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CANCEL
Subject: Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2001
From: Bruce
Sorry man..I
disagree and am canceling my subscription.
Bruce
DON'T
GET TOO HARDENED
Newsletter_26
Subject: Hey David. It's Scott McLain again.
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2001
From: "scott McLain"
Hey David,
I have never gotten over the voicemail! :o) I am sorry to hear
about your encounter with the poor soul(s) who obviously do not
understand the extent of what you do. If anyone who is a born
again, bible believing, Christ serving Christian would take the
time to truly rifle through your site (like many hundreds of thousands
of spiritually empty people have, I'm sure) they would find a
mountain of very biblically sound and even (gasp!) Theologically
conservative material that points directly to Jesus Christ as
the savior and our only hope of salvation. Obviously, our 'friend'
does not remember in Mark 9:38-40 when it says:
John said
to him, "Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name,
and we forbade him, because he was not following us." But Jesus
said, "Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in
my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he that
is not against us is for us.
So my question
to these people really and truly is the same question he asked
you: "which Jesus do you serve?" The Jesus I know wants to reach
lost people. I believe your website does that. Only those who
are called and drawn by God's spirit are going to find, ingest
and act on the spiritual content anyway. Are we to tell God how
to work? I think it is the other way around. Doubtless these people
would have had a serious problem with John the Baptist as he ran
around in camels hair eating locusts and honey, proclaiming "Behold!
The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" I for one,
support you fully, brother.
However, so
as not be a 'yes' man and rubber stamp everything you say and
do (publicly) , I would like to note that your obvious and vociferous
hatred of the 'church at large' may leave you unduly disgruntled
towards those who may agree with you theologically, but do not
understand the finite nature of your quest. At times, it seems
you go entirely out of your way to not identify yourself as a
Christian. While I agree with your stance on the way the world
perceives Christianities (well deserved) 'judgmental moron' perception,
I also refuse to let all of the uninformed religious "Christians"
out there to cheat me out of my title as a 'little Christ', or
as one who identifies himself as a Christ follower. I deeply believe
that there ARE indeed times when we should guard our eyes and
ears, and not just ingest anything. It would be foolish to suggest
otherwise. I would sincerely hope that you do not argue this point
(and I don't believe you would) as I noticed in your comments
that you specifically talked about videotape as means to fast
forward, skip or even eject films that offend the conscience.
I am curious though, do you every actually exercise that right?
Are you finally so hardened to the idea of self censorship that
you won't - just to spite the religious fervor of some? I know
you are fighting a cause, my friend, but do not ever harden you
conscience to the point of no return. That would be a shame. All
in all, I still love the mission and purpose of Hollywood Jesus,
and I would love to shake your hand someday. Who knows? I may
be out in LA sometime this next year. Maybe I'll look you up.
Also, I again suggest www.rockthechurch.com
They play secular music right along with some rockin version of
regular churchy stuff. The mission is simple: reach the unsaved
with the gospel.
Feel free
to print my name and email.
Scott Mclain
Endless Sky Productions
79 13th Ave NE Suite #212
Minneapolis MN 55413
612 378 0088
www.endless-sky.net
Response:
Your point is well taken. You will also note my repulsion of "crappy"
R rated. Most films, I must admit, are not worth the ticket price.
If I didn't review em, I would not otherwise see them. At the
same time I dearly love film. -Thanks for caring, David
I AM A CATHOLIC
Subject: Newsletter_26
Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2001
From: Chrissy
Dear Mr. Bruce-
I read your latest Hollywood Jesus newsletter and I am appaled
that some R-Rated Christians wouldn't want you to be in their
churches anymore. I am a Catholic myself and I enjoy to read the
Hollywood Jesus newsletters. I must admit that I don't keep them
all but I do read all of them. I also respond to the ones that
need a response. I feel that movies that downgrade God shouldn't
be shown to young children especially and movies that say there
is another Jesus. How can there be more than one Jesus when there
is only one God? Well I guess I will leave you with that for the
weekend. I hope you have a blessed weekend and I look forward
to reading many more Hollywood Jesus Newsletters.
God Bless- Chrissy
Response:
Thank you Crissy, I always enjoy your letters. I appreciate you
faith in Jesus. -David
DO
NOT CARE ABOUT R-RATED
Subject: Newsletter_26
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2001
From: Anderson
You've made
some good points in your discussion of this issue. I personally
don't care for sex and nudity and bad language, but blood and
guts and a whole lot of action make a movie fun! You're right
about motives...but I wonder about putting our minds in places
where they don't belong. It takes a mature Christian not to fall
into the trap of saying a little watching is okay, then falling
into an even bigger trap of watching more, then more, then maybe
participating in the sin that is being depicted on the screen.
