Redeeming the Week in Pop Culture–3/27/15

Each week I hope to send out the latest version of “Redeeming the Week in Pop Culture,” with the intention of touching on a variety of the latest topics from the world of pop culture. But one man can only watch/read/listen to so much on his own, especially a husband and father who wants to spend time with his family, so please feel free to forward anything my way that you think may be worthy of attention. Because chances are, I may have missed it.

Bill O’Reilly’s bestselling book Killing Jesus hits the small screen this Sunday on the National Geographic channel. I have not read the book myself, but am interested in seeing how the movie is portrayed. From interviews I’ve heard by O’Reilly, it sounds as though he based his book purely on all of the indisputable facts about Jesus’ life and death. And by indisputable, I believe he refers to what scholars define as indisputable, not Christians. I can respect that. Certainly I think there are probably many uneducated skeptics out there who might be surprised with what is actually considered fact, not myth, about the life of Jesus. But something O’Reilly said this week really caught my attention (I’m paraphrasing here): “This story tells us all the reasons why Jesus was killed. All the conspiracies and plots and enemies against Jesus that led to them killing him.” I don’t know what O’Reilly’s spiritual beliefs concerning Jesus are, but if we stick with simply the idea that “he was killed,” we’re missing the true, beautiful story of the gospel. Jesus wasn’t simply killed; he came to earth so that he could give his life up for us. Nobody “killed” Jesus. He allowed his life to be taken.

Is there nothing we can depend on to last for a satisfyingly long time in Hollywood and other areas of pop culture today? In one week, we received news of Downton Abby coming to an end after its sixth season; One Direction member Zayn Malik is leaving the band, which led to tweens crying all over the world; director Sam Taylor-Johnson is leaving the 50 Shades of Grey franchise after just one film, reportedly due to disputes with the book author; and Kim Kardashian went back to brunette after only a few days of living life as a platinum blonde. With all this unsettling change, how are we supposed to find any kind of joy and refuge in the world today? I guess I could get a little preachy here if I wanted, but I can still remember hearing the news of the end of Seinfeld upon returning from my honeymoon in 1997. Dark day, I tell you. Dark day. But with God’s help, I persevered. Thirteen-year-old girls of the world, you will too. Zayn isn’t dead; he’s just trying to “find his music.”

March Madness began last week, bringing with it all the many matchups that are inevitably compared to “David versus Goliath.” This year, teams stepping into the role of David included Hampton, New Mexico St., Wofford, and Georgia St. Georgia St. actually pulled off the David over Goliath upset, beating Baylor with an unforgettable late comeback. But no matter how many commentators and analysts use the David and Goliath reference to describe the matchup, it’s just not a true comparison unless the Georgia St. players, after the game, went over and cut off the heads of all the Baylor players. I don’t think that happened. I believe I would’ve heard about it if it had. But, yes, it did happen in the true David versus Goliath story. Check it out in 1 Samuel 17 if you don’t believe me.

In the March 23 episode of Scorpion there were a number of things that caught my attention. I don’t know normally have my “God goggles” on while watching this lighthearted, fun Homeland Security show about super-geniuses, but maybe I’ll have to start doing so. In this most recent episode, we have one character (Happy) refusing to accept the love and protection being offered from Toby, whom she can’t comprehend why he loves her so much, not unlike any of us who have difficulty understanding how God could still love us as he does despite all of our resistance. Math genius Sylvester can no longer pull the crippled pilot behind him to safety, and the pilot tells him to leave him alone, that there is no way Sylvester can save both of them, so he needs to leave the pilot to die. But when Sylvester surprises the pilot with the strength to carry him on his shoulders, I was reminded instantly of Ephesians 3:30: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…” And FBI agent Cabe Gallo refuses to give up the search for his team, despite all around him trying to convince him of the danger of staying near the forest fire. Gallo believes in his team and that they will make it back, just as the father of the prodigal son faithfully believed each day that his son would return home to him.

When stories like these pop up in movies and television shows, I don’t necessarily believe that the writers were intentionally trying to make comparisons to the gospel of Jesus, but as I continue to say over and over in recent conversations and interviews concerning my new book, I hold firm to my thesis that pop culture loves the Bible. Whether the writers know it or not, the stories of self-sacrifice, of finding strength they never knew existed, of incomprehendible love offered to someone undeserving, is what the gospel of Jesus is all about. These stories move us the way they do, because the One who has led the way in living out these stories for us intended them to not only move us but change us.

