Sunday, June 23, 2013

#559 (6/23) SUNDAY SPECIAL: "'Man of Steel' - A Christ Figure at the Movies"

URGENT PRAYERS/PETITIONS:
Same -Sex "Marriage"- PLEASE PRAY WITH ME (every day untill the decision is revealed sometime THIS month.) THAT THE SUPREME COURT WILL VOTE TO UPHOLD THE 2 LAWS REVIEWED SUPPORTING A TRADITIONAL DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE.. PRAY that the Court will resist any pressure to MAKE new law based on "cultural trends." PRAY as though the very future of the institution of the family is at stake because it is. PRAY for the sake of possibly millions of children, and for our country if it is to continue to be shown any more favor by our Heavenly Father, who I promise you will be very displeased if homosexual marriage is legalized; "GOD IS NOT [TO BE] MOCKED..." - (Gal. 6:7)  - Stan [Be sure to check out my brief essay at post #478.]

American Pastor Saeed Held Prisoner in Iran - June 5th Update - "Saeed's Wife Uses UN Speech to 'Plant Gospel'," by George Thomas, CBN News Sr. Reporter, June 05, 2013, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/June/Saeeds-Wife-Uses-UN-Speech-to-Plant-Gospel/?cpid=EU_CBNNEWSPM_2013_156"Prayers from Prison: American Pastor Held in Iran Releases Letter," May 22, 2013; http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=1458"...Abedini has been held at the brutal prison for 238 days, enduring long stints in solitary confinement, and, according to his supporters, beatings and torture at the hands of his jailers and fellow inmates. For months, he has been suffering from serious injuries, including internal bleeding from beatings with no proper medical attention, according to his family and attorneys."(Sources: Fox News, Assemblies of God website) Please PRAY:1) For the imprisoned Pastor Abedini, and for those Iranians who tend to his needs in prison to treat him more humanely. 2) For his family in Boise, Idaho. and their efforts to involve the U.S. State Department in securing Pastor Abedini’s release. And 3) For the impact of his witness upon believers and non-believers, in America and across the world. And if you have not yet, join the over 600,000 worldwide who have signed the petition asking for his release at www.SaveSaeed.orgUPDATE

UPDATE: June 21 - "Pastor Saeed in Good Spirits as Threats Increase," CBNNews.com;   http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/June/Pastor-Saeed-in-Good-Spirits-as-Threats-Increase/The family of imprisoned American Pastor Saeed Abedini visited him in Iran's Evin Prison this week. They say he was in good spirits...According to the American Center for Law and Justice, the 33-year-old pastor told his family his health appears to have improved. The ACLJ also said that since Iran's presidential election last week, Abedini reported Iranian prison guards have threatened to move him to a more remote prison. Such a move would make it nearly impossible for his family to visit him.

Prayer Alert: Pastor Irani Imprisoned with Saeed," CBNNews.com; Friday, June 14, 2013  http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/June/Prayer-Alert-Pastor-Irani-Imprisoned-with-Saeed/?cpid=EU_CWN_2013_165 According to Truth Ministries, Pastor Saeed Abedini is not alone in Iran's infamous Evin Prison. Officials say Benham Irani has been in jail longer than Pastor Saeed and is also in need of urgent prayer. Irani was convicted for committing crimes against Iran's national security after holding house church services and leading many Iranian Muslims to Christ. He was arrested and tried twice: first in December 2006 and again April 2010. Now Truth Ministries reports that "in the past year he has been beaten by prisoners under the watchful eye of prison authorities. As a result he is beginning to lose his eyesight, has what seems to be untreated Inflammatory Bowel Disease, is barely able to speak and has trouble walking." He's also suffering from internal bleeding and a painful skin condition. PRAY for Pastor Irani to be healed AND to be released very soon  To find out how you can help Pastor Abedini, please sign the petition at : https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/take-steps-our-allies-and-un-put-pressure-iranian-government-release-pastor-behnam-irani/7px5JR82

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------   "'Man of Steel' - A Christ Figure at the Movies," by Eric Metaxas|Breakpoint.org : June 20, 2013 http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-archive/entry/13/22555?spMailingID=6392409&spUserID=MTMyMjM2ODE5OQS2&spJobID=76308973&spReportId=NzYzMDg5NzMS1

'Man of Steel’ leaps box office in single bound” was how USA Today characterized the news that director Zach Snyder’s take on Superman, the most-enduring of all superheroes, raked in $113.1 million last weekend. That’s an all-time record for a movie opening during the month of June. The previous record was held by “Toy Story 3.”