We need to take it to the Holy Spirit and let Him be our guide.
I appreciate
your reviews and feel mature enough to make my own choice, I would
hope that we all as adults would take that into consideration.
I also know we're all sinners saved by grace, and while you are
very open about the movies you see, your critics should be equally
open about their sins.....it's a whole lot harder to remove the
log from our own eyes then to grab the speck out of the other
guys!
God Bless You!
Response:
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. If certain films are not
good for ones soul, then one should not view. -David
CHRISTIANITY
IS BECOMING IRRELEVENT
Newsletter_26
Subject: Christianity Is Becoming Irrelevent.
Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2001
From: "Samuel Ewing"
Hello, I read
your comments on the Baby Boomer and Gen X dilemna. I believe
that Christianity as a crusading and dominating religion is becoming
increasingly irrelevent to people in general as well as Gen -
X. Built into the very nature of Christianity as an institution
of Eurocentric dominance are the ideas of economic and racial
ideologies that promoted "crusades" and crusading; another words
conquering others. The result, is a strong innate bias against
other cultures, cultural trends and new ideas. Superstitious fear
of new innovations as demon inspired when they are only advances
in science. The new crusades of conquering peoples' minds with
hell and brimstone no longer have much effect on someone with
reasonable intelligence. Christianity has not been good for non-European
cultures as a whole and even up to very recently has been used
as a type of forward scout for miltary and economic corporations
who want to exploit the resources of other countries. By this
I mean the Western Culture. I don't say this with any glee, but
this particular phenomena has been devastating to people across
the globe and there is a ready denial of its bloody and inhuman
legacy. "God" help us, protect us from people who believe in harming
others with your approval! Will the real "God" please stand up!
In college
these facts are readily discussed and I found that more than a
few people are upset at the facts about the effects of Christianity
on the human condition. After all one has only to study the Black
Holocaust ( slavery), the Jewish Holocaust, the Native Americans
slaughtered for the cause of Jesus, a glorious victory, and a
strong economy to realize what a horror story has come from this
crusading religion.
Like another
crusading religion that comes to mind, war to establish heaven
on earth is a recurring theme too.
The differences
in culture also effect the environment for worship. As a child
who grew up in the 1960s and 70s I couldn't appreciate hard wooden
benches, long reading of scriptures with a pat interpretation,
singing hymns that seemed to my ears a symphony of mourning, a
God whose angry because he's gonna gitcha for your sins and because
his Son got beat down by humans (His intention all along).
I used to
have nightmares about this White Jesus Christ who would punish
me, a little black child who couldn't figure out what made him
angry and who never seemed happy. A Jesus who had carte blanche
to put his foot in my assets whenever he seemed mad about something.
As an impressionable child this is what I understood. When I was
in the sixth grade I found out that this White Jesus had no foundation
whatsoever in actual history or even the Bible. The White Jesus
was a political construct and thoughtform used to enslave people;
this is not opinion , this is historical fact. I was becoming
more aware of what this really was. Then I found out that that
the Bible whether taken literally or not was a book of stories
in which the characters were Africans (Blacks), Afro Asiatics
or Afro-Semites, and Semites. This made it very clear the hate
that people like Hitler, Queen Isabella, and Martin Luther had
for the European Jews. They were aware of the African blood in
these Jews. This was proven again when the priest class descended
from Moses and Aaron in Israel denied that an older group of African
people called the Lemba (Black African Jews) claimed the same
descent. The former group denied the latter's claim. When genetic
tests were given to both groups they were both found to be descended
from Moses and Aaron who themselves were Blacks. It was an enlightening
experience for the fairer-skinned Jews of Israel. This is one
of the main motivations that Hitler and his predecessors used
to commit horrors in the name of God as they saw It.
I think that
younger people are seeing through the biased and fraudulent stance
of this religion and for it to continue there needs to be a regeneration
within the established order based on truth, justice, and correctness.
If not Christianity will continue towards its dinosaur like existence
until it phases itself out. As you described the clear evil and
hate that you received from Christians who criticized this website;
there attitude is what is making Christianity a thing of the past.
Christianity
is more like a political-economic American corporation in which
the civic religion (Americanism, Patriotism, and Cowboy Justice)
are at its core. Remember the flag waving and patriotic songs
being used in churches all across this country during Desert Shield
- Desert Storm? Praise Jesus!, we're going to war! People with
a reasonable amount of common sense are weary of these manipulations
and that includes Gen-X.
