How to go
What: Holy Week spiritual growth
Where: Centerville United Methodist Church, 63 E. Franklin St., Centerville
When: Noon-1 p.m. Monday to Good Friday, April 14-18. Lunch provided (except on Good Friday).
Cost: Free
More info: 937-433-0880 or www.4cumc.org
This Easter season many movies regarding the Christian faith have been shown, or are soon to be released: The Son of God, Noah, God is Not Dead, and Heaven is for Real.
But as professor of Christian history, Scott Kisker says, “Most will see the movie, but not read the book.” Everyone knows that “movie vs. book” discussions have been around for a long time. But never has a discussion about relevancy and accuracy taken on more importance. Because in this debate, the book is the Bible.
“The vast ignorance of much of the population with regard to the Bible means that they will not recognize the changes that have been made to the stories in order to sell them,” stated Kisker, a professor at United Theological Seminary in Dayton. “Instead of challenging our cultural assumptions with a divine perspective, the story is changed to fit cultural assumptions.”
Kisker will continue this discussion about Christian theology in today’s culture during Holy Week Spiritual Growth Luncheons at Centerville United Methodist Church. He will anchor the talk on Good Friday.
“I will be reflecting on the words of Christ from the cross to John concerning his mother Mary in that moment of suffering…the creation of a new kind of family not based on biology, but on the crucifixion,” said Kisker, who is also UTS associate dean of residential programs.
Christ’s suffering on the cross is one of the pivotal scenes in Mark Burnett and Roma Downey’s movie, “Son of God.” The husband and wife production team cast Downey as Jesus’s mother Mary.
“There are more than a dozen deviations from the Bible in the movie, and many Christians expressed their disappointments about it,” said Andrew S. Park, professor of theology and ethics at UTS. “A few of the redeeming aspects are that 20th Century Fox produced such as Christian movie, and some actors and actresses have been blessed by the process of making this movie. In an interview, Diogo Morgado shared his experience of being transformed by playing Jesus.”
Park is launching the Holy Week discussions on Monday with his talk about the Triune atonement of Jesus.
“If Passover is the time for Jewish people to reflect on the deliverance of their people from the bondage of Egypt, Holy Week is the time for Christians to reflect on the exodus of all human beings from the bondage of sin and death,” said Park. “Whoever accepts Jesus receives the power of the blood, and the cross is a symbol that represents God’s presence in us.”
The UTS instructors for Holy Week include Luther Oconer Tuesday, Harold Hudson Wednesday and David Watson Thursday.
“My talk during Holy Week will be on the passion narrative in the Gospel according to Mark,” said Watson, academic dean at UTS. “Jesus sets aside all of the honor, glory, and power that are rightly His as the Son of God and Messiah, and undergoes what the Romans called ‘the slave’s punishment.’ ”
Oconer, professor of United Methodist Studies at UTS and director of EUB Heritage Center, will explain the scriptures of Philippians 3:10-14, and the goal of Christian life.
“Oftentimes we see Holy Week as only a way for us to remember the passion and death of Jesus Christ,” said Oconer. “However, I would like to point out that Holy Week is not just about remembering, but about sharing. It is an invitation to share in Christ’s suffering and death. It’s a call for is to move from being mere spectators to being participants.”
Regarding being spectators, let’s return to the subject of Christian-themed movies. One of the stars of “God is Not Dead” is Dean Cain, who will be doing a public appearance at Centerville UMC later this year. He is actually a personal friend of Stephen Swisher, UMC’s senior pastor.
“ ‘God is Not Dead’ is an excellent story about a college student standing up for his faith,” said Swisher. “Another one released publicly next week is called ‘Heaven is For Real.’ Both of these movies are very well done. But the so-called Biblical epics like ‘Son of God’ and ‘Noah’ leave much to be desired.”
Since these talks begin at noon, it is assumed that lunch is desired. On the menu: deli sandwiches and chips on Monday, soup and salad on Tuesday, lasagna (meat and vegetarian) and breadsticks on Wednesday, and taco bar on Thursday. Fasting is observed on Good Friday, but beverages will be available.
“In a post-modern world it is easy to assume these Biblically themed shows are accurate, when much of these films are simply made up as the producer took a lot of poetic license,” said Swisher. “Our Holy Week Spiritual Growth lunches offer the opportunity to the Greater Dayton community to be inspired by the real story of Jesus, which is more exciting than anything Hollywood could ever make up.”
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