Associated Baptist Press - 5/12/2008

Associated Baptist Press
May 12, 2008 (8-49)

IN THIS ISSUE:
Baptist groups mobilizing aid for Burmese victims
Surprise move at Two Rivers Baptist reverses vote, ousts dissidents
Children from FLDS compound praise Texas Baptist agency
Mix of politics, religion inevitable, but all blends not equal, scholar says
Faith-in-schools debate best handled in local communities, Rogers says
Iowa church, CBF commit to S.D. Indian reservation

Baptist groups mobilizing aid for Burmese victims
By Robert Marus

BANGKOK, Thailand (ABP) - Baptist groups are among the scores of international aid organizations trying desperately to bring relief to the hundreds of thousands of cyclone victims in Burma.

Along with thousands of other aid workers, groups of Baptist relief officials waited May 12 for visa approval to enter the country -- nearly 10 days after Cyclone Nargis drowned as many as 100,000 residents of the Irrawaddy Delta region.

According to Baptist World Alliance officials, several international Baptist response teams were stationed in Bangkok, capital of neighboring Thailand, awaiting permission to enter Burma, which is also known as Myanmar.

The teams "are putting plans in place to provide food, drinking water, mosquito nets, temporary shelter, pots and pans, and basic medicine," said Bonny Resu, general secretary of the Asia Pacific Baptist Federation. The body is one of six regional fellowships that make up BWA, the worldwide umbrella group for Baptists. Resu's organization is helping coordinate Baptist relief work in Burma.

The teams waiting in Bangkok include members from Baptist organizations in the United States, Hungary and Australia. They expect to coordinate with the Myanmar Baptist Convention based in the nation's largest city, Rangoon, but have not been able to get in touch with Burmese Baptist officials, because the tropical storm's winds severely damaged the city's already-fragile infrastructure.

"All the telephone and electric poles have been destroyed," said Kabi Gangmei, another Asia Pacific Baptist Federation official who is waiting in Bangkok to accompany the Baptist teams into Burma.

International officials -- including President Bush and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon -- have expressed increasing anger at the pace of the Burmese government's response. According to news reports, Ban described "immense frustration" that he and other U.N. officials were feeling May 12.

The nation has been ruled by an oppressive military junta since 1992. The generals who run the country are suspicious of outside governments and journalists, particularly Western ones. They have reportedly harassed the few journalists who have made it into the country to report on the disaster, and have intercepted many of the few aid shipments that have made it through.

International public-health officials are warning of a humanitarian crisis even worse than the cyclone itself due to water- and insect-borne diseases if relief supplies do not get to the estimated 1 million victims soon.

One Oklahoma-based Christian group, His Nets (www.hisnets.org), is attempting to provide insecticide-treated mosquito nets to prevent a malaria outbreak.

"The U.S. and other countries will provide food, drinking water and shelter," said T Thomas, the group's director, in a press release soliciting donations for nets. "However, standing water from the cyclone will quickly cause an outbreak of malaria. This will result in a second wave of deaths if nets are not provided quickly!"

Thomas, a former Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missionary and now coordinator for Oklahoma CBF, said the nets can each protect a family for up to five years. They can be provided for only $6 apiece. HisNets has committed enough funds for more than 1,000 nets, but the need in Burma is "much greater," he said. The group works closely with BWA.

CBF and the American Baptist Churches USA have each made initial contributions of $5,000 to relief funds and both are accepting Internet donations from individuals and churches (CBF at www.thefellowship.info/give and ABC at www.abc-oghs.org/give). BWA has committed $50,000 to the Burma effort and is also accepting donations through its relief arm, Baptist World Aid, online at www.bwanet.org/bwaid.

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Surprise move at Two Rivers Baptist reverses vote, ousts dissidents
By Lonnie Wilkey

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) -- One week after an effort to oust 71 members of Two Rivers Baptist Church failed by four votes, the Nashville megachurch voted again and this time removed the dissidents on a show-of-hands vote.

The congregation was told that the 71 plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit against church leaders last September should not have been allowed to vote May 4 on a motion for their own dismissal, according to Robert's Rules of Order. Members then voted not to allow the votes of the plaintiffs to count, effectively reversing the outcome of the May 4 vote.

The 71 members filed a lawsuit against Pastor Jerry Sutton for refusing to release church records to members and with using church funds on his daughter's wedding reception and other questionable expenses. The suit requested that Sutton be fired and sought compensatory and punitive damages. Sutton has repeatedly denied the allegations.

In the first vote May 4, 1,000 secret ballots were cast; 663 people voted to dismiss the plaintiffs, while 337 voted "no" - four votes shy of the two-thirds majority required for removal from membership.

Another business meeting was called following the May 11 service so deacon chairman Carlos Cobos could officially report the May 4 vote, according to an article in the Nashville newspaper, The Tennessean. David Mills, a former trustee and deacon chairman, then challenged Cobos' decision that allowed the 71 plaintiffs to vote, the newspaper reported.

Two Rivers attorney Larry Crain attended the 9:15 a.m. service but told the paper he was not expecting a revote. He defended the action, however. "If you're charged with a crime, you can't sit on the jury," he told The Tennessean.

Cobos also told the paper he was surprised by the move to disallow the 71 votes, but he refused to comment further.

Last October, Sutton, who has served Two Rivers for more than two decades, easily won a churchwide vote of confidence in his leadership -- 1,101-286. The plaintiffs had asked a local judge to stop the vote-of-confidence meeting, but she refused.

In April, Sutton requested that the plaintiffs be dismissed from membership "because of the damage done to the witness, reputation, and welfare of Two Rivers Baptist Church," leading to the May 4 vote.

Neal Buchanan, a long-time member of Two Rivers and a plaintiff, said he went to church May 11 without a suspicion that "anything would happen."

Buchanan told the Baptist and Reflector, the Tennessee Baptist news journal, that Sutton had prayed last week that the Lord's will would be done. After the vote to oust the members came up short, "we thought that it was over," Buchanan said. He noted some plaintiffs had gotten together to discuss ways to reconcile.

When the matter was brought up following the 9:15 a.m. service, it was a total surprise, Buchanan said. "There was no warning whatsoever. In fact, many of the plaintiffs weren't there because they were visiting family members in other churches" for Mothers' Day.

Plaintiff Peggy Lewis, one of the ones who was not in attendance, said she found it ironic that the pastor had previously said he would accept God's will concerning the original vote, according to The Tennessean. "Evidently he didn't like what he heard from the Lord," she told the paper.

Buchanan said no effort was made to see that only members voted. "Last week we had to show our driver's license and sign a ballot. This week, it was done by a show of hands vote."

Buchanan disagreed with The Tennessean's report that the vote passed by an "overwhelming" majority, adding, "It was a travesty of justice in the way it was handled."

"It is a sad day for the church. They can't blame all that has happened on the plaintiffs," Buchanan added.

Two Rivers Baptist is one of the most prominent congregations in the Southern Baptist Convention, which is headquartered in Nashville. Many of the denomination's top leaders attend the church. Sutton, a one-time SBC first vice president, lost a three-way race for the SBC presidency in 2006.

