CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER - A TRIBUTE

Christopher Plummer, Sound of Music star and oldest actor to win an Oscar, dies aged 91

Christopher Plummer, an outstanding Hollywood actor, will be remembered for his portrayal as General Chang in the Star Trek movie, The Undiscovered Country. 

He played the role of a nasty warmonger, an evil genius who tries to sabotage plans, by people of goodwill, to make peace between the Federation and the Klingons. Plummer's performance, a far cry from his role as a gentlemanly widow in The Sound of Music, eclipsed the rest of the cast in the Star Trek movie. 

The make-up artists did a great job on him: the battle-scarred face, the patch on his left eye, and his bald look accentuated his smoldering grunts and the evil intent of his smiles and gestures. And they also made him spew several Shakespearan lines to complicate and dignify the thuggish Chang character. Plummer's brilliance will be missed.    

TO GO BOLDLY...

A missionary would not feel out of place on the starship, Enterprise. The crew of the enterprise led by captain James T. Kirk, were sent to observe and learn about the different life forms in other planets. Too a certain extent missionaries also observe and sttudy the cultures of the people they serve.

 Developing a feeling for the different personalities in the team commanded by Kirk was a key feature in the science fiction TV series Star Trek in the 60's. Kirk, together with "Spock" (L. Nimoy), his vulcan science officer,  "Bones" (De Forrest Kelly), the ship's doctor, "Scotty", the ships engineer, were some of the main characters of  the show.

Star Trek ran for only 3 seasons  before it was cancelled. My appreciation for Star Trek grew over a period of time as I slowly worked through all the episodes from the 3 seasons in Bolivia. Many of the episodes were absolute gems. Some were tolerable and the rest were above average.

Although the TV series came to an end, the mythology of the show lived on through re-runs, conventions and numerous requests for a movie and the return of the show. Studio moguls and producers must have seen the commercial value of a remake of the series. Star Trek was then brought to life in the 80s and 90's through a host of movies. A new TV series Star Trek: The New Generation also got off the ground. Before long, other spin-offs, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enteprise more than kept the Star Trek franchise  alive.

Many of the episodes from these spin-offs were superior to the episodes from the original Star Trek and the The New Generation.  Recently, a new run of movies chronicling the adventures of the young captain Kirk has made its way to the big screen!

Episodes from the original series opened with the hypnotic words (you tube clip in this post) of Kirk:

 Space..the last frontier...these are the voyages of the star ship Enterprise, its 5 year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before. 

And missionaries boldly go where no man has gone before! 

"Families instead of being an

oasis of healing are breeding

grounds for dysfunction".

WRITER'S SEMINAR

Armour Publishing invited John Maust to do a 3-day seminar on writing a few weeks ago. I enjoyed myself thoroughly and had a great time meeting others with similar interests. 

My good friend, Kenny Chee, blogpastor, also attended the seminar. John did a great job. I got a lot from the seminar. The point about not just stating something but painting a picture around the statement struck home. A wide range of subjects was covered: from improving one's writing skills to the how to's of publishing a book. Here's a great photo of all the participants

IN DEEP SPACE!
Breathtaking!

The galaxy above lies 6 million light-years away in the north circumpolar constellation Ursa Major.
(Credit to Andrew Sullivan for fishing out this photo rom Nasa)

"LORD, SAVE ME"

THE HOLY TRANSFIGURATION MONASTERY

MICHAEL JACKSON 1958 -2009

Michael Jackson didnt just appear on the scene, he exploded in the universe like a glowing super nova!

The early innocence, his brothers and those brilliant pop classics Rocking Robin, I'll Be There, Gotta Be There spoke for an entire generation. Never Can Say Goodbye has yet to lose its lustre after 30 years!

The photo on the right is from his early years with the Jackson 5. He was at his peak then. His voice was sweet, powerful, very emotive and smacked the daylights out of the competition. An incredible talent!

His angst and broken voice opened the door to a fantasy world. He gave us Thriller - the gloves, dark glasses, red jackets, white gloves, tassels on the shoulder pad,

And the moonwalk!