 

Kevin Harvey is the author of two books, his latest entitled All You Want to Know about the Bible in Pop Culture, which is now available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Walmart, and Sam’s Club.

Barney Stinson and Sheldon Cooper as Positive Biblical Examples?

With today being a special day for me, the release of All You Want to Know about the Bible in Pop Culture, I thought I’d cheat a little and include something taken straight out of the book. Here’s a sidebar taken from chapter 4, “Now I See It, Now I Don’t.”

In the television shows mentioned above—The Mindy Project, The Big Bang Theory, and Serenity—as well as in many others such as How I Met Your Mother, Cougar Town, and ’90s favorites Friends and Seinfeld, there is a common theme found among the group of friends that is worthy of our attention in a chapter that looks at what represents well both Christians and their faith. The group of friends, colleagues, or crew members their shows are centered around has chosen to live life together and build up and encourage one another, just as the first-century Christians did and as the Bible commands believers even today to do.

When the cul-de-sac crew in Cougar Town smothers down-on-his-luck Bobby with their support, food, and homes, they replicate well the picture the Christians in Acts gave us at the birth of the church: “There was an intense sense of togetherness among all who believed; they shared all their material possessions in trust” (Acts 2:44).

Time after time, the friends in How I Met Your Mother lived out Paul’s admonition in 1 Thessalonians 5:14 to “encourage the downcast, to help the sick and weak, and to be patient with all of them” as they constantly nursed one another out of the broken-heart doldrums.

Penny and the gang of scientists in The Big Bang Theory seem to have dinner together every night in Leonard and Sheldon’s apartment, according to the weekly menu Sheldon adheres to religiously (i.e., Monday is always Thai food night—never, ever pizza, Chinese, or some other food reserved for its own night). In doing so, they look a great deal like the first Christians, who “broke bread and shared meals with glad and generous hearts” (Acts 2:46).

Jesus’ first disciples knew from the beginning the importance of their simply being together, even in times of fear and doubt (John 20:19; 21:1–3). New Testament writers would later say in their letters to other believers:

Let us consider how to inspire each other to greater love and to righteous deeds, not forgetting to gather as a community, as some have forgotten, but encouraging each other, especially as the day of His return approaches. (Heb. 10:24–25)

So support one another. Keep building each other up as you have been doing. (1 Thess. 5:11)

Keep rejoicing and repair whatever is broken. Encourage each other, think as one, and live at peace. (2 Cor. 13:11)

When we see a group of friends on television living life together, eating meals with one another, spending hours at a time in a pub or coffee shop, and going above and beyond in the way they serve one another and encourage the brokenhearted, they are exemplifying the way Jesus intended his church to live out their lives, “especially as the day of His return approaches,” as the Hebrews passage says above.

With the church being swept up in the same everyday routines and burdens as the rest of the world (i.e., school, work, sports, chores, kids’ activities) that cause so many to live introverting lives because they barely have time to eat a meal with their family, let alone have coffee with a friend, is it possible that we can look to television to find the best examples around today of how God intended his body to live amongst each other?

Even Sheldon’s mom might agree with that.

Redeeming the Week in Pop Culture–3/20/15

Each week I hope to send out the latest version of “Redeeming the Week in Pop Culture,” with the intention of touching on a variety of the latest topics from the world of pop culture. But one man can only watch/read/listen to so much on his own, especially a husband and father who wants to spend time with his family, so please feel free to forward anything my way that you think may be worthy of attention. Because chances are, I may have missed it.

How could I not start off this week with the live-action feature film Cinderella that came out last week? At the risk of losing my man card, let me say I thought it was an exceptional film. And the Cinderella of this movie, or rather “Ella,” is one I am more prone to lift up as an inspiring example than the Cinderella I referred to in my recent article “Which Disney Princess Are You?” who flocked to the prince out of wanting mere rescue from her deprived life. Though there are multiple things worth mentioning (Did anyone else think of Matthew 25:40—“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”—when Ella gave food to her fairy godmother when she was disguised as the pauper?), what really struck me was the powerfulness of Ella introducing herself as “Cinderella” for the first time, upon presenting herself to the king at the end. That was the only time in the movie that she gave credence to this demoralizing nickname her stepsisters had given her, but she had decided that she was going to present herself to the king just as she was, hoping he would still love her despite her humbled circumstances. This is a perfect picture of how our King asks us to come to him—not hiding any of our faults or putting on some kind of front—and he promises to lavish us with the royalties of his kingdom too, just as Ella received in the end as well.