A message for Scott Hutchings, executive pastor of Two Rivers, was not returned May 12.

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Children from FLDS compound praise Texas Baptist agency
By Craig Bird

SAN ANGELO, Texas (ABP) -- Although Texas officials have taken some criticism for removing hundreds of children from a religious compound, the Baptist agency caring for them has earned praise from the most important people: the children themselves.

Baptist Child and Family Services, an agency affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, was charged with caring for hundreds of children removed from the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints compound near Eldorado, Texas, in April. They coordinated the children’s care in nearby San Angelo for three weeks, after which 75 moved to the BCFS Youth Ranch near Luling.

"You’re nice," a 6-year-old girl announced last week as Nanci Gibbons, the agency’s executive vice president, walked past her on the ranch play ground.

"Why, thank you," Gibbons replied, "but how do you know I’m nice?"

"Because your shirt says 'BCFS,'" the girl answered, "and you know what BCFS stands for, don’t you?"

"Is it, 'Beef, Chicken, Fish and Sausage?'" Gibbons guessed, quoting the nickname many of the children had bestowed during their stay in San Angelo.

"Oh no," the girl said firmly. "It means, 'Best Care for Children.'"

"For the children to recognize that the folks in BCFS shirts are there to help and be nice is the best compliment we could get," BCFS chief executive Kevin Dinnin said. "Though there are significant differences, there is a common denominator between what we are doing with the FLDS children and what we did for Hurricane Katrina evacuees and victims of the Sri Lanka tsunami and what we're doing to help fight the international sex trafficking in Moldova -- we didn’t create the situation, but are working to meet the needs of those affected.

"Job one continues to be respecting each child’s dignity and making them as content as possible. Our overriding concern is to provide the children with safe, clean places to sleep, access to medical care, healthy food and people who care about them."

Placing 75 of the 462 children -- taken from the polygamist compound on suspicion of abuse -- at the Youth Ranch allowed Texas Child Protective Services to keep many sibling groups together.

It also kept BCFS in overdrive mode to staff the facility and activate support programs with local school districts. One of the mobile medical units was also stationed at the ranch.

In the move from San Angelo, one constant for children was the men and women in BCFS shirts.

"In San Angelo, our staff -- all wearing BCFS shirts -- quickly became known as the people you went to when you needed something, whether it was organic baby food or just someone to listen. And now the 75 children waiting to know what their future will be have promoted us several ranks, it seems."

The San Antonio-based agency was alerted April 4, just as the operation to remove the children from the compound got under way, to be ready to receive 24 children at the Youth Ranch. But the next day Dinnin was asked if BCFS could supervise sheltering operations in San Angelo "for up to 150 women and children." At the operation’s peak, the shelters housed 550 women and children.

As "incident commander," Dinnin and BCFS were tasked with providing oversight and coordination for all the agencies responding to the crisis. During the three weeks the children and mothers were housed in San Angelo before a court ordered the children placed in child-care facilities across the state, approximately 1,000 state, county, and city personnel and volunteers worked under BCFS supervision.

The agency interacted daily on critical incident decisions with the commissioners of the Texas Department of State Health Services, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Gov. Rick Perry’s staff and other local and statewide elected officials.

BCFS deployed 55 employees, including most of its senior administrative staff, and more than $1 million in assets. In addition to two mobile medical clinics and a mobile feeding unit, BCFS provided communication technology for the operation, including VHF radios for communication between all responding agencies, satellite uplink for Internet telephones, 28 laptop computers, plasma-screen and projector displays for incident management and direct, real-time, visual incident-management communication with the Texas State Operations Center in Austin.

While state child-protection officials and Texas courts decided about placement of the children, BCFS ministered to emotionally stressed women and children around the clock; respected the FLDS adherents’ religious practices by providing organic, non-processed meals and acceptable toys and play activities; treated outbreaks of chicken pox and respiratory infections (FLDS children do not take inoculations); created an alternate phone system when the cable to the shelters and command post was accidentally cut; developed contingency plans for all possible court rulings; processed mountains of laundry; and handled all purchasing.

When the courts ordered the transfer of the children to facilities across the state, BCFS used GPS technology to track the bus convoys dispatched around Texas.

"To categorize the sheltering operations as 'highly successful' is a gross understatement," Dinnin added. "To quote Chief Colley of the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management, BCFS was the 'rock star' of the San Angelo operation. We do appreciate that -- but being noted for providing ‘Best Care for Children’ is the highest compliment possible."

In the past few years, BCFS has gained a national reputation for its expertise in such operations. Last month the Federal Emergency Management Agency asked it to be a "subject-matter consultant" to develop a "functional template" for special-needs shelters.

BCFS also is in charge of training Texas cities in setting up such facilities and recently began doing the same for the state of Nevada.

The BCFS incident-management team has undergone a nationally recognized training program and is credentialed through the Federal Emergency Management Agency in various aspects of emergency management. The team’s 55 members were pulled from BCFS programs across the state. Most worked 14- to 18-hour daily shifts on the front end of the operation.

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-- Craig Bird is director of communications for Texas Baptist Child and Family Services. Robert Marus contributed to this story.

Mix of politics, religion inevitable, but all blends not equal, scholar says
By Marv Knox

ABILENE, Texas (ABP) -- Religion and politics inevitably will mix -- especially in the U.S. presidential campaign -- but that does not mean Americans should sanction a free-for-all, church-state expert Melissa Rogers insisted.

Rogers, director of the Center for Religion and Public Affairs at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., delivered the annual T.B. Maston Christian Ethics Lectures at Hardin-Simmons University's Logsdon Seminary in Abilene.

"There's a growing interest in religion's role in politics that could result in an 'anything goes' approach," she observed. "But it doesn't have to be that way. There are some constructive ways of managing these issues."

The U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to mix politics and religion -- to a degree, reported Rogers, former executive director of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and former general counsel for the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, both based in Washington.

"Our Constitution certainly says that religious groups and people have the right to participate in the debate of political issues," she said. "Private citizens clearly have a constitutional right to comment on issues of public concern in religious terms."

And while Article VI of the Constitution forbids any government-imposed religious test for public office, "voters certainly are free to cast their ballots for any reason, including voting for or against someone because of his or her religion or lack thereof," she noted.

Still, the spirit of this constitutional provision should influence voters' decisions, she argued.

More broadly, Rogers offered six suggestions for "managing the mix of religion and politics."

-- "Accept the fact that religion and politics will mix," she said. "They always have. They always will."

Long before Mormon Mitt Romney and former Baptist pastor Mike Huckabee ran for president and candidate Barack Obama's pastor made headlines, Americans were bringing their values to bear on political/religious discussions, she noted.

"There is nothing unconstitutional, un-American or otherwise wrong with the mere fact that some will draw on religion as a source of guidance when making decisions about public matters or that some will include religious references in their discussion of such matters," she said.

