Geekklesia

Confession: I have never been a Whovian, that is a fan of Dr. Who. I stumbled across the character and the series on my local PBS affiliate when I was a young teenager and immediately dismissed everything about it as being irredeemably cheesy: the stories, the props, the sets, even (and I know I will lose some points for this) the Doctor himself (as played by Tom Baker).  As a youngster who was exposed to the glorious effects of Star Wars, I thought that the American science fiction TV series like Buck Rogers, the original Battlestar Galactica and others were more compelling to me. Even a series as dated as the original Star Trek was, it had better sets and effects than Dr. Who. As I grew older, Dr. Who faded even further into the background. I didn't know (or care) who played the Doctor after Peter Davison (Tom Baker's successor - the only reason I knew even that was due to an article in STARLOG Magazine that I read). I didn't keep up with much in traditional geekdom for...

For some time now, I have been collecting quotations, lines from movies, television series, books, etc. that illustrate defining values of what I and others have taken to calling "Geek Theology." When I run across them, I like to post them on the various Geekklesia social media outlets (Facebook and Google+), but I'd like to start posting them here, grouped by themes. Darkness and Light "Once you let the darkness in, it never comes out." -- ARROW, season 2, episode 17 "Birds of Prey." Sarah Lance/Black Canary: "I spent six years in the darkness, and I looked into the eyes of the devil, and I gave him my soul." Ollie/Arrow: "Let me help you get it back." -- ARROW, S2, episode 21: "Seeing Red" Barry Allen/The Flash: "Turns out no one can outrun pain. Life is tragic. But it's also precious and sweet and extraordinary and the only way I know to honor my mom's life is to keep running." -- THE FLASH, S...

First of all, let me say that it is great to be back. I have been on hiatus while I transitioned from an administrative role in my church in Mississippi to a pastoral role in a local church in Virginia. The transition has taken longer than I anticipated, but I have a number of notes for posts in the hopper that need a bit of work, but this is one I was able to finish.  Hopefully , it will be of help to someone. In the film,  Fools Gold , a character refuses to let himself be called the sidekick. In fact, his line is "I don't think of myself that way. I am the lead character in my own story." This quote reveals an underlying truth in nearly everyone's life: everyone is the hero/star of their own story.   In the live-action version of the superhero satire  The Tick , Arthur bristles  at the notion that he's the Tick's "sidekick." He prefers to be known as his 'partner.' He cannot accept that he might have second billing to someone els...

Friends, I haven't forgotten you all here during my recent transition back to a pastoral ministry. Things have been a little hectic here, and I'm still not in a place where I can do lengthy, thoughtful posts. So, in the meantime, let me just point you to some Max Headroom-related items of interest. First off, I've been checking out some podcast episodes that discuss our favorite "computer generated" AI talking head. At the top of my playlist (in reverse order of download) is the Retroist Podcast, episode 046 . Great discussion of the series and some personal anecdotes that tie in the ABC TV series from 1987 to the pop culture phenomenon that Max was. Next is Autopilot, season 2 episode 11 . This is a podcast about old TV shows in general and their pilot episodes in general. Great discussion about the similarities and  differences between the BBC Telefilm "20 Minutes Into The Future" and the American TV series pilot episode "Blipverts." Thi...

I realize that I have been a little slack in my posting schedule recently. A lot of that has been due to my off screen life responsibilities. I have been doing a lot more travelling these past few months than I care to do for a while, and that has disrupted my writing. Having said that, I am at the keyboard, alerting my loyal readers (all six of you), that there will be some further changes in my off screen life, which will most likely affect my writing as well, at least for a while. The Princess Bride and I are being transferred to Harrisonburg VA, where we will assume the roles of front-line pastoral ministry.  For the past six years, we have worked for our denomination at an administrative level, but the powers that be have seen fit to return us to regular pastoral duties. We are currently in the process of packing up home and offices, and will depart our current assignment on June 15. I do covet your prayers, as this will be an interesting transition. I hope we remember...

This winter, we were trapped in the " polar vortex " that had crippled much of the country in the coldest temperatures in recent memory.  I was reminded that winter is often associated with death, but I have been thinking recently about the fact that death is never really the end of the story, and I am certain that life will appear once again. We tend to believe that death is the final word, the in the Bible we often see death as being in one sense "cut off" or "separated." in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve "died" when they were cut off from fellowship with God and each other due to their disobedience. The nation of Israel "died" when they were separated from their homeland during the Babylonian captivity. I think you can understand what I'm trying to say here. God is never satisfied with death, and is always trying to bridge the gap and restore life just as He always tries to restore relationships Some time ago I ran across this artic...

This week, I was asked to give a devotional at my place of work.  I had planned on posting the text, and since one friend asked nicely, I will do so today. Just before Christmas, it seemed as if everyone wanted to talk about the 50th anniversary of the British children’s television series, Dr. Who. Now I am not a fan of the show, only because it has never ‘hooked’ me the way it has for others, but I can appreciate the excitement many fans have for the series. Imagine that! One TV series – fifty years –with eleven different actors playing the title role. In the series, the Doctor, as he is known, is a Time Lord, which means he has the power, via a very special vehicle, to travel back and forth through time. Now, there are other time travel stories. How many can we name? Back to the Future, Quantum Leap, The Time Machine, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and many others. These are neat stories, and I think that in general people are fascinated with the idea of time travel,...

I’ve been reading No Cape Required: 52 Ways to Unleash Your Inner Hero by Kristen Parrish as a weekly devotional. Parrish uses pop culture heroes to illustrate themes and characteristics Christians should embrace in their daily lives and walks with Jesus.  The first, naturally focused on Superman’s quest for Justice. This week’s was on friendships, as exhibited in the relationship between Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock in the original series version of Star Trek. As I have been thinking about that theme, I am reminded that humans were created to be relational.  We were created first of all to have a relationship with our God (Genesis 1:26-27). He also created us to have relationships with each other (Genesis 2:18).  God Himself exists in a perpetual relationship with the other Persons of the Trinity (the Son and the Holy Spirit). The Trinity – three Persons existing as One Whole – is an immense mystery, but it testifies to this fact.  If we are, in fact, created in Go...