Harvest Bible Chapel: Is Dissent the Same as Rebellion?

Last Sunday, on the 24^th of June, Jeff Donaldson, Campus Pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel – Elgin, preached a sermon entitled “Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself.” In it, he utilized the Old Testament account of Korah’s uprising against Moses to argue that issues such as envy, self-deception, anger and distrust could lead a congregation into open rebellion against the pastor or elders of their church.[1]

Interestingly, as his argument built to a climax, his attention shifted to the blogosphere, where he made comments both “on camera” and “off.” Let’s start by looking at the “on camera” remarks.

 

From the Ashes of War: The Gospel According to Mark – Part 3

Earlier this year, we started a new series on the Gospel according to Mark.  Today, as we continue to build upon the foundation that was laid in part 1 of the series, we turn our attention to the latter half of Mark 1:1.  As has already been argued, Mark is writing in the context of a war – a war that ultimately leads to the destruction of Israel and the failed last stand of the Jewish Zealots in the desert fortress of Masada.   For the Jewish people, many of whom had been longing for a Messiah for well over 400 years, all appears to have been utterly lost.  Rome had laid waste to Jerusalem and her beloved Temple; and those that actually survived the onslaught had been either scattered or enslaved.

 

Selling Weapons and Killing Children in “The Drone Wars”

As yesterday afternoon brought the news of yet another crippling blow being dealt to the Al Queda network once spearheaded by the now-deceased Osama bin Laden, it may behoove us to stop and consider the means by which this network is being systematically eliminated.

According to cnn.com, “Monday’s strike represented the third such deadly attack [by CIA drone] in as many days and the 21st suspected U.S. drone strike in Pakistan this year.”[1] Now admittedly, on the surface of things, this would appear to be good news for the American people.  For as has been widely reported, drone strikes have been so effective that internal memos recovered from Bin Laden’s compound suggest that “drone-launched missiles were killing al Qaeda operatives faster than they could be replaced.”[2]

But is that all there is to the story? 

 

The Grey: A One-Minute Film Review (2012)

Let’s be honest.  The Grey wasn’t ever going to be a movie that was marketed towards Christian audiences.  The use of raw, guttural language is only slightly less pervasive than that found in your average Tarantino film.  And as for the violence?  Well, how many Christians typically revel in a film in which the main characters are brutally eliminated in often grotesque fashion by a pack of ravenous wolves?  No.  This is most certainly not Fireproof and it is definitely not Courageous.  This is not filmmaking that is methodically geared to sentimentally reinforce everything a Christian already believes to be true.  This is filmmaking on the level of Roland Joffe’s The Mission or Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life.  And for Christians that love the medium of film and for Christians that long for a film to seriously explore the theological problem of pain, The Grey is exactly the kind of movie that you are looking to see.  It’s a film that refuses to offer overly-simplistic answers; and it’s a film that gives equal voice to both the faithful and the atheist alike.   Consider the words of writer/director Joe Carnahan:

“If an atheist sees this film, they say, ‘There’s no way [Liam Neeson’s character] believes in God.’  [But when] the most hardcore Christian sees this film, they say, ‘Absolutely he believes in God!’ …  This is the way of the universe and certainly it’s the way of nature.  Nothing is given.  Nothing is certain.  And I think that as you get older you start to think about things … There are things that start to occur to you where you go, ‘What’s out there? What’s waiting for me? What’s the afterlife look like? Is there an afterlife?’” [1]

If that kind of mentality doesn’t excite you as a Christian fan of film, than this is not likely the movie for you to see.  But if you appreciate harrowing survivalist tales in which man must not only face the demons of nature, but his fragile belief in the existence and goodness of the divine, The Grey is is a must-see.  Raw, uncompromising, and built with a fine-tuned precision towards a beautifully executed smash-cut ending, The Grey should rightfully take its place alongside the very best films of 2012.

This film has been rated R by the MPAA for  for violence/disturbing content including bloody images, and for pervasive language

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[1] http://www.infamouskidd.com/infamouskidd-com-exclusive-interview-the-kidd-enters-into-the-grey-with-director-joe-carnahan/

 

Harvest Bible Chapel: “These are NOT the Droids You’re Looking For”

The scene is almost as classic as the film in which it is found. Having just discovered the brutally burned remains of his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, Luke Skywalker has agreed to travel off-planet with Obi-wan Kenobi on a desperate mission to deliver two droids that contain vital information to finally putting an end to Vader’s Empire.  But upon arriving at the Mos Eisley Spaceport, they are confronted by imperial stormtroopers hunting for the droids.  Just at this moment, when all seems lost, the mysterious Kenobi, in his first real display of power, simply waves his hand and says the iconic words: “These are not the droids you are looking for.”  And just like that, the befuddled stormtroopers parrot his words and numbly allow the heroes to continue forward on their fateful journey.

Several weeks ago, Pastor James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel (HBC) attempted his own “Jedi mind trick” of sorts, as he sought to convince his congregation that they need not listen to the external critics of his ministry, in spite of the evidence that was right before their eyes.  Listen closely to what he says in this sermon based loosely upon John 2:13-22.[1]