Culture

Why is America Turning Christophobic? It All Began With the “Wall of Separation”

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That’s a Prison Wall for American Christians.

I just released this new 96 page booklet about the historical interpretation of religious freedom in America.

I examine the Founders’ original intent behind the freedom of religion in the First Amendment. I use documented historical sources to tell the story of the transformation of religious freedoms from a “wall of separation” that protected Christianity from the state, into a wall of oppression weaponized by the state against Christianity.

Learn how it all began.

Get the eBook or Paperback here.

The Spiritual Reason Behind the Superhero Craze – Godawa Podcast Interview

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Living the Adventure: LISTEN to the podcast here.

Five of the top 10 movies at the box office this year are superhero movies. And eight of the top 25 films of all time are superhero flicks.

So, why are we as a society so obsessed with superheroes? Is there, perhaps, a spiritual reason behind the craze? Brian Godawa, a professional author and filmmaker, believes there is.

A Christian in the entertainment industry, Godawa says we are attracted to superheroes on the big screen because we have a natural desire to fill – as Pascal said – the God-shaped vacuum inside all of us. But that’s not the only reason.

Superhero movies are the topic of this week’s edition of War of the Worldviews.

Godawa also discusses:

  • What we can teach our kids after watching superhero movies.
  • What he thought about the popular movie Wonder Woman.
  • What he thinks about the trendy antihero movies.

Living the Adventure: LISTEN to the podcast here.

 

Frankly Faraci: Inspiring Look Into the Heart & Soul of Entertainers

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I saw an advance screener of a new family-friendly show starting tomorrow on the Dove Channel called Frankly Faraci.

Look, I don’t fit the “Dove” paradigm. I like a biblical amount of sex and violence in my stories. But I totally support the desire of those who wish to have a channel that is “safe” for their family and one that reinforces other biblical values that are more tame than the Song of Solomon or less violent than the book of Judges. There’s a place for that crowd of concern.

Frankly Faraci meets at that intersection of entertainment and values by exploring the personal lives and interests of entertainers and celebrities from a “values friendly” perspective. It isn’t only about Christian celebrities either. The goal of the show is to explore how deeper things like faith of different kinds can drive creativity in the lives of celebrities and entertainers. So, for instance, the first show covers the immensely popular Piano Guys, who are Mormons, but shows a secular world that there are many influential artists who do not drink the koolaid of a secular materialist world without transcendence.

The show is hosted by my Hollywood colleague, Matthew Faraci, who is an upbeat, positive presence with his hipster look and mature personality. He’s a pleasure to watch as someone who has a passionate vision for exploring the depth and meaning behind the artists and their art–beyond the silliness of most celebrity shows with their irrelevant factoids and lifestyles of envy. Faraci wants to find out the heart and soul of these people, and he has the personal depth and character necessary to achieve it.

As Frankly Faraci’s website puts it:

Frankly Faraci is a new original series on Dove Channel featuring authentic, heartfelt, behind-the-scenes interviews with inspirational figures in entertainment, music, sports, business, and politics who are actively focused on doing good and bringing positivity into the culture. Hosted by journalist Matthew Faraci, Frankly Faraci is an unprecedented show that will delight families with wonderfully unique stories they won’t see anywhere else. For everyone who is looking to be uplifted and inspired…welcome home.

Check it out on the Dove Channel tomorrow.

 

College Students Support Bigotry and Economic Violence against Christians

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This is a disturbing video. And it is done by an honorable Christian legal foundation, Alliance Defending Freedom. So it isn’t a trolling. These guys have helped protect religious rights for all in our country.

The blatant irrationality in our society is so deep, logic and fact has no effect on those who wish to wipe us out with cavalier disregard.

Christophobia is rampant, it is the norm in our universities, where young people are being indoctrinated in hatred, bigotry and violence against Christianity and western civilization. And all in the name of Social Justice.

Please, if you are a Christian with a moral conscience, stop giving money to y0ur alma mater, if it is a school like UW-Madison. You are financing your own demise in the hands of fascism.