It was suddenly cool to be black kid in the whole universe! Didnt matter if you were an Indian teenager from Sembawang or a kid from the ghetto. Michael was our hero. His props became ours - the red jackets, the sunglasses, white socks etc.

He was an Obama to a hip generation of dark skinned people who'd normally not be given a second look. Thank you Michael Jackson.

His religious beliefs were cloudy - was he a Jehovah Witness or a Muslim? we'll never know. May the Lord have mercy on him.

KRIS WAS BETTER THAN ADAM…YEAH!!

Kris is the American Idol.

He was the better singer, especially when the song matched his voice. There were times however in the competition when he sounded pretty light weight. It was great however to see him crowned as the American Idol. His shy and retiring manner helped him connect with folks and maybepeople identified with his humble, down to earth folksy style.

Why the judges gushed in adulation over nearly all of Adam Lambert’s performances remain a mystery. Even Simon got carried away…describing one of his performances as immaculate! He was good but not immaculate.

Some of Adam’s performances were out of this world. His rendition of Smokey Robinson’s Tracks of My Tears was awesome. But flattery from the judges stroked his ego and clouded his judgment. Every song had to be a stellar, crowd pleasing performance; angst and desire to impress replaced the need to simply sing a song effectively. And the screaming just got in the way at times.

Was it a surprise therefore when he was at the bottom three in some of the previous episodes?

All of this should not detract us from recognizing Adam’s talent. The guy has an incredible voice range and charisma. He needs a good producer and a clever manager who can get him to focus on the basics and cut all the American Idol hype. Reduce the screaming, remove some of the poseur attitude and get back to the art of singing a song.

Congratulations Kris Allen! You deserved to win.

DARTH VADER: HERO OF STAR WARS!

C'mon... without Darth Vader the Star Wars mythology, as the Americans would say, aint worth a plug nickel!

George Lucas's 3 prequels The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith fell way short of expectations because Anakim Skywalker became Darth Vader only in the final hour of the 3rd movie!

We had to endure watching Anakim Skywalker as a kid and a teenager for 2 1/2 movies. What was the point? Anakim's a bore compared to Vader. Lucas should have turned Anakim to the dark side in the Phantom Menace and then showed Vader gradually slipping into his own personal hell in the next two movies. Now, that would have made the prequels a rip roaring success.

The Empire Strikes Back was the best Star Wars movie; the action was fast moving; it laid the groundwork for developing Vader into a tragic hero a la Shakespeare. Revenge of the Jedi, picked up the storyline and showcased Vader's final redemption from the dark side.

Forget Anakim. Bring on Vader!

CHRIST THE RUGGED SAVIOR!

Christ's rugged humanity;
two eyes,
two natures,
one perfect Love.
The invisible Word
made visible - spoken,written,made flesh.
Crucified, Risen, Ascended
one Lord, one Savior, One Redeemer!

I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life...No man comes to the Father except through me..John 14:6

LISTENING TO ANDREW WALLS BEHIND A WALL!

Back to the Good Ol Days of the Radio!

A few days ago my wife and I attended a talk by Andrew Walls, an expert on christian missions at Trinity Theological College. His works and books, based on solid research make him an authority on the history of missions in academic circles.

And so it was not a big surprise to encounter a packed auditorium! We managed to get in anway and stand at a corner of the auditorium. Unfortunately we were isolated behind a side wall which prevented us from seeing Walls as he spoke.

It was not the best of experiences - listening to a speaker without seeing his face.

But then something strange happened. His thought processes and the outline of his talk began to register profoundly. Not seeing him forced us to listen carefully to the content. And this somehow helped to internalise not only the words of the man but the force of his overall message.

Later, a huge chunk of the crowd left during the question and answer session. So we moved to the better seats from where we could actually see Walls as he spoke. We had to not only engage his words but to also see his face. Hmmnn... I found this a bit of a distraction.

Listening to him behind the wall was more enriching. It was like listening to a talk on the radio!!

Life offers us some strange experiences.

BOB DYLAN, SAVED

I've been a fan of Bob Dylan since I don't know when.

The man's a genius when it comes to stringing words together. His music, most of the time, is not complicated and serves as a backdrop to the lyrics or should I say his poetry.