"The separation of church and state does not require the separation of religion and politics. Further, I believe any attempt to do so would not only generate a tremendous backlash, it also would be ultimately unsuccessful."

-- "Although the religious and political spheres overlap, they are different, and there are risks when religion and politics mix," Rogers warned.

"This is one indication of the risks when religion and politics mix: We begin to think that those who disagree with us are enemies of God, and we are at the right hand of God. Other risks include the potential for damage to our pluralistic democracy and to the integrity of religion, including the use of religion as a means to a political end."

-- While religious people have rights to participate in politics, they are not better rights than others' rights, she admonished.

She quoted Huckabee, who said on the campaign trail, "... I don't feel like a person has to share my faith to share my love of this country."

"America," Rogers urged, "should be a place that welcomes all people of good will to bring their values to the political process and to participate fully and equally in that process."

"After all, religious people who are political conservatives are not the only Americans who have values and vote them. All God's children got values, including nonreligious people, and all of us vote them."

-- Candidates have an obligation to answer some questions that "touch on religion," she insisted.

To illustrate, she showed a video clip of John McCain talking about whether the United States is a "Christian nation" and quoted Barack Obama discussing his beliefs about teaching evolution in public schools.

Emphasizing candidates should be willing to answer questions "about how their personal beliefs, including personal religious beliefs, might affect their governance," she also referenced some statements by Obama about race, religion and patriotism, and played a clip of Huckabee answering a question about whether his religious perspective on marriage would impact his political decisions.

-- "There's good religious outreach and bad religious outreach by candidates," Rogers said.

"Here I am talking not about what is politically effective, but about what is right," she explained. Assuming they are respecting the tax rules that nonprofits must follow, she said, "It is good for candidates to reach out to religious as well as nonreligious communities and listen to religious as well as nonreligious groups.

"But it is not good for candidates to try to tell people of faith what their faith means to them, how they should vote, or to otherwise try to command, control and co-opt religion."

-- Religious communities engage in both "good and bad forms of religious engagement" of politics, she reported.

Churches and other religious groups should resist attempts by politicians to usurp the autonomy and freedom of religion, she added, warning against giving politicians access to church members' contact information, church money and volunteers.

"Our faith is not an instrument of electoral politics, and we should never do anything that suggests it is," she admonished. "Partisan politics should have no place in the pulpit. ... Let's say it again this election: God is not a Republican or a Democrat. An awesome God does not affiliate with any political party."

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Faith-in-schools debate best handled in local communities, Rogers says
By Marv Knox

ABILENE, Texas (ABP) -- Whatever the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately decides about the role of religion in public schools, communities should strive to have better conversations on the topic, Melissa Rogers told participants at the T.B. Maston Christian Ethics Lectures at Hardin-Simmons University's Logsdon Seminary.

Rogers, director of the Center for Religion and Public Affairs at Wake Forest University, offered a few ground rules for guiding the religion-in-schools debate in communities across the nation.

Before outlining her ground rules, Rogers explained what kinds of prayer, religious speech and religious curriculum are allowed and disallowed in public schools.

Put simply, she said: "The only kind of prayer that is not permitted at public schools is the kind the government leads or sponsors." For example, students may pray silently at any time and may pray audibly over lunches and at other times "as long as they are not disruptive and the school does not sponsor the religious expression."

But schools "cannot organize or sponsor prayers during class time or at school events, whether through teacher-led prayer, inviting clergy to pray, organizing student votes on prayer or otherwise," she reported. "Moments of silence are unconstitutional if they are used to promote prayer."

Rogers affirmed the place of religion in public-school curriculum.

"We cannot understand our nation or our world without understanding religion," she said. "But how can we ensure that schools teach about religion rather than preach about it? After all, preaching about religion is not the job of the schools, but rather the job of religious leaders, houses of worship and family."

The landmark 1963 Supreme Court decision Abingdon Township v. Schempp "made clear that public schools could not engage in devotional teaching of religion," she noted. "In this same decision, the court also noted that academic teaching about religion was constitutional and even desirable within public-school classrooms. ...

"The Supreme Court has made it clear that the school's curricula must be shaped by academic rather than religious principles and that it must not otherwise seek to indoctrinate students in religion," she said.

Schools may teach about religion if they are neutral regarding faith, neither inculcating nor denigrating religion, she added.

Rogers noted some ways in which the new justices on the Supreme Court may differ on these issues from the justices they replaced. But she acknowledged predicting the Supreme Court's course is risky and often unproductive.

"We cannot control what happens in the future at the Supreme Court," she said. "We can control, however, how we deal with these issues in our communities, and I believe that we can and should invest our energies there."

Seeking to alleviate local battles over religion in school, Rogers proposed four general ground rules that she believes everyone can endorse, even if they differ on more specific church-state issues:

-- "Our nation's public schools are not and should not be religion-free zones," she said.

"Students who are people of faith will want to express that faith on campus, and they may do so in many ways that do not involve state sponsorship and thus do not violate the First Amendment. ... Further, schools need to teach about religion. Schools should never indoctrinate; they should never press for the acceptance or rejection of religion. But schools should instruct students about the way religion has shaped societies."

To ensure that these matters are handled appropriately, she called for "mandating and funding teacher training" regarding religion and public schools.

-- "The government should never create a hierarchy of faiths," she insisted.

"It isn't the job of government to determine which faith is right or best or dominant," Rogers said. Instead, it is the job of government to safeguard the rights of all people.

"In short, one does not have to believe all religions are equally true in order to believe that the government ought to treat all religions equally," she said.

"We demand full religious liberty for Christians abroad, in countries that are majority Muslim, for example, and properly so. On the flip side, we must demand religious liberty for non-Christians here at home."

-- "We should never heckle or bully others because of their faiths, lack of faith or positions on church-state issues," Rogers urged.

"This should not be a difficult one for Christians, given that Christ taught us to love our neighbors. Frankly, and sadly, we don't have to look hard to find examples of Christians behaving badly when it comes to debates about religion and public schools. That's a shame. As the song goes, they should know we are Christians by our love."

-- Tell the truth about church-state issues, she pleaded.

"Prayer has not been kicked out of public schools," she asserted, citing one of the persistent untruths told about church-state relations.

Blanket statements are not truthful or helpful, she said. "We only confuse the issue and hurt our public witness when we make false statements like 'prayer has been kicked out of public schools.'"

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Iowa church, CBF commit to S.D. Indian reservation
By Carla Wynn Davis

ATLANTA (ABP) -- Until last summer, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship didn't have much of a ministry presence in Buffalo County, S.D.

Leaders from Together for Hope, CBF's rural-poverty initiative that works in 20 of America's poorest counties, had identified the county as a place where transforming ministry could take place. But they couldn't find any group to make a long-term commitment to ministry there.

Kathleen and Ray Kesner, then Together for Hope facilitators in South Dakota, had been learning about the county and building relationships with local leaders. When they shared the ministry need with Ashworth Road Baptist Church in West Des Moines, Iowa, members responded. As one of the closest CBF partner churches to Buffalo County, a few members made the seven-hour drive to Crow Creek Indian Reservation, one of the county's largest reservations, where they met with leaders.

