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- Movie review: Happiness is a Warm Blanket
- Justin Bieber, dad, get Jesus tattoos together
- Does Rick Warren Endorse “Chrislam”?
- Parents still prefer the Bible as a source of names for their babies
- Family fears for arrested Vietnam priest’s health
| Movie review: Happiness is a Warm Blanket Posted: 27 Jul 2011 10:20 PM PDT
They’re back! The Peanuts gang are together again in the franchise’s 45th animation project, Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown. What is most disappointing is that the film was put “straight to DVD” in March of this year and it isn’t clear why that decision was made. From all appearances, it seems that this project was originally intended to air on television but didn’t. This is odd since ABC has been airing many of the Peanuts’ holiday specials throughout the year. The DVD box says that it is an “original movie” but the running time is only 46 minutes, which is just about right for an hour special (minus the commercials). Also, the special features on the DVD refer to Blanket as a special. Whatever the reason may be, fans of Charlie Brown and his friends will find this a great addition and right up there with the best of the Peanuts specials. Headed by Executive Producer, Craig Schultz, Charles Schultz’s son, the production team did everything they could to make it look and feel like a classic Charlie Brown story. The film was hand drawn (24 frames a second!) and used water color backgrounds, they found children with voices that matched the characters in the previous specials, and the jazz music is similar in style to that of the Vince Guaraldi Trio, but is actually composed of by Mark Mothersbaugh of DEVO or all things. What might be most surprising is that Steven Pastis, the creator of the comic strip, Pearls Before Swine, wrote the teleplay. Known for his sarcastic humor, this may seem like an odd choice, but Charles Schultz was a huge inspiration to Pastis who often references the Peanuts characters in his own strip. He and Craig went through hundreds of original comic strips and pieced them together to create a full story. In the cartoon, Linus is pushed to his limits when he learns that his grandmother is coming for a visit and doesn’t approve of the security blanket. Since his own parents won’t make Linus part with it, she plans to do it for them. The rest of the gang try to help Linus “kick the habit” while Snoopy tries to steal the blanket for himself. Besides the main story, there are a few side stories featuring Lucy trying to romance Schroeder, Charlie Brown trying to fly a kite and the others trying to get Pig Pen to clean up his act. For the first time in years, it features long-forgotten characters like Shermy, Patty (not Peppermint, but the original), Violet and Frieda – you know, the girl with the naturally curly hair? It even features a vignette of the very first Peanuts comic strip. And don’t worry, none of the adults are seen and only say “waw, waw, waw” just as they always have. The movie is slower paced and calmer than today’s modern cartoons. It is traditional and yet progressive. While not a faith-based story, Blanket offers a message that is familiar to church folk. At one point, Linus is at his wit’s end with all of his friends and family judging him because he has a security blanket. He stands on Snoopy’s doghouse and questions why he should be judged when they all have problems and insecurities too. He even goes as far as to suggest that his dependence for his blanket is about the same as his grandmother’s dependence on coffee. That doesn’t go over well. As Christians, we can get so caught up seeing things as either right or wrong. We want our fellow parishioners listening to the same music or reading the same books and “doing church” the “right way” that we forget that God has made us each unique and doesn’t expect us to all be the same. Finally, the DVD offers some special features worth watching as well:
All in all, this is a true delight for fans. Your children will enjoy it too. Originally posted here. |
| Justin Bieber, dad, get Jesus tattoos together Posted: 27 Jul 2011 10:12 PM PDT
Justin Bieber and his father got matching tattoos recently with the name of Jesus in Hebrew on their left ribcages. A newly-released photo showed the father and son, topless, with their matching “Yeshua” tattoos. They were photographed in Israel, where they got the tattoos done.  Justin Bieber and Dad get matching "Yeshua" tattoos. Yeshua is Jesus in Hebrew. Father and son were in Israel for a show that Bieber had last May. It was part of an extended tour that started in England in March. During their spare time, they got the tats. The tattoos say Yeshua, which is Hebrew for Jesus. They were done last May, just before Justin flew to Hawaii near the end of the month to be with Selena Lopez, his girlfriend. Jeremy posted pictures of himself and Justin in the parlor while they were having their tattoos done, in Facebook. Among the photos shown was Justin grimacing and clutching his father’s hand for support. Justin, 17, has another tattoo of a seagull inked on his left hip, which was done when he turned 16. Before then, he had a star tattoo placed on his elbow, both with his parents’ permission. Although he is still underage, the new tattoo is legal because he was with his father when they were done, indicating parental permission. Jeremy himself has a number of other tattoos. The tattoo could be clearly seen when Justin was in Hawaii with Gomez in late May. Justin has always been open about his Christian faith. Before performing onstage, he prays in both Hebrew and English. During his recent visit to the Holy Land he visited its religious sites and told Christian Today that the experience was “truly special.” Bieber enjoys a great relationship with his father, but it doesn’t follow that his childhood was perfect. He was largely raised by his mother Pattie Mallette, but always kept a close relationship with his father. “I have a great relationship with my Dad,” the Daily Mail quoted Bieber. “When I was younger, he taught me how to play some songs on the guitar, like Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door by Bob Dylan. He taught me how to drive, too. He’s cool.” |
