Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
Showing posts with label television. Show all posts

Wednesday 30 March 2016

Of Kings And Prophets a Biblically-themed network television

On Tuesday, March 8 at 10PM a Biblically-themed network television, called Of Kings And Prophets, debuted on ABC.

Thirty years after Ronald Reagan stated:
 “Religion and politics are necessarily related. We need religion as a guide. We need it because we are imperfect, and our government needs the church because only those humble enough to admit they’re sinners can bring to democracy the tolerance it requires in order to survive.” 
 a Christian, a Muslim, and a Jew found it time to join together to do what many in Hollywood deemed impossible: launch a Biblically-themed network television show about the collision of politics and religion that would appeal to both faith-based and secular audiences.

The makers of the show want to be faithful to the Bible and show people the Work of God. They say
In being faithful to the scriptures, we decided not to shy away from the sexuality and violence that is either implied or explicit in the text. To do so, would sanitize the reality of the biblical time and place, while at the same time bypassing important parallels that we still confront and struggle with today. We made this choice to open a conversation about how one reconciles faith with the realities of the world—whether in ancient Israel or in the contemporary U.S.
It seems there has to be some violence shown in the show.
We assumed we might be met with some resistance from Biblical literalists, as there is always the chance when dealing with religious material that faith-based audiences might negatively react to our interpretation of scriptural inconsistencies.
Surprisingly though, the most vitriolic criticism has not come from faith-based viewers, but from secular media outlets and bloggers, many of whom argued that the war, violence and brutality depicted in the show would alienate religious viewers. Clearly, these reviewers are unfamiliar with the Bible.
Today we hear also lots of people criticising the Koran and Muslims because they would keep to all sorts of cruel stories. But those complaining about those violent stories do forget or do not know that those same stories can be found in the Jewish as well as the Christian Bible.

People should be aware that
The world of the Old Testament, as described in the Bible, is often brutal and violent—a world where slavery and rape were the victor’s prerogative, and genocide was an accepted approach to foreign policy. The faithful know this better than anyone.
It are often the kafir or non-believers and those who do not know the religious texts who go in attack against one or the other religion. In Christendom we also have lots of people who have taken Jesus as their god instead of believing what Jesus and God say about each other. Many of those so called Christians do not know the other true Christians, who in Christianity proclaim only One True God, the God of Abraham, like the God of the Jews and the God of Muslims.
Often it our those Christians who keep to a three-headed god do not come to see Who the God is of the Holy Scriptures and do not realise how the whole world shall come to get to know the Only One True God, Allah, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah, Who is One God of gods and Host of hosts, greater than and above all gods.

The makers of the show are devoted to their respective faiths, and passionate about their artistry. They say
That’s why we are convinced that if the entertainment industry fails to show faith-based programming, we will miss out on opportunities to explore and understand the rich values and moral complexities that exist at the heart of our religious texts.
And conclude:
It is our hope that secular critics will understand that it is vital to our fabric as a nation to explore our faith through art—to let our values, morals and faith serve as scaffolding for our creativity. That’s what we have tried to do with Of Kings And Prophets.
But after just two episodes ABC has decided to cancel its biblical drama Of Kings and Prophets.
The move came after the show received low ratings and sponsors were pressured to pull their advertising.
The show attempted to tell the story of King David’s ascent to the throne and King Saul’s demise. While an exciting premise, ABC failed to deliver a product that resonated with most viewers. Of Kings and Prophets downplayed religious themes in favor of sex, violence, and intrigue for entertainment value.
ABC also took plenty of artistic licenses and made some odd character choices. For example, the prophet Samuel was portrayed as a jealous, bloodthirsty, and senile old man who misrepresented the will of Elohim. Samuel ordered Saul to annihilate the Amalekites seemingly out of spite, not because God wanted it.

Sunday 1 December 2013

TV literary adaptation of The Bible

English: Logo of the British television channe...
After the US screenings of The Bible, shown on Channel 5 in UK last night, bookstores 'couldn't believe how many people came in to buy Bibles' and one pastor alone baptised 3000 people. Quick - grab some free Bibles and a paste table - let's get out there!

