You’re the wonder in everything that’s wonderful: Reflections on Scott Weiland’s death

I heard someone once say that you’re favorite style of music for the rest of your life is what was being played while you were in high school.  That may prove doubly true for me, since I didn’t even start listening to modern music until high school.  The 80s for me were wrapped up in Oldies (from my dad) and CCM (from my mom).  Nirvana was as much as revolution for me as I ever really experienced, and within a couple of years, I was not only listening to grunge and post-grunge nearly exclusively, but also playing guitar and trying to grow a Kurt Cobain haircut.

And that was after he died, by the way.  I got into modern rock in 1994, and by my graduation in 1996, I had amassed a ton of 90s music.

One of the main bands in that collection was Stone Temple Pilots.  Grunge wasn’t always known for good musicianship, but STP was a notable exception.  Rob DeLeo is my primary influence as a bass player, and I gain an appreciation for Dean’s guitars as I was learning the instrument.  He hides a lot of cool stuff behind his distortion, and you may not notice if you don’t know what you’re looking for.

These guys were a constant soundtrack for me in those days, and I get strong sense-memories every time I listen to one of those old albums.  I recall video games I was playing at the time, areas of town where I delivered pizzas, my high school, my loneliness, my speech tournaments, and on and on it goes.

Hearing of STP frontman Scott Weiland’s death this morning struck up the same memories.  I put on Shangri-La Dee Da, which I actually didn’t hear until less than ten years ago, but had become probably my favorite of theirs.

The Free Speech Apocalypse (2015)

[As a note, I was able to see this movie early by being an All-Access Member of Apologia Radio. I highly recommend this ministry, and have learned much because of it.  Thanks!]

My high school government teacher told us that the definition of a Conservative was someone who wanted to go back to the old ways of doing things, including slavery.  He emphasized that – conservatives like slavery.  I thought it was odd even then that, in conservative Texas, no one in class seemed to really think that was an odd definition.  Or maybe we were just all afraid of the grade so kept our mouths shut.  Little did I know that this was just the way things were going to be from now on.

But did anyone really expect what is happening now?  I mean, sure, there has always been an effort by people to shut down discussion by calling other people names.  I’m talking about the people who take any criticism of Obama as “racism,” or those who talk about a “war on women” when we want to end the murder of babies.  These people have always been around, and they are so blinded by their own rhetoric that it’s nearly impossible to have a conversation with them.

But they’ve always been the kooks, the fringe, the blind followers.  These are the people who make the news out of their incredible silliness, not because they have a point.  But when people near me – friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc. – start repeating the same nonsense, it starts to concern me.  When I see people at work who really thought that voting against Obama meant that Big Bird would go off the air, I start to really wonder about where we’re going as a people. 

Mercy Rule (2014)

I’ve been pretty excited to watch Darren Doane’s Free Speech Apocalypse for a few months now, especially after noting that he directed Collision, which is my favorite C

hristian movie that I haven’t actually seen.  Not that I don’t want to.  And I’ve seen enough clips to make me feel like I actually have seen it.  Even though I haven’t.  And I really like it.  Despite having not seen it.

Nevertheless, to tide me over, I looked up a few of his other works to tide me over.  Unstoppable was good – seen that one.  Saving Christmas?  Er, word around the block (and I mean by that people who would actually appreciate the theology of this movie – not the general assessment of the world) is that it was pretty bad.  Mercy Rule?  Haven’t heard of that one, but why not?  Let’s give it a try.

What was interesting about it is that it wasn’t what we would call a “Christian” film.  It is a self-described “family” film, but we would not immediately say it is “Christian” except that Doane directed and Kirk Cameron stars in it.

Does that mean it’s not Christian?  Well, the whole point of this blog is to point out that just because we label something as “Christian” doesn’t mean that it is good theology, or even really that it is at all Christian.  At the same time, here we have a film that stands thoroughly on a Christian worldview as its foundation.  It is about things – truth, honestly, community, family, righteousness, a good work ethic – that God loves.  The antagonists in this movie are not only the bad guys trying to take what isn’t theirs.  It’s also the pride of life and the desire for wealth or recognition that is part of the main characters themselves. 

Children of Men (2006)

Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.

