Do You Know The Music Man?

We watched two movies last night, one being the renowned classic The Music Man and the other Ridley Scott's epic Gladiator.

One models immoral men, loose and lawless women, rebellion against God-given authority, and many other worldview issues. The other, of course, involves gladiators.

But wait- The Music Man is a family film! There's no violence, no nudity, and not much swearing! (Yes, that's right, they swore "by God" flippantly more than once, and a certain young woman exclaims "ye gods!" throughout the film as well...) It's a timeless classic! It's... it's... full of dangerous philosophies.

But wait- Gladiator is a very, very violent film! Some of the gladiators are hardly wearing anything at all! Commodus is a pervert, and so is Proximo, the owner of the hero. I mean, come on- the film is rated R!!!

Yes. Horrors. And the film is also filled, filled, brimming with the modeling of Godly things.

So let's compare and contrast. Mind you, by this I don't mean to say that I agree with everything included in Gladiator- in fact, there is a scene that I haven't seen because my parents don't think it would be good for me. But by this I do mean to say that we need to stop going to the world to find out what films are good and what films are not, and we need to analyze everything we watch in light of Scripture.

Here are some worldview points that I took away from The Music Man:

• Feminism - blatant and straight up. The husband tells his wife to sit down, she does so, then is encouraged by other women to stand up, does so, and stamps her foot.
• Anti-patriarchy - and by the oh-so-hated term "patriarchy" I refer to the older, wiser, respected and Godly men of the town, who are shown in this film to be babbling fools and buffons, clueless tyrant-wannabes.
• Anti-Christianity - the people of the town, who want to protect their children from sin, are presented as idiots. True enough, sometimes we do jump on bandwagons like that- shame on us. Also, the con-man hero of the film wants a girl with a "little sin". O.O
• Anti-purity - the hero of the film is a loose, godless man, who bewitches the piano teacher of the town- the one model of righteousness and purity that we do have- to be his. By the end of the film, she is no longer pure, she no longer wants a man of character and vision, she doesn't care what filth this man has wallowed in in his past- she just loves him. Dare I say that that is not Biblical love? And by his little remark about him getting his "foot caught in the door," I suppose we are to presume that he then and there had a change of heart and was a one-woman man, a hard-working, loving father, married the woman, and they lived happily ever after. That doesn't usually happen, though, in reality... More anti-purity stuff... we see the young people of the town, who the parents are trying to restrain and protect, being proven right (again. Grrr.), showing up their parents for the ignorant legalists that this film presents them as being. Said young people are then seen doing all kinds of stuff that they shouldn't be. And these are the heroes of the film.
• Anti-authority/parents - I already mentioned multiple times the idiotic portrayal of the elders of the town. This just deserves to be mentioned because God commands that we honor our fathers and mothers. This film does not model that.

Now, some thoughts on Gladiator:

• Gladiator models a higher vision. Misplaced, yes. But the hero of this film has a vision for the glory of Rome, and a devoted faith in his gods. Sad that his vision only goes as deep as the kingdom of Rome, and not to The Kingdom of God. Nevertheless, if we place our vision rightly, we may hope to, like him, live our life for something bigger than ourselves.
• In Gladiator, we have a good guy, a hero, a protagonist, who is good. He's moral. He does the right thing. Biblically, of course, we may question whether he should have been killing barbarians simply for the glory of Rome- but remember, that is the greater vision for which he lives. I don't mean to endorse everything that Maximus did- but to point out that, unlike the glorification of the loose trickster in Music Man, we see a hero who does (what he thinks is) right. We also see a villain who is truly villainous. He's evil. He's twisted. He's a pervert. And he should be brought to justice. And we're glad when he is. (Amazing acting by Joaquin Phoenix, I might add...)
• Gladiator also glorifies good old plain-and-simple manliness. The hero is a man. He has a spine. He fights for justice and for the glory of Rome. He loves- he loves his family. How often do we see this? He cherishes his family, and weeps when he loses them. He desires to protect them and to provide for them. He's strong. He's not afraid of blood, he's not afraid of dirt. He does what needs to be done. He looks like a guy, he acts like a guy, he is a man. He does what's right and will die doing it if necessary.
• We also see a respect for the elders. Marcus Aurelius, the Caesar that died, is seen as a great man, and is honored by the hero, while being despised by the villain. The hero himself is a married man, probably in his 40s, a seasoned war veteran, not some young, sexy, girl-faced teen. That's refreshing, honestly.