The second episode of The Returned still has me intrigued. One of the characters who has risen from the dead and been given an especially warm welcome home has a jealous sister who has been at home the entire time. In one scene, the jealous sister tells her mom, “Your favorite daughter’s back from the dead. Why not throw a #@%& party?” Knowing this show is from Carlton Cuse, one of the writers for the extremely biblically inspired show Lost, I am positive this was meant to remind us of the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15, when the older son becomes jealous of all the attention his once-lost brother was now receiving upon coming home, and says, “When this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!”

The next movie in the Divergent series comes out today. A couple of weeks ago I finally got to see The Maze Runner, plus last week I bought my Blu-ray copy of Mockingjay Part 1. There are suddenly a bunch of similar movies involving attractive young people taking a stand against an oppressive government. Which came first? Who is copying who? I’m not sure, and I’m positive all three authors would deny any kind of inspiration from the others. But you know what they might be surprised to know? This idea of attractive young people taking a stand against their government isn’t just an idea; it actually happened many years ago, as told to us in the Old Testament book of Daniel. Daniel and his three friends who would later come to be known as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were described as “youths without blemish, or good appearance and skillful in all wisdom.” And these four young men ended up turning the kingdom upside down because of their refusals to give in to the king’s laws. So take that, Divergent Maze Runner Games!

The faith-based movie Do You Believe? opens this week. What I find most interesting about this is the star-studded ’80s cast in it: Ted McGinley from Happy Days, Love Boat, and Dynasty; Sean Astin from The Goonies; Lee Majors from The Fall Guy; Cybill Shepherd from Moonlighting, and ’80s bad boy football player Brian Bosworth. This should give us great hope that in 2045 we might see a Christian film starring Chris Pratt, Zac Efron, Nathan Fillion, Jennifer Aniston, and football bad boy Ndamukong Suh—and probably still with Ted McGinley.

Kevin Harvey is the author of two books, his latest entitled All You Want to Know about the Bible in Pop Culture. It is available for pre-order now on Amazon, or hard copies can be found at Wal-Mart and other bookstores on March 24, 2015.

Redeeming the Week in Pop Culture–3/13/15

Each week I hope to send out the latest version of “Redeeming the Week in Pop Culture,” with the intention of touching on a variety of the latest topics from the world of pop culture. But one man can only watch/read/listen to so much on his own, especially a husband and father who wants to spend time with his family, so please feel free to forward anything my way that you think may be worthy of attention. Because chances are, I may have missed it.

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

Now, I’m not saying that the new A&E show The Returned has to do with the second coming of Christ, but I definitely find interesting this sudden interest in dealing with the idea of dead people coming back to life, similar to the ABC show Resurrection. The Returned is the American version of the French show Les Revenants, which was based on the 2004 French film They Came Back. My French begins and ends with “Je m’appelle Kevin,” and I grew bored with the soap opera of Resurrection. But I’m definitely willing to keep The Returned on my DVR, for three reasons, two of which have to do with the greatest show ever—Lost (of which you can read an entire chapter dedicated to it in my new book, coming out March 24): 1) The Returned stars Mark Pellegrino, a.k.a. Jacob, the God-like figure in Lost. 2) The first episode (and hopefully more) was written by Carlton Cuse, the writer/producer from Lost who is said to have been one of the reasons for the show’s great spiritual storylines. 3) To join in with culture’s fascination with the dead coming back to life. Is it related to the end times? Perhaps not. But do people think about life after death? Constantly. And believers in Jesus Christ know the truth and can join in these dialogues.

As I said last week, May 1 is all about The Avengers: Age of Ultron. But after I see it twice that day (yes, you read that right), consider me psyched and ready for Tomorrowland. Just listen to some of the dialogue in the preview: “What if there was a place, a secret place, where nothing was impossible?” “There’s one way in… Follow me.” Those familiar with the New Testament might be reminded as I was of verses from Jesus like: “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26); “I am the way…. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6); and “Follow me” (Matthew 4:19). Or maybe those parallels won’t truly be there once we see the movie in its entire context, but there is still the idea and hope that there must be something better for us beyond this earth. Yes, for believers in Jesus there is. Though I am not certain from biblical “descriptions” of heaven what is literal and what is not, what is most important is told us in Revelation 21:4–5: “He [God] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne [Jesus] said, ‘I am making everything new!’”

