andygoodliff

Doctor Who

Flip! Doctor Who is getting good. Tonight's episode 'Midnight' watch here was fantastic - best yet - in its simple set-up and reminded me of classic Buffy Vampire the Slayer episodes, like 'Hush'.  The more I see of Russell T. Davies Doctor Who the more I see the influence of Joss Whedon's Buffy series (and its spin-off Angel - so Torchwood).  This fourth series has been excellent, the two previous episodes before tonight's, were also fantastically written and acted. In a time when American TV is producing quality dramatic series like
Lost, Damages, Mad Men and House, Doctor Who is the sole offering we have that compares in terms of quality.

Impressed with The Passion

I was generally impressed with The Passion. Some great moments. I like the way it began showing the intentionality of Jesus' decision to enter Jerusalem through the east gate on a donkey - he was making a theological and political statement about his identity. The scenes of Jesus teaching helped me visualize that he was speaking right in front of the Temple, this was a direct confrontation.  I was interested in the use of the word 'sacrament' after Jesus broke bread and shared wine in the Last Supper scenes. I like the way the flogging, the carrying of the cross and the crucifixion was almost a direct antithesis of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. I liked the way they presented the whole drama as something political.  I liked the fact that the characters of Judas, Caiaphas and Pilate were not so two-dimensional. I found the final part, a bit disappointing, it was lacking something, but then perhaps it is simply that the resurrection is so difficult to convey. Mark Goodacre, who was an adviser on the production, has lots of links to background, reviews, etc.

The Passion - new BBC drama

Through holy week this year the BBC are showing The Passion, a new drama of the last week's of Jesus' life. They've just launched their accompanying website. It will be interesting if it has as much controversy as Mel Gibson's similarly titled The Passion of the Christ.

God is Green, 12 Feb 8pm

This coming Monday is another interesting looking documentary from channel 4 called God is Green looking at the religious response to climate change. Presented by Mark Dowd, who is interviewed about the programme here. This is the programme description:

Many climate change scientists claim that we may have as little as 15 years in which to clean up our act: or face the prospect of total chaos. God Is Green follows documentary-maker and devout Catholic Mark Dowd on a personal journey to find out why the world's major faiths are saying so little on this important issue.

The Doomsday Code

Last night I watched  The Doomsday Code presented by Tony Robinson. It explored how many evangelical christians in America have embraced end time theology, popularized in the Left Behind books of Tim LaHaye (I've posted here on why Left Behind is wrong), but believed as a true reading of scripture, especially of the book of Revelation. Robinson showed how the consequences of such beliefs are dangerous for the Middle East situation (in terms of  finding a peaceful solution), the environment and for the development of African countries. In my view it only gave more support to Hauerwas' desire to take the bible out of American Christians' hands. Listening to the various 'end-timers' who were interviewed, you realize they have no doctrine of creation, no doctrine of personhood, and a skewed doctrine of God and especially of scripture. I find it incredible that so many people are actually able to believe in this kind of rubbish. They say they love God, but they care so little for human life.

The Fundamentalists

The Fundamentalists was a channel 4 programme presented by Mark Dowd, exploring the rise and increase of religious fundamentalism in the world. He warned about the dangers of reading sacred texts without interpretation. It made sombre watching as I read earlier today Bush's latest rhetoric. It's repeated tonight (Wednesday morning) at 2.45am for those who are interested. It's so good to see intelligent programming like this. On Bush and 9/11, I'm still unsure how to respond to it. This Saturday, 7pm Tony Robinson presents The Doomsday Code, which will investigate the people with powerful political friends in the White House, who are trying to bring about the end of the world, as prophesied in the Book of Revelation.

I've also just finished reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. It's a fantastic story, although it took me a while to get going. If you've not come across it, it's a story of two magicans living in the early 19th century as they try to return magic to England.

Tony on going to church

I’ve been to a few churches around town and they just annoy the **** out of me because they’re so fake, and the people look so lost, and the people on the stage just look so plastic and so charming and so seductive, and I just think ‘I don’t believe in these people’. These people are not an expression of faith. So, I’d much rather just slip into a church and sit there for 10 minutes and have a bit of quiet time, or pray at home. I don’t feel that you necessarily have to turn up at a certain place at a certain time dressed in a certain way to express your faith and live out your faith. I think there’s other ways of doing it.
                                                                                                        (Tony, The Monastery Revisited, BBC2, 7 June)

I thought Tony's words we both illuminating and disheartening. It certainly made me ask what kind of people Tony would encounter in the church I belong to. I find it brilliant that this guy Tony keeps returning to Worth Abbey because he's found a place for his christian faith to grow and be nourished. He's a man just turned 30, who through the experience of living at a monastery and being accountable to the monks and people he went with is now looking for his vocation, which is about giving of his self to others. It's just sad that so far the wider church has not been able to help him.

The Convent and the Monastery Revisited

Coming soon (starts 14 June) is The Convent - a sequel of sorts to last year's The Monastery, this time with four women in a convent for forty days and nights. Incidently the Monastery is back this week on Wednesday, 9-10pm, BBC2 for The Monastery Revisited:

A group of ordinary men took part in a unique experiment when they spent 40 days and 40 nights living with monks. 

Almost a year and a half on the five men reunite to reveal exactly what impact this unique experience has had on their lives.

The Monastery was a must-see last year, so hopefully the Convent will be as equally interesting.

Faith Schools - Yes or No?

Richard Dawkins tonight argued - Religion: the Root of all Evil? (C4) - that it was wrong to bring up  child in religious communities and especially was concerned about faith schools. He was using language like 'virus' and 'distorted' to argue that it is harmful to "indoctrinate" children in religious beliefs, mainly because he believe religious belief to be anti-rational. The question of faith schools, aside from Dawkin's concerns though, is an important one. A first point, made by many others, is that a non-faith-affliated school does not mean it is without a set of beliefs is to miss that secularism and atheism itself are a set of beliefs. Most schools are educating children to be secularists. Secondly, the entire education British system has it roots in British churches. Generally I don't think I have a problem with faith schools, in terms of CofE and Roman Catholic, because here the term 'faith school' reflects the ethos and the life of the school, rather than what is taught in lessons. I do have a problem with the kind of school that Dawkins visited in his programme which indoctrinates children into a narrow conservative evangelical worldview, where the Bible is taught for all intents and purposes to be read literally. Where education takes a back seat to the fundamentalist teachings of USA bible belt. Schools should be a place where we encourage the cultivation of wisdom in all its varied forms, and wisdom encourages the pursuit of truth. Schools should be a place where we encourage creativity - where children can creatively engage and question the world, arts, science and belief. 

The Story of God

On Sunday I watched the first episode in the BBC's new series called the Story of God. Presented by Robert Winston (not an immediately obvious choice) it is a 3-part look at how different religions conceive God  and where the roots in their differing theologies come from. The first programme was part introduction, part description of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. This Sunday (7pm, BBC1) will look at the three great monotheistic faiths - Judaism, Christianity and Islam and the following week will look at how the rise of science has impact beliefs in and about God. I found it well made and certainly of potential use in the RE classroom. It will be interesting to look at how they present that which Jews, Christians and Muslims hold in common about God and that which they differ on.