"They just captured our hearts," said Tim Deatrick, the church's pastor. "We realize the importance of making long-term commitments, and we're hoping to be invested in the work of Crow Creek for years to come."

In less than a year, church members have made several trips to Crow Creek to build relationships and learn how they could help. Already they've provided funding to help financially strapped Boys and Girls Clubs stay open, and have donated funds and labor to build a new playground.

"The playground was provided to a community that has been completely overlooked," said church member David Phillips, who, along with his wife, Jami, serves as TFH ministry facilitator in South Dakota. "The donation of the playground and, even more, the labor to install it communicate to the people of Crow Creek that they are important to us."

Last September church members traveled again to Crow Creek to deliver new clothes and school supplies for 300 children on the reservation. Local leaders worked to give correct clothing sizes to the church, and the church raised the money to purchase each child a new coat and outfit for school.

"We didn't go to [local leaders] and say, 'This is something we want to do,'" Deatrick said. "We asked them, 'How can we help you be successful? What can we do to help you?' The coats and clothes were their idea."

Church member Scott Oswald was on that distribution trip and has been touched by the community's desire to better the reservation.

"They have a sense of community and family and try to overcome such huge obstacles to have a better way of life," he said.

Thus far, more than half the church's members have been to Crow Creek. The ministry partnership is making missions accessible for every member who wants to experience missions firsthand, Deatrick said.

"The church is being changed and transformed because individuals are going out and being changed and transformed. That's what we want," he said. "They can go and have the experience and not just do something, but really make an impact."

This summer the church has another trip planned. Leaders hope to take 50 church members -- about half of the congregation -- to work with children and teenagers and do construction projects. In August, with financial backing from Ashworth Road, two members will move to Crow Creek. As law-school students who will graduate in May, they will be a resource for legal issues and economic development on the reservation.

"We're excited about what's going on in the church," Deatrick said. "We really think that what's happening is a God thing. We're just hanging on for the ride and looking forward to seeing some other great things happen."

"The most important thing churches like Ashworth Road provide is a sense of worth to the people who live on the reservation," said Jami Phillips. "It has been such a joy to see the Native Americans realize that when these church members look at them, they don't see an Indian or a Marine or a single mother or an alcoholic. They see a child of God who is worthy of love and compassion because that is the way he sees his children."

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Bible Trivia - 5/12/2008

Question: Which epistle was writtenm to an "elect lady"?

Answer: II John. (II John 1:1)

Comments: II John is the only book of the Bible addressed to a woman. Merril C. Tenney (b. 1904) claims, "This letter is more personal, for it is directed to 'the elect lady and her children.'" (Tenney, New Testament Survey, 1985, p. 378)

"The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth," (II John 1:1, NASB)

The Bible does not reveal the exact identity of the “elect lady.” There have been a number of suggestions concerning the identification of the vague addressee(s) of II John. There is even debate as to whether it is addressed to an individual or a group.

Here are some of the hypotheses of those who support an individual addressee:

• Some believe the title is a proper name and as such the letter is addressed to a Christian lady named Electa. This was the interpretation favored by Clement of Alexandria (150-215), who says of the epistle: scripta vero est ad quandam Babyloniam nomine Electam, significat autem electionem ecclesiae sanctae ("It is written to a certain Babylonian, Electa by name; but it signifies the further election of the holy church"). Detractors note that the repeated reference in verse 13 indicates that "elect" in verse 1 is an adjective, not a proper name.
  
• Another variation of the proper name theory suggests that the letter is addressed to a Christian lady named Kyria. This was first proposed by Athanasius (293-373), and avoids the difficulty of the previous suggestion as it allows "elect" to remain an adjective.
  
• Others claim that the letter is intentionally addressed to an unnamed Christian lady and as such "elect lady" would equate with the modern "Dear lady." This may have been done deliberately to protect the addressee in a time of persecution.
  
• Others have suggested that The Elect Lady is Mary, the mother of Jesus. She was to be the mother of John (John 19:26) and it has been suggested that a personal letter from John might well be a letter to her.
  
• Some have also speculated that Martha of Bethany is the "elect lady." William Barclay (1907-1978) explains "Kurios means Master; and Kuria as a proper name would mean Mistress. In Latin, Domina is the same name and in Aramaic, Martha: both meaning Mistress or Lady'. It has, therefore, been suggested that the letter was written to Martha of Bethany." (Barclay, The Lectures of John and Jude (Philadelphia:Westminster Press, 1976, p. 213.) In this interprettaion, the children referred to in verse 13 were Mary’s children.

The other mode of thought is that John was writing to a congregation. Revelation 12 and other scriptures symbolize the Church as a woman. Supporters claim that the internal evidence of II John strongly suggests a collective reference. In verses 6, 8, 10, amd 12 the addressee is referred to using a second person plural verb and only in verse 13 does the singular reappear. This is best understood only if some collective sense to the singular used in vv. 1 and 13 is involved.

Some have further speculated that John was referencing the Church at Ephesus, from which he may have written.

Word of the Day - 5/12/2008

Inveterate

Inveterate means settled or confirmed in a habit, practice, feeling, or the like.

The Gospel of Luke lets the reader know that Jesus was an inveterate Synagogue attendee. (Luke 4:16)

And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. (Luke 4:16, NASB)

Note: This painting ("Jesus in the Synagogue") was created by Anton Robert Leinweber (1845-`1921).

In Eckleburg's Eyes - 5/12/2008

I spent a good deal of my weekend working on applications for graduate school and employment, but still found time to see a lot of my friends and family.

I spent Friday afternoon helping SMA and his mother, BCA, clean his home in Knoxville as it was his first day back as a full-time Knoxville resident. Our job was simple - we were too transport one truckload of discarded furniture to a Goodwill (pictured), take a mattress and its accessories to the dump, and sell some unwanted CDs/DVDs. I arrived at 11 am. If you think these chores did not take the entire day, then you do not know us.

The Goodwill donation truck had moved, so we went to a Goodwill in Bearden as SMA has an aversion to the closer one in Farragut. Despite choosing an unorthodox location, this went off without a hitch. Then the real tangents began.

We decided we were hungry, so we ate at the Colonel’s Deli (located at 4909 Newcom Avenue). Though I have never discussed it on the blog, it is a favorite of both SMA and myself. I ate my usual roast beef on wheat with three deviled eggs. He also stuck to his usual of a turkey and a sweet roll.

The Deli has Asian food as it is owned by two delightful immigrants. They have owned the place for as long as I can remember and always remember my order and ask about my father. (His old office building was close and he often brought home food.) It is one of those great hole-in-the-wall establishments. Nothing in the restaurant has changed since I was a child, save for the fruit that adorns the ceiling. One of the many businesses that has gone under next door sold them these decorative fruits a few years ago. They are hideous but kind of fit the place's vibe.

Another note from our travels is that the previous location of McKay Used Books & CDs (at 4931 Kingston Pike) has been leveled.

