The Dark Knight and the Really Dark Night- Shooting at Batman Movie

If you know me then you are not surprised that I love movies and I love comic book heroes.  I have always found the movie theater a great place to escape.  While I complain about the over priced tickets and expensive snacks I still love to go watch a good movie.  The few hours I can spend in a theater has always been a haven for me.  For those hours I feel away from life and able to just let a good story take my imagination captive.  And I love comic books. As a child I enjoyed reading about the adventures of heroes who come to save humanity from ourselves.  I grew up enjoying the heroes found in the pages of both DC comics and Marvel.

Having said all that I like the rest of the country find the shootings in Colorado to be so very very sad.  Fans of Batman flocked to see the blockbuster premier all over this nation. I did not do so but that is due to having small children.  But many fans went.  And they had every right to do so.  Batman is about a good guy who defeats the darkness.  And in a world with so much darkness we need to know evil doesn’t win.  Batman has been doing this for a long, long time.   Since May 1939 he has fought the good fight to keep people safe.

And again another place has been rocked by an angry and demented person with a gun.  We have seen this time and time again.  School shootings robbed us of the safety we felt in our schools.  Colleges have suffered as much as public schools. VA Tech just down the road from me has had its own mass shooting.  Churches and religious gatherings have had mass shootings.  Other public gatherings have experienced the horror.  And now a movie theater joins that sad list.

Folks will point fingers.  Should our movie theaters be more safe?  Some will point to violence in the movies and mass media.  Others will point to the easy access of weapons and military items.  Others will point to the mental health issue.   In all of these shootings we wonder about missed signs regarding the shooter.

The US has something around 10,000 gun deaths a year compared to mere hundreds in most western nations and this might make us wonder why this is and what can be done about our death rate.  There are eight times as many gun deaths in the US than to our neighbors from the north- Canada.  I realize mass killings have shown up in those other nations but we are still sadly far beyond those countries in violent killings.

So we ask why and wonder if there is any kind of answer.  If he had done this as an act of terror or revenge against someone in the theater we might be able to at least feel some understanding of why (though still horrified because nothing excuses killing people).  It may be months or longer before we know for sure if there is any concrete reason.  But more than likely this shooter will be like those in other places and there will never be a real answer.  And the answer will not bring back anyone or erase the horror the survivors must live with and endure.

As a minister it reminds me that we do live in a fallen and broken world.  Darkness is everywhere.  There are no dark knights coming to save the day or men of steel to fly out of the sky to stop the madness.  Yet we can not hide and refuse to leave our homes (and violence does invade even homes) but we must live in our communities.  After 9-11 New York citizens had to return to work, play, and school.  They could not give in to the darkness and didn’t.  Yet no one there felt the same again.  And nor will any of us when we go to a movie, concert, ballgame, or shopping.  We need to notice where the exit is, have an escape plan, and and realize life is fragile.

But as a believer I wonder if we as Christian churches can do more to confront some of the issues of our day.  What are we doing in our own communities to support the mental health needs?  How can as believers learn more about those who may be a danger to themselves and others?  What can we do to teach safety and how to deal with dangerous situations?  Our church has sponsored children safety events dealing with abduction.  Are there more issues we should discuss?

And the gospel we preach does offer a message of hope and love rather than anger and hate.  If there are those who are angry and rage filled then our message of love and grace needs to be even clearer.  We might not be able to prevent those who have serious mental conditions but there are other situations where people react in ways that express anger and a culture of vengeance rather than love and forgiveness.  We might not be able to stop a shooter but we might be able to help someone who uses words, and other means that only add to the pain of the world rather than bringing healing and wholeness.

Like you I’m still wrestling with all of this.  I wonder still why.  I wonder what we can do. I wonder.

But I know that even in the darkness there is a light that is shining.  May we pray for those who are hurting in Colorado.  Pray for the faith communities there who will be ministering and reaching out to those hurting.  Looking for answers may not work but we can address what we will do in response to such tragedies.

I saw a powerful scene on the television today from Colorado.  A young man left a hospital with a bandage around his head.  He was a survivor of the shooting.  He was in his 20s.  Several of his friends of the same age greeted him in front of the hospital and embraced him. I’m sure they were celebrating his survival.  You could not hear a word being said.  The camera was filming from far away.  He knelt on the grass with his friends and they held hands and were praying.

Words simply can’t capture how we feel at a time like this.  We can simply be the presence of Christ to those who hurt.  We can pray.  We can pray in silence if words simply can’t come.