| Does Rick Warren Endorse “Chrislam”? Posted: 27 Jul 2011 10:09 PM PDT
The pastor of a megachurch denied recently a slew of accusations had had been roaming the internet, forwarded e-mails and YouTube claiming that he supports Chrislam. Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church with a membership of 22,000 denied recently that he values, validates or promotes Chrislam in any way. In a blog which often attacks him,Warren posted a statement which said, “Several of the above comments are completely incorrect, based on believing second hand false rumors instead of finding out the facts before speaking up.” Geoff Surratt of Pastors.com said on his blog, “I have worked for Pastor Rick for the past six months …. and followed his ministry closely for almost 20 years. Pastor Warren is not perfect; he is very open and honest about his challenges and flaws. But his theology is tightly bound to biblical Christianity.” Merging of Christianity and Islam? Televangelist Jack and his wife Rexella Van Impe have monitored what they call Chrislam which they define as a blend of Christianity and Islam. They say that many churches in the U.S. have been trying to promote it as one religion. In particular, the Van Impes are critical of the organizations Faith Shared, which sponsors an Interfaith Alliance, and Human Rights First, where clergy of different faiths recite one another’s texts during service. The goal of the two groups is to “counter the misperception, including in the Arab and Muslim worlds, that the United States is a nation defined by the widely covered images of the marginal few who would burn a Qur’an, rather than by a proud and longstanding tradition of religious freedom, tolerance and pluralism,” God Discussion reported. Van Impe believes that Warren is promoting Chrislam and has accused him of apostasy, noting that Warren was a speaker at an Islamic conference two years before. His claim has been picked up by others and has gone online. Van Impe mentioned the names of other preachers as well, but learned later that the Trinity Broadcasting Network censored the names. As a result, he issued a statement to Paul Crouch, network founder. In Van Impe’s statement, published in God Discussion, he said, “Paul you’ve been asking me to come back … Rexella and I have made up our minds. It is not God’s will for our life. We’re going to take a stand. We’re going to preach what we want to preach. We’re not going to be told what we can’t preach.” Van Impe said, “call me a bigot. I’ll be a bigot for my Jesus any day,” God Discussion reported. Statement by Warren Rick Warren said in his statement, published in Pastors.com; “The so-called “Chrislam” rumor is 100% false. If the guy who started this libelous myth, or anyone else who passed it on, had obeyed our Lord’s command (Matt. 18:18-20) to come directly to me, and then asked what I actually believed – they would have been embarrassed to learn that I believe the exact opposite. As a fourth generation Christian pastor, my life and ministry is built on the truth that Jesus is the only way, and our inerrant Bible is our only true authority. “As an evangelist, I spend much of my time speaking to non-Christian groups. You cannot win your enemies to Christ; only your friends, so we must build bridges of friendship and love to those who believe differently so Jesus can walk across that bridge into their hearts. Besides, it is not a sin, but rather COMMANDED by Jesus that we love our enemies. In the past 10 years, Saddleback Church has baptized over 22,000 new adult believers- simply because we express love to those who don’t know Christ yet. “It is nonsense to believe that you must compromise your beliefs, or water down your convictions in order to love someone, or even just treat them with dignity. “Jesus was called “the friend of sinners” by the legalistic Pharisees because he hung out with (and clearly loved) unbelievers. I HOPE YOU will 1) Always believe that EVERYONE needs Jesus as their Lord and Savior. 2) Have the courage to associate with nonbelievers in order to love them and bring them to the Savior. 3) Consider being called “a friend of sinners” a Christ-like compliment. 4) Refuse to pass on rumors until you’ve checked for “the truth with the person accused. The false statements above should be removed.” |
| Parents still prefer the Bible as a source of names for their babies Posted: 27 Jul 2011 10:03 PM PDT