There are
generations of people who are simply tired of the same old evil
and manipulative crap. They are leaving the good ol' boys network,
believe as I do or else, the all in the family church as family
business, the tv evangelists who talk their version of Jesus the
American Way while living like rich religious tycoons. They are
tired of the tv evangelist conservative semi-politician who bashes
the liberal politicians who are equally as nauseating; and all
of them like mercenaries lining their pockets, lying to the American
people, and talking at the same time about "moral values."
People are
quietly and relentlessly looking for other gods, goddesses, religions,
spiritualities, and philosophies to satisfy the emptiness they
feel. Some are even creating their own way. I say, "God" bless
them, perhaps by their personal struggle the Supreme Being will
guide them to a more sincere and loving relationship for Him,
Her, and It.
Amen and Allwomen too,
Samuel David Ewing SARASWATI@prodigy.net
Response:
You have been through so much. Thank you Sam for honestly sharing
your heart. And God bless you for that. I agree with many of your
points. Jesus was not white, that is for sure. And God is not
happy by many of the things done in his name, that is for sure.
Religious institutions are sometimes the worst examples of the
God they claim to follow. Your response was somehow refreshing.
Please stay in touch, I like how you are. -David
KEEP
THAT SMILE DAVID
Newsletter_26
Subject: R-rated
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2001
From: Pat
I LOVED Shrek...didja
see it? We saw it with our best friends and laughed til we hurt...what
a delight. Then, my gallant neighbor, 80s??, and I had a hot date
and went to the 50 cent matinee at mall to see Cast Away as we
are the only ones in the whole world who hadn't been yet. Oh well.
I don't get out much some months! It was a WOW too... Good newsletter,
just keep that smile in your voice and pen and more importantly-
in your heart so this world doesn't get to ya---God's good folks
are all around, just mixed in with a few turkeys, too. I choose
to dwell on the great ones, and blow off the others. Works well...and
occassionally I IS one of the others and don't even know it! Well
dang....see ya.
Love, Patti
Response:
Love ya too, Patti! Thanks, David
LOVE
GOD, NOT CHURCH
Newsletter_26
Subject: Believer that does not go to church
Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2001
From: Mary
Going to
church is painful for me. I was raised a Baptist, but things changed
when I was in my late teens. They became so judgemental. I quit
going. I do love God however. Since I like film, Hollywood Jesus
has be come my "church." Thank you David for what you
are doing, you help keep me in touch with God.
Love ya,
Mary
Response:
Thank you Mary. Church can get difficult sometimes. There are
some cool churches out there. Let's will chat off line. Warmly
David
COOL
CHURCH
Newsletter_26
Subject: Community Christian Church in Naperville, Illinois
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2001
From: eric bramlett
I am the Creative
Arts Director for Community Christian Church in Naperville, Illinois,
a suburb of Chicago. We have a church that digs the arts- the
arts that God created, and seeks to redeem the arts that man has
distorted. We are into experiential worship and love Hollywood
Jesus. Have peoples check us out, at one of our two weekend locations,
(Naperville and Romeoville) or on the web at www.communitychristian.org
love you,
god bless
eric bramlett
COOL
CHURCH
Newsletter_26
Subject: Central United Methodist Church in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2001
From: "Penney Rahm"
Dear David,
I am the pastor of the Central United Methodist Church in Wilkes-Barre,
PA. Our worship service is traditional (we still sing hymns with
an organ), although we do sing some praise songs. I am an evangelical
and call people to faith in Christ, but I try to be open and accepting.
I enjoy the movies, R-rated though they may be, and occasionally
use them in sermons. People in this church are generally open
and accepting, since we sometimes have folks from the homeless
shelter come and worship. I would welcome anyone to our church.
Who knows, if the right folk came through our doors, we might
have the makings for a praise band and a contemporary worship
service. There are several of us who long for that day. God loves
all people. I try not to be judgmental and leave it to the Holy
Spirit to change people's lives. If this counts as a cool church,
then please list us. We may not be way cool, but I think we're
open to it. If you have any questions, please ask. in joy and
hope,
Rev. Penney Rahm a friend of Jesus
pmrahm@prodigy.net
RATIONALIZATION
Subject: R-Rated Newsletter_26
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2001
From: Aspch
Sorry, David.
The world is in enough mess without Christians adding fuel. Unfortunately,
not all people are as self-controlled as you seem to think you
are. Call me what you will.
MY
COOL CHURCH
Newsletter_26
Subject: West Pines Baptist Church in Lake Worth (Greenacres)
FL.
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2001
From: Tillie S
I was looking
for something to click on, but my church doesn't fit any of those.