The Battle of Bull Run- So who are the Bad Guys?

Earlier this summer I took my family to check out the Battle of the Wilderness in VA and other sites.  This weekend we went to the sites of both battles of Bull Run.  I love actually going to the historical sites and seeing where things happened.  It is amazing to stand on a hill and think that just 150 years or so this was the site were so much history (horrible and violent) took place.  I stood where Stonewall Jackson got his nickname and looked at the markings of a dying soldiers who carved his name in the floorboard of a house.   My daughter and I took a charge up a hill where other Virginians long ago charged.  We made it with much greater ease.  It’s easier when no one is shooting at you.

When we got home my little son (age 3) was playing with plastic soldiers and setting up the Union and Confederacy.  I did the same thing as a kid. I still remember having a huge set of soldiers that even included Abraham Lincoln and Jeff Davis.  Will set it up and then asked me, “Daddy which ones are the bad guys?”

I didn’t know how to answer.  Three year old children do not understand that there are no ‘bad’ guys in this war but rather Americans who at times might even be related or old friends but now were shooting at one another and dying in fields far from home.  The debates about the Civil War abound but for a child there are bad guys and good guys.  Captain America fought the Red Skull.   The Avengers took on Loki.  But what about these guys in blue and gray?

Some folks want to defend the South and talk about state rights and the invasion from the north.  Others point out the ugly reality of slavery and just how it was tied to southern economics.  Even thought most soldiers had no slaves this was a part of their economy and those in charge were afraid to lose slavery.  The Confederacy did not hide its support of human bondage at all.  Many other nations had a problem with siding with these rebels due to this very issue.   The nation was divided sharply after the election of Abraham Lincoln.   Some states were uncertain about what to do.  Even some of those who fought for the south.  Robert E. Lee was against states leaving and had been very much a patriot.  But he went with his native state.  Lincoln offered him leadership but he simply couldn’t fight VA.

And this was a terrible time in our history.  Had the south left the United States would be a foreign nation to many who are very patriotic today.  I’m glad the USA is the USA and there is not a USA and CSA.  I am thankful we are one nation.  And if the division had happened slavery would have continued longer before it finally fell but in that time more abuse and hurt would have been done.  Slavery had to go.

I didn’t tell my son all this.  Because the soldiers who died at Bull Run, Gettysburg, Shiloh, and fields and farms all over were just sons who loved their parents, homes, and neighbors.  They were just kids and they died in horrible ways.  They wore blue and they wore gray.  There were those on both sides who did some ‘bad’ things but mostly they were just wanting to go home.

This is something we as believers need to consider in every war.  The powers in charge of our ‘enemies’ may be guilty of great evil.  But the soldier dying in a ditch loves his kids, wants to go home, and doesn’t want to die either.  There are some guilty of great evil but most just want the war to end.

War is nasty, brutal and evidence that we live in a fallen world.  Jesus came to offer peace and a peace that really lasts.

May we be peace makers that Christ called us to be.

Derik

The SBC and the CBF- A Tale of Two Meetings

This summer both the SBC and CBF met in their respective meetings.  The SBC met in New Orleans and the CBF met in Texas. I did not attend either but thanks to the 21st century technology was able to follow the news via video links, tweets, and news.  I do not consider myself a Southern Baptist anymore but as a Baptist who grew up in the SBC and a lover of church history I am intrigued each year but what is happening in my former denominational home.  Plus as a person who is at home in the CBF (Cooperative Baptist Fellowship) I obviously want to stay current in the CBF.  I am also involved in a church that is partnered with the BGAV (Baptist General Association of VA) which also cooperates with churches who are SBC so knowing the score on both of this bodies is helpful.

So what did I think?  I believe both are still showing examples of the decline of denominationalism and shifting times we live.

The SBC

The bright note was the election of an African American President.  This is a first and for a denomination that was born because of the support of slavery (they split from the north in the 1800s) this is wonderful.  This may result in reaching out to black churches but it will not change the other battles going on or past battles going on in the SBC.  Moderates will not be welcomed and in fact more division is just around the corner.  But it is a good note.

The SBC had those who wanted to change the name from a less regional one.  This has been tried before and always failed.  And so after yet another effort you might wonder what happened.  Is the SBC still the SBC?  And so the SBC is still the SBC but it isn’t either.  The name Great Commission Baptists (GBC) was adopted as a ‘other’ name that churches and entities can use.  What will be interesting is to see if the denominational organizations change their name.  The leaders mostly want this and the vote was very close. I bet the official agencies will start to use the GBC name more and more and squeeze out the SBC name and promote this as much as possible.  I also bet many local southern churches will never use the name GBC.  I also bet the local public doesn’t care.

