Too much. Make me crazy.
- Damir Jakubovic, 1st Lieutenent, Bosnian Army
That’s what my buddy Damir would used to say… that’s what I’m thinking right now. I have so much to post about… but it’s all only half-formulated in my mind. It’s like oodling out all over the place. 
I have a couple really cool WordPress themes I’m working on but aren’t done yet.
I have a really long overdue rant on relevance and modern Christianity (and this one will rattle some cages).
I have some movies I really want to post about.
I have an oil tanker of Flash games to post.
But I have been spending a little time fixing up this blog to be the way I like it. Some tweaks here and there… many that you won’t ever see. What you do see are some new menu entries… that way it’s easier to get to some of my more featured content.
So, more to come very soon! 
I'm a Christ-follower, compelled by my faith toward reason, which points directly toward conservatism. This world's daily onslaught of lunacy offends my intellect and senses, so this is my venue to blow off steam.
Hey Steve! Don’t go crazy (or maybe you already have). Speaking of some rant on Christianity, I’d like to hear your thoughts on my recent blog at My Xanga site. See ya,
Dean
Steve: I noticed the new menus / links to other pages. Nice touch. You could always use a lifeline and ask the audience what they would like to see on the site.
Dean: I read your blog, I hope you don’t mind. The movie you speak of seems to be geared toward older audiences. You posed the question of “How far should they go?” Just reading the synopsis, they could have easily made the movie R-rated, with the scenes of the prostitute, gang violence and drugs. But they obviously toned it down to make it generally accepted. Missionary Christians who spread the Word deal with issues ten times worse than any PG-13 movie can portray, and they probably don’t get offended. It actually makes them better witnesses.
Your question reminded me of another topic I read about recently, but it parallels your thoughts. With our freedom of speech in this country, If something offends you, you can always change the channel on the TV, switch to a different station on the radio, and go into another movie theater. That’s what makes our country so great.
AAaahhh… some good questions Dean, and some very good insights yourself, Godfather. When you were talkin’ about Missionary Christians my eyes got really big like Beavis’ did when Butthead had the “force” from Doug Lewellyn in the Peoples’ Court episode.
I’ll have to comment on your blog, Dean…. but for now, I’ll let it go here.
To answer your blog’s question… IMHO… I myself have become very, very disillusioned with the whole “be careful not to offend anyone” stance that is pervasive in church culture. Christ was rarely so careful… so either he was outright reckless… or he used his supernatural ability to know if anyone in the room or on the street would be offended (knowing that we’d never have that ability and we’d be emulating him in vain)… or he pumped out truth without letting the fear of offending someone hamper him. In reality, he was offending people left and right… and he knew it, but the point isn’t to be nice and avoid offense at all costs, the point is to affect your surroundings.
I have seen previews for the Smitty flick (they showed them at the concert)… and I can imagine that Smitty wouldn’t have done a film that shouldn’t positively affect those who see it. Now, if some are offended, who cares? There will always, always, ALWAYS be people offended if we’re pumpin’ truth… we have been told this. Brad Stine, in his book Being a Christian Without Being an Idiot talks about this… as well as Paul Coughlin’s book No More Christian Nice Guy.
If some are offended by mild language then I say, let them. Mild language isn’t offensive but that we make it so. Kind of like “stupid is as stupid does.” And really now… if I was offended by what I saw characters on the screen doing (like drugs) I’d never be able to see any movies with any bad guys!?! Surely killing Rebel Alliance soldiers is worse than using drugs.
Side note :: Dean, I just tried to comment on your blog and it wanted me to get a Xanga account before I did. I will sometime, but for now you’ll have to check out my reply here.
I like the thoughts. Actually, I’d really like to see the movie someday, but it probably won’t be playing around here. I figure you need a little reality to make it not as corny as some of the Christian films I’ve seen in the past. I think it is much more relevant this way and will speak to more people than without. From what I’ve heard, it actually addresses the bad language in the movie as being wrong, which is far from anything people hear these days. I was listening to an interview with Smitty and Taylor, and Michael said he wouldn’t have taken the part if they had editted all the “offensive” material out. While I’m sure they could have put a lot more material in it, and I’m sure that there’d be a point at which I’d be offended, I’m not sure where that point would be. There’s a difference between not offending anyone and not causing anyone to fall into sin.
The other thoughts on “Christian” movies (not that a movie hcan have a saving faith, but maybe that it might portray one) I was thinking about had to deal with End of the Spear. If you’re not familiar with this recent film, its based on the true story of missionary martyrs Jim Elliot & Nate Saint. While you might not find anything objectionable in the film (besides some scantily clad natives), some people weren’t happy that the main character (Nate Saint) was played by gay activist actor Chad Allen. So, can you support a movie that casts a homosexual actor in a hetero (and Christian) role? What about the other way around – a heterosexual actor cast in a role of gay charachter (i.e. Brokeback Mtn)? Neither? Both? Just thinking…
Wow, great points! (we should both be in bed)
Yeah, I totally agree with Smitty. And I totally agree with you… there’s the reality dose of language and such (which should really be fine), and then there’s the gratuitous dose which becomes offensive.
I’ll have to check out that End of a Spear movie.
Yeah, Christians really have a rare talent of picking and choosing what is and isn’t acceptable based on a very subjective and irrational standard. Despite the movie being “Christian”, there were probably hoardes of non-Christians who played a role (pardon the pun) in getting that movie created and into the DVD player (or on the silver screen). And then some people aren’t happy because one of the actors was a gay liberal? I have a pretty good suspension of disbelief, so if the actor is good all the politics become invisible to me. But you’re right, I see this reaction from people all the time. For me, if the mutual fund is doing great and doesn’t invest in child murder and porn, then the fund manager can be the biggest flaming gay man alive. I might see a beautiful desktop wallpaper… made by an unapologetic alcoholic… and I’ll still think it’s beautiful. Just keep the alcoholic away from my mutual funds!
On a side note, I’m not sure if I’m going to see Brokeback Mountain. I’m skeptical of the Wyoming gay cowboy plot… much like I’m skeptical that any long-term storage container, no matter what structural analyses are done, can be rated leak-proof for hundreds of thousands of years sitting in Yucca Mountain.
Your wife has had that movie (End of the Spear) on her wishlist for a while now, FYI!