While we do see some perversions in Gladiator, they are not usually glorified. There are definitely things in the film that I wish weren't there. But as a whole I find this film to be far more edifying than The Music Man, which, though "cleaner", is full of dangerous worldview messages.

Quick notes from a filmmaking standpoint:

The Music Man had some of the most creative and enjoyable usages of music that I've ever seen in a musical.

Gladiator was simply very, very well done- a work of art in acting, directing, and scoring, especially. Ridley Scott's use of dollies and cranes were very impressive and effective. Russell Crowe's crying scene when he finds his family is honestly the most impressive bit of acting I've ever seen by him. Very, very moving. And, of course, Phoenix nailed his part.

So. My thoughts. I hope that you found them edifying.

Joy - What does my Father want me to be doing?

This week, we're moving. We're actually only moving about three miles from our current house, but we are moving, nonetheless. We're packing our stuff- which, for once, is an apt noun for the concept it represents. The schedule is definitely not the normal. Which brings me to my point.

Ps. 37:4- delight myself in The LORD.

Gal. 5:22- a fruit of The Spirit is Joy.

All throughout Scripture there is a gleeful delight and joy that is modeled and extolled for us. Something that I have all too little of.

But it hit me today. When I knew my schedule was going to be thrown off. It wasn't going to be "my day". And I was prepared for it- and so, I was able to enjoy most of the packing process for the day, because I came into the day expecting to have to do things that can absolutely be fun, but that aren't what my ideal schedule would be. I came prepared to obey.

When I focus on what my father and my Father want me to be doing- packing, in this case- when I surrender myself willingly to obedience to God and the authorities that He has given me- I have so much more joy than when I obey because I have to, regretting every moment that I can't spend practicing piano or composing music, or, even worse, wasting time online.

It's a common question around our house: "What does your father want you to be doing?" Sure, sometimes it's used as a club or a cattle-prod from one sibling to another, but it's a good question, nonetheless. We are all in our earthly father's household, and so we are to obey our earthly father as the authority placed above us by our Heavenly Father. And when we are doing what our Father wants us to be doing by doing what our father wants us to be doing, it brings joy!

For those of us who are in our fathers' households, it is pretty easy to know what we should be doing. God wants us to obey our father, our parents, and so what they tell us to do, subject to God's Law, is what God tells us to do. And we couldn't be doing anything better.

Women have this clarity oftentimes for their whole life- obedience to their father turns into obedience to their husband. For us men, we will one day be leaving our father's household and starting our own- and before we do so, we must be prepared to take the responsibility of leading a household in obedience to our Father.

And doing it with joy.

How To Train Your Dragon - Review

I may sound heated. I'm not. :-D These are my honest thoughts- take them with a grain of salt and a gallon of Scripture- may they be found edifying. I know many like this film- I don't. Here's why.

I have heard rave reviews of this film. I have heard that they (Dreamworks) at last took Pixar to task.

As my generation says- epic fail. As I say- Pixar is safe in its animative supremacy.

I wasn't disappointed, because from what I had read already I came with low expectations.

The story was good. It was the stereotypical characters that ruined it for me.

The worldview was horrid- feminazi girl, women fighting, crude jokes, almost-cursing, and much deeper and more insiduous issues- for example, the younger generation of vikings speak with an American accent- the older generation, a Scottish. The older generation look like vikings, the new generation, like American punks. Accident? I don't think so.