Speaking of The Avengers, too often we are quick to point out the sinfulness and depravity in Hollywood and its stars. But I believe in pointing out the times when, whether they know it or not, they are loving others with the love of Christ, just as Robert Downey Jr. did in the above video. Jesus healed the maimed and crippled and loved all without bias; King David showed great kindness to Jonathan’s crippled son Mephibosheth; and Tony Stark changed the life of a boy by helping to give him the coolest arm ever. “Let the little children come to me,” Jesus said in Matthew 19:14, “and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

And for a quick recap of recent TV shows I’ve mentioned not knowing if I would like… I’m back on the Last Man on Earth bandwagon. This might just end up being a great study piece on marriage, and how two very different people can make a relationship work. A new twist came at the end of the third episode, which will obviously make for great comedy. But I’m also hoping it makes for great moments in faithfulness and overcoming temptation. I’m rooting for marriage, and I have a suspicion it might just win. And lastly, that’s a big fat no on Dig. Sorry, but this show looks to be yet another reason why I included a chapter in my book explaining the true origins and meanings behind terms pop culture loves to throw around recklessly—in this case, Armageddon. No, the site of the final battle between man and Jesus has nothing to do with a religious cult raising up a 13-year-old boy in doors so that he never “soils” himself by walking on dirt.

Oh, and could I recommend to Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams to check out the Song of Solomon for potential song lyrics that they can use? Have at it. There are an additional 150 songs in the book of Psalms.

 

Kevin Harvey is the author of two books, his latest entitled All You Want to Know about the Bible in Pop Culture. It is available for pre-order now on Amazon, or hard copies can be found at Wal-Mart and other bookstores on March 24, 2015.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

I think it’s time to make it official. If the 2013 movie Frozen didn’t lock it in, maybe the 2014 live-action Maleficent did. And if not that, then Friday’s release of Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella has to seal the deal for sure. Yes, it’s time to add a third thing that will always be certain: death, taxes…and the next Disney princess movie.

Since the birth of my 6-year-old daughter, I’ve seen The Little Mermaid more than I have Star Wars—all six of them…combined. And in the last year I’ve sat through Frozen more times than dates I’ve had with my wife. And as you well know, those two movies are far from all of them. Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, The Princess and the Frog, Sleeping Beauty… If I can find any comfort in these unfortunate statistics of my adulthood, it’s that I know my daughter will one day say the same thing when she is married with kids.

So it’s a fact that every girl dreams of being a Disney princess at some point in her life. And perhaps many of them grow up and keep holding on to those aspirations. The only question is, which Disney princess are you?

Are you Cinderella, who thinks she’s running toward the prince in his castle, when in fact she’s really only running away from her servant life with her wicked stepmother and stepsisters? The fact is, she’d just as well mop floors at Starbucks and marry the Brain Bowl captain if it meant her escaping her current life. That’s not to speak ill of baristas and nerds, but instead to emphasize that she didn’t really need the perfect prince next door; she was merely looking for someone—anyone—to love her.

Or maybe you’re Ariel, who in fact already is a princess and living in the royal kingdom. But she still wasn’t happy, despite having all she did. No, in Ariel’s opinion, she wasn’t going to find “true happiness” until she left home and lived life up a little. And when she saw Eric, she projected all of her hopes and desires onto him to fulfill for her. She was willing to give up all she had already been given by her father the king in hopes that Eric would be able to give her even more.

Perhaps you’re like Belle, who would actually be a pretty good one to want to be like, save for one flaw even she didn’t realize she had: you can’t tame that beast of a man in your life; only God and his Holy Spirit can do that. Belle dreamed of adventure, and perhaps that is what inspired her to take her father’s place and try and change the Beast. But you’d be wise to allow the Creator of that man in your life to change his heart, and not think that it’s up to you.

Are you Snow White, who wanted love so badly she was willing to accept the crazy notion from the Evil Queen in disguise that just one bite from an apple and all her dreams would come true? Are you willing to set aside all common sense just to have the one thing you think you really, really, really need in order to find happiness? And have you found yourself walking through life’s motions while in a dreamless sleep, believing that a magical kiss from the right man would actually bring you to happily ever after?

Or are you Elsa? Maybe you’re so afraid of hurting other people and getting hurt yourself that you keep yourself in a type of solitude, away from all community–where you can’t hurt them and they can’t hurt you. You’re afraid to let others know the real you, out of fear you would be rejected. So you end up living all alone, unwilling to take risks for relationship.

