The Secret Ingredient

I met someone not too long ago who totally blew me away.  She was a doctor who preferred to be practicing as a missionary doctor in India amongst the poor.  I asked her why.  She really didn’t know.  It’s something she just always wanted to do.  

This fascinated me because in America, when you meet the rare person who’s willing to give up financially secure careers for mission, it’s due to some crisis experience – a “Damascus Road” type experience, or a long ordeal that transforms them.  But for her, it was none of that.  It was just what she wanted to do.

To add to how mind boggling (or mind bottling?) this is, she’s ethnically Malayalee.  If you are Malayalee, you know our culture in the 21^st century isn’t one that promotes giving up financial and social status for the poor.  But she wasn’t raised in Kerala.  She wasn’t raised in America.  She was raised in southern Africa.  Was it her parents’ upbringing?  I believe that is significant, but considering her parents prefer her not to do what she’s doing, I don’t know how significant it is directly.  So my only conclusion is that it was something in the social makeup of the culture she was raised in outside the home.

This mysterious “something” is not found in Kerala, nor is it found in America.  But I want to know what it is.

I met a college student the other day.  He’s doing his masters in social work in hopes to do fulltime ministry either in his denomination, or through a mission organization.  His older brother is a nurse who desires to be a nurse in the mission fields of India.  In this case, it wasn’t the culture outside the home that did this to these two brothers, but it was the culture inside the home.  Their father works for a mission organization, so as a family they’ve been involved.  It was in their family culture.

I don’t know if there’s a similar ingredient here in these two situations, apart from Christ whom both profess.  And I don’t want to belittle the faith factor in this.  I am wholly convinced that it is Christ’s working in these people’s lives for them to have these desires to do what God desires.  It’s just that it wasn’t some sudden revelation, but God working through their upbringing, inside or outside the home.

But is Christ the only thing that's missing?  I have a hard time saying it is.  Because I know many persons who know Christ as Lord and Savior, but they have no natural conviction to "die to self" in that manner.  They also belong to varying church traditions, from charismatic, to Pentecostal, Baptist, Presbyterian, Anglican, and eastern churches.  It could just be because they weren't meant for it.  Or it could mean their culture hasn't nurtured their faith in the way it was meant to be.   I believe it is more the latter than the former, because Jesus made no distinction on who helps the poor and suffering.  The apostles likewise made no distinction.

I just want to know what is that ingredient.  Because that ingredient is something families need in the Mar Thoma Church, and cultures need in Kerala and America.   Because the Church needs more people like them.

We're all messed up

I had read an article about this massacre in Congo with hundreds killed and kidnapped by the Lord’s Resistance Army, a group of rebels who follow a self-proclaimed prophet who wants the country to follow the Ten Commandments.

At first it may appear that they’re nuts, uncivilized, and uneducated.

But before I read this article, I read articles about Americans vandalizing property of, and threatening lives of Democratic leaders who voted for the recent health care reform bill.

Is there really a difference? 

Post-modernists say the darndest things

I am not a post-modernist.  While I claim no expertise on the subject, in my ignorance, I simply cannot accept a system that employs so much subjectivity by having the presupposition that there is no absolute truth.   That being said, I do not think it is all a waste.  Post-modernism has asked some very good questions.  But I don’t think a post-modernist should answer them.

One such question is how much have cultures and experiences shaped our theology?  Revelation does not come in a vacuum.  Revelation is received and interpreted by someone shaped by a culture and experience.  Theology is thus formed within a culture and based on experience. 

What is the consequence of this?  It means that the theology of Calvin and Luther were based on their respective cultures and experiences, just as the theology of Karl Barth.  That is why they differ, and use the same Scripture.  This introduces subjectivity. 

But I don’t think this opens the door to subjective truth.  I think this question actually opens the door for a need of a wider experience and understanding of more cultures.  It’s not subjective truth, but perhaps incomplete with some errors.