How To Train Your Dragon was full of dangerous worldview clichés that occur over and over in modern films- here come a few:

-Parents wrong, kids right
-Boy stupid, clumsy, effeminate, coward, but right in the end - I'm all for him using his mind to make up for his lack of muscle and take dominion over God's creatures, but why continue to reinforce the stereotype of teenagers being strong and stupid OR weak and smart? And yes, he was brave, in a way. They can't get away from God's Order.
-Girl heartthrob, brave, strong, manly
-Bad dad who apologizes in the end - kid apologizes too, but was right all along, and was totally cool in his rebellion
-Heartthrob girl and clutzy boy kiss in the end- or, rather, she kisses him and he stands dazed and amazed
-All the kids are rebellious jerks, especially the main character. Disobeys. Again. And. Again. But he's funny while he's doing it, so that's all OK, right?
-Depressing credits (what's with the fad???)

BUT. The music was great and the overall quality was impressive.

2 of 5, not recommended unless you want to study sound design or film scoring.

Now, that sounds like I couldn't stand the film. Such is not the case. It was a fun ride, and there were some very funny parts. There was even some real Viking manliness modeled in the beginning, though they turn out wrong in the end... a fun film, a good use of a classic story structure, but, sadly, full of unnecessary and dangerous worldview clichés.

How much more powerful and fresh would the film have been if the son, a brave, strong young man in his own right, discovered this secret about dragons, told his father, and then the father and son set out together to find out the whole truth and set to right the fighting between dragons and humans?

(SPOILER- though, as an afterthought, I appreciated that the kid lost his foot in the end. A touch of realism, originality, and non-cliché-always-perfectly-happy ending.)

Biblical Principles of Physical Fitness

I like to work out. Well, sometimes I don't like to. I certainly like to be one who has worked out.

But it's more than just my preference. In taking Scripture to all areas of life, I believe that one area that is often overlooked is the area of physical fitness.

So, the question- "Should Christians be 'in shape'?"

I shall give some Biblical principles. Scripture doesn't say "Thou shalt do 100 push-ups daily," so I shall not say so either.

First, a few counterpoints need to be addressed:

"Doesn't 1 Tim. 4:6-9 say that we don't need to worry about this?"
No. Godliness is certainly MORE important. However, since spiritual and physical health are intertwined, and in the context of all of Scripture, this certainly doesn't mean that we should give no consideration to the state of our bodies.

"What if a person can't exercise?"
In that case, obviously, it is The LORD's Will for them to be in the condition they are, and their application of these principles, which they still should apply, may nevertheless be in very different ways than the physically healthy person. If they can't, they can't! (Welcome to the tautology club.)

However, that is usually not the case.

Here are 8 Biblical principles which apply in this realm.

1. Self-Control- 1 Cor. 9:24-27 - We must be self-controlled, and one way to practice this is through physical discipline- working out, or working hard.
2. Good Stewardship- Lk. 19:11 - We are called to be good stewards of what God has given us- how would that not include our bodies?
3. Protection of the Innocent- Neh. 4:14 - We, especially as men, should be ready to protect our families. To be weak and impotent physically- or even just "out of shape"- will certainly affect our ability to do this.
4. The Relationship of Body and Soul- We don't believe that the soul and body are entirely separate, but rather that they are connected- and, to some degree or another, as goes one, so goes the other. So, when we apply the principle of Self-Control to the body, we also discipline the soul- and vice-versa.
5. Readiness to Obey- 1 Pet. 5:8 - We will be better able to do whatever God calls us to. "The best of my ability" becomes better.
6. Multi-generational Vision- Taking better care of our bodies will, LORD willing, allow for longer, healthier lives of vision-impartation. How wonderful would it be for four generations of men to be elk hunting together? Ultimately, of course, God is sovereign over death- but man is responsible for what he does with the life that God has given him.
7. Strength as Glory- Pr. 20:29 - This applies specifically to young men, but I don't think it too much of a stretch to apply it to men in general. Physical strength should certainly NOT be a source of identity or ungodly pride. However, God has designed men to be strong. It is good, it is right, when we are. We should be proud of this in the right sense, and cultivate manly strength.
8. Testimony to the Lost- 2 Cor. 5:20 - As ambassadors for Christ, what kind of testimony is it to the world when we are unhealthy? Is that good representation of The King Whom we serve?

