Movie Review #2

When my older daughter came home from college last week, she and I snuck out to a late movie to see Atonement during its opening week. Remarkably, it is only on at one theater in all of Atlanta. Not sure what that is all about.

In sum, the movie is superb. A well-crafted telling of a very heavy story. The director really does an excellent job of creating a world that draws you in for a full two hours. It is not a light story - but the two hours of viewing are worth every minute and every dollar.

Keira Knightley and James McAvoy play a young couple whose love is thwarted first by human deception, as Knightley's younger sister in the movie sets forth a series of lies, and then by fate, as the realities of both prison and an emerging world war prevent a reunion. Set in England in the early World War II late 1930's, the story is a masterful weaving of love, betrayal, deception, and redemption. Classic stuff.

I highly recommend it in every way. My daughter and I had a wonderful time.

Last night's show was really fun. A good hour on my dad and Christmas, a fun hour on pastors and confidentiality, and sandwiched in between was an entertaining discussion about swingers and the sex club Jack Trulock runs at his house in Duncanville, Texas. A place where folks come to play Naked Twister every weekend.

I simply do not see how the swinging lifestyle can make a marriage stronger. It weakens the intimacy and trust in a relationship and causes a breakdown of the emotional and sexual bond that God brings about. However, one listener disagreed, and I simply had to share an excerpt from her email. No names - just content:

I LOVE listening to your show and consider myself to be a very spiritual person and a Christian. However, I've noticed that you DO enjoy the topic of swinging and open marriages for many of your shows. I understand why, as a minister, you do not condone it. However, the case in Duncanville, TX really upsets me because the neighbors are trying to shut down the naked twister guy because of the activities in his private home.

If he had cars parking on that street on Friday and Saturday nights because everyone was coming over to his home to study the Bible or the Q'uran, or to watch football games on TV, I'm willing to bet that the neighbors wouldn't say a word about it. They are just bothered because they do not agree with what is happening there and so they are getting the government involved. I think this is a dangerous path to eroding our freedom and rights as private citizens of the United States of America. Whoever goes to those parties is going there willingly and can participate as much or as little as they choose (I know because I go!). They are not having sex on the front lawn (or the back lawn either, I presume!) which would violate public indecency laws. They are in a basement where I'm sure they can not be seen through a window by any curious neighbors. Whose rights are being violated and why should the neighbors care? What right does the local government have to say they can not have a party? If that guy wanted to throw a party every night of the week...who cares? I saw info about this on Fox News and they said that now the cars are being parked at a remote location and they have a shuttle bus to take party goers from the house to their cars. There is no price of admission. People contribute $$ and/or bring their own liquor so it's not a business.

By the way...I am one of those people who is happily married for 10+ years and we have been in the lifestyle since we were dating. We have some extraordinary friends and have met the most amazing people all over the world. The lifestyle is full of very successful, well-educated, entrepreneurial, independent people (as you know). Everyone I have encountered is happy and well-adjusted (okay - there are a few exceptions to that one!). They are beautiful people inside and out! I felt terrible hearing Polly's story on the air. I don't think I've ever heard of or seen anyone in that type of abusive/controlling relationship. I was previously married to an abuser (we were not swingers) and know the fear, anger, guilt and sadness of those relationships can be overwhelming.

I know swinging is not 'mainstream' and it's definitely not for everyone or every couple. We don't try to recruit anyone. But we also don't want to be outlaws for our private activities. I understand that it's fun and titillating radio to talk about us. Have fun! We sure are!

Thank you and Merry Christmas!

News is full today of topics and stories we have been following on the Allen Hunt Show:

1) Steroids. The official report shows widespread usage of steroids in baseball. All players who have sought an unfair advantage by using performance-enhancing drugs should have their records removed from the annals of baseball history. ALL players. The stain on the game is immeasurable. Young kids have grown up idolizing frauds. We can only hope those same kids do not emulate these frauds and thereby endanger their own lives.

2) New Jersey is on the verge of banning the death penalty. That is great news! However, they need to institute a rigid policy of life without parole sentencing for the most heinous crimes. http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2007/12/14/1163052-death-penalty-foes-rejoice-after-nj-vote

3) Yet more bilgewater spewing forth from Cathedral of the Holy Spirit and their former pastor, still patriarch Earl Paulk. The most recent women to come forth claiming sexual exploitation include his own granddaughter. The tragedy has grown beyond Biblical proportions at this point. I stand by my claim - close the whole church down. There is no accountability there - it is a family-run church. No elders, governing board, or denominational authority exists to ensure that the right thing is done. The Paulk family runs the church and the Paulk name no longer counts for anything.

Quick movie review. I really want to see Atonement, but could not get to it this past weekend.

Instead my family went to see "Noelle." Very interesting flick. I rate it a C.

Story is set on Cape Cod, so that's a plus. It is about real life and faith, which is why I went to see it. The movie also turns out to value human life in a way I did not expect. A pleasant surprise. Finally, the camera shots and cinematography are quite splendid at times.