This is probably why, as my previous post discussed, we have such an American Christianity.  Because the American experience of prosperity, liberty, being a world superpower, being one of the richest nations in the world, being a place of refuge, a place to make money, etc., has shaped our theology.  Though not everyone is rich, it is in our culture that we try to become rich.  We need money to get by in this world, and the more you have, the more you can get by with comfort.  That is the way we grew up, that is our experience, that is our culture. 

Could this be why Christianity in America is distinct from Christianity in other nations?  I believe it is.  Our culture and experience has shaped our theology.

Perhaps we as Christians should understand this question and ask it to ourselves and our own understanding of the faith we as a Church profess.  Should we think beyond the American experience and culture?  I say we must.

That being said, I do believe there is that one kernel of truth that transcends culture and experience.  It is the bare truth that is interpreted through our culture and experience.  This kernel becomes clearer as we learn through other people’s experiences and cultures.  I personally believe that truth is that we are all sinners in need of a savior, Jesus Christ.  That one truth is true in every culture that I can think of.  But we understand the extent that sin has messed us up, and the comprehensiveness of Jesus’ redeeming work through our culture and experience.  I would suggest Calvin had a limited view.  Barth had a limited view.  John Piper has a limited view.  It doesn’t mean they are wrong, but it means that it is imperfect as it is limited to their culture and experience.  And they could be wrong as well.

I do not deny absolute truth, but I don’t think anyone has completely understood it.  That doesn't give us the freedom to believe whatever it is we want, but it should instill in us a need for diligence in understanding this truth that has been passed down through the tradition of the Church the past 2000 years, as it has been reinterpreted time and time again through new cultures and experiences.

We need to get out more.

American Christianity

Being an American, and having lived in India for the past three years, and more to come, my view of the world has changed.  I can’t really put my finger on what it is that has changed, but I can say the view has changed my practical and sometimes theological understanding of Christianity. 

My denomination, the Mar Thoma Church, which is based in Kerala, India, has been in various places outside Kerala for many decades.  In the United States, it has grown due to immigrants settling there and procreating.  With these children who have been born in America, who many are now parents themselves, there is a desire for a more American cultured version of our church.  I agree with this sentiment, and I am one of these children of immigrants.  There is also a desire to have native potential ordained ministers of our church go to approved seminaries in America, instead of our denomination’s seminary in Kottayam, Kerala (where I am now).  I used to share this sentiment, but not anymore.

While I dislike Kerala a great deal, and my dislike has only increased since living here, I value this experience, the good and the bad, a great deal.  Partly because of how it has given me a clearer view of the world by having it more distorted.  In other words, clarity has come by realizing I was wrong, but that clarity makes visible something so messed up that I don’t know what right is just yet.

I don’t want to talk about this new understanding I have right now – because I don’t even know what it is.  But what I would like to talk about is what it is that I came from: American Christianity.  By me using this term, it is not a blanket statement on every single Christian in America.  But it is about Christianity as a culture in America.  Even the immigrant churches, as my own, have assimilated this culture to some degree.

As I write this and think about how I can explain this, I realize that it would be too vast to put into words what I observe.  It would require even more research to substantiate what I observe and explain it.  I simply do not have the time or resources to do that.  But let me leave you with a few thoughts.

A common criticism of Americans is that they do not know what is going on in the world.  Their own interests are what matters.  Generally speaking, I think any honest American would agree with that.  However, I would also say that is true for people in India.  I was surprised that Indians were shocked when I described homelessness in America.  “People are homeless in America?”  They have a very limited view.   However, that does not change the fact that we, as Americans, also have a problem.  I believe this is also a problem of American Christianity.

American Christianity has a high view of itself.  They are always right.  The world must know our brand of Christianity, for outside us is darkness.  We are the light.  I went to a Protestant seminary in America which had such a feeling that we are right and we must spread this right doctrine to other Christians in the world.  I agreed with them.  But now I look back and think: how could I have been so wrong?