And some practical points:

• Gluttony is bad. (Pr. 23:21, 28:7) We ought to eat "only what we need, lest we have it in excess and vomit it". Feasting to The LORD is good (as is fasting, both at proper times), but gluttony is not.
• "All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable." (1 Cor. 6:12, 10:23) It's not a sin to eat Dunkin' Donuts. But is it profitable? (And, honestly, I think for people like me it IS profitable to, every once in a while, have a DD or shake from Chik-Fil-A- as a reminder that it is indeed lawful.)
• Our bodies were designed to be used. Until recent times, they were. Now, we need to find a way to use them.

A Biblical Vision for Homeschooling

Culled from an outline I wrote for Dad and my talk last Saturday with the Mi Casa homeschool group.

The Christian Worldview is the necessary ingredient for proper homeschooling.

1. What is Biblical Worldview?
⁃ By "Biblical" I mean "according to The Bible," or subject to The Word of God. Submitting to God and His Word as The Standard of Truth- and Truth Itself. By "Worldview" I simply mean the way we view the world- the set of presuppositions by which we interpret everything else. So by "Biblical Worldview" I mean that we have aligned our presuppositions with God's Word so that we see things as God sees them. This we do to the best of our ability, very imperfectly of course, and only by The Grace of God.

2. Why Biblical Worldview?
⁃ Without a Biblical Worldview, Proper Learning Can't Happen "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge...." Proverb 1:7a, NAS A Biblical Worldview is foundational to all learning. The knowledge of God is more important than any other study- and is also foundational to all other studies.
⁃ Facts - Truth = Who Cares? Biblical Worldview gives reason for life. Trying to teach facts without a Biblical Worldview framework is not only unBiblical, as stated above, but is also impractical and nonsensical. An understanding of facts without an understanding of God are easily reduced to meaninglessness by the simple questions "So what?" and "Who cares?" Without a vision for the future, for why we do what we do, learning is a bore, a chore, a trophy, or, at best, something we do to "excel"- as an end goal in itself. However, when we look at wisdom and knowledge as a treasure (Pr. 8:19), a testimony to The Glory, Wisdom, Creativity, and very Existence of God (Ps. 19, Rom. 1:20), and also simply as a practical way to be skillful in our work (Ps 22:29, 1 Tim. 5:8), it takes on new meaning, worth, and value. Facts and Truth are two different things, and to blend them seamlessly we need to realize that Christ is The Creator of facts and The Source and Person of Truth.
⁃ Most Importantly, God Commands It All throughout Scripture we see that God Himself is The Fount of all good things (Jas. 1), and specifically of Wisdom and Knowledge (Proverbs). We are commanded as fathers and fathers-to-be to train our children in the "nurture and admonition of The LORD" (Eph. 6:4) and exhorted that the "fear of the LORD is the beginning" of knowledge and wisdom. If there were no other reason, the fact the God's Word commands it is evidence enough that we should be giving our families instruction specifically in Biblical Worldview and also in the light of Biblical Worldview when it comes to any other subject. More on that in Point 2.
⁃ Illustration The illustrations for this point can be drawn from many areas of my life personally. I'll pick two- physical exercise and piano practice. Sometimes I enjoy doing these things. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I fail to do them at all. But knowing why I do these things- ah, now that adds another dimension to it. I'm not exercising to look buff. I'm not practicing to get "WOW" from the audience (at least I shouldn't be...). I do these things for The Glory of God. I want to be strong so that I can obey Him better. So that I can protect and provide for my family. I learn music so that I can, again, provide for a family one day, and so that I can make excellent art also. God is Worthy of my best- and my best can always get better. It's not a matter of what I want to do. It's a matter of what I need to do- therefore I want to do it.
⁃ Application How to apply this to leading our families will be addressed more in Point 2, but applying the simple knowledge of the fact that we need Biblical Worldview in our homeschooling is also important. We must get used to seeing everything as God's. Films we watch, books we read, things we study- in "school-time" and out of it- must no longer simply be facts. We must realize, and as husbands and fathers and brothers, men of the house, take the lead in showing that these things are not neutral. These seemingly innocent things must be actively and consistently brought into subjection to our Theology and to The Word of God. We must be diligent to "take every thought captive" (2 Cor. 10:5). It won't just happen.

