pill to swallow. We simply cannot abandon our religious beliefs to comply with this mandate.”
Hobby Lobby is one of the few non-Catholic-owned business to file suit. Evangelicals and Catholics, who once again find themselves allied in defense of life and religious liberty, are taking an important stand against the HHS mandate.
This is not the first time the two groups have joined forces in the culture war. On the pro-life front, Catholics and Baptists (Evangelicals) have been largely responsible for the progress made in shifting public opinion toward life, as well as positive public policy making. Each year in Oklahoma, Rose Day offers a chance for people of various faiths to come together to make a statement in support of life.
While there are no shortage of theological differences, both Catholics and Evangelicals, at the very least, believe that Jesus Christ came to give us “life and life more abundantly” (John 10:10). In 1994, Catholic and Evangelical leaders, not without any controversy or criticism, came together to create the ecumenical Evangelicals and Catholics Together statement. Prominent signators of the document, which sought to outline common beliefs about Jesus Christ and social concerns such as abortion, included J.I. Packer and the late Chuck Colson.
Now 20 years later, Evangelicals and Catholics find themselves united again by a common enemy—namely an onerous government regulation and the secular, radical ideas attached to it. While there have been many unjust laws in the history of our country, this one is unique. Whereas many immoral laws enable part of society to do harm (e.g. such as legalized marijuana), this law actually requires the good parts of society (e.g. Christian organizations, companies, universities) to do harm.
This cannot stand. While the gulf between Evangelicals and Catholics may be too wide to bridge, this monumental challenge provides an opportunity for us to stand together in defense of life and the Author of life.
Today, we pray together for a shared goal of religious liberty, and we trust in God to preserve this freedom, as we seek first His Kingdom.
by Brian Hobbs | Mar 21, 2014
Easter Sunday is around the corner, the annual reminder to the world proclaiming Jesus Christ rose from the dead and conquered sin and death for all mankind.
Yet each Sunday stands as a reminder of the resurrection, a mini-Easter of sorts. Or at least it used to. Consumer reports and trends show that Sundays are looking more like any other day of the week.
For example, a special Sunday these days is “Super Bowl Sunday.” More and more, sports are pulling Christians away from church on Sundays, be it a Little League tournament or attending a sporting event. Is it any wonder our youth have grown up to view church attendance as a lower priority?
Could it be that some social ills we are seeing today, such as family breakdown and waning worship service attendance, are partly attributable to Christians giving up on Sundays?
Recall that in the Bible, the Sabbath was given as a gift to man (Gen. 2:2-3). U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an observant Jew, even wrote a book on the topic (obviously, he refers to Saturday, not Sundays like we understand it), called The Gift of Rest: Rediscovering the Beauty of the Sabbath. In our hustle-and-bustle world, a dedicated day of rest would be a huge blessing.
It would also mean Christians were uncompromisingly committed to Sunday as a dedicated worship time. Yes, every day is a day to worship God, but as early as the Book of Acts we see the shift to Sunday as a time to gather for worship. Viewing Sundays as set apart aligns us with the Christians who went before us.
Treating Sundays as special would also mean more time with family. In studying family breakdown, one of the leading indicators of family health was the amount of time spent together. Maybe what the Family of God needs most is more consistent time together, and Sundays afford that opportunity.
No one is calling for a legalistic return to Sabbath observance. We each have freedom in Christ (Rom. 14), but a strong case can be made that Christians were far better off–and society as a whole– when everyone understood Sunday was set apart.
Each week, the ringing church bells and quieting of commerce stood as a testament to our desire to turn aside for dedicated worship of God. It is not too late to realign our habits in this way.
Yet we must return to Sunday as the Lord’s Day soon, because what one generation tolerates, the next embraces. Whether Easter Sunday or next Sunday, let’s gather in the Name of the Lord and thereby proclaim, He is risen. Then the world will marvel as they hear Christians say, Thank God It’s Sunday!
by Brian Hobbs | Jan 21, 2014
In a recent interview with New Yorker magazine, President Barack Obama was quoted as saying this:
“As has been well-documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life. … I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol.”
While he discouraged the use of marijuana, the President’s statement is dangerous and a problem for several reasons.
People listen to the President
As Christians, we know that God will hold us accountable for every word we utter (Matt. 12:37). At the same time, the President of the United States has an especially important platform. What he says can greatly sway opinion, including among young people, not to mention affect behavior and laws.
For him to downplay marijuana use as merely a “bad habit” is irresponsible and undermines other sources of authority (e.g. parents, pastors) who are trying to warn young people against the real dangers of marijuana.
What’s worse, in almost every state, the use of marijuana is illegal, and for the president to compare it with legal substances like alcohol and cigarettes, undermines the laws of those states and adds fuel to the fire of those who are seeking to legalize marijuana. Of all the problems our society has, too much strictness on our “freedom” to use substances is not one of them.
Marijuana is always an inebriant
A just-married couple sips a glass of champagne on their wedding night. A Lutheran drinks wine during the communion ceremony. During these acts—and many just like them—the people ingesting alcohol are likely not doing so with the intent of becoming intoxicated.
While I think there is a strong case to be made for Christians to abstain altogether from alcohol, everyone admits the use of alcohol does not always cause drunkenness. In the case of marijuana use, however, it always acts as an inebriant.
Why is being inebriated so bad? You do not have to look through very many headlines to see instances where an inebriated person did damage to themselves and others. A drunk driver crashes and kills another. Someone growing marijuana in their apartment sparks a fire that burns down the building. While accidents happen every day, they are highly more likely to happen when people are intoxicated.
Bad for children
The ones with the most to lose when people use marijuana are children, especially those who are directly or indirectly affected by the users. We spend millions of dollars advertising against second-hand smoke, but we smile and laugh when movies portray the use of “pot.”
We encourage parents to be aware and alert to the safety and needs of their children, then we condone the use of marijuana, which makes users less aware of the needs of children around them.
Time after time, we read about people who are on drugs, harming those around them. With marijuana, it may not necessarily be acts of violence, but it is often acts of negligence that do the most harm.
America is facing a crisis of the family and a huge upsurge of children in need of responsible parents (through foster care and adoption), so the last thing we need is to add more marijuana users to the population.
As a concluding note, I would add that drug use is not the unforgivable sin. While we should strongly argue against anyone seeking to legalize more drug use or convince others it’s “no big deal,” we must have compassion on those who are addicted and seek to bring to justice those who deal drugs to the most vulnerable in our society.
While I am sure the President may not have intended his words to make a negative contribution toward anybody, I respectfully ask he reconsider his words and position on this key issue.