According to Benji Wilson the minor literary adaptation: The Bible, is a visually stunning, epic adaption of a selection of the major stories from Genesis to Revelation. It was the number one cable series this year in America. The opening episode was seen by 13.1 million viewers, the highest 2013 figure for a cable channel.

Burnett simply doesn’t seem to be able to make TV that people don’t watch in their droves, yet he admits that even with some of the totems of reality television, not to mention countless millions, behind him, he wanted to make something he might be proud to show his grandchildren.
The Apprentice (U.S. TV series)
The Apprentice (U.S. TV series) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“We were very aware that our shows like The Apprentice come and go. But with The Bible we fully believed people would be watching it in 30 years. It’s much more meaningful. This is certainly the most important thing I’ve ever done.”  
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Wednesday 16 October 2013

Pulpit reserved for the pastor

In the church-buildings we still find today with lesser attendants than some years ago the pulpit was and is still reserved for the pastor.
The Christian Flag displayed next to the pulpi...
The Christian Flag displayed next to the pulpit on the chancel of a church sanctuary. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)


Many Christians consider the pulpit a sacred space for someone who recognized the sacred duty. This place on a raised platform, usually surrounded by a barrier, set up in churches as the appointed place for preaching, leading in prayer, etc., is looke on by many as a holy sanctuary where nothing but the truth is been told. The church members would not dare to question those things which were said there.

Men of the cloth can find their honoured place where everybody looks at them as their teacher and guide in this world full of difficulties.

Those men of faith have now found their own soap on television in the United states of America.
"The Preachers of L.A." represents the distilled toxicity of Christianity combined with a money-obsessed generation of American preachers. Even to sympathizers, the show seems to reaffirm all the negative stereotypes about greedy prosperity preachers more interested in bling than the Bible.
Since large church pastors are on television and prominently featured in media, many think that’s what the church experience should reflect. In their eyes, Jesus would have failed miserably as a pastor (He had only 12—or 11 if you exclude Judas—faithful “members” of His ragtag band). 

People expect to hear from the pulpit how they can have a better life. By the teaching of those standing on that holy platform and their example, they showed a generation of believers how they could use their faith to change their circumstances.They wanted to have their flock to believe that faith could heal bodies, multiply finances, restore families and bring a taste of heaven down to Earth.

In the previous years the examples of many 'men of God' (mainly Catholic priests and bishops) did give the world a totally different picture than the Master Teacher Jesus would have loved to see, and presented them with something they would not like to happen to their children.

Though the pastor or priest was and is still seen by many Christians as God's mouthpiece. Many also expect from him that he will bring a message that is to deliver the people of God from bondage and sin. Recognizing this, the preacher's accompanying humility-laden approach to sermonizing would cause others to grow deeper in their faith. As John Wesley puts it, the preacher's duty was to "catch on fire" so "others will love to come and watch you burn."

asks

Have we doused the fire in the Black church? Have we grabbed our extinguishers labeled "prosperity," "tradition," and "justice," and forgotten about the Gospel? Do we just run across the pulpit as a shortcut to our next destination? Have preachers forgotten about that sacred space?
Let us be honest and recognise that today there are so many faithful men and women of God who are faithful to god His Word. For them it is not the word of a human being that should be the most important word. That pulpit where  many look at should not be that sacred space.

The television may make a caricature of ministry in the American church, but without the history of tradition and the equivocating vague and duplicitous religious language the holy books would not have reached so many. In time many modern believers have had to change the way they think about their holy books. Today all interested in religion can find many websites discussing all sorts of beliefs. The language used over there by some is not always nice but should give a good idea where the better people could be or where it is wrong to spend time and to follow the insulting words of those calling themselves preacher, pastor, prophet or man of god.

In the world of Christendom there are even persons who say:



Unless you’re a Young Earth Creationist Christian you have to accept these days that the Bible is not the inerrant word of God. At best it’s a human interpretation of the revelations it is supposed to contain.
Those interpretations made that many thoughts crossed each other. We can not ignore that some modern theists have almost squirrelled God away out of critical reach, making their Christianity virtually atheistic Humanism – which then raises the question of what they actually have faith in, and why they continue to put such store in a book like the Bible.

For a long time the Christian church world has gone far away from the Word of God. They seemed to have lost the way that recaptures the heart of the Gospel and can help fan the flame some have tried to extinguish by making other stuff the main thing.