American Christianity has a feeling that they have the ideal for the world.  This was illustrated in one extreme in those Baptist missionaries who went to Haiti and were accused of kidnapping children, but all they wanted to do was help them.  I won’t argue their case, but what they said they wanted to do was eventually give them a better home in America.  A better life awaits them there.  Is that so?  I’ve also heard of certain non-denominational churches in America who do missions in other countries, and part of what they do is plant churches that follow their brand of Christianity.  They might change the language, but the music, preaching style, spirituality, organization, programs, etc., are implemented as the correct way to do it – it’s the standard.  But is it?

If you’re thinking to yourself: “it is,” then I would say you are an American Christian.

American Christianity is also the new cool thing to do.  It’s a fad.  I think this is more the case in evangelical circles.  While I do believe that evangelicalism is needed in the Church universal, the American version of it has become a beast of its own.  This beast has probably grown as a result of the “mega churches,” commercial Christian music (which includes worship music) and Christian television.  I don’t want to bash these churches, artists and programs, because I do believe they produce good fruit.  But I do have to ask: with the countless revival meetings, mission conferences, community service efforts, etc., how many people have decided to commit their lives to the Lord? – not in the context of salvation, but in the context of Jesus’ Lordship.    How many made themselves available to do anything the Lord requires them to do?  Giving up a career, forfeiting the hope of family life, moving to a developing nation, giving up wealth and security.  Not that those are the only things that the Lord may ask of you, but are people ready to do that if the Lord asks?   I believe there are people like that, and have come to such a conviction of surrender through these mediums.  But of all the people that love going to these revival meetings, mission conferences, etc., the number is too few.  Because the rest only enjoy being a part of these events because, well, it’s cool. It feels good.  I also get to hang out with other cool Christian friends.

I know I’m generalizing.  Someone’s bound to be offended.  But if you are offended, then ask yourself why are you offended?  Is it because it is true, or is it because I misjudged you?  However, I’m not judging individuals.  I’m simply generalizing and then judging a culture.

There have been some good movements in American Christianity though.  I like Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.  I never participated in it, since they didn’t exist where I went to college.  But I do know about it and what they do.  What I appreciate about them is that they began to make people, young students, aware of the social injustices in the world, and encourage action.  It’s no longer just this “feel good” religion of personal security, but it is a proactive faith that actually listens to Jesus Christ and responds to his Gospel in this world.  IVCF has also produced good fruit such as Tim Keller, who has done wonders in New York as a missionary-minded pastor who engages his church in the ministry to and in the city. 

But even this, I’m sad to say, has become glamorized in the way Americans ruin good things.  It has now become cool to be involved in these things.  I’m sure it’s much to Tim Keller’s dismay that even going to Redeemer is considered like “the thing to do,” when the actual mission, and the Lord who called us to that mission, and the devotion to the Lord and his people have been either forgotten or devalued.  Instead, it’s “hey, I went to Redeemer, and it was so awesome!”

It certainly could’ve been awesome.  Having gone on that mission trip probably was an incredible experience.  It could’ve been moving.  It could’ve been God-honoring.  But one year after the fact, how has it affected you?  Are you back to your usual routine of worldly ambitions, and feeling good about where you are in life and with God’s many blessings?  If the answer is no, then I’d say you are a pleasant exception, and I hope there are more of you that can transform American Christianity.

What I have mentioned so far are just some of things that are wrong with American Christianity.  Those are things that are most glaring to me.

But who am I to make these accusations?  I am a product of American Christianity.  Now I am doing what my Protestant seminary did: accusing others of being wrong, and I am right.  I’m just doing it from another angle.

I agree that I’m in no place to judge.  But I never said I have the answers.  In fact, my clarity happened when I realized how unclear it really is.  There are certain truths that I know are true, not out of rationale, but simply of conviction that Jesus Christ is Lord and he has come with saving authority.  But that faith, that conviction, is allowing me to look past my preconceived ideas of what Christianity is meant to be.  Christianity is not meant to be American Christianity. 

