Have the Conversation on LGBTQIA – Part 3
Thousands of former members have noticed the oppression at UBF stemming from spiritual abuse. Hundreds have documented their stories publicly on the internet. A few have spoken up about the threats received when you disobey your Korean shepherd. I share with you now yet another layer of oppression at UBF. If you are not cisgender and heterosexual, you have another layer of burden to deal with. The clear UBF teaching on homosexuality is that such people are not merely immoral, but are like swine flu, spreading throughout the world. Gender and sexual minorities are spoken against at UBF as the harbingers of the end of the world and destroyers of society. I seek to have the conversation however. Here is part 3, which I have completely changed after learning about Alan Turing.
What I Learned from Tangled
I hope to participate in the upcoming ubfriends book club. But in the meantime, maybe we can also have a movie club. The movie Tangled was the most significant movie that helped me make sense of my shepherd/sheep relationship at ubf. Here are my thoughts on the movie that visualizes one part of my life extremely well.
American Sniper Makes you Proud To Be an American
I felt proud to be an American after watching American Sniper, directed by Clint Eastwood. It is based on the story of Chris Kyle, an American hero who is regarded as the greatest sniper in American history. He has been credited with 160 confirmed kills of enemy combatants in Iraq (255 if unconfirmed kills are included). Continue reading →
Forests Top 10 Movie Quotes
The past few articles had various references to movies. I am a big can on top 10 lists. So in that aim I decided to give you my top 10 movie quotes. These quotes have greatly influenced me in various ways. As a disclaimer, some of these clips might have some amount of violence or strong language.
True Love’s Kiss
Not necessarily a chick flick! This is a random, jumbled musing after I finally watched Maleficent, which was thoroughly satisfying. It reminded me of Frozen. These two very touching movies centered on the theme of love, which is NOT of the chick flick variety. Sorry for spoilers! Both films required a TRUE LOVE to reverse a curse of irreversible sleep in Maleficent and being permanently frozen ice in Frozen. Isn’t this the gospel? (I also recently watched The Fault in Our Stars, which is an entertaining non-cheesy tear jerking well done chick flick.) Continue reading →
Sometimes we need Hero and Villain
Sometimes theologians and church people forget how culture expresses the “spirit of the times” and that such expressions can have something profound to teach the church. Often that great enemy, the secular world, is seen as entirely bad and merely a means to our mission. We forget there are human beings in that world, remarkable human beings who also have discovered amazing truths. So it is with the latest Disney movie Maleficent.
2014 Academy Award Predictions
This is for fun, since the 2014 Oscar nominations were announced today. But rest assured I am seriously engaged in the present discussions about The Shepherding Movement and UBF. I look forward to reading Big Bear’s book, The Year The World Ended. And I learned much from Joe and Brian critiquing my Deuteronomy 1 sermon on Sin. Here are my predictions, though I have not seen all the movies: Continue reading →
The Hunger Games Screams for Justice
When I asked, What is the central theme of your life, Brian answered and explained why his center is justice, which is a crucial center for God (Gen 18:25; Dt 32:4; Ps 9:7-8) and Jesus (Mt 12:18-21; Isa 42:1-4). As I wondered why I and so many love The Hunger Games, I think a major reason is that it cries out for justice by those who are oppressed and humiliated. A prominent biblical theme is that our God is a God of justice and he hears the cries of the poor, the widows, the fatherless, the foreigners, the helpless and the oppressed (Dt 10:18; 24:19) and he beckons to rescue them (Ex 2:24-25).
Gravity: Discovering Life When Facing Death
Not to distract from bigbear’s important letter to Cincinnati UBF and to UBF at large and his first post (kudos!), my post provides some levity and counter-programming. On Fri my wife Christy and I went to see Gravity which I thoroughly enjoyed. Christy felt stress and didn’t like it. She even said, “There’s no story line,” which shocked me! Despite her being quite unimpressed, Gravity will be nominated for major awards and Sandra Bullock might win her second best actress Academy Award following The Blind Side.
The Satisfaction of Justice (Django Unchained)
This is a reflection of Django Unchained. It has uncountable racial slurs and is ultra violent, typical of a Tarantino movie. It is not recommended for kids and for those who are unable to stomach bloody brutal graphic violence. I should not approve of this movie but I do. Why? It screams for justice.
How do we deal with injustice? A sense of justice flows in the blood of every human being created in the image of a just and righteous God (Gen 1:27, 18:25). Whenever and however injustice happens, our blood boils over and our very beings want to explode and demand justice. Surely, this is because our God is the God of justice, with justice being intricately and inseparably intertwined with righteousness (Ps 89:14; 103:6; Isa 9:7; 33:5; Amos 5:24). As Abraham’s descendants through Christ, we are called to do what is right and just (Gen 18:19).
Continue reading →
Last 30 Comments