EN28 March/Speech of the Penguins
22/12/05 13:51 Filed in: 1 Corinthians
The Bible epilogue text can be found here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
March of the Penguins had come out and was doing very well with the christian cinema-going public. I have a number of friends who don't agree with the christian worldview and one thing I am quite keen on is trying to explain my perspective in the most effective way possible. This strip picks up on my unease with the so-called 'intelligent design' debate. Personally I think that it isn't the best way of 'selling' the christian faith because nothing gets there better than talking about Jesus. It has some value to reflect on good things in the world around us (and this is undoubtedly a strong point in the film) but to use it for some mildly political christian point is (to me) a bit of a shame.
I used the Balaam's Donkey idea of a talking animal here, and the pengui-logue reinforces it.
This is a good example of the EN editor's editorial insight. John Benton has occasionally stepped in to encourage me in one direction or another. On this strip he later commented on the need to avoid criticising christians, which is a good thing. My original 'pitch' for this strip was to do something jokey about church culture, but he came back to me with the better idea of taking a satirical view of the non-christian world - which has proven to be be a much more healthy exercise as I have been pushed to reflect on the world outside the church and how it does/does not relate to the perspective in the Bible. A good editor is a life-saver.
EN27 Bowled Over
01/12/05 13:51 Filed in: Matthew
The Bible epilogue text can be found here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
This one had something to do with reflecting on retirement issues. I think that that there may have been some pensions related stuff in the news and I wanted to handle it obliquely. I didn't really feel confident dealing with it head-on but this taps into the general idea of what you are ultimately basing your security and hopes on. I think that the Bible text (above) is the best explanation here, so I won't waste my shallow breath.
Occasionally I have departed from the regular format and gone for something almost parentless. The main idea is to establish the window discussion before revealling their ultimate fate and blindness to the impending hit.
I really dislike bowling and when I go I usually look for some creative way to avoid actually playing it - like writing stupid things on the scorecard, or throwing in the most anti-competitive way possible. Once I went to a place that had a speedometer display so I was overjoyed to be aiming for the slowest throw ever. It was hilarious. I find bowling alleys very depressing because they usually have unhealthy food. I don't like the shoes either...
EN26 Bird Flu
The Bible epilogue text can be found here and here and again here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
Avian Flu had become a hot topic in the news and I wanted to do a simple connection with what the Bible refers to as 'sin'.
'What's the worst that could happen' is from the Doctor Pepper adverts that had been showing. Usually some person would say it and then the worst thing would literally happen - TV coverage of their trousers falling down or something worse. Very funny. Tony Waghorn was very helpful in assisting me on refining this one.
The 'Long Lost Lorne Roaders' refers to Kathy and Alexa who went out on a limb a few years ago to show me what a pig I can be. Good friends aren't just about flattery, and any progress as a christian needs caring people who can help point out your flaws in a compassionate manner.
On a sort-of related point, I once did the dance from 'Seven Brides' in the shared student kitchen we had in Leicester and our landlady (called Mrs Tossar) had to come and get the handle glued back on the cooker after I'd accidently kicked it off during my choreographed frenzy...
EN25 The 'Incitement to Religious Hatred' Law
01/10/05 13:51 Filed in: Hebrews
The Bible epilogue text can be found here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
The Christian Institute had made some responses to the discussion on a proposed 'incitement to religious hatred' law. A worrying aspect of the issue was that a law that was intended to protect religious views could end up being used to legislate against faiths like christianity. I had listened to some testimonies of people from around the world where they had been hounded and eventually thrown out of their own countries due to this kind of law being passed. I wanted to reflect on the changes implicit in this law.
A couple of my friends’ boys are mentioned in the dedication. I think it speaks for itself.
EN24 If a Hurricane could talk...
