Christianity in the Movie “Avatar”

Last night was my first experience of the blockbuster movie Avatar.  The epic was a feast for the eyes, the ears, and the nerves as I watched on the edge of my seat.  Even with the obvious comparisons with Pocahontas and Fern Gully, it was a definite delight.

But Avatar is NOT Christian.

Rev. Roy Shaff apparently agrees, but thinks that it is a prime opportunity for “discussion” about “spiritual truths.”  Rather than relying on the Bible (which is supposedly authoritative) to bring its own truth, Rev. Shaff advocates for taking this film as a primary source for discussion.  In a post on his blog, he tries to pull out what he says are excellent discussion points that connect with the message in Scripture.

Theological Debate in the Twittersphere

I haven’t been tweeting for long, but I must say that I have really enjoyed it!  I have made some friends and had very challenging conversation.  One such conversation occurred late last night, however it did not end well.  Not sure what really happened, but I think that I may have stepped into something.  Below is the complete exchange that I had with John Harrison (aka @tragic_pizza).

To give our conversation context, this was not our first exchange.  Even where we disagree, John has been very gracious with me and I hope I have been with him.  This particular evening I had observed that there was a fairly strong conversation going on between he and another twitter user (mentioned below).  As you can see below, I did not engage John, but rather commented to another user, Khad Young, regarding his reading of Acts 10:15.

“Creation” Premieres

The life of Charles Darwin is the subject of a new film called Creation which premieres today at the Toronto International Film Festival.

From the TIFF website:

In Creation the battleground is a man’s heart. Torn between his love for his deeply religious wife and his own growing belief in a world where God has no place, Darwin finds himself caught in a struggle between faith and reason, love and truth.

No, I will not be attending either incognito nor as myself.  I am eager, though, to hear what people think about it.  If you happen to have seen it, take some time to leave a comment.  If not, give a shout out about what you think will be the reaction when it is released to the general public.

Apologies to Galileo

I was wrong… doesn’t that have a nice ring to it?  Especially since it is coming from a Christian?

Seriously, though today I ran across this post from Christian History that has corrected my perceptions of the life and times of Galileo Galilei.  The items in the artcle make my writing about the events surrounding his life (here, and here), especially in regard to his heliocentric model of the solar system are not quite historical.

What Do You Get When You Cross 300 Atheists and the Creation Museum?

Greetings!  After a two day respite I have finally found the strength to crawl out into the light to share a bit about my adventure. 

It was on Friday, August 7, 2009 that yours truly visited the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY in the company of more than 300 atheists who were holding a nearby conference and thought that it would be an eye-opening experience.  And eye-opening it was! 

I will share my thoughts in a later post, but for those of you who are eager for reports, here are some from formidable people who were in attendance and Ken Ham (CEO and president of Answers in Genesis) who was not in attendance but obviously had something to say.

• ABC News Coverage
• Comments from PZ Myers
• An “Expulsion” from the Museum
• Ken Ham’s Account