For that reason alone I wish my denomination continues to send its American candidates for ordination to Kerala to study for four years.  The world will then hopefully become included in their worldview.  It’s not just about the American way anymore.  And for those who have no desire to pursue ordination, I challenge you to spend at least a year in India or some other country that is classified “underdeveloped.”  Engage with your faith as you see and experience life there.  And perhaps, one day, you will begin to see what I mean by American Christianity.

Don't fear the reaper?

I read two rather tragic stories today.  A trainer at Sea World was killed by a whale, and an X-games skier was killed while skiing.  In the article I read about the skier, one person gave himself consolation by saying the skier died while doing what he loved.  I didn’t read that about the trainer, but it was clear that she was doing what she loved. She was doing what she dreamed of doing since she was 8 years old.

It got me thinking.  If you had a choice, would you want to die while doing what you love to do? 

I’m reminded of Dimebag Darrell (yes, I know what a dime bag is), the founder and guitarist of Pantera.  While playing on stage with his new band, Damage Plan, a fan who was angry at Dimebag for breaking up Pantera, went up on stage and shot Dimebag and a few others.  Dimebag was killed while on stage, doing what he loved.

But do you really think he wanted to go out like that? 

I have a hard time believing that the skier, the trainer, and Dimebag would have preferred to die the way they did.  But we’ll never know.

I remember in the movie “Matrix,” when Cypher was about to pull the plug on Switch, she said “Not like this.  Not like this,” in a sad, helpless, futile plea in those few moments she realized she was about to die.  That would be my thought if I had those moments to contemplate before my eventual death.  But is there a way I would say, “Yes, like this!  Like this!”?

I don’t think so.  Even if someone were to tell me I was going to die in my sleep and I wouldn’t feel a thing, I would be afraid to sleep.

The mode of death scares me, and that mysterious transition from life to death, I admit my anxieties in that.  I’ve had dreams when I had died.  Once I was shot.  I remember the fear that I felt knowing that I was about to die.  Though those dreams happened when I had no sense of eternal security, even now I would have that anxiety.  Not because of what happens after death, but the journey to get there.

I might also be thinking, “Wait, I haven’t finished all I had wanted to do.  Give me more time, God!”  

Death isn’t an exciting thing to contemplate on.  But I think it’s a good thing to do from time to time.  Maybe it will sensitize us to the deadly atrocities that happen around the world.  Perhaps when we read about the person murdered in the news, it won’t be “Oh, who died this time?”  But rather, understand the pain the person went through.

As I write this, I realized that perhaps my fear or anxieties of dying has softened my heart to these incidents like the trainer and the skier, to the young kid killed in the midst of street violence, to the many killed in genocide in far away nations.  Perhaps it’s a healthy fear.

Perhaps.

Revisiting the Mission Mandate: Making Better People or Making Disciples

This is an article I wrote for the Mar Thoma Theological Seminary annual magazine, chalanam.  It's a bit on the rambling side, not much cohesion, etc., but I think the point is put across.  The theme of the magazine was "Christian Witness: Revisiting the Mission Mandate of the Church." Since that magazine isn't available to the public, but only theological institutions, clergy and sponsors, I thought I'd publish my article here.  Forgive the low standards of writing.

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I once heard that Christian missions is about making better Hindus, better Muslims, and better Buddhists.  In other words, missions is about making better people with no motivation for those people to come to the saving knowledge of Christ.  While this view may not be the majority view of missionaries in India, I do believe it does exist in both missionaries and scholars who just like to talk about missions. But I simply cannot agree with this notion of mission.  I believe that if you are a Christian, believing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then you should not be content with simply making better people.  If you did hold to the “better people” notion, I suggest that you are contradicting the Christian faith in which you profess.  What I would like to do here is take a look at Matthew 28:19 and 20, with emphasis on 19a, and show how this “better people” notion simply cannot be what Christian missions is about.  We need to revisit this mission mandate of the Church.