The Bible epilogue text can be found here and here and here(you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
Hurricane Katrina was horrific on all accounts. After some thought I picked up on a couple of points that seemed to be helpful: firstly when a disaster like this is about to strike you should just get out (which corresponds to the christian message to repent or turn from the way you currently live before God's judgement falls); and secondly, those who are in any position to help should help anyone and everyone regardless of their cultural situation. George Bush had been criticised for not caring about black people and I had wondered whether it was something that could be levelled at christians... are they selective about who they share the news of Jesus with?
Images of Bush, a card game I saw on the news and a satellite image of the hurricane.
I don't think that this one works very well. I took advice from Mike Tindall a few years back about using the epilogue text as an interactive element - to send people to the Bible to look up the words and try to work out the connections rather than lay it all out on a plate, but this one is just too abstract. Who know what I was talking about?
EN23 The Hour of Darkness
01/07/05 13:51 Filed in: Colossians
The Bible epilogue text can be found here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
7/7, as it is referred to, was yet another defining moment in our shifting culture. I reflected on the parallel steps of the bomber and Jesus, how they both involved death, both were puzzling, and yet had such dramatically different consequences for anyone connected.
Flippancy is something to be avoided with this material, and I think it manages to do that. A lot of the time these strips require you to compare parallel compositions or scan repetitive elements. This one uses that device.
EN22 The Persistent Geldof
22/06/05 13:51 Filed in: Luke
The Bible epilogue text can be found here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
Live 8 was spread widely across the media. There is a tension I have noticed among christians between the focus on social action or evangelism. Some people are able to happily wed the two, others appear to emphasise one above the other. This strip picks up on the tension but also poses a question about our perseverance in prayer. It is all very well having theological convictions - if you don't have a living and vibrant relationship with God (which implies prayer as a regular activity) your principles probably wont mean a great deal.
The two warring parties are a married couple I know quite well.
EN21 Three Fathers: ASBO, Absent and Heavenly.
The Bible epilogue text can be found here and here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
Anti Social Behaviour Orders might well be an effective measure for preventing crime, but if you look further back in each persons history, where are the Dad's who provide a loving context for discipline and nurture? The strip points toward God as the ultimate father who can repair the damage.
I like the 'pof' frame as the missile is launched from the Bible.
It is interesting that I got a complaint from one gentleman for the language being used in the title. He felt that it was inappropriate to use sacred references in this way. I had to respectfully disagree - I think that once you get into 'sacred' forms of language you are heading into the direction of holy places, a view that I think the Bible refutes quite heavily in the new testament.
EN20 Strictly Politics Fever
01/05/05 13:51 Filed in: 1 Samuel
The Bible epilogue text can be found here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
There is a classic bit in the selected Bible passage where the distinction between human and divine perception is made. God judges the heart, man judges appearance. I felt that there were some pretty obvious connections between the general election and strictly come dancing. I think that there is as much a comment being made on people who vote as well as the people trying to get the vote.
I got a version of this published on the channel 4 news site.
EN19 Secular School Dinners
01/04/05 13:50 Filed in: Psalms
The Bible epilogue text can be found here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
Who wasn't moved by Jamie's School Dinners? I loved the way he made the link between dietary intake and the kind of children we are creating. It only follows that in a secular educational system obsessed with grades and levels you produce a form of spiritual blindness.
EN18 The New Ten Commands
01/03/05 13:50 Filed in: Romans
The Bible epilogue text can be found here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
Jon Snow presented this really interesting show called 'The New 10 Commandments' on channel 4. Apart from a total misunderstanding of what the 10 commandments actually are, it provided an interesting perspective into what people value in todays ideological climate. The strip explains itself - relativism is notoriously interchangeable - commandments voted in by the public aren't commandments - they are options.
Interestingly the number one command was based on a story of christian forgiveness, but this link wasn't reinforced.
EN17 The Dividing Aisle of Hostility
01/02/05 13:50 Filed in: Ephesians
The Bible epilogue text can be found here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
It is interesting how easy it is to legitimise snobbery. The 'chav' term had become far too regular among some christian acquaintances of mine and I wanted to draw a link with the story of the tax collector and the pharisee. Acceptance regardless of who you are is a priority for christians.