 

Paranormal Podcast: DMT, Psychedelics, Religious Mysticism, and Paranormal Experiences

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Join Dr. Mike Heiser, Pastor Doug Van Dorn, Doug Overmyer, Brian Godawa and Natalina as we discuss entheogens—psychedelic drugs that are known to cause “mystical states” of consciousness.

Our hosts discuss Rick Strassman’s work on DMT, but that is merely a subset of entheogen study. Current research in the fields of brain science, psychology, and religion are struggling to explain how entheogens and the experiences they cause should be understood. The dilemma of consciousness, more popularly known as the mind-body problem, is at the heart of the struggle. Do entheogens simply affect part of the brain and its chemistry triggering new states of consciousness from inside your head? Or do these drugs separate consciousness from the organ of the body we call the brain, verifying that consciousness is distinct from the brain? Are God and other supernal beings experienced by people under the effect of entheogens just a product of the brain, or are they entities to be experienced by unhindered consciousness?

CLICK HERE to listen to podcast.

 

 

Sleep Paralysis: Demons or Neuroscience? Peeranormal Podcast

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I cohosted this podcast with Dr. Mike Heiser, Natalina, Doug Van Dorn, Doug Overmyer and Trey Stricklin.

Sleep paralysis can be defined in several ways. In terms of the experiencer, it can be described as “a visitation by a malevolent creature which attacked its victims as they slept” (Cox). More clinically, sleep paralysis is understood as “a transient,conscious state of involuntary immobility occurring when falling asleep or upon wakening” (Cheyne, 2002). Research into sleep paralysis has produced compelling evidence that the phenomenon can be explained by brain chemistry and physiology in conjunction with REM sleep. But is that all there is to it?

Go listen to it here

Gavlak: A Rock Punk Rap Metal Band You Must Check Out

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I saw a recent gig of my friend Michael Lee’s band, Gavlak. They played at the Canyon in Agoura Hills, CA. They don’t play much so they’re hard to find, but if you can, you will be glad you did.

I wrote about one of their gigs last year here.

I wrote in that article that I don’t like loud banging music and I especially do not like live performances, I am a studio music lover. But I have to say, Gavlak may make a punk concert-goer out of me yet.

Their pounding melodies are memorable, and their lyrics are profound and spiritual. I don’t mean religious, I mean transcendent truth cyphered through real world experience.gavlak2

The band is solid. Hey, it’s no secret they ain’t Millennial spring chickens. But that’s what makes them so fascinating. Their age brings a maturity in both skill and insight that it takes years of life experience to create.

Their music could be compared to Rage Against the Machine, Primus or the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Stone Temple Pilots or Faith No More? Maybe. But really, Gavlak is not quite like any of them. They have a unique sound that is hard to pin down.

But their melodies stick with you, and their lyrics make you think.
Their showmanship has just gotten better over time. I would echo what a photographer had said after the gig: Lead singer Michael Lee is a rock star. He bounces around on the stage, not with anarchic lunacy, but dramatic flair that makes you enjoy the music that much more.

In that previous post I wrote about most of their songs, but they have two new ones that I absolutely LOVE… Continue reading →

Fargo the Series: Good is Sexier Than Evil

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I am posting this way too late. Oh well. TV series are no longer time bound anyway.

I watched the first two seasons of Fargo when they came out. The last one was I don’t know how many months ago. I have been meaning to write about this. Now, I won’t remember all the details as I should, but that’s okay cause I just want to hit the broadbrush strokes anyway so I don’t spoil the good stuff.

I found the original movie Fargo by the Coen brothers to be fascinating and carrying their usual quirky, dark, but hopeful worldview. When the series came up, I thought I wouldn’t want to see the movie redone as a series, and didn’t think there would be enough to hold it through 10 hours.

I was seriously wrong.

Fargo is one of the best series on TV (I hate that term TV. It’s got a negative stigma and doesn’t even apply anymore. I watched it online). It captures the original spirit of the Coen brothers and repackages their thought-provoking storytelling in a way that quite frankly I find much more satisfying than the original movie.

Here is why I love Fargo the series so much… Continue reading →