Disciples
Looking at Matthew 28:19 & 20, we see that Jesus commands that we make disciples of all nations by baptizing them and teaching them all that he had commanded.  Grammatically, this text’s main verb is the imperative “make disciples.”  The other two verbs of “baptizing” and “teaching” explain the means by which one is to make disciples.  So if to “make disciples” is the main verb, Jesus makes it quite clear that he desires all people to follow him alone.  This could very well be the end of the argument.  How could you possibly dispute that mission mandate of Christ by saying Christians are to only make better people?  However, I think more can be said to on this.

We must ask: what does it mean to be disciple? Discipleship is a prevalent theme in the Gospel of Matthew.  All throughout this Gospel, what Jesus expects from his disciples is given, and it reaches its climax in this text.  Understanding that, I would like to give a very brief summary of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus according to Matthew.

To be a disciple, one must first and foremost be called by Jesus, and they should respond by following him.  When following Jesus, they are called to suffer.  That does not mean they should go looking for ways to suffer.  Rather, they should be ready to suffer, denying themselves for the mission of Christ, even to the point of death.  In addition, they are to engage with the communities they come in contact with, preaching the Kingdom of Heaven, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, giving fellowship to the stranger, clothing the naked, visiting the prisoners.  This requires both the proclamation of the Gospel and the acting out of the Gospel.  Also, disciples are to strive to live a life of moral perfection, to be above reproach, because God our Father is perfect.  Finally, and this is most important for our discussion here, and it is the climax of this Gospel: disciples are required to make disciples of all nations.

To make a disciple is thus not to make a better person absent of any allegiance to Jesus Christ.  Rather, they are to become followers of Christ in every way: self-denial, proclaiming the Gospel, healing the sick, giving justice to those facing injustice, and striving to live a life as morally perfect as Jesus did. When one converts to Christianity, they are confessing Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and becoming obedient in every way to him.  They are becoming a disciple.

Love motivation
All of what a disciple does, as mentioned above, is done because they love God with all their heart, soul and mind, and love their neighbor as themselves.  Someone can do all the things a disciple does, but if he does not love, his actions are futile.  This love motivation is the most important part of Christian missions.  Conversion is a desire. However, it is not to make Christians in number.  Rather, it is because you love them, as this is a life or death issue.   

Let us digress from Matthew for a moment and go to the Gospel of John, and look at one of the most quoted Scripture in regards to the Gospel message, John 3:16.  God gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish.  The call to missions is not about bringing in as many converts as possible.  It is because out of love, you do not wish for them to perish.  Therefore, you share the Gospel of Christ to them in hopes that they come to believe and have life in Christ.

If you do not have a desire to share the Gospel to people of other faiths, then I suggest one of two things is true: 1) you do not love them enough, or 2) you do not believe that Christ is necessary for salvation (i.e. without him, you will not perish).  If it is the latter, then I humbly question the faith you say you profess – because you are rejecting what Christ said.  Or perhaps the reality of what Jesus saved you from has been forgotten or not  realized.  If the reason you do not share the Gospel is because you do not love them enough, then as a disciple, we should ask God to help us love our neighbor.  If you were about to die because of something you were doing, but you did not know you were doing this to yourself, would you not want someone to tell you?  In the same way, if we know the Gospel, and thereby having faith that Jesus has saved us from death through his own death and resurrection, would you not want to give that same hope to our neighbor?  Therefore, we should learn to love them that much to share this gospel of hope and salvation that we find in Jesus Christ.

Letting our light shine
Another thing Jesus says in Matthew is that disciples are the light of the world.  Disciples are to let their light shine such that when other people see their good deeds, they will glorify God.  This would be a result of doing what a disciple does out of love.  The love-motivated action is a proclamation of the Gospel itself. 