The SBC debated the use of the sinners prayer and affirmed after much discussion.  For many Christians this sounds like a strange argument but growing up Baptist I remember all too well preachers having folks repeat a prayer for salvation.  I once had a lady argue that I didn’t do it right for her because I didn’t use ‘that prayer’ that she swore was in the Bible.  I do believe this is an interesting Baptist and evangelical twist that most Christians would be puzzled by.

The issue of Calvinism is not going away.  It is clear from commentators and tweets this is going to keep coming up.  In various settings of this meeting and in other places the discussion of where this is going to lead still continues.  There are two major groups now- the Calvinists and the Traditionalists.  I believe that this will continue to be ugly and may lead to more division and decline.

Those in the SBC who are in the know are admitting the decline is great and in just a few years they will be declining at the same pace as the mainline denominations regarding decline.  The SBC is going to be smaller and these debates will not help.

My thoughts?  The SBC continues to struggle with figuring out how to stop the decline and turn around.  Side battles continue and issues continue to bubble up that may either lead to outright war, splitting, splintering, or erosion.

The CBF

The meeting was rather tame.  No big flares.  Not being there I am not sure about the feeling among those present but the tweets and reports seemed positive.  Daniel Vestal said his goodbyes.  A restructuring plan is in place.

Still being quiet and calm is not always good.  Since we do not do resolutions in the CBF then obviously we avoid some of the arguments that one finds in the SBC and yet the quiet nature of this year is also due to the fact that the CBF is in coming into an interim time and is at a crossroads.  With Vestal and other retirements nothing big is going to happen right now.  The elephant in the room is who will be the next leader of the CBF.  The CBF does not elect presidents and instead has moderators who preside in an unpaid and unelected yearly position.  Yet the moderators have far less power than the SBC presidents so this is never that controversial.  Our official coordinator (paid and permanent) is the position that we really are watching.  When this person is in place then it will be interesting to see what is next.  What type of leader? What type of direction?  All of this is a big blank right now.  The restructuring report is lengthy and really is a mechanics issue that I don’t see as a game changer.  The leadership issue is the big question for me.  Our interim is a good one but who will take the reigns?  I get the sense that the CBF is holding our breath to see.

Sexuality questions are the big nervous ones in the moderate camp and this was not a big issue.  Vestal is clear that he holds to a basic traditional view.  The CBF maintains this as well.  Some disagree.  There is the Alliance of Baptists that holds to a more leftward position.  So will those who disagree migrate there?  I don’t see the CBF changing policy anytime soon.  The majority of churches simply hold to a more traditional view.  The strength of the CBF is that the local church decides local church issues.  The hiring policy is the only sticking point for those who oppose the more conservative approach to homosexuality.

So what do I think will happen?  The CBF is at a crossroads.  We are lean and light and don’t own baggage.  But we have too many partners.  There are too many seminaries out there.  We simply can’t support everyone who wants support.  Yet we are designed in such a way that might position us for the changes in church and cultural life.  Yet money is tight and questions loom.  I believe it is up in the air until we see who the leadership will be and what his/her vision is going to be.

So what?

I think that denominational type bodies are on life support and will mostly die.  Many denominations will merge or change in drastic ways in the years ahead.  Perhaps some Baptist bodies will merge together as well.  I still think that the American Baptists, several African American and other ethnic Baptist bodies, and the CBF should merge in some way.

Some state bodies (Texas and VA) are functioning as denominational entities rather than simply state branches of the SBC.  This may increase or not.  It remains to be seen how much these states are willing to drop territorial identities and become more national.

Having said that the SBC, CBF, BGAV, and other bodies can not continue to do business as usual.  The strength is the local church.  The sad truth is that many individual churches will die in the next 10 years.  Many new churches will be born.  I believe much of their growth is transfer growth from dying existing churches.  Those existing churches that exist that are strong will along with new churches continue to become very localized.  I believe local churches will partner as each church wishes and this will even cross denominational lines.  They are seeing less interest in the old structures that Baptists once held in high regards.  Higher bodies (denominational and such) will have to be very lean if they survive and will fulfill even more limited roles.