-Psalm 90:3, KJV

The most astonishing things about the recent Planned Parenthood videos are not the videos themselves.  We always knew they were killing people, so it shouldn’t be a surprise when we find out that they are selling the bodies of the people they slaughter.  No, that revelation is interesting to watch, but it shouldn’t surprise it.

Make us ashamed, angry, and sick to the stomach?  Yes.  Surprised?  No.

But the surprising part is watching people defend it.  We’ve had defenders of death for some time, of course.  We’ve had the same arguments for decades now, and some people seem really sincere in presenting them.  The only thing that has really changed is the level of self-denial inherent in these arguments as medical science continues to make it more and more obvious that which the Bible taught us from the beginning – that a fetus (Latin for “baby”) is a living human.  And the Bible goes further still with the statement that not only is the baby a living human, but is also made in the image of God, and therefore worthy of dignity and respect.

The arguments become more desperate as that fact is becoming more obvious.  For many of us, who genuinely thought that the world would come around once it was proven that the baby is alive, it is a bit of a shock when we watch people still cling to death because they love it.

We love death.

Wonder and art

[This is a post in an ongoing series on what is art and how we should be approaching it.  Please use the label at the bottom to see other posts in this series or continue to monitor this blog for updates.]

I’ve heard Ravi Zacharias tell a story (and you must forgive me, but for the life of me I cannot find that tale again, otherwise I would cite it properly) about how our sense of wonder and amazement diminishes over time.  In this story, he tells of his children, and how he would tell the story to his eldest about a room with a door, and the character opens the door, and outside is a dragon – and the eldest child’s eyes go wide.

To the middle child he tells the story, and there’s a room with a door, and the character opens the door – and the child’s eyes go wide.

 

To the youngest he tells of a room with a door – and the child’s eyes go wide.

And while it was not Ravi’s application of this story at all, the more I have mused upon it, the more I am convinced that the people who need to be telling stories of the wonders of dragons are the ones who were excited in the first place about the door.

My triumphant return

So over the last many months, I have been training for a new job (my own business) and opening that same business, so things have been a wee bit hectic.  But as things settle down, and I want to get back to writing a bit, and so I’m hoping to get the ol’ blog back running again.

And as I’m coming back, there are actually quite a few things I want to say.  I have a lot to say about some bad “Christian” “art,” of course, but I also want to add something else.  I want to talk about what Christian art should be.

I’m doing a bit of research for an upcoming book on art, and while I’m considering these ideas, I’d like to use this blog for my notes on what I’m reading and learning.  So in addition to my normal format, I’d like to further the conversation on what we should be doing with the various forms of art.

We’ll do this under a category heading of “What art should be” for easy reference.  Please feel free to send in ideas on the topic!

On seeing B.B. King live

When I was in college, I went to the Arena Theatre in Houston for an experience that I will undoubtedly treasure my whole life.  I got to see several of my favorite bands in the 90s, but I’m typically very behind trends in music, so I get into acts long after they stop touring.  I started listening to Stevie Ray Vaughan in the 90s, Classic Rock later than that.  So I haven’t gotten to see very many really great acts in my lifetime.

But on that occasion, I saw the best concert I’ve ever seen.  B.B. King, then probably in his late 70s, took the stage in a truly wonderful show.  Bobby Blue Bland rocked as the opening act.  There was no light show, no smoke, no lasers, no fire.  It was just good music played by two very good bands.

B.B. himself only stood for a few songs, then took a stool for the rest of the show.  Didn’t matter.  He was amazing.  He captivated that room.  He demanded your attention, but not with harshness, but with a kindness that a grandpa holds the attention of the grandkids.  We wanted to hear his stories, and he told them well.  He was approachable and funny, kind and inviting.

There have been remarkably few entertainers like him, and I feel very blessed to have experienced that in person.  I will miss him, not because I ever expected to see his show again, but because the one time I did see him, he made it personal and full of awe.

Most of my favorite bands I want to see “again.”  I’ve seen U2 twice, and I’d like to see them again, for example.  But the satisfaction I got from that night watching the king lingers with me still, and like a man newly full from a heavy meal, I am content, I am happy, and while I am a little melancholy that it is over, I do not need any more.  I’m just glad to have had that sort of meal in the first place.

Thanks, Mr. King.  Rest in peace.