Our call to missions is to let our light shine in our works in this world.  Otherwise, the Church will be just another humanitarian organization that helps in the time of need; but in the end, what good does it do if no one comes to know Christ?  If we love them, if we love God, we will let our light shine by doing what a disciple should do out of love.  Our light, I believe, is most clearly shone when our deeds follow the very Gospel we believe and proclaim, and done out of love for God and neighbor.

The Christian worldview
As a disciple, we need to develop a worldview.  In today’s age, many would argue that you cannot have a universal worldview.  The worldview changes from context to context, even within the Christian faith.  I beg to differ.  There is one worldview that transcends contexts:  We are all sinners in need of a Savior, Jesus Christ.  This worldview acknowledges why we will perish: for our sin.  It also acknowledges the need for Jesus Christ.

This worldview is necessary to be a disciple who engages in Gospel proclamation and social action.  As I had noted earlier, a disciple is not just proclaiming. He is also helping those who are facing injustices.  Why?  Because of the sin of humanity, systems have been put in place that are oppressive and can marginalize.  With this Christian worldview, we acknowledge the sin that has created that system, and we help those who suffer as a result of it.  Not only that, we strive to transform these sinful systems by the Gospel.  Those that create and continue the oppressive systems, and those who suffer by them, are all equally loved.  They are all equally in need of the Gospel.  But those who suffer also need help in their suffering as well.   It is out of our love for them, both the oppressor and the sufferer are to be helped in our mission to all nations.   

This worldview must be objectively true to the disciple.  In other words, we cannot say “this is my worldview, but it is not true outside of my own domain.”  While others may not agree with the statement that we are all sinners in need of a savior, it does not change the fact that you believe this to be true universally.  For if it was not universal, we do not believe in anything.  Therefore, we must make disciples of all nations, because all people are sinners in need of Jesus as their Savior.

N.T. Wright, in his book The New Testament and the People of God, has us look back to A.D. 25.  At that time, we can see that Christianity did not even exist.  100 years later, the Roman emperor had already made policy in regards to the punishment of Christians.  Christianity was seen as distinct from Judaism. How did Christianity grow so fast despite being a religion that was persecuted (even to the death) by other communities and the Roman Empire?  Wright says it was because early Christians believed that the truth they had found was true for the whole world.  Missions sprang from the very heart of this early Christian conviction.   In other words, they had a worldview that all are sinners in need of a Savior, Jesus Christ.

Conclusion: Are we to make better people?
If we are disciples of Jesus, if we are followers of him, we must be obedient to our Lord who has authority over heaven and earth.  Jesus says we are to make disciples of all nations.  Therefore, we should proclaim Christ to all nations in hopes that they also will choose to follow Jesus.  If it was to make better Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists, then there is no need for obedience and allegiance to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, which contradicts the very nature of being a disciple.
   
That is the mission mandate: to make disciples of all nations.  It is done out of love for God and neighbor.  It is done with the worldview that all people are sinners and in need of a Savior, Jesus Christ.  It is done to transform this world as we aim to end the social injustices in it.  It is not to make better people, but to help make the lives of people better, both physically and eternally.

Let us revisit this mission mandate and ask ourselves: Do we truly believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that by believing in him, we will not perish?  Do we love God and our neighbor to the point that we will proclaim the Gospel to all nations, even if it means we will be persecuted for it?  It is out of love for God and neighbor that we are to be obedient to our Lord’s commission: make disciples of all nations.  Therefore, this is not about making better people, but having a conviction that all people are sinners in need of a savior, Jesus Christ.

Sinful thoughts on Women

Ever since I was a teenager, I had this idea that the more I sin in any given day, the worse my day would be the next day.  What would make my day worse?  My dad being mad at me for something.  Having bad luck with a homework assignment.  Studying the wrong material for an exam.  Being late for school.  Drum Corps director getting on my case about my lack of skill.  Saying stupid things without thinking that hurt a friendship, or hurt a person’s impression of me.  Basically all those things that make me really frustrated with myself.  And I felt there was a connection with my frustration and the sin of the previous day.