Far more interesting than the box office numbers, however, is the story being told, a story that should resonate with Christians. Like the Superman movies of the late seventies, Snyder’s telling of the story does not obscure the oft-noted parallels between Superman and Christ. In the 1978 version directed by Richard Donner, Jor-El, Superman’s father, tells him “I have sent them” (that is, humanity) “you, my only son.” With “Man of Steel,” Snyder sees Donner and raises him. Without giving too much away, Snyder’s Superman is thirty-three years old; his birth was, if not miraculous, definitely out-of-the-ordinary; and a chunk of his life between age 12 and his early thirties is passed over in silence. As one critic disapprovingly put it, the film’s creators “don’t dramatize the analogy [to Christ], they presume it.”

Let’s be clear: “Man of Steel” is a superhero movie, which means there are plenty of action sequences, some of which seem to go on too long. But it’s also, believe it or not, a story about vocation. Once he learns his true identity and why he was sent to Earth—to save us from ourselves—Superman has to decide if he will do his father’s will despite the risk of rejection. That’s “father” with a small “f.” This is not the story of Christ, after all. But it is a story that brings to mind what Flannery O’Connor once wrote about her native South: “While the South is hardly Christ-centered, it is most certainly Christ-haunted.”

Likewise, while our culture is even less Christ-centered than the South of the 1950s or early 60s, it is also haunted by the One who came down from heaven. Our books and movies are filled with “Christ figures,” characters whose actions bring to mind Jesus. As my friend Barbara Nicolosi, the founder of Act One, a screenwriting program for Christians, has noted, “the notion of the ‘Christ figure’ early on became a cinematic archetype.”

As someone who came down from the heavens and whose true identity is a mystery to his contemporaries, Superman may be the quintessential Christ figure in American popular culture. This may be why attempts to give him an “edge” have failed. Take “Superman Returns” from 2006, in which Superman was depicted, in Nicolosi’s words, as an “angst-ridden small town guy who’s obsessed with a girl . . . and then becomes a deadbeat dad.” As you might guess, that movie sank without a trace. Similarly, Superman is one of the few characters in popular culture who is unreservedly good. To quote Nicolosi again, “stories are supposed to be better than real life.” Too often, what we get are stories and characters that are, if anything, even worse than the people in the theater seats.

A colleague of mine, who saw the movie just this past weekend, plans on taking his teenage son to see “Man of Steel” and then to discuss the parallels between Superman and Christ, and other themes in the film. You might think about doing the same. I plan to do the same with my daughter. In fact, to help you talk to your kids about the movie, we’ve prepared some discussion questions. You might want to use them at youth group or perhaps at your home group. Please come to BreakPoint.org and click on this commentary. We’ll even link you to some reviews of the movie you might find helpful.

[bold and italics emphasis mine]


Further Reading and Information
BP-Takeaction_62013'Man of Steel': A Christ Figure at the Movies - Next Steps
Go to BreakPoint.org to access questions that can guide your discussions with your teens and others about the “Man of Steel.” Encourage them to share their own thoughts about the movie to spur greater, more fruitful discussion.For further resources, check out the links below that analyze the Christ-like allegories of Superman.

Resources:
Look! Up in the Sky: ‘Man of Steel Reveals an Even Greater Story - Gary D. Robinson | BreakPoint.org | June 13, 2013 http://www.breakpoint.org/features-columns/articles/entry/12/22515
Man of Steel and Fatherhood - Ryan Sanders | National Fatherhood Initiative | Jun 17, 2013 http://blog.fatherhood.org/bid/181679/Man-of-Steel-and-Fatherhood
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