We then brought BCA a take out order back to the house, where she had been working all along. We retrieved the mattresses and lugged them in the back of her pickup truck and were off to the dump. This was the dumpiest dump I have ever seen. It is also where Michael Gerald King, 42, was found shot in the head on January, 9, 1995. It is a great location.

This should have been easy, but it became far more complex when a dump truck pulled in behind us. The driver kept honking at us, indicating we were placing our junk in the wrong part of the dump. He made us walk through a veritable swamp and hoist the mattress and items over a barricade taller than both of us (not that we are Manute Bol, but it was difficult.) I am not sure why we listened to him, other than the many tons of steel he was driving. Dump truck drivers are not usually high on our list of authority figures. I guess this was his domain though.

Amazingly, some items BCA had given to charity the week before were in the dump. Hmmm...

We then made our way from West Knoxville to South Knoxville where SMA was to sell many of his old CDs and DVDs at the Disc Exchange. They are the store that pays the most in Knoxville for used items, but are far more selective than any other similar business.

SMA was very embarrassed as one of the CDs he was returning was a Creed album. This meant that he had to acknowledge to the music connoisseurs who work there that at one time, he listened to it. Of all of the things he has done in his life, I am not certain that this is the fact he is most ashamed of.

We arrived and the employee who would be inspecting SMA’s mass of goods, told us that it would awhile. (He was not kidding.) So we decided to hit up two other South Knoxville haunts since we are seldom in the area. For us, the Disc Exchange represents the outer limits of civilization, but we decided to brave our way up the highway. Despite its sparseness, there is always traffic going that way. Where are they going?

We then drove up the street to another "exchange", the Comics Exchange (3711 Chapman Highway) as SMA was in search of some Lost action figures. Though they did not have the Lost merchandise, they did have a life-sized Darth Maul and a flier detailing when the next comic book blockbuster movies would be released.

We then ventured further south to a treasure trove known to the world as Big Lots. Though this location had more good merchandise than any we had been to, we did not buy anything. SMA did sing Ambrosia’s 1980 hit “Biggest Part of Me” which was playing over the p.a. system. It is a catchy little ditty and at least it was not a Creed song.

We then returned to the Disc Exchange where they were not even close to completing our order and seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace. At one point, a customer needed to use the restroom and it was the employee who was filling our order that escorted her, as opposed to the numerous other people on duty. We are pretty sure the Creed CD made them prejudiced against us. SMA did not blame them.

Seeing that we had a long period of time, I went next door to the Book Eddy. They have some of the best selection of Biblical commentaries, but their prices are outrageous for a used store. I bought nothing.

When I returned, they had completed only half of our order! (It was not all that big.) We stayed there so long that we exhausted our shopping capacity which says a lot. The time was well spent. I noticed that an Oompa-Loompa action figure from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory greatly resembled diminutive television star Gary Coleman. We also made note of a 1989 movie called Countdown to War in which Ian McKellen plays Adolf Hitler. We have longed planned to have a Hitler movie festival. Is that weird?

It was worth the wait as SMA made a killing - $187 in store credit. (Get it, 1-8-7?) Oh, they did not take the Creed CD.

In other Disc Exchange news, the local band 10 Years will be performing a free live concert in the store on Tuesday, May 13. My old friend SLOW (her real monogram, not an insult) dated guitarist Ryan "Tater" Johnson for sometime.

We contemplated selling the unapproved items at McKays, but remembered that back at the house, BCA was still cleaning. We had her truck so she was not going anywhere.

We pulled into SMA's driveway at 4:47 pm. He was pleased with the day's accomplishments - “All in all it’s been a good day for bartering and commerce.” He debated with himself what other methods of discarding unwanted goods could be done and burning was the only thing we had not done. Thanfully, I had no time for that. This is your typical day with SMA.

On Friday night, KL, WAM, KLTW (highly uncomfortable due to a migraine), MPW, RAW,and I went to see Iron Man while KJW was kept by her "Nana" in Seymour.

My friends and I met at my house. Unfortunately, a hail storm knocked the power out. I realize this picture is hard to decipher (it was very late), but we actually had hail accumulate on the ground. The storm was so severe that the restaurant I ate at the next day still had it's credit card system down.

WAM, always prompt, was at the house the longest. If you have ever been around him, you know that he always seems to be drinking an obscure highly caffeinated beverage. On this night, he was sampling Bawls Guarana. He had just bought a case (24) of the excessively caffeinated root beer, marketed as "geek beer." I did not have to worry about whether he had enough energy for the late film.

We went to the 10:30 pm showing at the Regal Riviera 8 downtown. Though the theater has been open since August 31st, none of us had ever attended. It is a very nice theater and on this night it was all but empty as the storms kept most people home. This is proff that most people are smarter than us.

We all enjoyed the film. As much as I liked it, I must confess that my favorite part of the experience was the trailer for the Batman Dark Knight movie which arrives on July 18. My review of Iron Man is posted under "A Veiled Tell: Nil Soli."

We had all been advised to stay after the credits for an additional scene. At nearly 1 o'clock in the morning we faced The Clash's timless dilemma - "Should I stay or should I go?" We stayed. Afterwards, only WAM agreed it was worth it. If you wish to know the additional scene, it is detailed in the review under the "Cast" heading.

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I spent my Sunday afternoon in Newport with my father's family for Mother's Day. This marks the second consecutive Mother's Day that I did not see my mother. She, not I, has been out of town both years. This year she is in the Boston area. Without my mother in town, the extended family is the next best thing. This also marked the first of a five Sunday strecth that will have me in Newport three times (with sermons on May 26 and June 8).

We met at 12:30 for lunch at Lois' Country Kitchen in Newport. Well, most of us did. My uncle JHV and his crew were last as baby WCV overselpt. He (JHV, not the infant) picked up the tab for the group which more than made up for his tardiness. Thanks, JHV.

Lois' is a family-owned restaurant that offers country cooking. Most patrons eat from a buffet. My grandparents eat there religiously. I ate a mass quantities of turkey and dressing. The dressing was good, though my aunt MCVD's is far superior. Though I enjoyed the food, I was especially pleased that we sat in chairs adorned with leopard prints. I felt so classy.

We had a group of fourteen. In addition to the family. Edna Payne (ELP) and her daughter Susie (SPM) joined us. ELP is a recent widow who eats with my grandparents each Sunday. Her daughter lives in Michigan (the base of the thumb for Michigan experts) but is staying with her mother for a month. Said thought that I appeared to be just out of high school. I liked her.

We were one short of our expected head count as my cousin's friend Joey Scarpino (JS, aka "Buttafuoco") could not attend. I will be making a presentation to my cousin on the benefits of dating him soon. I gave her the sneak preview. Among his other good traits (like caring for my cousin and her son) is the fact that her father eerily resembles Gene Simmons. That would be great for the Gene pool. Get it?