Here he is singing, Saved

REMEMBER THE MISSION?

- Revisiting The Guarani Indians -

BACK TO THE FUTURE
I saw The Mission nearly 20 years ago at a special screening for Pastors with my wife, Michelle. She says, to this day, that the movie made her think about serving in the mission field.

We saw it again a few days ago at a stay-in cross cultural certificate course at Trinity Theological College. Kimhong Hazra the lecturer in charge of missions, was in charge of the programme. She invited us to help with a couple of sessions. The Mission was a great way to get into issues related to missions. We then added some background information to the film and highlighted themes which surfaced in the movie through a vibrant Q & A session. The students, being highly motivated adults, were serious about missions. They asked intelligent questions and made interesting comments. I thoroughly enjoyed responding to their queries and the ensuing dialogue.

A TEACHING AID
The Mission is a goldmine for anyone wishing to wrestle with issues related to, inculturation, history of missions, church & state, the limits of obedience to ecclesiastical authority, the use of violence etc. The story line, inspired by historical events, is about an imperial/ecclesiastical power play which caused the Guarani Indians to lose ownership of their settlements and churches to the imperial powers. The Jesuits, the original missioners to Guarani, were also asked to leave. Some of them, according to the movie, took up arms against the Spanish army.

The movie, although beautifully made, has its biases. It leans to the left politically. The romantic portrayal of the Guarani does nothing to dispel the myth of the noble savage.

VISTING THE GUARANI
When I first saw The Mission 20 years ago, the Guarani tribe were bit of mystery. It has been my priviledge to meet and know the Guarani in rural areas surrounding Santa Cruz, Bolivia. They are fun loving and a hospitable people. Many of them have migrated to the towns to look for jobs and a better future. The auxillary bishop of Paraguay speaks fluent Guarani. This year we were part of a team that went to provide food, medicine and blankets to flood stricken Guarani based communities. There is a strong vibrant christian testimony amongst the Guarani, especially in Paraguay.

Praise The Lord!

MICHELLE'S WORK

Gloria al Cordero de Dios (Glory to the Lamb of God)

My wife Michelle is an artist with a flair for colour and design. Below is a banner she painted.

THE LEADERSHIP SECRETS OF BILLY GRAHAM, Harold Myra & Marshall Shelley Zondervan 2005

A salesman, noticing my interest in this book, challenged me:

" If you're not satisfied with the book, I will refund your money "

I've just finished reading the Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham and have no intention to demand a refund.

The anecdotes, principles and insights in this work by Myra and Shelly shed light on Billy Graham more as a leader/manager than an evangelist. This is the first attempt by anyone to analyse the leadership of Graham. At times it tends to cheer lead Graham's virtues but then again Billy Graham is a godly man who deserves our respect. His ability to steer his organization in the turbulent 60's is worth a read. Its not easy to maintain one's constituency and incorporate what God is doing in other movements which don't share one's core values. For instance, Martin Luther King and Billy Graham did not work together but they affirmed each other's core message.

There are also fascinating stories and anecdotes of rejection from his ex fiancee, his responses to interviewers who tried to corner him on homosexuality and Christian- Muslim relations after 9/11. Billy Graham's grace and statesman like behaviour is an inspiration to us all.

There are 21 chapters spread out in six parts. I personally enjoyed reading parts 4 and 6 - Growing through Fire and Ice and Deepening in every Decade. The chapter on Innovation wrestles with the tension between relevance and tradition. One of the best chapters, Leading with Love, closes the book. The story of Billy and Ruth Graham's contribution to Jim Bakker's restoration in the ministry is a good example of the love that characterises Graham's life and ministry.

God bless Billy Graham and his witness!!

RE-VISTING LIBERATION THEOLOGY

BOOK REVIEW

A Theology Of Liberation, Gustavo Gutierrez Orbis books 1973; revised edition 1988

PAST BAGGAGE & LIBERATION THEOLOGY
Liberation theology, in certain circles is viewed with some suspicion. Nearly 20 years ago, a few Roman Catholic church activists in Singapore under the influence of Liberation theology, together with some left leaning sympathisers from opposition political parties were detained under the internal security act. The detainees were released gradually. A couple of months ago, The Straits Times, a Singapore newspaper, tried to interview those who were involved in this controversy, for the purpose of running a story to refresh our collective memories. There were no takers. Some wounds require a long time to heal.

