e r i c . s p a n g l e r

Accountability

In our Thursday evening Gathering this evening, our 'Faith Conversation' is about 'Clean Living in a Dirty World.'  There's more to it than just the title, and this we're certainly not about becoming isolationist.  We need each other to become all that God intended, and to challenge each other not only to become missional but to stay on track spiritually.  To that end, I'm posting here some great accountability questions created many years ago by John Wesley.  They're posted all over the web.

1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
3. Do I confidentially pass onto another what was told me in confidence?
4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
5. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
6. Did the Bible live in me today?
7. Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?
8. Am I enjoying prayer?
9. When did I last speak to someone about my faith?
10. Do I pray about the money I spend?
11. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
12. Do I disobey God in anything?
13. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
14. Am I defeated in any part of my life?
15. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?
16. How do I spend my spare time?
17. Am I proud?
18. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisee who despised the publican?
19. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I going to do about it?
20. Do I grumble and complain constantly?
21. Is Christ real to me?

“Does God exist” is simply the beginning.

Angels & Demons:  A Review

“God sent you to save the church.”  Science.  Faith.  Can they co-exist?  Robert Langdon has unraveled the Da Vinci Code, and now comes face to face with Angels & Demons, a sequel that continues the adventures of the Harvard professor of Symbology with a growing knack for debunking religion.

The film’s music, cinematography, and production are similar auteuristically with writer Dan Brown and director Ron Howard’s first work; it will certainly satisfy those that are seeking a homogeneous experience.  While the action was constant and moving and the plot turns kept one guessing, the story fails to move us.  Still, Tom Hanks offers a convincing and believable portrayal, even if a year’s worth of adventure is packed into one single day.

The film raises some of the same kind of questions that the Da Vinci Code raises:  important questions about faith, reason, and the existence of God; herein lie the intersection of post-modernity and religion’s place in today’s world.  Particularly interesting are the questions directly posed to Langdon about his own belief (or lack of belief) to which he responds that he has not yet “received the gift of faith.”  Near the film’s end, one Cardinal makes it clear that he believes God actually sent Langdon to help the church out of it’s dilemma.  As this final suggestion is made, Langdon is without an answer for the first time.  “Religion is flawed because people are flawed,” explains the Cardinal.  If religion is not the answer, the film fails to answer it’s own criticism with a better option.

Those who are curious about the Catholic Church may also find the movie interesting, as the movie depicts the death of a pope, as well as a portrayal of the drama that happens behind the scenes in order to select a new Vicar of Christ.  However, this story comes with a twist.  In order to catalyze the church, the pope’s death is revealed to be more than it appears.  Without giving away the entire plot, aspirations for power clash head on with the Vatican’s sworn protection authorities.  Is the age old church enemy the ‘Illuminati’ behind the conspiracy, seeking revenge for alleged murders by the church in the past?  Or, are they simply taking advantage of an opportunity to leverage a scientific discovery of subatomic particles that may help explain the origins of life, and at the same time demonstrate the triumph of science over faith.  What happens when matter and anti-matter make contact?  A terrible explosion.  This potential explosion throughout the film seems a perfect metaphor for the faith vs. reason conflict that is happening simultaneously.

A little bit of research reveals that there’s a significant amount of ‘fiction’ (i.e. Illuminati’s purpose, various atrocities committed by the church, etc) that could be misleading if one accepts the film as authoritative.  At the same time, there are several points of potential dialogue that could prove productive between persons with and without faith.  “Does God exist” is simply the beginning.

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