God's Not Dead! Part 2: My speech in front of the class

So a couple of weeks ago I reviewed the film God’s Not Dead, and in that review, I reported that it is my hope to write out a speech that I would have delivered to the class if given the chance.  This is the result. 

A lot of this is coming directly from points made in debates that I particularly liked.  I’m citing when I recall exactly where I heard it, but in general, please note that I listened to a lot of these debates, so I’ve been influenced by the thought of Greg Bahnsen, Sye Ten Bruggencate, James White, The Narrow Mind podcast, Apologia Radio, Douglas Wilson, etc.

I should also note that I have heard a hundred questions in response to this reasoning, and it would have taken me an additional month to write replies to all of them.  In lieu of that, I thought to just leave off the Q&A.  If you are interested more in this, I would recommend the Bahnsen/Stein debate in particular, but also any of the debates by the people and groups listed above.

Now on with the show! 

God’s Not Dead! part 1: Review of the Film

You may be asking yourself, “Why in the world would the Calvinist Nerd be reviewing God’s Not Dead when that was so last year.  He should be live tweeting Do You Believe like the cool people!”

And if you are thinking that, you have forgotten one of the rules of this blog – I ain’t spending money to do this stuff.  I don’t have a ton of readers, and so to leave my family for an evening, spend $12 on a movie ticket, to watch a bad movie, just so I can mock it here – that’s a really bad idea.

So God’s Not Dead hit Netflix, which meant that I don’t have to pay for it, and I didn’t have to leave the kids to see it.

When this movie first came out, I was intrigued.  It was a film that took apologetics seriously.  You know, most Christian movies just have someone who comes to a crisis in their lives so they turn to God to make it better.  But this is one that actually put a character in a situation where he needed to defend the Christian faith.

And then I saw the reviews, so I decided to wait for it to hit Netflix.  But now that I’ve seen it, let’s take a look.

As a note, I'm going to do this in two parts.  In the first one (this one), I will review the movie itself.  In the second, I'm going to write out the speech that I would give if I were in this kid's situation and was asked to prove God in a class.  Hoping to finish that next week.

Derek, series 2 (2014)

Over the weekend, I watched the Derek special that had just hit Netflix. I had honestly been hoping for a full new series, but I was glad to at least have this ending to a really touching and thoughtful show.

It’s not a series that is appropriate for all ages, and sometimes it is inappropriate for all ages, if you know what I mean.  There’s no violence or nudity, but the language often gets quite strong and the humor is often vulgar.  One character in particular is a very crude man, and when he is in the scene, you can count on a conversation that is at best very uncomfortable.

  

But it’s also a series that, if you can weather with the language, that you should see.  And I’d ask you to read my review of the first series here for an overview of why that is.

I have a lot to say about the special, but I also realize that I never reviewed the second series, which I had originally intended to do, so let’s touch on that first.

“Love was Stronger” by Audio Adrenaline

Song: “Love was Stronger”

Artist: Audio Adrenaline

Year: 2015

So the other day, I wrote a post about Audio Adrenaline coming back, only not with anyone who was actually associated with Audio A before.  And I encourage you to read that.  I will not rant further about it here.

But since I was on the topic, I decided to take a listen to the new “Audio A” song and give it a review.  I was curious as to what they sound like, and now I have a general idea, and will proceed to rant about that here.

Fundamental honesty and Audio A

I’m going to leave the band name out of this story.  I’m 99% sure I remember it correctly, but since I can’t find the original source, I don’t want to risk the error.

Probably close to 20 years ago, I saw a story about some of the old vocal groups from the 50s and 60s who have had their names taken from them and given to other people.  The story focused on one band in particular who actually sued in order to be able to perform under the name that they had created decades before, and they lost.  See, at the time, copyrights and trademarks were owned by the management companies or record companies, and the bands themselves didn’t always (or even usually) own their own songs and name.  So when they broke up, the trademark was eventually sold to someone else, and that person put together a group of completely different people and toured them as though they were the original group.

My understanding is that things have improved for artists greatly since then, but then again, it wasn’t too long ago when Prince had to forgo using his birth name (his actual name is Prince – that’s not a stage name) and had to use a symbol because his record company “owned” the name his mother gave him.  So maybe we still have a little ways to go. 