I also felt that there was a correlation with sin and women.  My senior year in high school, I had this huge crush on a freshman.  Probably the biggest crush I’ve ever had in my life.  But our chemistry was off and on.  When it was on, it was heaven.  When it was off, it was like ice.  I realized that when I’m sinning less, our chemistry is better.  So I tried my best to stay clear of anything and everything that will cause me to stumble.  She became the desire for me to be sinless.

Well, that failed miserably.  Nothing ever happened between us.  All that effort to be holy was for nothing.  But I didn’t learn my lesson.

In college my thought pattern never changed.  There was a very clear correlation between my sinfulness and my irritation, frustration, and “bad luck.”  While I did not have a huge crush on someone to provide a motivation to be sinless, I really did not like it when I would have this short fuse with my dad on the phone, or everything going wrong in terms of school, or just having a very down day.  I remember many days when I’d just eat and eat, not because I was hungry, but because I was depressed.  There was a correlation between that feeling and sin.  So I tried not to sin whenever I hit those peaks.

My junior year in college, my life changed.  This sin problem I had was a big problem.  It wasn’t so much because it gave me really bad days, which I felt was God’s chastisement.  But it was keeping me from fixing myself.  I knew I was going to hell for 2 years, but my sin and love for sin kept me from doing anything about it.  And you’d think hell would be enough motivation to fix yourself.  But in 1997, I realized it’s not about fixing myself and coming to Christ, but letting Christ fix me.  I gave my life to Christ.  I felt a peace that I had never felt before.  And as for my sinful tendencies…

… they continued.

Now on top of the chastisement of having a bad day, I actually feel the conviction for my sin.  I feel the guilt.  I then confess.  And if I feel like my act of confession is done insincerely, I even confess for that.  It’s like sin will just not quit.

And it continues with the ladies.  Seems like every time I’m really connecting with a lady, the connection dies when I hit a sin streak.  If it’s off and on, I’ll see a correlation with my sin.

So now while I know my sin does not please God, and that is the only reason why I should not sin, I still blame my sin for my bad days and my singleness.  Even though I’m not theologically convinced there’s a correlation, I am convinced from experience that there is one.  In fact, in writing this, I feel like it’s out of frustration of my sinfulness.  It just doesn't end.

Armageddon? Let's dance!

What would American movies be like if they adopted the obligatory song and dance that Malayalam movies and Bollywood movies have?  This was something I found myself pondering yesterday.  So I thought I would pick a movie and find moments in the movie where a song and dance could occur.  In addition, usually when there’s a dance, the scenery keeps changing.  What different settings could be used in each dance in the American movie?   The movie I chose for this test is Armageddon.

Dance 1
The first song and dance will happen after some time.  It wouldn’t fit in the initial meteor shower, obviously.  The scene on the oil rig – maybe.  But I don’t think it would be proper.  Then Harry gets called into NASA.  Still not appropriate.  But then the crew is assembled and brought to NASA.  The training begins.  During that training, a song and dance can definitely take place.

Scene:  There’s already a montage of sorts in the movie during the training session.  That will be replaced by the song and dance.
Settings: underwater simulator room, the oil rig, the hanger, and the shuttle platform.

Dance 2
This is the easiest one. 

Scene: When A.J. proposes to Grace.
Settings: The area where he proposed, some grassy field with flowers, the desert, the oil rig.

Dance 3
This one would be my favorite.

Scene: After Max died, Harry says to prepare the world for bad news.  Then as they were packing up their stuff, the other Armadillo arrives.  A.J. didn’t die as they feared, and they have a new Armadillo to keep drilling.  When A.J. comes out and Harry greets him, they start dancing.
Settings: On the meteor, while in their space suits, with the nuclear bomb.

If I had the means, I’d make those scenes just for fun.  But I don’t have the means.