Most of our crew came bearing gifts for my grandmother. I came with a greeting card and gift certificate to the Beauty Box from my parents and I. My aunt MCDV brought her two pairs of red shoes. My aunt LAMV brought her a piece of Jeremiah Jewelry. (I will not even pretend that the husbands had anything to do with the gifts.) Her racking up almost made me wish I had kids. Almost. Since all of her gifts had to do with personal appearance, I made sure to assure my grandmother that she looked good just the way she was. Am I a great grandson or what? Actually, technically speaking, CWV is her only great grandson.

Amazingly, much of the family news revolved around my typically taciturn grandfather, WCV (Jr., yes another one). My grandmother and I had a discussion about his eyes inexplicably changing to bright blue (they had once been hazel). He also received his first speeding ticket EVER on the way back from a recent Knoxville hospital visit. The speed limit inexplicably drops to 55 MPH just outside of town and he was pulled over without realizing the change. In fact, he was driving slower than most around him but his slower veolicty made him easier pray for the police. There are few things that I am better than my grandfather at, but accruing speeding tickets is one of them.

My grandfather also wrote a letter to my cousin from her infant son. The premise of the letter was that CWV had asked him to transcribe the letter as he is illiterate (hey, he’s only one.) This is interesting on several levels. First, I have never seen my grandfather’s handwriting as my grandmother handles all of our correspondence. Second, I am still trying to determine whether I find this sweet or creepy. I am leaning towards both.

It was a good day. The place was filled with senior citizens who moved slower than a Disc Exchange employee scanning a Creed CD, but the food was worth the wait. CWV made a new friend at a nearby table. Perhaps most impressive was the fact that my uncle ECD stayed awake throughout the entire event. We can call this our Mother's Day Miracle. I love you, ECD!

A Veiled Tell: Nil Soli - 5/11/2008

Iron Man (2008)

On Friday night my friends and I viewed the much hyped Iron Man movie. We all enjoyed the film. This review is done for those who have seen the movie as I have made no attempt to conceal spoilers. I have subdivided the review with headings as most will not be interested by all of it (or any of it). Theological applications are at the end of the post.

Synopsis

Iron Man is the story of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), an extremely affluent industrialist whose company specializes in producing armament. On the one hand, Stark is a sarcastic womanizer with no impulse control. On the other, he is also a genius with a “work hard, play hard” mentality. He seemingly has it all.

While field testing Jericho missiles, his latest weapon of mass destruction, in Afghanistan his convoy is attacked by terrorists and Stark is mortally wounded by a blast from one of his own weapons. His attackers take him hostage and a fellow captive and scientist (Shaun Toub) saves his life with a makeshift electromagnetic implant that keeps the deeply embedded shrapnel from piercing his heart. Thus, Stark literally has a change of heart.

Stark is held captive in a cave and forced to replicate his weapon. Instead, necessity being the mother of invention, he develops a suit of armor equipped with rocket boosters to escape. The experience of seeing his own weapons used against him and innocents produces a stark realization (pun intended) and a mid-life crisis. Upon his return to the United States he announces that his weapons manufacturing company will no longer produce weapons. He upgrades his make shift armor and with that Iron (technically “titanium alloy” Stark specifies) Man, the technologically advanced superhero, is born.

Production

The movie not only marks the first blockbuster of the summer but Marvel Studios' first self-financed movie. Instead of leasing out their characters to other studios, they are finally making movies themselves.

The film was eighteen years in the making. In April 1990, Universal Studios bought the rights to develop Iron Man with plans for horror icon Stuart Gordon to direct a low-budget film. Iron Man bounced around studios, being optioned to both 20th Century Fox and Paramount at various times. Directors Quentin Tarantino (1999), Josh Whedon (2001), and Nick Cassavetes (2004) were all attached to the project at one time. In November 2005, Marvel Studios worked to start development from scratch, and announced it as their first independent feature, as Iron Man was their only major character not yet depicted in live action. Jon Favreau (Elf, Zathura) was hired and directed the film that hit theaters.

The movie was filmed from March 12-June 25, 2007. Favreau chose to shoot primarily in California, rejecting the New York setting of the comics in an attempt to differentiate the film from numerous other superhero movies. The location was so close to her home that Gwyneth Paltrow could with her two children during the entire shoot which was one of the reasons she took the part. Evidently one way to secure Paltrow’s services is giving her an Apple a day...

Iron Man Comic Book

The film is based upon the Marvel comic of the same name, though the viewer need not be familiar with the comic to appreciate the movie. This is the first attempt to bring Iron Man to the big screen. As Marvel made the film, it is faithful to the source material while adapting it to a modern setting. Iron Man debuted in 1963 amidst the idealism of John F. Kennedy's presidency. In the comics, Tony Stark participated (and became Iron Man) in the Vietnam War; whereas in the film the character's origin was updated to modern-day Afghanistan as Favreau did not wish to make a period piece.

Creator Stan Lee admittedly based the character on Howard Hughes (1904-1976). As a tribute to Hughes, production was mainly based in the former Hughes Company sound stages in Playa Vista. The scene where the Iron Man Mark III armor was created was filmed in the area where Hughes assembled the H-4 Hercules airplane (better known as “The Spruce Goose”).

The film is a compilation of many parts of Iron Man’s history. The origin story is the modern version detailed by Warren Ellis in "Extremis" (as noted, with Afghanistan instead of Vietnam). The presence of James Rhodes (Iron Man #118, January 1979) as the supporting character and villain Obadiah Stane (Iron Man #163, October 1982) is from the later Bob Layton/David Michelinie period. Tony Stark's immediate motivation for becoming a superhero is modeled heavily on "Armor Wars."

Though Iron Man is a Marvel staple, he has hardly been an A-list superhero, languishing behind his more easily recognizable peers who have already had movies made. This movie may change that.

On the surface, Iron Man shares much in common with DC’s Batman. Like Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark is a rich, brilliant, (in the films) orphaned playboy who must endure personal tragedy in order to trigger a heroic transformation. Each are humans with no superpowers who use their vast wealth and intelligence to produce gadgetry to compensate for their humanity. As such each spends time perfecting their suit of war. Their wealth also allows them the time to develop an alter ego. Each has an entrusted assistant. Their lack of super powers also gives them the unique (for superheroes) attribute of having agency in their creation.

Iron Man also shares similarities with Robocop - a robotic human who served justice, battled an internal conflict, and saves the day.

Despite these parallels, Iron Man is unique in that he is exceedingly flawed. Iron Man is a man. He is cynical, promiscuous, often drunk, arrogant and seldom reflects upon his actions. He earns billions creating inventive weaponry for America. Robert Downey Jr. described the role as the "a challenge of making a wealthy, establishmentarian, weapons-manufacturing, hard-drinking, womanizing prick into a character who is likable and a hero."

His wealth and fame may make Tony Stark less relatable. While Iron Man, by his very nature, cannot provide the everyman perspective of a Spiderman, he can be identified with for his desire to make amends for past mistakes. The need for redemption is universal.

Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard's father, composer Ramin Djawadi and Stan Winston are among the film's crew who are fans of the Iron Man comic book.