3. How Biblical Worldview?
⁃ And While We're Dreaming... Theories and philosophies and doctrines and ideas aren't just nice things, they're important things. However, if we never take these ideas and doctrines and apply them to our day-to-day lives, it is reduced to mere talk- however profitable the subject matter may be (Pr. 14:23). There are two specific ways of applying Biblical Worldview to homeschooling that I want to address- one being blatant application, didactic teaching of Biblical Truth, the other being the more vague but very important need to see everything through The Eyes of God, as it were.
⁃ Specific Instruction "Family Worship" is a very important ingredient of The Christian Home. Children need to be brought up in an environment that explicitly worships The God of The Bible- and teaches His Word (Deut. 6). Family Worship, a gathering together of the family for prayer, singing, and doctrinal instruction, is a crucial part of that environment. More on how to apply that in a moment. But theological instruction isn't limited to an hour of time where the family comes together and does their theological penance. No, the picture painted in Deuteronomy 6 is even more intimate and spontaneous. We can teach children in The Fear of The LORD by reciting Scripture while tucking them into bed, singing Godly songs as we go throughout the house, stopping our work and theirs for a moment to talk about The Glory of God in what we're doing, or a myriad of other things.
⁃ Teaching "In Light Of This" While in the application I described above, we are building Biblical Worldview, now we're looking at applying worldview. All instruction, all teaching, all knowledge, must be taught in the fear of God. This is one of the major Biblical reasons for homeschooling. Not only is homeschooling simply Biblical in itself- Deuteronomy 6- but it also allows for the fulfillment of Biblical commands and exhortations. Also, everything must be interpreted in the fear of God.
⁃ Illustration I teach piano lessons. Sometimes I get questions about why music works the way it does. Why does a certain pattern of notes make a Major Scale? The simple answer that I give is that "that's how God made it!"
⁃ Application
⁃ The laws of nature are what they are because they are The Laws of Nature's God. "Why does 2+2=4?" "Because that's how God made it, Johnny."
⁃ Give children a time to do their devotions- read their Bible, pray, memorize Scripture- it's a good habit to start young!
⁃ Do family worship. There's plenty of resources that can be used for these, and it can be as basic as coming together for 15 minutes every day, singing a hymn, reading a Proverb, and talking about what it means. If you'd be interested in getting other supplementary resources- a catechism is very useful, and there are many good books- we have some that we'd be glad to recommend.
⁃ When watching movies or reading books, pause and talk about things- "Was what that little boy did very honoring to his father?" "Now when that man said 'believe in yourself,' was that a Biblical thing to say?" "See how the character in this book is obeying God by defending his family?"
⁃ Be a lover of God and His Works. Let your children see that Dad or Brother doesn't just keep his religion in Church on Sunday. Pray with your kids, memorize Scripture with them, talk theology with them. It is excellent training for a young person to be able to hold deep discussions with adults.

States' Rights - If the Founders saw the Fed

The United States of America was founded slightly over 200 years ago. In the temporal space of those 200 years, much has changed. Technology has advanced, wars have been fought, generations have come and gone, and worldviews and perceptions of Truth have shifted greatly. If the men who founded these United States could visit their progeny today, there would be many things that would astonish them. Some things would no doubt please them. Overall, however, they would be disappointed. This great republican experiment of theirs has forsaken their vision. Corruption and abuse of power now permeate the American political sphere. The founding fathers wrote the United States Constitution to limit the federal government. As the Constitution itself says, "all powers not delegated to the United States, by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states or to the people." Thomas Jefferson, after quoting this, continues to say that "To take a single step beyond the boundaries thus specially drawn around the powers of Congress, is to take possession of a boundless field of power, [no] longer susceptible of any definition." The founding fathers would be saddened to see that the federal government, contrary to their intent, is now its own entity, not only no longer subject to the states, but encroaching upon them.

