groans beyond words by B

The sound credited only as "Howling by B"  on a track on the "Prayer Circle" CD is another of Bono's trademark sounds..
and/or another of his prophetic sounds..
Hear it here .
A classic version of this is his guttural Romans 8 groan on the outro of T Bone Burnett's "Purple Heart."

under the bridge

"People are interested in bridges. I guess I've always been more interested in what goes on underneath bridges."

-- Bono


Church Under the Bridge
holy heteroclite:: the Holy Kiss for today..on a bridge 

Water...uh, over the bridge

Bono goes over my head...this time literally

Church Under the Bridge

Neo doesn't exist, neither do Žižek or MeWithoutYou

Gotta love Žižek..

For one, he's officially  an atheist who is insistent that Christianity is worth defending.

For two,  he says  (here) he is actually worried about people who can pronounce his name correctly.

(It's refreshing, especially when in academic circles there is such snobbery re: those who use legitmate Anglicized pronunciations.  But indeed, how many know that Kierkegaard is supposed to be "KEER-kuh-gore?  I wouldn't know that if not for Jerry Walls...uh, that's pronounced "WALLS")

Yes, I know it's hard to know when he's serious...maybe he's simply always honest.

For three, I have marked at least four places in  just one small chapter  where it sounds like he's been listening to U2 (That post tomorrow)

Third...he says the problem with the Matrix film is not that it goes too far, but that it doesn't go far enough..

..the thesis of The Matrix is that this big Other is externalized in the really existing Mega-Computer. There is - there HAS to be - a Matrix because "things are not right, opportunities are missed, something goes wrong all the time," i.e. the film's idea is that it is so because there is the Matrix that obfuscates the "true" reality that is behind it all. Consequently, the problem with the film is that it is NOT "crazy" enough, because it supposes another "real" reality behind our everyday reality sustained by the Matrix. However, to avoid the fatal misunderstanding: the inverse notion that "all there is is generated by the Matrix," that there is NO ultimate reality, just the infinite series of virtual realities mirroring themselves in each other, is no less ideological.
-The Matrix, or, the Two Sides of Perversion By Slavoj Zizek

Later:

However, it is here that, again, the film does not go far enough: in the memorable scene in the waiting room of the prophetess who will decide if Neo is the One, a child who is seen twisting a spoon with his mere thoughts tells the surprised Neo that the way to do it is not point is not to convince myself that I can twist the spoon, but to convince myself that THERE IS NO SPOON... However, what about MYSELF? Is it not that the further step should have been to accept the Buddhist proposition that I MYSELF, the subject, do not exist -The Matrix, or, the Two Sides of Perversion By Slavoj Zizek

Note: on this theme, try the fascinating "worship song"  by   Mewithoutyou :  "I do not exist.  Only You exist."   At first listen, many of us want to (have been trained to) cringe at the apparent and "obvious" New Age/Buddhist theology... But is a version of this true?   Just check out the fans at  this Christian festival starting to believe it as they dance it:;  3;50ff  here:

Here it is at another Christian festival,

6:22ff...how in the world did this unorthodox orthodox notiion get past the gatekeepers(:  ?

I thought I was Neo (or was it Keanu Reeves dancing at that gig!

Maybe also Jesus and Elvis...

For real..

Maybe the only person we know "really" exists, besides Jesus, is Colbert.

So sign the petition to book Zizek on the Colbert Report...let's see what happens..

End Times and The Pervert's Guide to Cinema: Slavoj Žižek

Living in the End Times According to Slavoj Zizek


Pervert's Guide to Cinema by Slavoj Žižek:

(trailer:)

(part 1: Neo needs ro be offered a third pill):


(part 2: sex and art

Michael J. Smith and Christian subculture

Nice post from Jonathan Storment, excerpt (note, the video links are mine):

A friend of mine made an observation that I appreciated. He said that U2 concerts are a bit like parables. There are people smoking weed, and acting like they are just at another rock concert. But for those with ears to hear, they are singing about the gospel over and over again. (At one point Bono prayed the Psalms, and during one chorus tag, he repeated over 20 times “Where were you when they crucified my Lord?” [NOTE: I ADDED THAT VIDEO HERE 5:20FF}

..When have you ever heard a rock band lead Amazing Grace? They are living out the Gospel with shades on.

Toward the end of the concert there was a moment that I found rather insightful. Bono was reminiscing about the people in Nashville who had helped U2 start the (One) Campaign to end world hunger. He talked about a meeting that happened 12 years ago with them in room with Amy Grant and Jars of Clay and…Michael J. Smith. Which is actually not his name.

Michael W. Smith is probably one of the most famous Christian Music artist in the world, and Bono can’t remember the briefing that he got earlier reminding him of correct initials.

I recently read Gabe Lyons’ book, “The Next Christians.”  In it Lyons is pretty hard on the Christian sub-cultures that we have created through the years. He’s gentle and affirming about some of the good that has come out of these ministries but is pretty challenging to that whole approach. He points out that the Western Christian social positions have basically entailed retreating and condemning the broader cultures at large. We have gotten really good at being offended and walling ourselves off from the rest of the world. And then, certain Christians would react to this sepratism and attempt to be relevant. Which typically meant that they would just rip-off popular culture and add Jesus’ name in there somewhere.
.
..There is an anonymous letter that was written in the 3rd century to a Roman scholar, trying to explain the phenomenon of Christianity. The author explains Jesus followers like this:

“They live in their own countries, but only as aliens. They have a share in everything as citizens, and endure everything as foreigners. Every foreign land is their fatherland, and yet for them every fatherland is a foreign land…They obey the established laws, but in their own lives go far beyond what the laws require. They love all people, and by all people are persecuted. To put it simply: What the soul is in the body, that Christians are to the world.”

I think it’s indicative that the biggest Christian artist that we have, Bono didn’t even really know his name. Now that’s nothing against Smitty, I like his music and he certainly has a gift. But what if our Christian sub-culture didn’t exist? Michael W. Smith would have shared that talent with a bigger world, and yes it might have been harder. He might have had to employ a different strategy, and Bono might just know his name.
I like that this anonymous author ends by saying that Christians are the soul for the world.Maybe that what our Jesus movement is missing these days. Soul. 

full link, The Next Christians and U2

Anthony Weiner and King David

Good post from Jonathan Storment:

The Sexuality of Power

Ask any Jewish person about their day in the sun, and they might mention Abraham, they’d give Moses some respect, but I would bet almost everyone would eventually land on King David. He was, after all, a
continued

"What is the gospel?" video: Scot McKnight

Video below (click the Q IDEAS link if it doesn't play here) by Scot McKnight...the description from the Q IDEAS website says:

"The most influential piece of literature in the twentieth century was the gospel tract. Why? Because it reduced the gospel to sound bytes and because it has framed how many Christians now understand the gospel message. What might surprise us is that the central idea of Jesus’ teaching—the coming kingdom of God—does not appear in any of the gospel tracts. Why is that? Have we only relied on Paul’s version of the gospel? Is it possible, many are asking, to combine the gospel of Paul with the gospel of Jesus? Which leads to this question: What is the gospel? And to this one: Did Jesus himself preach the gospel or not?"
Related, see:

Did Jesus Preach the Gospel? Scot McKnight's new book will comfort some and confound others!