Cast

Iron Man is aided by an all-star cast. In addition to Downey Jr, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Terrence Howard all have prominent roles. All four have been nominated for an Oscar, with Paltrow winning (Shakespeare in Love). This is rare for a comic film. Unfortunately, like most origin stories, there is not a lot of room for the supporting characters to shine.

The movie is a showcase for Downey Jr. Casting an actor over-40 to be a superhero was a bold move. Even were he not 43 years old, Downey would not be the typical superhero (perhaps a villain). Favreau had planned to cast a newcomer in the role, but ultimately chose Downey (a fan of the comic) because he felt the actor's past, including cocaine use, made him an appropriate choice for the part. Art imitates life as the comic character delves into alcoholism. Only in Hollywood would cocaine use be a plus for obtaining a job.

Downey Jr. worked very hard to develop the character. He also had a great deal of input into it. It was his idea to have Stark hold a news conference on the floor and he created the speech Stark makes when demonstrating the Jericho missiles. To prepare for his role as Iron Man, Downey Jr. also spent five days a week weight training and practiced martial arts to get into shape. This was necessary as The Iron Man Mark I armor weighed 90 pounds.

Downey Jr's charm mixed with Stark's flawed character makes this hero more interesting than most. Downey Jr not only brings humor to his role, but also makes the conversion from an egocentric billionaire to humanitarian believable. Without Downey’s understated performance and humor, the role could have seemed...mechanical.

Typically, a hero is only as good as his villain. Favreau faced a serious challenge in determining who would be Iron Man’s adversary as he wished his film to be grounded in reality (as much as possible). It was decided to have a foe in the film who would parallel Stark (an armored opponent) and Favreau also wanted the enemy to be enormous, akin to RoboCop 2. Well-known enemies like the Titanium Man and the Crimson Dynamo were considered, until the lesser-known Iron Monger, Obadiah Stane, was chosen as Iron Man's adversary. The character is never named “War Monger” in the film though Stane uses the phrase in his dialogue. The choice to create Obadiah Stane was actually done after Jeff Bridges was cast.

Bridges plays a rare villain. He shaved his head and his being older makes Stark appear younger. Favreau does a good job making Bridges seem enormous and intimidating in every shot, even while riding a Segway, which is an accomplishment in and of itself.

Stane’s betrayal is predictable. The less talented underling is seldom actually a good guy. In a brilliant move, the classical music that Stane plays at the piano is that of Antonio Salieri (1750-1825) who, according to legend, was so jealous of Mozart and his superior intellect, that he tried to kill him. The relationship parallels the Stane-Stark dynamic.

Other villains that appear in the film are the terrorist group that kidnaps Tony Stark. It is called the ‘The Order of the Ten Rings’ and is a based on long-time Iron Man foe, The Mandarin. Mandarin uses ten rings that he found in the wreckage of an alien spacecraft as his own source of power. Favreau felt depicting The Mandarin as the primarily villain would be challenging, as he finds the character dated (it was created as a metaphor for communism).

Some complained that Arab militants were typecast as villains but they were not portrayed as terrorists working on their own but as men hired for a specific reason. Relatively speaking, the film vindicates them by exposing Stark himself (and therefore, America) as the supplier of their entire arsenal. The film even humanizes the Arab “other” by having Iron Man fly to Afghanistan to save a sympathetic village. As such, the film is not anti-Islamic.

Perhaps the greatest villains in Iron Man are the weapons manufacturers whose personal profit is their the sole reason for being. Jeff Bridges' character personifies their greed. In many ways, Stark himself is the villain, as Iron Man spends his time fighting Stark's inventions.

Terrence Howard plays Stark’s military liaison and friend, James Rhodes. To prepare for his role, Howard visited the Nellis Air Force Base on March 16 2007, where he ate with the Base's airmen and observed the routines of HH-60 Pave Hawk rescue helicopters and F-22 Raptor jets. His part is highly underwritten and his soft voice does not seem to fit the part. The character serves as a contrast for Stark as to chooses between the team (military) and a solo act.

The jury is still out on his role as he was cast with sequels in mind as his character becomes “War Machine.” This is foreshadowed prominently as when Stark leaves Rhodes to face Iron Monger, Rhodes looks at Stark's Mark II armor and says, "Next time."

Gwyneth Paltrow plays Pepper Potts (a great name), Stark’s administrative assistant and confidant. She is his girl Friday. Jon Favreau wanted Potts' and Stark's relationship to be reminiscent of a 1940s comedy. In the framework of the antique role, Potts loves Stark but cannot say so. Due to the this, some may find the film to have retrograde attitudes about women.

There is good chemistry between she and Downey. What is best about her role is what was is not done. Stark does not exactly get the girl and she refrains from sleeping with him.

There are many cameos in the film. The director plays the driver ("Hogan") who, in the comics, becomes Pepper's love interest. Comic book writer Stan Lee, as always, has a cameo as well. This time he is the man with three blondes whom Tony Stark mistakes for Hugh Hefner. Lee has cited this as his most fun cameo.

The most ballyhooed cameo is after the credits roll. Like most Marvel films, there is an additional scene. Samuel L. Jackson makes an appearance a Marvel's Ultimate Nick Fury. The cameo was filmed with a skeleton crew in order to keep it a secret, but rumors appeared on the internet only days later. Marvel Studios's Kevin Feige subsequently ordered the scene deleted from all preview prints in order to maintain the surprise.

Cinematography

The film, though long (126 minutes), is paced well. The plot is coherent and the action sequences are easy to follow. The humor is appropriate, unlike the far campier Spider-Man 3. This is also the first Marvel superhero movie to abandon an opening credit sequence in favor of thrusting the viewer directly into the action.

Favreau's ability to supply dual information simultaneously is well orchestrated, showing Stark creating in his basement while the television in the background updates what is happening in the outside world and inside his own company. The only pacing flaw is the unnecessary flashback at the film’s outset following Stark's abduction. The movie's rhythm is stunted unnecessarily and makes the film seem disjointed.

The CGI is exceptional. Stark's ability to interact with three-dimensional holographic representations is stunning. The building of his suit and the process by which it is mounted are also stellar. This process also answers a question raised in episode of "Seinfeld" which has Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza debating whether or not Iron Man wore underwear. George famously says, "and I still say he's naked under there!" Costanza was wrong again.

Make no mistake about it, though an action film, the movie is more about Tony Stark than Iron Man. It focuses less on the high-tech superhero than the human condition behind the hero. As such, as much time is devoted to building the iron men as using them and the movie is not as action-packed as the trailers would lead one to believe.

Like any comic book film, there must be some suspension of disbelief as the film has several implausible scenes. Examples: A weapons demonstration would not be conducted in a war zone. Stark would not be able to create an iron suit in the middle of a terrorist camp while under surveillance. (This was like the A-Team always being held in a room full of building materials.) Stane should nit be able to enter Stark's technologically advanced mansion without some security detainment. The chairman of the board should not be able to throw together an Iron Monger suit more advanced than Iron Man's. Further, some technology is contemporary while much of it is light years away.