Whether you have found yourself at certain times in your life to have more commonalities with Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Snow White, Elsa, or any of the other princesses little girls love to dress up as when they visit Disney World or sing and dance to Frozen, let me tell you one that you definitely are like—Rapunzel. She was a princess already, and she didn’t even know it, as she had been fed lies her whole life by the witch Gothel. But yes, you (you!!!) are a princess, a child of the King of kings. And your Father, just like Rapunzel’s who lit those lanterns in the sky and continued hoping she would see them and come home, also waits for you, like the father of the prodigal son. And when his son finally returned, the father said, “Let’s have a feast and celebrate because my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and has been found” (Luke 15:23–24). Your Father the King is ready to throw the party of the century, if only you would come home.

My daughter is many things. But she is a princess above all.  And so are all the little girls singing “Let It Go” for the thousandth time.

 

Kevin Harvey is the author of two books, his latest entitled All You Want to Know about the Bible in Pop Culture. It is available for pre-order now on Amazon, or hard copies can be found at Wal-Mart and other bookstores on March 24, 2015.

Redeeming the Week in Pop Culture–3/6/15

Each week I hope to send out the latest version of “Redeeming the Week in Pop Culture,” with the intention of touching on a variety of the latest topics from the world of pop culture. But one man can only watch/read/listen to so much on his own, especially a husband and father who wants to spend time with his family, so please feel free to forward anything my way that you think may be worthy of attention. Because chances are, I may have missed it.

The third and definitely best full trailer for The Avengers: Age of Ultron was released this week. May 1 can’t get here soon enough. I love the times we’re living in. For geeks like me, having all these great superhero movies to see at the movies is like Charlie taking a swim in the Chocolate River. In the first chapter of All You Want to Know about the Bible in Pop Culture, I make the comparison of many recent superheroes to the ultimate superhero, Jesus Christ. But there’s one line in this new preview that definitely doesn’t draw on this comparison. Rather it’s the complete opposite. Captain America says something along the lines of, “I’m tired of other people paying for our mistakes.” For Jesus, it is the other way around: the Superhero paid the price for our mistakes. And he only had to do it once. All debt has been paid, even for the mistakes I will make tomorrow…and the next day…and the next day…

The new USA show Dig started Thursday night, which has intrigued me since they began showing the teasers last year. But as I’m too old to stay up for television that doesn’t even start until 10:00, it’s on my DVR to see tonight. However, the premise scares me a bit. Knowing that it takes place in Jerusalem and that supposedly someone uncovers a secret “2,000 years in the making,” I can’t help but roll my eyes and think of The Da Vinci Code and other made-up stuff that too many unchurched people put actual credence in. Plus, the creators of Dig shared that much of the story is rooted in actual biblical prophecy and beliefs, which is even more of a red flag. Because last time Hollywood trying interpreting biblical prophecy, we got:

But I will give it a try and maybe it’ll make next week’s list as something to pay attention to.

But going back to television programs that I did actually see, The Last Man on Earth premiered on Sunday. I’ll be honest: I watched the first episode and loved it. I saved the second episode until the next day, and…not so much. But in that first episode, when Phil was all by myself, I loved that he dialogued with God and prayed that he would send him a woman. I kept thinking of Genesis 2:18, when God says shortly after creating Adam, “It is not good that the man should be alone.” And then of course he created Eve because he intended from the beginning for us to live in community with others. Just like Phil told the mannequin he finally gained up the courage to talk to, “Having others around is what makes life worth living.” But then, of course, the woman he prayed for arrived, and…well, she was no Eve.

CNN began airing last Sunday a series called Finding Jesus, which initially I was interested in. But then I saw the topics of each episode: Week 1) The Shroud of Turin that may show us an image of Jesus imprinted on it. Could this be the linen cloth that Joseph of Arimathea wrapped Jesus in? Week 2) A possible bone from the finger of John the Baptist. Week 3) Does an ancient codex answer why Judas betrayed Jesus? Week 4) A burial box that may contain the bones of James, Jesus’ brother. Week 5) Are pieces of the cross Jesus died on still in existence? Week 6) And finally, on Easter Sunday, of course everyone wants to know more about Mary Magdalene and her “true” relationship with Jesus… I’m pretty sure a better title for this should would be Using Well-Worn, Unproven Stories and Conspiracy Theories to Get a Piece of the Bible Miniseries Ratings. If you want to find Jesus, he didn’t leave “clues,” as CNN says; he left the gospel, communicated by both his followers and his Book.

 

Kevin Harvey is the author of two books, his latest entitled All You Want to Know about the Bible in Pop Culture. It is available for pre-order now on Amazon, or hard copies can be found at Wal-Mart and other bookstores on March 24, 2015.