But one day those local bodies may organize again and partnerships will be created in various ways.  New denominational type organizations may be created decades from now and yet I do not think I will live to see this.  And perhaps we’ll just cycle through this 100 years from now!  I don’t know but the current structures will have to be completely different.  Today the power is at the local level and they will come together as necessary.

So what (repeated)?

Local church bodies have the power so what does this mean?  Local churches will simply partner how they wish as it fits each church.

So what about these larger bodies?  Some denominations will die, combine, etc.  Some will continue to exist but in vastly smaller ways.

Having said that I do not believe the SBC is done.  The SBC will not die.  But it will be much smaller.  Splinter groups will come from it and the remaining SBC will either be more Calvinist or more traditionalist with the losing side in a host of splinter groups.  The SBC will simply be a smaller body that does less things.  I believe the SBC will continue to be a divisive organization for years to come.

The CBF will live in some form.  Moderate Baptists will want to connect for worship, missions, resources.  But it will have to be loose and lean.  Will it split?  Who knows but moderate Baptists will have some type of network for resourcing, etc.  But it will not be denominational in nature.

So what could current existing denominational bodies look like in the future?

Consider the Baptist General Association of VA with 1400 churches.  The BGAV is older than the SBC but it is shrinking financially and many of those churches are shrinking as well.  So what could the BGAV do?  The BGAV will have to be smaller, leaner, and I believe may one day own no properties/buildings and instead have a loose administration.   I believe this in many ways is what is going to happen and we can either be proactive and prepare for this or be forced when finances lead the way.

No matter what the group is I believe healthier bodies will have very few employees, small budgets, less meetings, no centralized location, no real concrete presence.

Imagine if the BGAV were scattered throughout VA with employees having offices in various churches!  Technology would keep folks current and annual meetings a memory.  Annual meetings are just too expensive.  Regional meetings for resourcing and networking would save money.  Perhaps periodic larger meetings but not annually.  I suggest more pastors being used on a contractional basis to lead and help ministries and less full time employees should be used.  I would suggest this for the SBC and CBF as well.

Crazy?  I suggest each denomination or group take a whiteboard and start from scratch and see what is necessary today and not what we are used to doing.  Just reboot/restart. Be lean.  Be local.  Some will survive this process and some will not.  And it will happen whether we do the work to be ready or not.

I think this is all good.  The world is changing and the gospel is still true.  So become a church that can be the presence of Christ in our world (thanks CBF for that wonderful phrase).  Let the church lead the way and exist for the local church and not the other way around (again thanks CBF).  I honestly believe the CBF is in a position if we choose it to model this.  But it is fuzzy right now.

And for other Baptists who are older, bigger, and such.  Get ready.  The times they are changing.

Musings on “The Amazing Spiderman”

I have always loved super heroes.  As a child I discovered comic books and was hooked.  As I think back to my favorites I would have to stake claim that Spiderman was probably one of my top favorites.  And so today with my daughter we watched the new “Amazing Spiderman” movie.  Warning before you continue- SPOILER ALERTS may be in this article.  So you may want to watch this movie before diving into this blog article.

I went to see this movie both excited and leery.  Excited obviously because it is Spiderman.  But leery because we just had a trilogy about Spiderman that ended just a few years ago and I was just not sure it was time for a ‘reboot.’  I am amazed at the quick pace of remakes and reboots and this one is in record speed.

This summer is another super hero summer.  The Avengers was great.  Batman is coming soon.  And in between I got to spend time with Spiderman.  The years ahead look promising with another Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and future Avengers.  Rumors of a Justice League movie abound and Superman gets another attempt perhaps as soon as next summer.

And so we went.  My original belief was that they should make another Spiderman but just jump into the middle of the action.  Why retell the origin story (which we just saw a few years ago)?  Why not just jump in and tell a great story.  I still argue this would be a great way to do it.  The reboot of Hulk tried this.  Why not just tell a Superman movie and any origin information could be before the credits or in a brief flashback.   I still remember the very slow Star Trek return when I was a kid.  Yet I thought the new Star Trek reboot did it much better.

Back to the web slinger.  I sat through this movie and was hooked within seconds.  This movie beats the trilogy (something I did not expect) and easily is equal to the recent Avengers movie in quality and fun.  I honestly believe I liked it better.  The hour of Peter Parker without a costume was worth it.  They did retell the origin but were more in line with the comics and the few tweaks and changes were for the better.  I love the mystery they are creating regarding the fate of Peter’s parents and who this will play into future sequels.  Often in some super hero stories the star is the costume hero and the alter ego is a disguise.  In this case this story really is about a kid named Peter Parker.  The actor did far better with Spiderman and the character development was top notch. I am glad they returned with Gwenn Stacy and no mention of Mary Jane yet.  This is true to the original story.  Fans of the books will love this and yet cringe knowing her fate down the road (yet not in this movie).  I hope they take their time before introducing Mary Jane.  I would love the next movie to leave her out and establish the continuing story of Peter and Gwenn.  The entire story is less ‘cartoonish’ and far more grounded.  I really thought it was fantastic.

