Yes, this is funny

Michael F. Bird strikes again!

Here he's doing a silly little promo for the SBL's (Society of Biblical Literature's) new critical Greek Text of the New Testament. They are doing their best to give the NA27/UBS4 a run for their money! And yes, in case you weren't sure, this is funny.

And while we're at it, I want to share a link with you that may prove to be extremely valuable for those who care. Here (yes, click here) is a website that someone has put up listing EVERY SINGLE CHANGE in the various forms of the NIV (NIV'84 - TNIV - NIV'11). This is an insane amount of information! So, if you want to know how these various updates differ, this is the place to go.

Ah, good ol' Joshua:

Yesterday Ben Witherington posted an interesting discussion between himself and colleague Lawson Stone. Drs Witherington and Stone are both Profs at Asbury Theological Seminary. Witherington is Professor of New Testament Studies and Stone is Professor of Old Testament Studies. Here they get into a gracious debate about the nature of violence in the Bible and the idea of God as a Warrior. If you've ever struggled with the violence in the Bible or the whole issue of war, non-violence, and pacifism you should check this out. Very interesting.

They both posted the discussion:

Witherington's Page (here)

Stone's Page (here)

Word Designs

A while ago I discovered a website by a guy named Jim LePage. Jim is a graphic designer and has been doing a project simply called "Word." Basically, he's been doing "book covers" for each book of the Bible. He's come up with some pretty interesting stuff. Check it out: here. Click on the picture to see a larger view and a write-up/reflection on his thoughts as to why he did what he did for that particular book.

Here are a few samples.

Some of them are pretty straightforward, like this one from Nehemiah:

Some of them are mildly ironic, like Job:

You get the idea.

Ecclesiastes:

1 Samuel:

Judges

All of the ones I posted here are pretty tame. Others of his are a little more provocative. There are some of these that, in his own words, "will probably not be hanging in the youth room of your church."

Anyway, check out his pictures and his little write-ups.

Which ones stand out to you?

Why?

Hearing Music Everywhere!

I ran across Charles Spearin's "The Happiness Project" a while ago (I think it was on CBC Radio 2's "the Signal"). The idea totally intrigued me: He had interviewed a whole bunch of his neighbours about what they thought it meant to be happy in life. Then he listened to the natural tonality in their conversations and turned it into music.

I know it's totally outside of most of our musical boxes, but you gotta check this out:

So?

Beauty from the Dust

So, I think the theme from this song follows up well from our theme last week: (those guitar players out there make sure to watch the whole thing as he explains how to play all of his fancy chords!)

I discovered "Gungor/The Michael Gungor Band" a few years ago and have eagerly gobbled up all of their albums. I find it rare that a "Christian band" has such a blend of creativity and ability.

In case you doubt his ability on the guitar:

And in case you are curious enough to listen to a little more:

Social Commentary

Sorry for the lack of posts. This past week I was up at Silver Birch Bible Camp as the speaker for their Teen Camp. I did it last year as well. It's always a great week. I loved it.

When we got back Juanita and I went on a date. This may not seem like a big deal to some of you but this was the first time in approximately 11 months that Juanita and I had more than 4 hours straight just to ourselves. We went to a restaurant we had never been to, had appetizers before our entree, had a liesurely meal (none of it ended up on the floor... Kaleb), and went to a movie. I loved it.

We saw Wall-E.

I loved it.

I've always been a fan of movies with social commentary. To me art has to have a purpose; it has to say something. That's what divides the art of "film-making" and the entertainment of "movies." What I'm trying to say is that Wall-E is a piece of art. It is film that artistically portrays a timely message.

I really should clarify, though. The second half of the movie, while still very enjoyable, degenerates into a typical Pixar family friendly (and slightly preachy) animated movie. But the first half of the movie is astounding.

With essentially no dialogue whatsoever Wall-E visually tells a story which makes you both think profound things and feel profound things. And it's still fun.

Anyway, I've always loved the genre of science-fiction because it has the ability, more-so than other genres, to speak about the "effects" that are being "caused" by today. Anyone who has read H.G. Wells, Arthur C. Clarke, or Robert Heinlein, or has seen films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Contact, or even to a lesser extent something like I Am Legend or I Robot will know what I'm talking about.

So while we were at the theatre for Wall-E I saw adds for a new remake that's coming out this December, "The Day the Earth Stood Still." Now, I remember watching the original 1951 movie quite a while ago and it was sweet. So initially I was kind of excited. The original had all the things you'd look for in a well thought out old-school sci-fi film.

But then I saw that this new version is starring none other than Keanu "I couldn't act my way out of a wet paper bag" Reeves. Sigh.

The original was a film; a piece of art. The remake will be a movie; a piece of cr... uh, entertainment.

It happens all of the time. H.G. Wells wrote a number of amazing stories: The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, etc. Both of these have been made into big budget movies in the last decade. All of the intelligence, wit, and poignancy are sacrificed at the altar of entertainment.

OK. I'm done now.

What other movies have you seen this happen to?
What did you think of Wall-E?

Art = Beauty?

OK, so this week I'm looking for everyone's opinion.

I've supplied a few samples of what some would consider to be art. Which do you like best? Which is more artistic? Which is the most beautiful? Which is the least beautiful? Why?

"Mona Lisa" by Da Vinci:

"Starry Night" by Van Gogh

"Red Kanji Bird" by Billy Martin (aka illyB)

"Salary Man" by Stanley Donwood

"Alvis Hamilton" by Range Murata (concept art for LAST EXILE)

What is art?

What is the nature of beauty?

Are art and beauty synonymous?

Should they be?

Is there purpose behind Art? Beauty?

Does art or beauty play a role in your faith? Why?

Art and Literature

I have grown to appreciate the art of Stanley Donwood. I know him best as the conceptual artist for the band, Radiohead, however his 'solo' works are equally intriguing. One of his series of paintings features city maps that he has painted over. On the top you see "London" and on the bottom, "Hollywood". Yes, very post-modern.

I think they are kind of facinating. What do you think? (click on them for a higher resolution)










On a different note, here (above) is my favourite new commercial. It makes me all warm on the inside.

Now go read a book!

A Post-modern view of the Modern world:

Life in the Post-modern world:

Art by Radiohead and artist Stanley Donwood.