The Book of Eli – Movie Review
Last night I went to a very nice theater in downtown Orlando to see The Book of Eli. My eight word review is:
Hallelujah! … oh ok … now that was gross. Hallelujah!
I will do a general review and then a more specific review after the jump so as to not reveal any spoilers for those that haven’t seen the movie.
I loved it. I love artsy symbolic movies. I love action movies. I love obvious good vs. evil movies. I love epic movies, self-sacrifice movies and movies with a really good twist I didn’t see coming. Big Hollywood said the twist was silly. When the twist was revealed I literally shed a tear or two. I thought it was beautiful … absolutely heart-wrenching and definitely close to the level of the plot twist at the end of The Sixth Sense that completely changed the context of the whole movie.
I love Christian movies because at least they are trying to put the eternal transcendent into artistic form and that is just simply not an easy thing to do. This is very much a Christian movie. It’s about the last Bible on the post-apocalyptic earth and the voice of God leading a man on a journey of faith to secure the Bible well into the future.
I tried to impose some literal interpretations of the symbols onto the movie and they might be worth exploring (I’ll do so a little after the jump.) Yet after sleeping on it I think the overarching symbolic message is that The Word of God is alive and powerful to bring Light and Life to men. It is worth fighting off the world system, powers of darkness and personal despair in order to protect it as we go on our life’s journey. God’s word will survive because He has ordained it to be so and for no other reasons. Others will try to abuse it for power but only those who have “eyes to see” will actually be able to receive the true life giving power of the Holy Spirit inspired and empowered scriptures.
The Word of God is worth dedicating our lives too and sharing with others who might not “look” or “act” like church folk, but have a pure faith and an undeniable spiritual zeal to know the Truth. We can abide in and embody The Word, emulate Christ and pass off this noble, sacrificial and beautiful faith to others so they might take it back “home” to those still left in chaos and bondage.
Everything I wrote in the two preceding paragraphs are symbolized very very well in the movie.
That was the general review. More, including spoilers, after the jump.
Today Is World AIDS Day
Cross-posted at the Exodus Blog
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Whether you identify as gay, a Christian on a post-gay journey, or simply someone who pays attention, you know that the AIDS pandemic has been a terrible tragedy across the world. To help raise prayer and awareness on the annual World AIDS Day, I wanted to post a few links.
The Red Campaign has two social media hubs you can follow at Twitter: http://twitter.com/joinred/ and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/joinred
Christopher Yuan, a friend and AIDS Activist has a blog and you can follow him on Twitter.
There is also HIV: He Intends Victory outreach and Rick and Kay Warren’s efforts through Saddleback Church.
MORE:
Grace and Gay Men (my personal testimony of finding out a former partner had died of AIDS)
AIDS Organization “Muzzling” Christians. Why? What to Do? (read the post, there is a twist to it that contextualizes the title completely differently.)
The Gospel According to Clever Rudeness
I’ve noticed a growing trend that some Christians are adopting a worldly snarkiness and belittling toward other Christians. And it isn’t just the young being rebellious or the old being cantankerous. It’s all across the board. It’s as if some of us are reveling in the idea that we can join with the world in just bashing old school, institutionalized, quirky, far right, far left or not “relevant” Christians. Then, when those who are judged to have the wrong modern approach defend themselves, they are then criticized for being defensive and even more judgmental.
Old ways of imposing judgment based legalism are being supplanted by a new “more relevant” more “inclusive” way of imposing judgment based legalism. Both of which alienate, pigeonhole and promote ones own brand of living out the gospel as the only right way of living out the gospel. Legalism used to be imposed with stern looks, harsh rules and stoic heartlessness. Now it’s being delivered in heartless and flippant humor, personal attacks and shockingly permissive disrespect.
Notice that heartless is the only constant theme I have for the spread of legalism through modern times. I am sure it is a theme of legalism throughout church history.
Of Godly Desire, Lust and The Goal of Freedom – Ask It Basket
A friend on facebook asks a question I get from time to time by both men and women who have zero attractions toward the opposite sex and are frustrated by that fact. J. writes:
Lately I have been struggling with this question. I can’t remember a time when I was sexually attracted to women. I feel like I’m trapped the attraction to women it’s just not there.
When I first started on my post-gay journey, the only woman I was attracted too was a particular pop star. And I really wasn’t sexually “attracted” to her. I just wanted to be in one of her videos with the other male back up dancers … who I was attracted too.
… just sayin’
It would be around three years later before I was even close to having an attraction to a woman in a physical sense. But those, opposite sex attractions, were never the goal. In fact I didn’t even think that was possible for the first few years.
Read more
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