“If I Die” by Stryper

Song: “If I Die”

Artist: Stryper

Album: Reborn (2001)

Track: 7

I cannot tell you how much confusion this review caused me.  Apparently, the tracks on my iPod are misnamed and numbered at this point, so when I thought I was listening to this song, I was listening to something else.  So in looking up the lyrics, they weren’t at all the same a

s what I was hearing, which made me think that dem internets had messed up.  But no, it was me.

That being said, I was rather looking forward to reviewing the other song, because I really like it, but I’ll get to that one next.

Reflections on Spock and Star Trek

When I was a teen, I went to the Star Trek Experience in Vegas with my family.  The greeter took our tickets, gave us a Vulcan salute, and said, “Live long and prosper.”  Without thinking, I returned the gesture and quoted the lesser known reply, “Peace, and long life.”

My family was staring at me.  I was a little self-conscience, and so explained, “It’s a proper reply.”

They looked at the greeter, who nodded and confirmed, “He’s right; it is.” 

The Influence by Matthew John Slick

Click image to purchase book.

The Influence (2012)

Matthew John Slick

StoneHouse Ink

If have read the previous posts on this blog, you’ll know that I am a fan of Frank Peretti.  Despite some very real and important theological problems, his books are fun and generally point to an important issue in Christian life.

So when I heard about this book by Matt Slick, I was pretty excited.  I like Slick’s radio show and articles, and while there are still some definite differences in my theology and his, he has considerably better footing than Peretti does.  In fact, the continuation of the charismatic gifts is really the only major area where I differ with him that I can think of off the top of my head, though I’m sure I’d think of something else if I tried.

So I went into this book with great excitement, and I was generally not disappointed. 

“Live Again” by Stryper (The post about filler)

Song: “Live Again”

Artist: Stryper

Album: Reborn (2001)

Track: 6

With “Live Again,” we’re reached the midpoint of the Reborn album, a midpoint that also represents the musical low-point of the disc.  On the one hand, we should really appreciate that Stryper didn’t load this one with filler, which we get a lot of in Christian music.  Of all the tracks on this album, this is really the only one that I don’t like musically.

But this one is definitely filler.  And since there’s not a lot in the lyrics to object to or really even sink our teeth into, I’d like to use this occasion to explore the Christian musician’s obligation to produce good music and to what degree filler is acceptable. 

50 Shades of Q&A

This will be the sum of my blog post about 50 Shades of Grey, and then I’ll address some questions that are surely to come up:

Not only should you not read it or watch it, it is a sin to do so, and you need to repent of that sin.

Easy enough.  Now, on to the questions:

“Passion” by Stryper

Song: “Passion”

Artist: Stryper

Album: Reborn (2001)

Track: 5

“Passion” marks the first somewhat slower ballady type thingy on Reborn, but even here we’re not left with a token slow song for radio play or something.  The choruses kick up the intensity to an otherwise soft and lovely song, and the contrast really makes this one stand out quite nicely.

Let me say this briefly – I like it when rockers put a little punch into their slower songs.  There are many albums where you get whiplash going from hard rock to a piano ballad, but keeping a heavy guitar in the mix allows for a more unified sound on the album.  This song does this well.  We’re several tracks in, and it’s time to lighten up a bit, but Stryper doesn’t do it too much.  They hook you with a pretty melody without lulling you to sleep.

It’s Stryper’s songwriting and arrangements that really make this album work, and that is backed up with some actually profound lyrics. 

We got the news anchor we wanted, but not the one we need

I grew up in Richmond, Texas, a town on the Brazos River of (at the time) shy of 10,000 people.  When I was young, the river flooded rather severely – so much so that our little town got even national media attention.  I remember seeing on CNN how high the river had gotten, and how people were forced to leave their homes.

The number of evacuees from Richmond was something that every news source agreed upon, even the Houston reporters – 20,000 people had left Richmond.  Keep in mind that the entire population was less than half of that, and most of us were fine.  My family didn’t evacuate, and I don’t recall knowing a single family that did.  In fact, I had a friend who lived a few blocks from the river, and he hadn’t left either.  The reporters were either grossly incompetent or they were lying.