The most disappointing aspect of the film is the final showdown. It never lives up to the material preceding it. It is very ordinary, vague and not even especially climactic. At least it does not drag on.

This movie, however, sets the stage for sequels...

Sequels

The day following the first film's highly successful opening weekend, Marvel announced a release date of April 30, 2010, for Iron Man 2. Favreau planned Iron Man as the first in a trilogy, and has signed on all the original actors for two sequels. Downey will also cameo as Stark in the upcoming The Incredible Hulk. The series is building to an Avengers movie as the director considers The Avengers as the third film. He explains, "It's very difficult to keep these franchises from running out of gas after two [movies]. The high point seems to be the second one, judging by history."

Some future developments are foreshadowed. S.H.I.E.L.D., the spy organization of the Marvel Universe, is referenced throughout. An expansive terrorist network referred to as the "Ten Rings" (of the Mandarin) is also included. The most obvious precursor is Rhodes (the future War Machine) vowing "next time, baby" upon seeing a silver-grey suit of Iron Man armor.

Downey noted, "the next one is about what do you do with the rest of your life once you've completely changed...I think the drinking and all that stuff would be a good way to confront his age, to confront his doubts, to confront the fact that maybe Pepper gets a boyfriend." Downey and Favreau met with Shane Black, who suggested they model Stark on Robert Oppenheimer, who became depressed with being "the destroyer of worlds" after working on the Manhattan Project.

Conclusion

The film is the best the Iron Man story could have been presented. It is a story of a man literally reinventing himself, and realizing the world is far more complex than he believes. Who would have known that Iron Man would be such a hit both commercially and critically?

The movie earned a PG-13 rating for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence and brief suggestive content. The Lord’s name is taken in vain in addition to other limited foul language. Still, there should be nothing overly offense to most Christians.

I went away entertained, but not wowed. It is typical Marvel fare: good vs. evil, an attractive female sidekick, lots of one liners and humor juxtaposed with action, new model cars (and other shameless endorsements), and the obligatory Stan Lee cameo.

Theological Applications

The film has a lot of material that can be used in presenting gospel themes. The most obvious theological theme of Iron Man is that of redemption. Iron Man is aimed at those who have made mistakes and want to redeem themselves. You too?

Like most people, Tony Stark's first priority was himself. After a frightening wake up call in which he is hailed as America’s most prolific mass murderer, he seizes the chance to redeem himself. Stark grows from a carefree tycoon to a man with a mission to improve the world. Tony Stark resolves to use his gifts for good instead of for evil, for the common welfare instead of for personal gain. He is a fictional example of the fact that a person redeem herself, regardless of how poorly they have lived in the past (See Romans 10:9).

In the process, Stark literally gets a new heart. One of the central images in the film is the glowing circle over Tony’s heart. (The character has much in common with L. Frank Baum's Tin Man.) For Christian viewers, this new-heart metaphor will especially resonate. (Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26).

"Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26, NASB)

As in Christianity, true repentance leads to a new creation (II Corinthians 5:17). Stark turns from his (and his corporation’s) former sins, to help others. He, however, still maintains much of his original personality. Downey Jr. explains, "What I usually hate about these [superhero] movies [is] when suddenly the guy that you were digging turns into Dudley Do-Right, and then you're supposed to buy into all his 'Let's go do some good!' That Eliot Ness-in-a-cape-type thing. What was really important to me was to not have him change so much that he's unrecognizable. When someone used to be a schmuck and they're not anymore, hopefully they still have a sense of humor."

Like Christian conversion, Stark is given a purpose for living. As Yinsen lay dying, having sacrificed himself so that Stark can escape, Stark acknowledges, "Thank you for saving me.” Yinsen, replies (in shades of Saving Private Ryan), “Don’t waste your life.” Stark later confesses, “I shouldn't be alive... unless it was for a reason. I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just finally know what I have to do. And I know in my heart that it's right.” Purposeful living is also a Biblical concept (See II Corinthians 5:11–21). Rick Warren would be proud.

Yinsen's sacrificial death is one of the principal reasons behind Stark's decision to change the direction of his life and company. His own death is also a catalyst as he faces his mortality, realizes that his life has counted for nothing, and resolves to be a different sort of person. All of us have experienced sacrificial death whether we realize it or not (John 3:16-17).

The film also accurately presents the futility of hedonism. Tony Stark sleeps with supermodels, drinks expensive alcohol, has all of the latest stuff from a mansion to a fleet of expensive cars, and has celebrity, yet he has nothing.

Tony Stark: You got a family?
Yinsen: Yes, and I will see them when I leave here. And you, Stark?
Tony Stark: [quietly] No.
Yinsen: So you're a man who has everything, but nothing.

Jesus addresses this issue in Mark 8:36.

"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36, NASB)

The presumably wealthy tax collector Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) is another example of a man who has everything but has nothing.

The film also addresses the issue of how public one should be about it once she has discovered her purpose in life,. In the final scene (pre-credits), Stark admits publicly that he is Iron Man essentially doing away with the duality of superheroes (the hero and the disguise). There are likewise no undercover Christians. In Christian circles this is known as a public profession. Jesus admonishes those who are publicly ashamed of him (Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26).

Another distinct Christian parallel is between Iron Man's armor and to the Christian clothing herself in the whole armor of God as presented in Ephesians 6:10-18. The obvious comparison between the two is that the armor is an exterior apparatus used for life-support and for the purpose of fighting evil.

Like many superheroes (most obviously Captain America) , this version of Iron Man is created in wartime. The viewer takes solace in a hero who can easily mow down villains even if their real life counterparts are not so easily defeated. Iron Man is the first comic book based movie to openly discuss the 9/11 trauma. It has a very contemporary reminder of the current status of world politics and weapons distribution.

In doing so, it addresses the issue of moral responsibility. Stark's first premise, of power being the ultimate deterrent (and hence a peace-keeping force) is undermined when the enemy gets hold of the same weapons and starts killing indiscriminately. American Christians must face the reality that America is the world’s largest arms merchant and supplied many of its enemies (most notably Saddam Hussein) with much of his arsenal. In the film, American soldiers are shown being killed with American weapons to illustrate the consequences of weapon distribution and Tony Stark renounces the military-industrial complex. America has actually lived out the words Tony uses about his conversion experience: "I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero-accountability."

Other possible comparisons:

• Much like Paul's "thorn of the flesh (II Corinthians 12:7), it is ironic (pun intended) that the man encased in armor who can protect others cannot save himself.
  
• Jeff Bridges' Obadiah is a an obvious Judas character who conspires with another group to kill his friend (Matthew 26:14-15).
  
• Iron Monger may be an example of David fighting in Saul's armor (I Samuel 17:39). His unfamiliarity in the armor not designed for him contributes to his demise.

Iron Man, also has some Biblical allusions. Jericho, the name given to Stark's finest military weapon, was the first city destroyed in the conquest of the Promised Land (Joshua 6). Obadiah, the name of the villain, is also the smallest book of the Old Testament and deals with the theme of retribution (for Edom).

Current IMDB rating: 8.3/10. Chanalysis: 7/10.