November 2008 Archives

In "Milk," Gus Van Sant's new political bio-pic starring Sean Penn, there are frames within frames, some of them intended by the filmmaker, some the accidents of history.

There is Harvey Milk, played by Penn, talking into a tape deck at his kitchen table, narrating the story we're watching. Wrapped around that story are the real-world events that created Harvey Milk's place in history as a gay activist and martyr: archival footage of men being arrested in gay bars and loaded into paddy wagons, colorful news video of Milk's nemesis, the evangelical Christian and anti-gay campaigner Anita Bryant, as well as vintage street scenes from the Castro, San Francisco's first gay enclave and Milk's adopted home.

There is, finally, the election of 2008, with its elevation of an African-American president on the same day that Californians ratified Proposition 8, banning gay marriage in their state. "Milk" comes at a perfect time to remind us that we're all more free when some of us become more free.

The first Sunday of the advent season comes a little early this year, right on the heels of Thanksgiving, and if you are looking for some inspiration to usher in this time of expectation and hope, I have some great books for you to try. For the last few years I have made a point of doing more than putting a wreath on the table and lighting a candle. Instead, I have chosen one book every year to use as a guide to learning more about this church tradition. Here are my favorites.

God with Us: The publishers of Image Journal released a coffee table style book last year that is probably the most comprehensive and beautiful book for Advent that I have found. It contains artwork, poetry, and devotions from some of the best post-modern evangelical minds

Poems of the Incarnation: If you haven't read any poetry by Luci Shaw, this is a good place to start. She wrote an entire collection of poems about the season with her usual flair for smart turns of phrase that create unorthodox yet profound images.

In searching for a not wholly traditional Thanksgiving-themed movie for my DVD pick, an often overlooked indie movie from a few years ago quickly came to mind. "Pieces of April" , a film which features a pre-Tom Cruise Katie Holmes playing a frazzled young urbanite making her first Thanksgiving dinner for her estranged family. "Pieces of April" is not completely snarky in its portrayal of family dysfunction, nor does it lapse into sticky sweet sentiment too often. The story may be slight but it benefits from a nice ensemble cast that brings to life the joys and stresses of family at the holidays.

Okay, I can hear the cards and letters (or posts) comin,' because Idol Chatter is usually a generous and congenial part of the Beliefnet blog network, and we usually take a pretty open position in embracing our culture and the arts relative to our faith journeys.
But every once in a while, art doesn't transcend truth as much as it distorts it, and that's where I draw the line. Hence my opposition to the upcoming "Princess Diana Bible."

Now, when you hear that term, what do you think of? A bible that the princess gathered scholars together to discern and produce, prior to her death, a la Kings James of 1611? Or perhaps a bible which features commentary focused on the needs of the poor and the oppressed, which she spent the latter years of her life focusing on? Or perhaps even a Bible written in the current Queen's English?

Nope, the upcoming "Princess Diana Bible" will be a pro-gay translation bible from authors who claim "there is solid evidence that Adam and Eve were both women" and whose current movie has been banned by at least one movie theater chain.

A few weeks back I posted about how people are turning to yoga for comfort during the economic downturn. Apparently, now people are turning to psychics for economic advice--predictions about the stock market, that is!

Ruth La Ferla reports in her New York Times article, "Love, Jobs & 401(k)s":

On a good day last summer, Thomas Taccetta, a stock trader, might have checked his financial charts before plotting the day's investments. Today he is likely to check in with his psychic as well. "I'll play the broadest index, the S.&P. 500," Mr. Taccetta said, "and if she tells me she is getting a negative view, I will sell." Since September, when the Dow collapsed, Mr. Taccetta, who trades for his own portfolio in Boca Raton, Fla., has talked with his psychic about once a month, roughly twice as often as a year ago. "There is no rhyme or reason to the way the market is trading," he said. "When conditions are this volatile, consulting a psychic can be as good a strategy as any other.""