And so with interest, I responded positively to the invitation, by the Professor of Missions, KimYong Hazra, Trinity Theological College, to share with some students on the topic, Liberation Theology from a Singapore Perspective.

APPRECIATING LIBERATION THEOLOGY
I met a few liberation activists in Bolivia, especially at the Maryknoll Fathers Language Institute, where I studied Spanish with my wife. The ones I got to know impressed me with their compassion for the poor. Although I don't share most of their theological assumptions, my experience in Bolivia however has helped me appreciate and respect some of the impulses which drive liberation theology.

I re-read Gustavo Gutierrez's classic, A Theology of Liberation, in preparation for my work with the students. His insights represent many years of work with the poor. The use of the Exodus event, the liberation of Israel from its oppression in Egypt, as a paradigm for liberation speaks powerfully to the Latin American situation. The other biblical idea of great interest is the reflection of salvation history as being unified through the aspirations of the oppressed. A reading of Luke's gospel provides the basis for such an assertion. Gutierrez's passion and commitment to see reality in terms of conflict between the oppressor and the oppressed is understandable given the grinding poverty which characterizes his environment. The liberation movement also arose in a context where social activists were victimised by right wing dictatorial figures, especially in the 1970's.

Gutierrez's challenge to identify with the poor is not an ivy league rumination but a prophetic meditation from the heart of pastor. His passion is understandable. I could not help but refer constantly to my experiences in Bolivia with the poor as I read his book.

WEAKNESSES OF LIBERATION THEOLOGY
Liberation theology has its flaws. Although Gutierrez tries to convey a holistic view of liberation, which includes spiritual and transcendant categories, his intentional bias toward socialism and a heavy reliance of marxist analysis/terminology make it easy for revolutionary ideologues to hijack liberation activism. And this has happened in Latin America and elsewhere.

Liberation theology many a time reduces salvation to improvements in economic conditions. Salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification. None of these basic doctrines are worked through in the Liberation hermeneutic. An exclusive reading of history through the lens of an Oppressor vs Oppressed dynamic does not represent the fullness of the Biblical narrative. Injustice is one reason and in some places maybe the primary reason for poverty. There are other reasons, cultural values being one of them, which drive poverty. Also, agitation and triumphing over injustice does not alleviate the poor from oppression instantly. There is also the challenge of wealth creation and the establishment of right structures which provide long term solutions for the poor.

EMPOWERING LOCAL LEADERSHIP
Liberation begins from within renewed hearts and spills out into the family and the society at large. This has been the strategy of evangelical and charismatic groups. Liberation, in the long run, would depend on empowered hearts set aflame for Christ. Inner liberation and dealing with oppressive structures are not contradictory but parts of a whole. This is why I identify strongly with Gutierrez's passion to empower local people. He says:

In order to for liberation to be authentic and complete, it has to be undertaken by the oppressed people themselves and so must stem from the values proper to these people.

Recieving foreign aid or assistance for long stretches of time is a recipe for a disaster. It creates a mentality of dependance and robs local communities of their God given integrity and dignity. Liberation theology brings this valuable gift of self-reliance to the table.

And surely we can say amen to this!

(the cover of the book is a photo of a sculpture done by Edilberto Merida)

ALBUM REVIEW: P.O.D TESTIFY

PAST & THE PRESENT
A couple of years ago, after a very very long period of self imposed exile, I finally returned to one of my adolescent identity markers: rock music! I wanted to understand my son's generation through their music. And so I plunged into the internet, radio and listened to some of my son's CD's. It was'nt long before I made a detour which led me to my roots as an afficionado of 60's and 70's progressive rock. I just could not help comparing the contemporary music scene with my own preferences from the past.

One of the types of music I bumped into from my son's generation was rap metal or heavy metal fusion music. Groups were putting together rap, heavy metal, pop music and hip hop. Linkin Park are probably the best secular representation of this kinda music in terms of commerce success.