Don’t try to register your baby’s name as Lucifer if you live in New Zealand, because it won’t be accepted. The name has been banned, as three parents found out recently. The Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages in New Zealand has also banned the names Bishop and Messiah. But the reasons are not purely religious, as other names that were turned down are punctuation marks “.” (full stop), “*” (asterisk) and “/” (slash). Other names turned down are 89, and single letters T, I, D and C although J and Q were allowed. Titles such as Baron, General, Justice, Knight, Duke, Judge, King and Mr. are also not be allowed. And don’t think of naming your twins Benson and Hedges. Also disallowed are Number 16 Bus Shelter and Violence. But one name did get through, Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii, who decided to legally change her name when she was nine years old. Family Court Judge Rob Murfitt told The Sydney Morning Herald that odd names can scar children. “It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap.” Other rejected names: Yeah Detroit, Stallion, Fish and Chips, Sex Fruit, and Twisty Poi. Inspired by the Bible Many parents get inspiration from the Bible in choosing names for their children. Nameberry, which has analyzed some 23 million page views since January 2011, named 11 most popular names and one of them, Asher, is biblically sourced and ranked number one for boys’ names. Asher replaced Henry as the number one name for the first time this year. This is the name of the eighth son of Jacob by Zilpah, the maid of his wife, Leah. Asher was promised by Jacob a life of abundance of food and sweets as fits a king (Gen. 49:20). Asher means “happy.” Canada Demographics also play a role in choosing biblical names for children. In Canada, B.C. Vital Statistics showed that the trend to cull names from the Bible continues. The popular biblical name ranking highest is Jacob, though other top rankers are Noah, Nathan and Benjamin. Less high in the rankings, but still popular, are the names Levi, Moses and Ezequiel. Italy In Italy, three of the five most popular girls have Biblical roots though the choice may have been inspired by a celebrity. Maria is the most popular Italian baby girl name and it means “star of the sea.” The Bible mentions Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene. Anna ranked No. 2 as the most popular choice for Italian babies, ParentDish said. It’s a variation of the biblical Hannah from the Old Testament. Anna is also the name of a prophetess in the Gospel of Luke. Possibly, however, parents chose the name based on celebrities like ballerina Anna Pavlov. Angela ranks among the top five women’s names, if you include some 40 other variations such as Angeline and Angelica. The name means Messenger of God and is a take from angels in the Bible. However the inspiration for naming one’s baby may have come from actresses like Angelina Jolie. Phillipines In the Philippines which is a Catholic country, it is not uncommon to name every daughter in a family Maria after Jesus’ mother. For example, one daughter will be Maria Ramona, and the other could be Maria Teresa. |
| Family fears for arrested Vietnam priest’s health Posted: 27 Jul 2011 10:00 PM PDT
A leading Vietnamese dissident was rearrested recently, despite serious health conditions, including being afflicted with a brain tumor and being partially paralyzed from several strokes. Father Nguyen Van Ly, a man in his 60s, was picked up recently by police who arrived with an ambulance at the office of the Bishop of Hue in Nha Chung, where Ly had been staying under house arrest, in a home for old priests. “We heard that at 2:30 p.m. police cars and an ambulance arrived at Nha Chung to arrest Priest Ly, ending one year and four months of temporary release,” Father Phan Van Loi told Radio Free Asia. “Before the police arrested Father Van Ly, they asked Father Vien Le Quang, head of the bishop’s office, to sign a statement,” Father Loi told Asia News. “The priest wrote that ‘Father Van Ly is still sick. He has not recovered from his illness.’” Father Loi said to Asia News, “The police at first objected, but eventually accepted the document written by Father Le Quang Vien. Within minutes they arrested Father Ly.” “They arrested him although his health is not good. He has not recovered from his illness. He can’t walk well,” a relative said to AFP. Father Ly was brought to a prison in Kim Bang district, which forms part of Ha Nam province. Brain tumor Last year Father Ly, who has spent over 15 years in and out of prison since 1977, was allowed to receive medical treatment outside of jail due to a brain tumor. He had been serving an eight-year sentence for the charge of propaganda. During his trial Father Ly tried to deliver a poem that condemned the country’s communist leaders, but the police muzzled him. Ly also yelled, “Communist court!” and said the court procedure followed the “law of the jungle,” the AFP said, causing a policeman to place his hands over Father Ly’s mouth to silence him. Ly is a founding member of the pro-democracy “Bloc 8406.” His imprisonment drew censure from human rights organizations and foreign diplomats. In 2009 Father Ly experienced three strokes, leaving him partially paralyzed. Because of this, some 37 U.S. senators sent a letter to the country’s president Nguyen Minh Triet seeking his release. Now the government has rearrested Father Ly on charges of distributing anti-government documents. Father Ly has, through emails, advocated a multiparty system and called for hunger strikes to support this. The government-sponsored Vietnam News said, “Although the authorized agencies extended the time allotted for his treatment and reprimanded him many times, Ly continued to defy the law of the State of Vietnam.” Father Ly’s re-arrest, following shortly after the reelection of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, seems to indicate that things will get tougher for dissidents. Blogger to be tried In a separate development, government authorities announced that a blogger and lecturer who was arrested last year on subversion charges will have a hearing on August 10 in Ho Chi Minh City. Pham Minh Hoang, who is French-Vietnamese, will be charged with “carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration,” an unnamed official told AFP. The foreign ministry of France has expressed “serious concern” about the case, the AFP said. If convicted, Hoang may face up to 15 years in jail. |
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