The most remarkable thing about the movie stems from David Wall. He wrote it, directed it and produced it. Moreover, he is the star. Now that is a feat.

At the same time, while trying to present the real life struggle of a Catholic parish to survive and be vibrant in a small community, Wall presents the same warmed-over sappy spiritualism that seems to permeate our culture. His representations of what Catholics actually believe and what makes a priest a priest are misguided and shallow. Not sure if he is a critic of the Church or if he knows really what his message is. What came across was an emphasis on warm feelings and a dismissal of truth. Ultimately, he lapses into the Rodney King sentimentalism of "Can't we all just get along," and denies the very reasons the Church exists in the first place. And that thereby misses the whole point of Christmas.

All in all, a nice evening as a family. The movie provoked good conversation and had a pleasant Christmas theme. Again, a C.

5 years ago today, my father died. I still remember the moment very well. Standing with my mother in the hospital corridor in Lakeland, receiving the news from the doctor.

I went to church today to thank God again for a good father. After last night's show, where folks shared some really painful stuff, I remembered again how fortunate I have been to have two good parents. My father loved me unconditionally. He did not express that in flashy or verbal ways so much as in a quiet life that provided immense stability and security. I never had to wonder where my father was - he always arrived home at 5:30 pm. He had few outside interests. His consistent presence provided a web of security and peace that I only later came to appreciate. He lived a modest life, shunning the public eye and seeking to serve God in a behind-the-scenes, simple way. In doing so, he passed on values much deeper than materialism. Finally, he reared me in a home without abuse and conflict. I did not appreciate that then, but after 20 years of pastoring folks who desperately craved that, I realize now just how blessed I was. My father had a deep, quiet faith. And in the end, that was his greatest gift to me.

While at church, I also thanked God for the last few weeks of my father's life. We got to spend lots of time together in his final days, and the experience humbled me in a way that I cannot express in words. I drove him and my mother from NC to FL so he could get back to his doctor, and the two days we spent on the drive (Dad did not want to go on interstates) were two of the most memorable and grace-filled days of my life. In the hospital, I trimmed my father's finger nails, shaved his face (he loved a good shave more than anything else), and simply sat with him as he prepared to die. It was humbling to honor and serve a man who had quietly served and provided for me my entire life, even when I was not aware of that.

So I went to church and pondered the idea that my father lives fully in the presence of God now. That Dad belongs to Him. And that I do too. I look forward to seeing him again across the river.

Well, Mitt Romney is on the television right now sharing his convictions about faith and how a candidate should not be accepted or rejected because of faith.

Mike Huckabee has grown sensitive to the idea that he is getting grilled by the media for his dismissal of evolution as the supreme explanation for all things on earth.

Hillary and Barack are openly sharing their faith stories and appearing in church settings to demonstrate their spirituality.

All of which leads me to ask, "How would Jesus vote?"

If Jesus were here in the United States today, what would He use to assess candidates seeking to lead our country? What characteristics would be important to Him?
Personal faith?
Compassion?
Honesty and integrity?
Leadership skills?
Experience?
Intelligence?
Problem-solving skills?
Strong on defense?
Passion for freedom?
Pro-life?
Care for the poor and the weak?
Which of these would inform Jesus' decision to vote?

I have my own opinion, which I will share on Sunday's show. But I would really like to hear what you think.

How would Jesus vote? HWJV?
Why do you think that?

let the blogging begin!

At least two Muslims in the world have common sense. Thank goodness.

The absurd and obscene case of Gillian Gibbons (discussed on our show last weekend) has come to an end. The teacher sentenced to prison, and threatened with death, in the Sudan for allowing her 7 year old students to name a teddy bear "Mohammed" has been freed.

Why? Because two Muslim members of Britain's House of Lords flew to Sudan and begged the President, Omar al-Bashir, to pardon her. I wish I could have overheard that conversation. 2 British Muslims begging a Sudanese Muslim to exercise decency and common sense. To have mercy on a woman whose 7 year old MUSLIM students named a teddy bear for heaven's sake.

Fortunately for Ms. Gibbons, the President relented and pardoned her. She has now been deported, never to return to the Sudan. Reportedly, she is in good spirits and harbors no grudge. Her naivete is trumped by her grace.

One wonders what would have happened if a non-Muslim had gone to the Sudan to intervene on her behalf. I assume that person would have been met with cries of intolerance, of exhibiting failure to appreciate Islam and its nuances, and of needing stones about the face and head.

Surely this phenomenon reveals one culture that is seriously disturbed. We can debate all we want about the cultural gaps between east and west, between Christians, atheists, and Muslims, and between Americans and Middle Easterners. The point remains the same: countries controlled by Islam produce warped world views and cruelty at an astonishing rate. Government-sanctioned, imam-supported cruelty and perversion.

All cultures are not alike. They are not all equal. We do ourselves, and teddy bears, a disservice when we pretend that they are.