We should get back to the basics and remember that Jesus was not standing in front of a mega church, standing on a pulpit presenting his own ideas. As a real man of God he enjoyed being with ordinary folks, talking with them as a friend, not as a higher being. for Jesus it was not his Word nor his will that was important. Ha wanted the will of his Father to be done. He also wanted that as many people as possible could find the way to his Father, the Only One God. to get them there, Jesus used the Holy Scriptures, the Torah, which was the Law for the people to follow.

By Jesus and his apostles the Word of God and the Good News or the Gospel was always center.

writes:

Today also all other church-related matters should be submitted to the supremacy of the Gospel. This removes the man-glory of the prosperity gospel and replaces it with God-centered preaching that says we were created for His glory. This removes the racist-worn stains of bitterness and hatred and moves us toward reconciliation. The Gospel bridges the generational gap and finds us all at the foot of the Cross. That’s the third way. Not every pastor wants to be famous. There are those who want to make Jesus’ name famous. Not every pastor waters down the Gospel for the sake of political affiliation. There are those who care more deeply about people’s souls than what they check on a ballot. And this third way, this Gospel way, has burned incessantly for centuries. And although I lament, I’m encouraged by the grace-fueled flame flickering in the darkness. And I echo John’s words in Revelation: Come, Lord Jesus.
Today, we have so many people that believe differently and preach different things behind pulpits.We should look carefully at them and see how they behave and if they live according to their preaching. We also should check what is first on their lips and where their own heart lies. That pulpit in the church like many know it is not thé place where we should hear the Word resounding. From everywhere around us we should hear the call to come to know Jesus and to come to know his Father, the Divine Creator.

Every person who believes in the offer Christ took on himself for the sins of so many, should follow his teachings and should go out in the world, making every possible place a 'pulpit' a 'platform' for the spreading of the Gospel. And that person presenting the Word of God should do it with love for everybody around him, believer, non-believer and other-believer.

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Monday 4 March 2013

Coming closer to Easter a new Bible mini series

Coming closer to Easter several television channels start bringing some series about the bible and about the suffering and dead of Christ.

An epic 10-hour mini-series shall be presented on History Channel. Producer, Mark Burnett (The Voice, Survivor, The Apprentice), and his wife, Roma Downey (Touched by An Angel) are bringing the most widely-read book of all time to life on the screen, with breathtaking beauty and the use of dramatic live action and cutting-edge CGI technology.
Roma Downey & Mark Burnett
Roma Downey & Mark Burnett (Photo credit: Sharon Graphics)


Downey has made a number of made-for-TV movies since Touched by an Angel wrapped in 2003, and Burnett is an executive producer whose credits include SurvivorCelebrity Apprentice and The Voice. That success has allowed the two to take on The Bible project as a personal passion.

“We feel this is the most important project we have ever undertaken,” said Mark and Roma. “Regardless of one’s belief system, no book has impacted humankind more than the Bible. Its influence on politics, culture, literature, art, music, philanthropy and education is unequalled.”

Roma and Mark where taken by watching again Cecil B DeMille’s Ten Commandments. They did want a project spanning the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation telling two to three stories a night.Numbers and Deuteronomy do not suit a photographic picture and are not taken into the story. Logically Jesus his life is only told once.

The producers of this miniseries consulted a wide range of people pastors, academics, a major evangelical leader, a rabbi and a Catholic cardinal for ideas as to how to make the story work as The Bible just gives a rough outline for many of the stories.

“We wanted to create something that was visually fresh and exciting and compelling, that your grandmother would enjoy but that your kids would enjoy," says Downey, who plays Mary, Jesus' mother, in several episodes. "We wanted it to be the Bible for this generation, that it didn't have that donkeys-and-sandals feel of Bible movies from our own childhood."

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Enjoy these clips from the series with insight from the producers (Mark and Roma) and commentaries from Rick Warren, Max Lucado and Scripture Union USA's EVP Jess Stainbrook.
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Please do read also:

  1. The series about the Last days of Christ and reasons why to remember the 14th of Nisan, starting with:14 Nisan a day to remember #1 Inception
  2. Observance of a day to Remember
  3. Day of remembrance coming near
  4. Peter Cottontail and a Bunny laying Eastereggs
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