As usual when you see a super hero movie stay for the post credit scene.  This establishes more of the story for the future movie that will certainly be made.  I hope they don’t redo the same bad guys as the trilogy.  I know there has to be a Green Goblin but I would just do the dad and not have the son repeat his father’s legacy.  I would avoid Sandman.  I would instead bring in the King Pin and other gangster villains and create a crime element.  The Dare Devil or other heroes could do cameos.  I also would eventually bring in Mary Jane and the Daily Bugle.  The Venom story if done needs to be a movie by itself.   I also would love the werewolf story involving Jonah’s son.  I would love a nod to the Avengers story lines.  It would be great to acknowledge they are in the same universe.

So what does this have to do with a blog on faith and other musings?  I do not believe the creators of this had a faith mission regarding any religious tradition.  Still some great thoughts are found that do relate to our beliefs and life.  Spiderman and the Lizard are haunted characters.  The both are desperately looking for something.  Dr. Conners laments his missing arm and longs to be whole.  He also has secrets that are haunting him.  Peter has lost people he loves and at first seeks revenge but begins to understand what it means to be a hero and to be human.  Consequences, responsibility, and our role in the world all are woven in this tale.  Peter’s uncle gives advice but this time sounds less like he is dispensing sound bites and yet is working to instill in Peter what maturity and decency really is and isn’t.  And it is refreshing to see a super hero who struggles with talking to the girl of his dreams and is caught in his ‘web’ of growing up.  I’m glad they chose a high school Peter.  Years ago I heard Stan Lee (the mastermind behind Marvel) discuss Spiderman and how he was created to relate to everyday kids who are struggling with puberty and acceptance.  This is a guy who they can relate too.  This is a kid.  And he has powers that every kid would envy and yet he doesn’t have his life together.  In all the variations of Peter Parker he is broke, struggling, and trying to make it.  He’s one of us.  He’s the every man/woman’s hero.  I love that.  He’s not ‘larger than life’ but a underdog who is thrust into great power and has to figure out how to use this to better the world even at the cost of his own comfort.

Good stuff!  I recommend this movie!!!  Scary? You bet. Over the top action?  Oh yes.  But a great story with heart.

Lights Out- Living in the Dark (Literally)

This has been a strange week.  We were packing to return from vacation when we got the call that a storm had hit VA and lights were out.   It was a massive storm and it was not going to be one of those overnight situations.   It was a hurricane without the water.   Trees were down everywhere.  Damage was widespread.   Home after home was out of power.

We came home.  We had been gone a week and were tired and needed to get back to things.  We got back Sunday night and power had been off all weekend.  Our house was 95 degrees plus.  It was over 100 outside.  There was no relief from the oppressive heat.  Over 12,000 households in our county were dark.  Many had no water due to using wells.   Lynchburg was a wreck with 25,000 plus dark.

Our church became a cooling station and folks spent the night on Red Cross cots in the fellowship.  I saw the body of Christ at work as folks gave freely of themselves to help strangers and friend alike.

It’s now Thursday and my county has 6000 or so without lights.  More and more folks are getting their lights on and getting things back to order.  Lynchburg still has much to repair.  My own house is still dark.  I’m told any time now we will have power.

I’ve learned that being in the dark isn’t easy.  So much of our current world depends on electricity.  I’m aware that some countries have constant black outs and many people live without any of the things we take for granted.  I’m aware that our society is dependent on the ‘juice’ that keeps things going.  Our houses are not designed to be without power.  Our lives are not prepared for it either.

Still we have power.  We have the power that God gives each of us.  We have the power to be God’s people and to care for those in crisis.

Still diabetics need to keep insulin cool.  Seniors and kids are not able to withstand heat.   We need power to cook and eat.  All of this is a reality.

I can’t wait to enjoy a class of iced tea in my own house.  I miss taking a warm shower at home.  I miss reading in my study.

Still….

There are many who will never have these things or the quality that we have.  Perhaps this can serve as a reminder of why we need to go, share, and love.

Blessings!