I go to West Pines Baptist Church in Lake Worth (Greenacres) FL.,
in the Palm Beach area. It is an Independent Baptist Church that
preaches the Bible and Jesus as the only way of salvation. We
are growing at the rate of 10 new members a month. The first month
we were in our new building we had to buy 100 new chairs. We have
all kinds of things going on for each age group. We have a wonderful
"Childrens' Church", Awana, Singles Groups, get-togethers for
older folks, and mixers for all ages! I can only speak for myself,
but as far as I know, no one judges anyone else. I heard one old
saint say, "I never judge anyone, because anything they have done,
I have either done myself or thought about doing." We focus on
our own sins and how to become more holy rather than pointing
fingers at our brothers and sisters in Christ. When we get a new
member who smokes, we all pray that he will quit. They appreciate
the help! Most of us dress nicely as if we were going before the
King, but don't look down on those who don't. Everyone seems to
love everyone else, no matter what they do, what they look like,
how they dress, what color they are, etc.
Come see us at
4906 Melaleuca Lane
Lake Worth (Greenacres) FL
561-963-9150.
Tillie S
THE
FULL LETTER FROM "THE AGNOSTIC"
Subject: Fumbling towards enlightenment.
Date: Fri, 1 Jun 2001
From: "Dave Yung"
I discovered
your website quite by accident. While doing a movie search I saw
A "Christian" referrence to the movie "Dogma" and clicked it,
expecting to see the typical bashing of the "cesspool" of Hollywood.
Instead I found one of the most enlightening, profound and deephearted
reviews I've ever read.
Perhaps a
bit of background information would be helpful. For the majority
of my 32 years I have labelled myself agnostic. Not due to a disbelief
in God of Jesus, but stemming rather from my own inability to
reconcile my personal beliefs from all the public statements being
made by "noted Christian" representatives. In my 20's I spent
a total of three years travelling around the world. I have hitch
hiked through the Australian outback, I have stayed with friends
in Bali, I have driven acoss Africa, and I have listened to the
afternoon prayers in the mosques of Egypt. Everywhere I have travelled,
I have met "good" people, be they Buddist, Moslem, Hindu, Jewish,
Christian (or while staying on the island of Tavaru) Cargo Cultists.
Growing up in a Baptist church, I had been spoon fed the belief
in the "one true faith" and witnessed openly, from the podium
in the front of my church, a preacher announce that everybody
that didn't believe that Jesus Christ is our one and only saviour
was doomed to an eternity in hell. Growing up in this environment,
then actually meeting and gaining my own perspective on these
people I heard so reviled in the church sermons, completely turned
me away from any faith I once had as a Christian. Also it seems
that any time you turn on the television, and a "Christian" minister
is being broadcast, he/she is always condemning someone or something
because it doesn't fit in with their personal view of the way
that the world should be. I have always felt that there is a higher
power than ourselves, I have also always believed that Jesus did
walk among us, doing good deeds and generally promoting kindness
among fellow human beings. Put simply, the higher power I believe
in would not blindly condemn to an eternity of suffering those
who do not comply with their own narrow frame of beliefs. Regardless
of WHAT the minister in my church said to the masses, Mother Theresa
is not burning in hell because she is a Catholic. Ghandi is not
roasting due to his "Pagan" views. And the Dali Lhama does not
face heavenly retribution for all the people he has "turned from
Christ". This is the yardstick I have always held Christianity
up against, and like the very people I resent for condemning others
due strictly for their beliefs, until recently I condemned all
of the fundamentalist Christians due to their beliefs.
And then I
found your website. I remember listening to a guy at work bashing
the movie "Dogma" as being incredibly blasphemous and against
God. I was so intrigued that I went out and watched the movie.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and when I returned to work the next day,
I tried to discuss it with the guy. he informed me that he hadn't
actually seen the movie, but since it came from Hollywood, and
it was a religious comedy, he didn't need to "smell the sewer
to know it stinks". I filed this under "typical Christian reaction"
until looking into buying the DVD today. I ran across your review
and now I feel that every narrow minded belief I had in Christianity
has been blown completely out of the water. I may even pick up
the Bible again. I have now poured over your archives, and as
ridiculous as it may sound, I might just see enough connection
with my own beliefs to start caring again. Your reviewers don't
simply quote a bit of scripture from the bible (something that
has never really made clear sense to me) and leave it at that,
like it's the final word said on the matter. Rather they look
at a film and attempt to put in into perspective. Geez, if you
can find a Christian story line in "Fight Club", you can't be
the closed minded group I once assumed all of you guys to be.
Thank you for bridging the gap.
Regards Dave Yung
Response:
Thank you so much for you warm and wonderful words. I do take
my share of licks from "typical Christians." So I really
appreciate your affirmation. Warmly yours, David
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