When the federal government tries to pass "hate crimes" legislation, it is far overstepping its constitutional bounds. Nowhere in the Constitution is the federal government given the jurisdiction over the speech, let alone the thoughts of American citizens. To the contrary, the oft-quoted First Amendment ensures the right of the people to speak freely. If there was to be a law against "hate speech," it should certainly not be a federal law. This is not an area of power given to the federal government, therefore it remains in the province of the States and the people. Furthermore, The Law of God as expressed in The Old Testament only justifies punishment for specific physical crimes. Since the Founding Fathers came from a distinctly Biblical point of view, this is an important consideration. That the Founding Fathers came from this worldview is made clear by Patrick Henry, when he says that "It cannot be emphasized too clearly and too often that this nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ." Therefore, The Holy Bible may be seen as a very informative document into the minds of America's forefathers. From both a Biblical and a constitutional perspective, the federal government has no place in legislating against "hate crimes." It would sadden the founders to see this establishment try.

The "healthcare reform" that may soon be mandated to the American people is another example of a top-heavy federal government that is violating the rights of the people and the jurisdiction of the states. While the brutally abused welfare clause of the Constitution might be used to justify this heinous legislation, an honest reading of that same document as a whole, bearing in mind the spirit and history of the times, shows that the "nanny-state" was not our founders' intent. Alexander Hamilton, in Federalist No. 32, stresses that "…the State governments would clearly retain all the rights of sovereignty which they before had, and which were not, by that act, EXCLUSIVELY delegated to the United States." The United States are nowhere granted any power in the Constitution even remotely respecting something like healthcare, and to by mandate force the people to subscribe to this "care" is far more blatantly tyrannous. Furthermore, while this welfare clause might at first glance seem to relate to the health of the citizens of the States, the welfare clause specifically applies to the States themselves. Combine this with the Biblical principle that government's role is to bear the sword, and not to give charity, and it becomes clear that the founders would not approve of the federal healthcare legislation that is being planned today.

The founders would also be displeased with the way that the concept of the militia has been almost entirely erased from the modern American's vocabulary, while all of the nation's military might is centralized and under federal control. The Second Amendment to the United States constitution not only makes clear that the people have a right to keep and bear arms, but also that a "well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State," is an important protection of that and other rights. Yet this necessary ingredient to the security of a free state is not in any way practiced today. Webster, in his 1828 dictionary, defines the militia as "The body of soldiers in a state enrolled for discipline, but not engaged in actual service except in emergencies…." This militia structure would give the States much more power, and would put weight behind the demands of the several states. A centralized, federal, standing military is arguably unconstitutional, but it is not arguable that it gives the few in Washington much power, and more so when the States are so rendered impotent by not having an armed and enlightened citizenry. This would not please the founders.

Because of these and many other grievances committed by the federal government against the states and the people, the founding fathers would be disappointed, were they to visit the United States today. They pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor for the freedom of their children. Surely they would be displeased to see that their children had apathetically or ignorantly given away to the federal government the liberties that these men worked so hard to ensure. O America, take heed. May the blood and toil of our fathers not be wasted on their sons.

Self-Esteem

Biblical "self-esteem" gives man value without giving him a reason to be proud. God is Big, I am small. I have value, not because I am good- I am wicked! - but because a Great God has created me in His Image, chosen me from the foundations of the earth, and bought me with The Blood of His Son.

Atheism does the opposite. The atheistic worldview gives man no inherent value, being only a product of chance, but also gives man reason to be sinfully proud of whatever he can accomplish.

And this bit of worldview is crucial for the debate on the sanctity of life.