CHRISTIAN METAL RAP
P.O.D, a christian heavy metal rap group, are probably one of the better bands who belong to this genre. Their latest album, Testify, is a winner!! Its a big improvement over Satellite, their other album. The music, though metal, swerves and weaves patterns which include rap, hip hop and reggae.

Some of the heavy metal songs, especially the last two, Say Hello & Mark My Words on Testify, are scorchers. The opener, Roots In Stereo fuses rock and hop. But its the following track, Lights Out, which sets the album on fire. The lyrics are not overtly christian but reflect a deep seated christian spirituality. This is a welcome change from some of the vulgarity and nihilism of secular heavy metal groups.

One of the weaknesses of P.O.D is the absence of a vocalist in the category of Robert Plant, Ian Gillan, Roger Daltrey, Chester Bennington, Steve Marriot, Bono etc.

I guess you can't have everything.

If you're a rocker, I recommend this album...buy it!!

BOOK REVIEW

POPE BENEDICT XVI, JESUS OF NAZARETH

I picked up this book at Miami airport and began reading it on a plane 34 000 above sea level on my way back to Singapore. It was, literally, a heavenly experience!

This is an outstanding work. Pope Benedict when he was Cardinal Ratzinger gave the impression of being a dry theologian and an inquisitorial figure. His writings as Pope however have shown the warmer side of his faith. His first encyclical was on Love. It was a simple look at the several levels of love and less scholarly when compared to the works of John Paul 2.

BIBLICAL THEOLOGY AT ITS BEST
Benedict calls this book, "My personal search for the face of the Lord". His personal search, not based on mystical experiences, is firmly centred on the Christ. He finds Christ in Scriptures,using the redemptive historical method as an expression of his personal faith. It surely is an irony, for Protestants anyway, to find a Pope who knows how to plunge and extract the deep riches of Christ from the Bible. Several passages are read in the light of other passages which shed greater light on Christ - this is biblical theology at its best.

One of the highlights is his masterful defense of the traditional view of the Apostle John's authorship of the gospel of John. He dialogues with those who deny John's authorship and uses their insights to put forward his argument. He reads Christ into OT themes and brings alive NT in interesting new ways.

A LACK OF PERSONAL DETAILS
The only weakness in the book is the absence of biographical details of a personal encounter with Christ as he read the scriptures. How did his readings of scripture bring Christ into his life and change him? No answers are given. We'll probably have to wait for Benedict's personal biography (or maybe information concerning his conversion is out there somewhere...can someone enlighten me)

This is a great book and I heartily recommend it.

MOVIE REVIEW: THE NATIVITY STORY

I did a review of this movie a few weeks before Christmas and forgot to post it. Better late than never!

This Nativity Story is based on the events surrounding and preceding our Lord's birth. Keisha Castle-Hughes's (she looks a lot like Olivia Hussey) interpretation of Mary as a young reluctant bride becoming the mother of the Messiah is at the heart of the movie. Castle-Hughes's simple village girl sensibility stays with her Mary throughout the movie. I especially like that frowned look which accompanies much of her performance. The appearance of the angel, the tensions of getting pregnant before marriage and her visit to Elizabeth's home, although life shattering, don't transform her into a mystic. Mary was no Joan of Arc!

And lets not forget Oscar Isaac's controlled performance as Joseph. His confrontation with Mary and her family over the pregnancy is great theatre. The village scenes, framed within Roman oppression and poverty, convey a certain gut like realism which makes the biblical drama resonate throughout the movie. And just so that we don't forget the larger setting of Christ's birth, the story of wise men and Herod's infamy are duly included. Give credit to the first class editing: Mary and Joseph's journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem through Jerusalem is controlled and never allowed to get weepy and Ciaran Hind's cold blooded portrayal of Herod make the movie a tight production.

My only complaint is the movie's take on the wise men. There is no indication that there were 3 of them nor is there anything to suggest their presence at the Bethlehem stable. Scripture is clear that they met up with the family at a later date in Nazareth. Apart from these bloopers, seeing the movie was an edifying experience.