Avatar

Animism, Druidism, Naturism.. you can get caught up on these things when watching Avatar.. and frankly.. they're hard to ignore. However, if that is all you see in the movie, you've grossly missed the masterpiece that it took James Cameron 13 years of planning, 4 years of producing, and a lifetime of dreaming to create.

The film is nowhere near perfect. Plot cliché's and some predictability were expected. Yet with all the hype surrounding another Cameron film, the technological advances that were expected, combined with the huge expectations and harsh criticism that he seems to elicit.. the film does not disappoint. You have to applaud Cameron's audacity for #1, taking on such a huge project and #2 having the gumption to follow through with a lifelong dream.

I couldn't help but be caught up in the world of the Na'vi. I was taken away and enveloped in the frightening utopia of Pandora with danger and beauty lurking around every corner.

There were even moments I literally found myself short of air as my breath was taken away by the depth of creativity and imagination as well as stellar execution of visual effects. But seriously.. would you expect anything less from a fellow Canadian?

Attention Filmmakers: the bar has now been set. Cameron dares you to be audacious.

Be careful to talk through the seriousness of animism and the others that find their roots in celtic paganism..

Psalm 113

 1 Praise the LORD. ^[a] 
       Praise, O servants of the LORD, 
       praise the name of the LORD.

 2 Let the name of the LORD be praised, 
       both now and forevermore.

 3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, 
       the name of the LORD is to be praised.

 4 The LORD is exalted over all the nations, 
       his glory above the heavens.

 5 Who is like the LORD our God, 
       the One who sits enthroned on high,

 6 who stoops down to look 
       on the heavens and the earth?

 7 He raises the poor from the dust 
       and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

 8 he seats them with princes, 
       with the princes of their people.

 9 He settles the barren woman in her home 
       as a happy mother of children. 
       Praise the LORD.

Quotes

Sharing the gospel

Is the burden on their ears or my lips?

More Keller

Reason for God

It takes as much faith to believe in God that it does to not believe in God

Arguments do not stand that say "there is no God."

Argument 1:Evil and suffering. Look at all the senseless evil in the world.

In light of that, there are options. 1. God is good, not able or powerful to stop it. 2. God is powerful able to stop it, but not good because He doesn't stop it.

How do you know it is senseless evil? How do you know there's no good reason?

If you have a God who is big and powerful enough to be mad at to allow it, then you have a God who is big and powerful enough to reasons that we can't think of for allowing it. 

Argument 2: If there is a God, how can his believers done so much evil in His name?

"The discreet charms of Nihilism."

If you have the claims of God, you have turn to violence. "I have the truth, you don't."

If you don't have the claims of God you can also turn to violence. "If I can get away with it, then I'll do it."

Argument 3:You can't know there is a God. Elephant example. 

He's not a being inside this universe. Why assume that God is something inside the world that is provable. You're assuming something about the nature of God. 

It isn't as if God is able to be related to as someone on the first floor relates to someone on the 2nd floor. 

C.S.  Lewis said that it is like Shakespeare relating to Hamlet. The only way Hamlet is going to know anything about Shakespeare is if Shakespeare writes himself into the play. If there is a Creator God there should be evidence. But to say that there is no God because you can't prove it assumes something about the nature of God. If you can't prove there is no God, you're taking a leap of faith. 

Fine tuning of the universe:

Human rights:  belief that humans are so worthwhile, regardless of age, gender, social status... every human being is valuable and worthy of rights. Image of God. 

"Peter Wimsey stories" are detective novels written by Dororthy Sayers 

Sayers writes herself into the story as the character Harriet Vane who also is a detective novel writer. She falls in love with the main character and marries him and they live happily ever after. She created him. His world. Saw that he was lonely, wanted to get into that world and save him. So she wrote herself in. 

Every other religion says that God is up here and you have to get to Him. Only in Christianity do we find that God wrote himself into the play. 

 

Gospel

Tim Keller lecture notes. 

1. Gospel Theologizing. 

The gospel is more than just a kingdom program that we need to get involved in. It is more than just a community that is socially active and conscious. When churches go this route, they become involved in liberal legalism. 

2. Gospel Realizing

Is my justification my ministry? When attendance is up, I'm up... when it's down I am down?? 

"Is there nothing [God] can't ask of me?" 

3. Gospel Urbanization

Go to the city

The city has more people than plants and the country has more plants than people and since God loves people more than plants He must love the city more..  <--haha

City: Culture, Poor, Immigrants, jobs, Students, Professionals

David Brooks "Bobos in paradise"

Battle between Bourgeois and Bohemians. 

Bohemians- Avant-garde with their new experimental, artsy practices

Bourgeois- were upper middle-class, white picket fences. 

Modern day sees a merging of the worst parts of both groups. Upper middleclass suburbs have moral relativism of Bohemians combined with the materialism of the Bourgeois. 

Christians should be the opposite. They should have the moral conservative practices of the Bourgeois combined with the innovation and artistry of the Bohemian culture. 

Does the truth stop being true? The gospel must impact at the worldview level

The gospel must penetrate to the core of who we are. It cannot just be a temporary fix. 

Progressive Communication

Jonah 3

Intelligibility- DA Carson. World view evangelism. Acts 17, Paul lays about a Biblical view of God and history and interacts with dualism all while creating a Christian world view. 

Credibility- also known as apologetics. If belief A is true, belief B isn't true and not even worth pursuing. 

Plausibility-(contemporary relevance) their longings, their hopes, how the lines of their own lives, struggles can be resolved in Jesus

Contextualization- not just the practical application of Biblical doctrine but the translation  of doctrine into conceptuality that meshes with the reality of social structures dominant in contemporary life. 

Exclusive beliefs: Everyone is exclusive. Boils down to who's exclusive beliefs lead us to love? Which set of exclusive beliefs will lead to peace on earth? At the heart of my exclusive beliefs is a man dying for his enemies -a man loving people who didn't love him. That I'm a sinner saved by grace... that nonbelievers and those who don't know Christ are my moral superiors because I'm not saved by my morals but by grace alone. I look at those with a different set of beliefs and I want to serve them because Christ died for his enemies. 

4. Gospel formation:

Sinclair Furgeson 

5. Gospel Incarnation

The world comes to Jonah. You don't love us. You have some kind of relationship with God. DO something! 

Jesus also sleeping in the storm. Don't you care? Jesus thrown into the largest storm

"Thou are coming to a King large petitions with thee bring

For His grace and power are such, none can ever ask too much."

-John Newton.