Ever since then, I’ve been a bit suspicious of the news media.  That suspicion has deepened in a time where the internet and cable news channels no longer have to come up with news to fill a mere newspaper or hour-long news program, but all day of every day has been commented upon, examined, and filled.  There’s no way we’re not going to have news reported.  The question is whether what is reported is actually news, and is actually worth reporting.  And also, is it true?

Post-human by David Simpson

Post-Human (November 23, 2011)

Trans-Human (November 23, 2011)

Sub-Human (August 15, 2012)

Human Plus (March 10, 2013)

  

I’ve downloaded several free books (especially science fiction and fantasy) on my Kindle, and I have even enjoyed a few of them.  One particular deal was forwarded to me by a friends – upon the release of Book 5 of his Post-Human series, David Simpson was giving away the first four books for free (for a limited time – a time that is now past).

It took me a while to start them, and whenever I would finish one, I would pick up something different to break up the series.  While the first three books were not mind-blowing in any way, they were good enough to warrant continued reading.  I’m glad I did, because the fourth book, Human Plus, actually is exceptional.  It’s an adventure story, set in a world of cyberspace and artificial intelligences, and the action in all of the books is very good.  They are very readable, and the pacing is very nice.

But there are also some deeper questions being asked, and that is why I’m writing about it here.  The common question to these books is simply this – what it is that makes us human? 

I want to make a comment on your blog, CalvinistNerd! Why can't I?

"I want to make a comment on your blog!"

Do you?  Sleep on it.

That’s what I do when I’m writing for this blog, so I would ask the same consideration from you.

Not that there are not occasions where an immediate reply is needed, but probably not on this blog.  We don’t really deal with the topic of the day or current events.  We review art.  That doesn’t have to hit the press today.  In fact, most of the art we review has been out for a while anyone, so no one is knocking down my door for this stuff.  Even when I address something more currently, I haven’t come across anything yet that demands that I reply this very instant.

I’m also the sort that writes very strongly in a first draft, and I tend to mellow in the editing process as I see that I don’t need to be so harsh or whatever.  And I’ve read comments on the Internet.  I’m not the only one who writes strongly in their first drafts.

So my basic rule here is that I write something, I let it sit overnight – sometimes multiple nights – and edit it again.  That way I am sure that I’ve let my own emotions settle, that I’ve done my own devotion time, read the Bible, prayed, and come back to the piece again.  I don’t believe that you necessarily need to say something now, and I’m firmly believe the world would be a better place if we all took a moment to decide whether something needs to be said now rather than later, and opted for later much more often.

Internet comments don’t work that way.  And frankly, of the thousands upon thousands upon thousands I have read, only a handful were actually worthwhile, and most of them, honestly, came from James White.  Since I doubt he’s reading this blog, I’m relatively comfortable in turning off comments.

By the way – James White has mentioned before how he doesn’t like the rush of the comment-craze either.

If you want to say something about what I have written, I would ask that you sleep on it.  If it is still important tomorrow, then have at it.  Write it down, post it on your own blog or Facebook or wherever you like, then send me the link.  My Twitter handle is @CalvinistNerd if you want to tweet it at me.  Don’t expect an immediate reply.  It’ll probably be a few days so I can digest what you have said, worked to take my own emotions out of it, and reply.

But don’t expect me to make my corner of the internet a haven for hasty responses and trolls just because you feel that your comment is critical to get down.

Most of what went wrong with the New Calvinism could have been fixed by Old Calvinism

When I was a young Christian, I was influenced from many directions, and I was listening to and reading quite a few different (and contradictory) authors and pastors, not really knowing which path I needed to take (or really what the differences were between them).  As I matured in my faith and my understanding of the Scriptures, I took a hard turn down the New Calvinism stream.  I was introduced to this through John Piper, as were most people in this group, and people like Mark Driscoll were regulars on my iPod.

As time went on, I continued to learn and to grow, and eventually I found myself in what we may call the Old Calvinism, though still enjoying listening to these other pastors.  It was about that time though that things started shifting, and not for the good, and now I had the theological foundation to recognize the problems.  Some time ago, I publically (over Twitter) repented of my role in the New Calvinism, because I started seeing the movement as inherently dangerous and getting more dangerous.  I was well behind people like John MacArthur and Carl Trueman, who had recognized the problems much earlier, but they were starting to become clear to me.