column :: grace
Posted by Paul | Filed under columns
The final column from 360 magazine (for now)…
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It struck me recently that many superhero stories feature a strange sort of grace. Here’s how it works in the Spiderman series: Peter Parker is a pretty unremarkable guy until an apparently random accident leaves him with extraordinary powers. He’s done nothing to earn or deserve them. He’s not particularly courageous or virtuous. In fact, he doesn’t start out as a particularly heroic character at all.
So, what is it that makes him a hero? As the story unfolds it seems to work in the opposite way to our expectations: rather than virtue being rewarded, it is the new powers that lead him to heroism. Famously, the recurring theme in the Spiderman stories is that ‘with great power comes great reponsibility’. In coming to terms with his powers, the changes in Parker are more than just the ability to climb walls. Maybe it is the same with all acts of grace.
As Mumford and Sons sang recently, “… that’s exactly how this grace thing works/It’s not the long walk home that will change this heart/But the welcome I receive with the restart.”
Tags: column, culture, superheroes
column :: crisis
Posted by Paul | Filed under columns
Yes, another column from 360 magazine…
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Here’s my question: when our culture is in trouble, what should the church do? Maybe we can find some provocation from movies.
Arguably the most famous financial crisis in film history comes in the middle of the classic “It’s a Wonderful Life”. The film’s hero, George Bailey, is just leaving for his honeymoon when there is a run on the bank. In panic, the townspeople want their money. George manages to calm the crowd down, but this still leaves a problem: how are the people going to survive? The solution is creative and sacrificial – the newlyweds help those in need by using their own savings – the money that was going to fund their honeymoon.
In giving what he has to save others, it’s not hard to see George as a Christ-like figure. Perhaps the church too should look for unexpected, creative (maybe even costly) ways to help those in crisis.
column :: changes
Posted by Paul | Filed under columns
A little context is probably in order for this column from 360 magazine: This issue came out alongside some organisational changes in the church, hence the theme and especially the last line…
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In his recent book Culture Making, Andy Crouch points out that every cultural change is two-edged. On one side, they open up new possibilities; on the other, they often make some parts of life far more difficult than they used to be.
For example, think of cars: their invention has given us amazing freedom to travel, but at the same time it has become increasingly impossible for people to live car-free. Or how about supermarkets? They have given us incredible convenience, but you have to wonder if we lost some community that came with local bakers and corner shops. And as for music — I have vinyl in my garage that I fear will never make it onto my iPod, but I know which I’d rather carry around…
But, it not just big changes that work like this, is it? We all have cultural shifts in our lives. We’re constantly making old routines difficult for the sake of a new set of possibilities. It might be getting married, having children, changing jobs, or even someone suggesting two services on a Sunday…
column :: purpose
Posted by Paul | Filed under columns
Another column from 360 magazine. In fact, due to large overlap with the lead article, this one never got used. Nice to be able to get it out in some form before Lost vanishes from our screens…
There seems to be a current trend for TV shows in which no one has a clue what is going on.
Take the series ‘Lost’. If you haven’t seen it, it features a group of air crash survivors who are trapped on a desert island. For many, many episodes the characters discuss and explore without really getting closer to understanding their predicament.
Or how about ‘Heroes’, in which a number of ordinary people suddenly find they have developed super-human powers. They don’t understand why this has happened and most of them can’t quite figure out what to do about it.
Maybe these shows reflect something in our culture — a general feeling that we don’t really know ‘what on earth we are here for’. We find ourselves in this universe but we don’t know why, or what we are supposed to do.
But here’s the really interesting part: through it all we can’t seem to give up the idea that someone, somewhere knows where the stories are heading.
column :: glory
Posted by Paul | Filed under columns
Another column from 360 magazine…
Has it ever struck you just how flexible the world around us is? Think about trees: pick the right bits and they can be painted, shaped, carved, eaten, played on, played in, played with… The possibilities could fill this whole column.
It is part of the incomparable glory of God that he hasn’t just made a world with ‘everything in its place’, but one that can be endlessly shaped, worked on and developed by others. And taking part in that shaping of the world is one way in which we bring glory to God; by exploring the possibilities He has left for us.
What does this mean? That we have the opportunity to worship whenever we sing, listen, play, paint, eat… In fact, whenever we explore the possibilities in creation. Now where did I put that stick?
column :: joseph
Posted by Paul | Filed under columns
Another slightly dated column, so to set the context: it was written around the time when reality show ‘Any Dream Will Do’ was working it’s magic…
Have you ever imagined how the story of Joseph might play out as reality TV?
Welcome back to Pyramids and Presidents. It’s day 3429 in Pharaoh’s jail and two of the housemates have had dreams. Joseph has revealed his talent for interpretation and now has break the bad news — one of them is for the chop. If you think the baker should get his old job back, text BAKER. On the other hand, if you think the butler is Joseph’s best bet for mentioning his case to Pharaoh, text BUTLER.
Umm, I suspect the viewing figures might drop after the first decade. We’re more into instant celebrity than long-term training. On the other hand, for those of us who will never achieve overnight success, it’s reassuring to know that God does things differently.
A random walk over culture, art, christianity, etc. with occasional photographs...